Holding the line my foot

August 23, 2018

Our city council has raised our taxes again.

The Times explained it this way:

Because the average value of an El Paso home has increased, the average homeowner would pay about $95 more than last year.

The average value of an El Paso home this fiscal year is $129,915. With a $5,000 homestead exemption, the average homeowner would pay $1,053 next year.

Last year, the average home value was $124,299, and the tax rate was about 80 cents per $100 of property valuation. So, with the $5,000 homestead exemption, the average city property tax bill was about $958.

Let’s see

If last year the average was $958 and this year it is $1,053 that comes to a 10% increase.

Trashed

Let’s not forget that they also added $3 per month to our garbage bills in the form of a franchise fee. That comes to another $36.00 per year.

As a result that average homeowner will have a 13.9 percent increase in the amount they pay to the city.

We deserve better

Brutus

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Posted by Brutus

The bond election can be revoked!

August 22, 2018

We have been searching to see if there is a way to negate the quality of life bond election.

Here it is:

CHAPTER 1252. REVOCATION OF AUTHORITY TO ISSUE BONDS





Sec. 1252.001. ELECTION TO REVOKE AUTHORITY. The commissioners court of a county or the governing body of a municipality may order an election to determine whether to revoke the authority to issue bonds that:


(1) compose all or part of an issue authorized by an earlier election; and


(2) have not as of the date of the order been sold or delivered.


Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 227, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.




Sec. 1252.002. ELECTION PROCEDURE. (a) An election to revoke bonds under this chapter shall be held in the same manner as the election originally authorizing the bonds.


(b) In an election held under Subsection (a), the ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the proposition: “The revocation of bonds.”


(c) If a revocation election covers bonds of more than one voted issue, there shall be a separate proposition for each voted issue.


Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 227, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.


You can read the entire law here.


We deserve better


Brutus




									


				

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Some serious planning going on

				August 21, 2018



				

					
Well it appears that the city does not think that city staff or the Tax Increment Reinvestment Boards have the experience to manage the money that they are carving out of the tax base.


This item is on the Tuesday, August 21, 2018 city council consent agenda:






3.1.
That the City Manager be authorized to sign a Professional and Planning Services Agreement between the City of El Paso and David Pettit Economic Development, LLC. (“Contractor”), for Contractor to provide professional and planning services related to Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones and Public Improvement Districts within the City of El Paso, for a term of twenty four (24) months for an amount not to exceed Two Hundred Eighty Thousand and no/100 Dollars ($280,000.00) including reimbursements for expenses not to exceed Seven Thousand Five Hundred and no/100 Dollars ($7,500.00).






Wow!


Evidently you have to be pretty sophisticated to handle this stuff.


We deserve better.


Brutus

									


				

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More special interests at the city

				August 21, 2018



				

					
Evidently the city is not concerned about how the taxpayers feel about the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones that they have been creating.


The city council agenda item that we wrote about the other day in xxxxxxxxxxxx had this in the backup material.




The consulting firm confirmed that the city wants to create more TIRZs and/or expand existing ones.


We deserve better


Brutus

									


				

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Community meetings can help

				August 20, 2018



				

					
It appears that our mayor has gotten the word about holding the line on taxes.


Up until the other day it appeared that city council was going to slap a 1% sales tax on our electricity and natural gas bills.


We also get garbage bills but it appears that they are not going to worry about adding $3 per month to each of our garbage bills in the form of a franchise fee.  The franchise fee is designed to charge a city owned department for using city owned streets.


At least the 1% sales tax appears to be dead for the moment.


The Times reported that our mayor threatened to veto the sales tax after attending “community meetings” over the weekend.


We really would appreciate any information that our readers can give us that might let us know when and where those meetings were.


Listening to citizens does not appear to be one of his strong points.


Regardless of his motivation we thank him.


This is better


Brutus

									


				

				 15 Comments				|  City government, El Paso Times								 |  Permalink

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