More taxpayer distrust

August 21, 2015

In talking with a citizen the other day I heard him indicate that he voted against the EPISD tax initiative because he feared that the tax increase was permanent.

Actually voting for the initiative will not raise our total school taxes.  The EPISD board has already voted to lower the rate for debt payments by the same amount that they are asking the public to approve as an increase to the maintenance and operations rate.  In other words the combined tax rate will remain the same.  The reason for doing this is that Texas will provide more money to the district.

Unfortunately the school board has not decided to use some of the extra money from the state to continue to reduce our debt at the same rate we did before they lowered their debt payment levy.  That would have been a clear win for everyone.

When I went to vote I saw this wording on the ballot:

“APPROVING THE AD VALOREM TAX RATE OF $1.2350 PER $100 VALUATION IN THE EL PASO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR THE CURRENT YEAR, A RATE THAT IS $.0076 HIGHER PER $100 VALUATION THAN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ROLLBACK TAX RATE.”

It asks for permission to raise a portion of the rate for this year.

Not being expert in the area school district taxation I don’t know if this opens the door to some kind of automatic increase in the future, but I doubt it.

The ballot says “for the current year”.

Please vote.  The election is tomorrow.

We deserve better

Brutus

8 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Penny swap

August 7, 2015

The El Paso Independent School District is currently holding an election seeking to gain voter approval to lower their tax rate for debt service by 3 cents and to increase their rate for maintenance and operation by 3 cents.  Early voting has already started.

According to the district this would increase state funding to EPISD by $9 million each year.  Our former city chief financial officer is no longer in the district’s picture so I have hope that the number is accurate.

The net effect is an increase in the amount of money that the district receives while not taking any more money from us in property taxes.

The district has published a list of funding priorities that they plan to use the extra money for:

  • Instruction and enrichment
    • Summer enrichment programs
    • Replacing worn out fine arts equipment
    • Spending on athletic programs with a focus on middle-schools
    • Expansion of science labs and career and technical education
  • Pay raises
    • 2.5% for teachers
    • 3.5% for hourly staff
  • School Buses
    • One third of their buses are over 20 years old
  • Academic technology
    • Incorporating technology and electronic devices into daily instruction
    • Expansion of library digital media

I would hope that the district would use part of the money to continue making debt payments as though the tax rates had not changed.

If you live in the district please vote.

We deserve better

Brutus

8 Comments | El Paso Independent School District, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Challenge to the Times

July 29, 2015

The Times seems to have difficulty understanding reality.

They suggest that employers should pay higher wages.

Okay fine.  Go right ahead Times.

Please raise your wages so that you can attract experienced talent that knows how to, has the time to, and is allowed to write pieces that expose the waste fraud and abuse that permeate our local governments.

The Times might argue that they cannot do that because they are in an industry that is declining.  They don’t have enough money they might say.

Would they understand this reality that many of us live with or would they somehow excuse themselves since they seem to think that they are so special?

Would the Times dare to publish their existing wage scale and then bravely increase it in an act of economic leadership that would help our community?

We deserve better

Brutus

2 Comments | City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District, El Paso Times, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Forced confessions

July 26, 2015

Texas house bill number 1378 has been signed by the governor and is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2016.

The bill requires local governments to be much more open about their debt.  The governments will be required to disclose their total debts but also each individual one.  From the law:

(D)  the combined principal and interest required to pay all outstanding debt obligations on time and in full;

(E)  the combined principal and interest required to pay each outstanding debt obligation on time and in full;

Unfortunately:

 The requirements to compile and report information under Section 140.008, Local Government Code, as added by this Act, apply only to a fiscal year ending on or after the effective date of this Act.  That puts us into 2017 or 2018.

The local governments could voluntarily publish the information before the end of their next fiscal year but I doubt any of us expect them to.

We’ll be on the lookout.

We deserve better

Brutus

1 Comment | City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Doggone right

July 22, 2015

Deputy Dawg posted a comment the other day that I think deserves attention.

For those of you who missed it this is what he/she wrote:

There will be an upcoming election where voters will be asked to approve moving some tax funds around. The result: ZERO change in tax but the district will end up getting millions in state revenue. Of course, the voters have to approve it. It is called a “penny swap” TRE election.

http://www.episd.org/community/tre_2015.php

Did you get that? No new taxes. Millions more in revenue.

Let me repeat for the hard of hearing or the disbelievers: NO NEW TAXES but millions in new state revenue

If the ballot item is worded correctly we will have an opportunity to increase income to EPISD without increasing our taxes.  What we will be doing is increasing the tax rate for maintenance and operation of the schools (M&O) while at the same time decreasing the tax rate for debt payments (I&S) the same amount.

I hope that the district takes the opportunity to take some of the increase in state funding and use it to reduce our debt by at least the same amount that they would have at the old I&S rate.

That would be a real win for all concerned.

We deserve better

Brutus

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