Hurting the team

May 30, 2013

It was the chief financial officer (CFO) of the city

The video of the May 28, 2013 El Paso city council meeting shows the city manager saying that it was the CFO’s idea to bring the proposed $10 million dollar increase in spending for the ball park before city council.

The city manager offered to take the $5 million for street and sidewalk improvements off the table and then actually handle them the way we thought they would be when the money was originally allocated.

The other $5 million was to be for contingencies.

Council threw a fit. No way, no how would they approve the $10 million at this point.

So how did the CFO think she could put the city management team in the horrible situation that they found themselves in at that city council meeting?

I suggest arrogance.  I think she thinks that she has the right to decide what money will be spent and that our job is to shut up and pay it to her.  She seems to think that we have no power.

Remember she is the one that told us that city hall could be torn down and we could find new facilities for $33 million.  $63.9 million and climbing  broke out the true costs at the time.  Today the costs that we have been able to identify so far put that number at over $70 million.

She told the public and council that the changes to the Times building would be Minimal due to condition of building.  We then saw the city spend millions to change the building, tear down what they re-modeled, and build it again.  The saga continues.

She is behind much of the folly that has been occurring with our city government.  Now she has caused unbelievable harm to her colleagues, her boss, city council, the team owners, and a candidate for mayor.  Word on the street is that the city manager is taking this hard and is considering resignation.

We deserve better

Brutus

8 Comments | City government, El Paso Times, Open Government, Purchasing | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

He doesn’t get it and he probably never will

May 28, 2013

Our mayor has decided that he should not review the city manager’s performance because the media has become aware of the process.

Let me try one more time.  Mr. mayor, everything the city government does should be public.

Yes details about individual’s lives are exempted from disclosure by state law.  The law does a great job protecting the privacy of individuals.

A performance review is subject to disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act.

The mayor, city council, and the city manager seem to have trouble with this fact.

If the mayor had said that the new mayor should handle the review and left it at that, we would have seen some wisdom that we have not seen during this administration.

We deserve better

Brutus

7 Comments | City government, Open Government, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Special or secret?

May 8, 2013

Two commenters recently wrote about the new soccer complex that we will be building with proceeds from our quality of life bond issue.

City council held a special (secret?) meeting April 25, 2013 to discuss the complex and also the problems with shrinking traffic at our airport.  The meeting was held on Thursday, not the normal Tuesday.  It was probably legally posted, but they certainly did not want us there.

A local developer donated 80 acres of land for the complex in return for the city not requiring the developer to comply with the city parkland ordinance on a new housing area.  That actually might make sense, I don’t know the particulars.

One commenter addressed the way council slipped this through without public discussion.

The other asked about Cohen stadium and why it was not used.

The Cohen site is only about 50 acres.  I don’t know how much land is needed or if splitting up and having more than one complex would make sense.

What I do know is that the Cohen site is convenient.  Citizens from central, northeast, and west El Paso would have an easier time getting to the facility.  Two major arterials provide access.

The Cohen site is looking for a use.  The stadium might be remodeled to provide a great featured field.

Maybe Cohen would not be the right answer.  It sure would have been nice to get public input on where to build the facility.

Holding a special meeting with little or no publicity is an old trick.  We don’t know whose decision that was.

We deserve better

Brutus

Leave a Comment » | City government, Open Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Bad habit

April 26, 2013

Items 12A, B, and C on the April 30, 2013 city council agenda deal with construction activities after hours.

Noise levels, grading (heavy equipment earth movers), vibration, and general construction activities have been regulated in the past.  What is new here is that the contractor must get a permit.  If you like big government and restrictive development this is a good idea.  Well, in this case the permit is only $72.00 so government will not be getting much bigger.

Why the trouble?

From what I can see in the old ordinances there were ways for a contractor to get permission to operate like this after hours.  What could not be done easily was to waive the restrictions if the property was within 300 feet of property that had residential zoning.

Let’s see, where could that be?  The new ball park of course.

What’s done is done.

The residents around the ball park will have major changes in their lives.  In all probability their real estate will become the target of developers who want to take advantage of proximity to the new facility.  Most of the buildings are rented out to multiple tenants.  They are apartments.  Even if I am wrong and the buildings are not sold the residents will see crowds, traffic congestion, noise, lights and other new conditions even into the evening hours.

El Paso has committed to building the ball park and getting it done on time.  I suspect that most of those who were opposed to building it on top of the old city hall now realize that further objection is pointless.  To me if construction has to go on at night and on weekends in order to meet the schedule it will be a necessary evil.

Why hide?

It seems to me that this current bunch down at the new city halls would rather  hide the truth than tell it.  It seems like it has become a game to them.

That is why I have an inherent distrust for what they say.

We deserve better

Brutus

Leave a Comment » | City government, Open Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Are you kidding?

April 23, 2013

Just in time for the May elections a task force formed by our city manager will finish four billboards designed to make El Pasoans feel better about their city according to an article on the front page of The El Paso Times.  The message is a teaser, currently it reads “so, it’s good”.

I have a few suggestions that might be more helpful in making us feel better about our city:

Fix our roads

Build more parks and make the existing ones better

Replace the children’s science museum that was recently torn down

Let the voters vote on large financial matters that are discretionary in nature

Have elected officials that are honest and responsible to the citizens

Remind government employees that they work for the public, not vice versa

See to it that we do not have the 5th highest tax rate of America’s largest 100 cities.

I trust that the readers could add many more items to the list of things that would make us feel better about our city.

Billboards?

Actions speak louder than words.  Maybe those people of influence that are on the task force should work toward improving the quality of the citizen’s lives instead of those of their power group.

The group is spending $14,000.  I do not know whose money this is but would not be surprised if it turns out to be taxpayer’s.

Front page?

The El Paso Times saw fit to print an article on their front page about this facade.  Meanwhile the important issue at county commissioner’s court (Opening government) was relegated to the end of an article that was printed on page 3b and was barely discussed at that.

Muckraker

5 Comments | City government, County Government, El Paso Times, Open Government | Permalink
Posted by Muckraker

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