Dated data

September 21, 2016

The Times published “Tax bills still rising steadily in El Paso” on their front page last Sunday.

They cited information from a 2010 study and wrote “El Paso’s median property-tax bill ranked 299th or in the top half of 805 of the nation’s largest counties, in a Tax Foundation report using 2010 data, the latest report available from the organization.”

Not current

In Climbing to the top we wrote that the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence places El Paso as having the third highest tax rate among America’s 50 largest cities.  The report was based on 2015 taxes.  You can’t get more current than that.

We know that people at the Times read this blog.

Was this article written to help the EPISD bond?  Were they trying to convince us  that El Paso’s tax rates aren’t that bad?

We deserve better

Brutus

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

The Times has reporters

September 10, 2016

The Tuesday, September 6, 2016 El Paso Times was a pleasant surprise.

There was a well written front page article about local school superintendent compensation.

Another well written article headlined the Borderland section.  It was about city boards and commissions and their relative effectiveness.

Yet another article focused on our county hospital’s proposed tax increases.

New management

Are we seeing the influence of the new boss at the Times?  Are their reporters being allowed to research issues and print factual articles without being shut down for political reasons?

Let’s hope so.

Still some old influences

Unfortunately the front page article about TXDOT property acquisition for the Border West Expressway was more of what we have been getting from the Times.  The article cited numerous cases where property owners were paid for their property.  It even pointed out that some property owners were resisting.  What the article did not address was the fairness or unfairness of the amounts being paid by TXDOT.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

 

2 Comments | El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Too little, too late

September 9, 2016

The Texas Supreme Court created a loophole in the Texas Public Information Act when it delivered its decision in Boeing v. Paxton last year.  The ruling allowed Texas governments to withhold information if disclosing the information would cause competitive harm.

Our city is leading the charge by refusing to release some emails that the Times has requested.

On second thought

Section 552.301 of the Texas Government Code says:

The government body must ask for the attorney general’s decision and state the exceptions that apply within a reasonable time but not later than the 10th business day after the date of receiving the written request.

The Times requested some information.

The city objected and wrote their required letter to the attorney general citing 25 reasons why they believed they should be able to withhold the information.  They did not mention Boeing v. Paxton.

Last week the city recognized that the court decision would help their argument and sent a second letter to the attorney general.

Time matters

Section 552.303 of the Texas Government Code says:

If a government body does not request an attorney general decision as provided by Section 552.301 and provide the requestor with the information required by Sections 552.301(d) and (e-1) the information requested in writing is presumed to be subject to required public disclosure and must be released unless there is a compelling reason to withhold the information.

The attorney general’s ruling in this situation should be based on the 25 reasons the city offered in its first letter.

Why on earth would the city manager be negotiating via email?

Once again the city wants to be above the law.

We deserve better

Brutus

3 Comments | City government, El Paso Times, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Ill spent funds

September 8, 2016

Our county hospital board has let us down again.

According to a recent article in the Times they paid $208,000 to a recruiting firm to perform the search for a new hospital administrator.

Comparing that amount with the $23,000 that the city paid when searching for a city manager or the $30,000 that EPISD paid looking for a superintendent makes the hospital board look like fools.

Even more damning is that the new hospital administrator that the board hired was working right here in El Paso and was the obvious choice.

Our county commissioners need to quit planning how to spend their astronomical pay raises and put some people on the hospital board that will get things under control.

Instead they recently appointed the city’s former chief financial officer to the board.   Remember what she did to us?

We deserve better

Brutus

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

Weather service not public service

September 3, 2016

Just when you think they cannot get worse the Times deteriorates even further.

Their front page format allows for almost 150 square inches of content.  The other 70 square inches on the sheet are used for advertising and the masthead.

Their  Wednesday, August 31, 2016 front page featured a picture and article that occupied 111 square inches or about 74% of the space available for news.

Really important

The Times evidently felt it was important to tell us that it might not rain this weekend but then again it might.

Also on the front page was an article from their correspondent in Austin that informed us that the North Loop Drive expansion project was delayed three years because AT&T failed to move its infrastructure.  If the Times was more dedicated to serving the public it might have written about this a few years ago.

We deserve better

Brutus

1 Comment | El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

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