How not to try to attract industry

July 1, 2019

The Lincoln Institute and the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence jointly publish an annual report comparing property taxes among the 50 states.

The report for the 2018 tax year is out.  You can see the whole thing here.

This year’s report lists El Paso as having the highest property tax rate on industrial properties of the top 50 cities in the United States.

The report shows three breakdowns: smaller industrial firms (land and building value up to $100,000), mid-sized firms (land and building value up to $1 million), and larger firms ($25 million).

We had the highest tax rate in all three categories last year.

Is this the way to attract industry?

We will probably read some comments about the local governments granting tax abatements to incoming industrial firms.  Remember that those abatements have a finite life.  After that the firms end up paying the regular tax rate.

The people that operate those firms have to pay property taxes on their homes, or if they are carpetbaggers through their apartment rentals.

We deserve better

Brutus

10 Comments | City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
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EPISD agenda trick

June 30, 2019

EPISD held a special board meeting Monday, June 24, 2019.

From the agenda:

Subject of Meeting
1. Call to Order
2. Meeting to be Closed under Sections 551.071 and 551.072 of the Texas Government Code as follows:
A. Consultation with Legal Counsel Concerning Legal Issues Relating To:
1. Sale of Surplus Properties IFB 19-008 and Contract of Sale Between EPISD and MIMCO, Inc. for the Property Known as NE Tennis Center, Described as a Portion of Tract 5, Block 6, Castner Range Subdivision No 1, City of El Paso, El Paso County, Texas; Pursuant to Texas Government Code Sections 551.071 and 551.072
Closed Session Verbiage
Any final action as a result of this discussion will be taken at the re-opening of this meeting, later during the Open Session or at a subsequent meeting.
3. Discuss and Take Appropriate Action Regarding the Sale of Surplus Properties IFB 19-008 and Contract of Sale Between EPISD and MIMCO, Inc. for the Property Known as NE Tennis Center, Described as a Portion of Tract 5, Block 6, Castner Range Subdivision No 1, City of El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
(To allow the Board to take action if needed)
4. Order Canvassing Returns/Votes and Declaring Results of June 15, 2019, Board of Trustees Runoff Election
(To comply with Texas Election Code Sections 67.002, 67.003, 67.004, and 67.016)
5. Oath of Office to Members of the Board of Trustees
(To administer the Oath of Office to newly elected Trustees in Districts 3 and 6)
6. Election of Board Officers
(To comply with requirements in Board Policy BDAA [Legal and Local])
7. Selection of Delegate and Alternate to 2019 TASA/TASB Conference
(The assembly is the foundation of TASB’s governance structure and provides critical direction as TASB represents members’ interest before state and national policymakers)
8. Adjournment

Notice that they planned to hold a closed meeting and then come out into open session and vote on what to do.

What is really significant is that they scheduled doing this before items 4 and 5 which would recognize new board members.

Evidently the old group did not want the new guys to mess things up.

We deserve better

Brutus

9 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
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EPISD pay raise

June 28, 2019

This came in from Dan Wever:

Media people are saying that EPISD teachers to get a 6% raise.  I doubt this but the Superintendents salary is tied to teacher raises and here are his annual increase with 4,5 and 6%.
4% $14,511
5% $18,139
6% $21,766.80
If they get the 6% that will make his base salary $384,546.80 with the $30,000 cash benefits stipend in his contract makes it $414,546.80.  He also gets 35 vacation days which he can and must sell back to the district at his daily rate if not used by end of July.  This makes his vacation days worth $56,182.74which he usually cashes in.  Of course, then you have an $18,000 car allowance and a $14,400 home office annual allowance.  Then you add his retirement (TRS) benefits, Medical and Dental care, 1,000,000 life insurance policy a 20,000 dollar annuity and various other perks.
I had said that he was the highest paid superintendent in the State and someone challenged me on the statement showing me the Cypress-Fairbanks Supers salary and then I showed them that that superintendent works 250 days while ours only works 226, however, Cypress guy does have twice as many students.
And do not even try to compare what Cabrera spends on social functions, dues, etc…………………………………You cannot! If he sticks around about 10 more years all the students will be gone and the budget will be his salary!  😦

14 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
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In the wrong place

June 23, 2019

Jaime Abeyta over at The Lion Star Blog wrote a piece recently that contained this:

If you recall I wrote a piece about how its completely stupid that superintendents sit on the dais with the elected trustees of a district. There is no practical reason for doing so and quite frankly, its actually really bad policy that trustees don’t show the backbone to make the superintendent sit with the rest of staff.

The reality is that Trustees are elected to represent the people and there is only one employee the Trustees supervise – the superintendent. The fact that they allow the superintendent to sit with the elected members of the board as though they are somehow a peer of those elected by the people, is a big problem. How is the community to have any faith that you’ll hold the supers accountable when they sit up on the dais like they are one of you? And not only do they sit there with the trustees, they almost always sit right next to the board president, in a place of more prominence than the rest of the actual elected members of the board.

Like I said before, people would lose their mind if Tommy Gonzalez or the County Administrator sat up on the dais with the elected body.

**********************************

 

I agree with Mr. Abeyta and my agreeing has nothing to do with the current superintendent.

If George Washington was the superintendent I would still say that his place is with the staff, not on the dais.

We deserve better

Brutus

14 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
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EPISD–pay raise issues

June 3, 2019

I heard talk about a potential new conflict between EPISD and its teachers the other day.

I don’t have details yet but what I think I heard is that the state legislature allocated pay raises for teachers and EPISD is planning to deliver them in a manner that is not as good for teachers with more longevity as was planned by the legislature.

Can anyone fill us in on the facts?

Brutus

20 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
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