The Tuesday, April 3, 2018 city council agenda has this item on it:
Does anyone know what they are planning?
Yikes!
We deserve better
Brutus
How to educate our mayor
March 30, 2018The Texas comptroller has this graphic on his web site:
The site explains:
Texas county sales taxes were first authorized in 1987, when most city and transit sales taxes were already in place — and many were already at the 2 percent cap. For this reason, most county sales taxes are applied outside metropolitan areas, with the notable exception of El Paso County. At present, 123 Texas counties levy sales taxes, most at a rate of 0.5 percent. County sales tax revenue generally is earmarked by statute for property tax relief.
Contrary to what the mayor seems to be saying, the city is not giving any sales tax to the county.
More accurately, the voters of El Paso county decided to impose the tax on purchases. The city had nothing to do with it.
The city has a legal department with enough lawyers to make it one of the largest law organizations in the city. Maybe the mayor could get one of them to educate him.
We deserve better
Brutus
3 Comments | 
City government, County Government, State Government | 
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Posted by Brutus
Is the mayor trying to raise taxes?
March 29, 2018If our current mayor finds a way to take the 1/2% sales and use tax that the county gets away from the county what will happen to our county taxes?
According to recent news reports the city thinks that the money in question comes to about $43 million a year.
Would the county have to raise their property tax rate?
Wouldn’t this end up being a tax increase from the mayor who told us that he would work to keep taxes low?
We deserve better
Brutus
14 Comments | City government, County Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus
Checking his math
March 28, 2018An astute reader sent this in the other day:
Our representative is touting the streetcars as symbols of our cross-border relationship with Juarez, claiming they crossed the border more than 500 times a day.
Even if they operated on a 24 hour basis, that would mean one crossing every three minutes.
I don’t think so.
We deserve better
Brutus
7 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus
Mayorial ignorance?
March 26, 2018Could it be true that our current mayor is so profoundly ignorant of the situation that he actually thinks the city gives the county part of our sales tax revenue?
According to recent news reports the city is saying that the “gifts” amount to an average of about $43 million per year.
For the moment let’s assume that it is okay for the mayor not to know about the Texas laws concerning this.
As the leader of our city wouldn’t you think that he would be familiar with the city budget? If the city actually gives the county the money we would see the expenditure in the city budget. No such entry exists.
The city doesn’t give the county any sales tax money.
The money is collected by the state and a portion of it is returned to the eligible local governments. Texas believes that the city is entitled to get 1%, the city bus system 1/2%, and the county 1/2%.
I would be embarrassed.
We deserve better
Brutus
11 Comments | City government, County Government, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus
elpasospeak 
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