We are seeing troubling signs over at EPISD related to the bond issue.
The executive director for bond projects has resigned.
The project leader for Jacobs Engineering (the firm handling much of the bond money) has resigned.
The citizens bond advisory committee is pushing for more and different bond management.
We deserve better
Brutus
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El Paso Independent School District | 
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Posted by Brutus
The citizen’s bond advisory committee for the EPISD bond issue is having attendance problems.
It looks like the group is doing the right thing and is starting to replace members who don’t show up for meetings.
These people have a responsibility to us citizens. Those who cannot attend regularly should resign and get out of the way.
We deserve better
Brutus
6 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus
Ross Moore sent this in:
The purpose of this E-Mail is to update you on the EPISD 2016 Bond. There have been several significant developments over the past month. These include issues in management, finances (your property taxes), project costs and project status.
1. Management. There is another major shakeup in the senior management of the 2016 Bond both on the District and Project Manager side of the house.
a. The Executive Director for the Bond Projects, Carlos Gallinar has resigned. I will note his predecessor resigned under a cloud.
b. The EPISD Project Lead for Jacobs Engineering has resigned.
c. The CBAC has been delayed to 12.6.2018 from 11.15.2018. I will note the CBAC has been vocal in its concerns about management, finances, projected costs and projects status.
2. Finances (Your Property Taxes). The Financial Markets have turned against EPISD over the past two years. They will affect Property Tax rates.
a. The 10 Year Treasury Bond Interest Rate has risen steadily for the past year. It is the benchmark that drives the Bond Market.
b. The higher the Interest Rate goes, the more it costs EPISD to borrow money.
c. The more it costs EPISD to borrow money, the higher your Property Taxes go.
d. Well over half the 2016 Bond hasn’t been put on the Bond Market, yet.
3. Project Costs. Inflation, Hurricanes, Tariffs, and Labor Costs have driven up Project Costs over the past two years.
a. It looks like Project Costs were underestimated in 2015/2016.
b. Demand for materials, like steel, aluminum and cement, have increased nationally and locally.
c. Steel has gone up 16% since the Bond vote in November 2016, as an example. Impact of Trump Tariffs have not hit yet.
d. Downscaling projects has already begun. What happened to Andress will happen elsewhere.
4. Project Status. According to EPISD, two years after the Bond Election, this is the status of major Projects.
a. In Design– 7
b. In Procurement – 9
c. Under Construction – 2
i. Crockett ES – Work has begun.
ii. El Paso HS – Nice ceremony, actual work “Someday soon.”
d. Completed– 0
7 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus
This came in from Max Grossman:
Dear Friends,
Like thousands of other El Pasoans, I finally received word of my new property tax assessment. The breakdown for 2017 and 2018 looks like this:
Taxing entity 2017 2018 % change
—————————————————————————–
CITY OF EL PASO 0.803433 0.843332 +4.97%
EL PASO COUNTY 0.452694 0.447819 -1.09%
EL PASO I.S.D. 1.310000 1.310000 0
EPCC 0.141638 0.140273 -0.97%
UNIV MED CTR 0.251943 0.251943 0
——————————————————————————
TOTAL TAX RATE 2.959708% 2.993367% +1.14%
Thus, the City of El Paso was the only taxing entity to raise our taxes, and they did so by almost 5%. Moreover, in the last six years the City of El Paso has raised our taxes from $0.66 per $100 valuation to $0.8433, an increase of 27%! Yes, we have actually joined the “3% Club” with Detroit!
For 2018, the value of my home was assessed 16.15% higher, but then my attorney sued to lower that increase to only 7.69%, which is still huge. Between that and my fleecing at the hands of the City, my property taxes are $684.46 higher for the coming year. That is money that I will not spend in the local economy, hurting local businesses and pressuring wages.
Our Mayor, who had promised to hold the line on taxes, and our City Council are 100% responsible for the tax hike, which is a direct result of their reckless borrowing and spending, their inability to contain our debt, their failure to respect established budgets, and their insistence upon increasing the cost of the already-bloated QOL bond projects, especially their “Arena,” by issuing new debt that was never approved by the voters.
*************************************
We invite our readers to tell us what happened to their tax bills this year.
We deserve better
Brutus
15 Comments | City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus
It should not be a surprise that EPISD has been working to get their students who are old enough to vote registered as voters.
The penny swap election will affect the district.
Maybe one of our readers can tell us what their student was told by the school about the pro’s and con’s of the issue.
We deserve better
Brutus
9 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus
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