Another penny swap election

August 24, 2018

The El Paso independent school district is planning to put a tax question to the voters.  The board wants to move ten cents from the rate we are charged for interest on bonds over to the day-to-day maintenance and operations portion of the budget.

In theory the taxpayers will pay no more if the voters approve the action.  The district tells us however that approving the change will bring an additional $7 million in from the state.

The school board has said that they will give each teacher a $750 one-time bonus if the issue is approved.

According to a recent article in the Times the management of the teachers union does not support the idea.  From the Times:

Teachers don’t trust that the board will actually pay out the bonus, said Ross Moore, president of the El Paso chapter of the American Federation of Teachers.

“There have been promises time after time and it’s been a bait and switch,” Moore said, adding that some teachers feel the bonus is an attempt to “bribe” them.

“If you vote ‘yes,’ you get money,” Moore said at the meeting.

So we have to decide if we trust the district.

We deserve better

Brutus

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

Holding the line my foot

August 23, 2018

Our city council has raised our taxes again.

The Times explained it this way:

Because the average value of an El Paso home has increased, the average homeowner would pay about $95 more than last year.

The average value of an El Paso home this fiscal year is $129,915. With a $5,000 homestead exemption, the average homeowner would pay $1,053 next year.

Last year, the average home value was $124,299, and the tax rate was about 80 cents per $100 of property valuation. So, with the $5,000 homestead exemption, the average city property tax bill was about $958.

Let’s see

If last year the average was $958 and this year it is $1,053 that comes to a 10% increase.

Trashed

Let’s not forget that they also added $3 per month to our garbage bills in the form of a franchise fee. That comes to another $36.00 per year.

As a result that average homeowner will have a 13.9 percent increase in the amount they pay to the city.

We deserve better

Brutus

17 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

The bond election can be revoked!

August 22, 2018

We have been searching to see if there is a way to negate the quality of life bond election.

Here it is:

CHAPTER 1252. REVOCATION OF AUTHORITY TO ISSUE BONDS





Sec. 1252.001. ELECTION TO REVOKE AUTHORITY. The commissioners court of a county or the governing body of a municipality may order an election to determine whether to revoke the authority to issue bonds that:


(1) compose all or part of an issue authorized by an earlier election; and


(2) have not as of the date of the order been sold or delivered.


Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 227, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.




Sec. 1252.002. ELECTION PROCEDURE. (a) An election to revoke bonds under this chapter shall be held in the same manner as the election originally authorizing the bonds.


(b) In an election held under Subsection (a), the ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the proposition: “The revocation of bonds.”


(c) If a revocation election covers bonds of more than one voted issue, there shall be a separate proposition for each voted issue.


Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 227, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.


You can read the entire law here.


We deserve better


Brutus




									


				

				 20 Comments				|  City government, State Government								 |  Permalink

 Posted by Brutus				

			

			

		
			

				
Some serious planning going on

				August 21, 2018



				

					
Well it appears that the city does not think that city staff or the Tax Increment Reinvestment Boards have the experience to manage the money that they are carving out of the tax base.


This item is on the Tuesday, August 21, 2018 city council consent agenda:






3.1.
That the City Manager be authorized to sign a Professional and Planning Services Agreement between the City of El Paso and David Pettit Economic Development, LLC. (“Contractor”), for Contractor to provide professional and planning services related to Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones and Public Improvement Districts within the City of El Paso, for a term of twenty four (24) months for an amount not to exceed Two Hundred Eighty Thousand and no/100 Dollars ($280,000.00) including reimbursements for expenses not to exceed Seven Thousand Five Hundred and no/100 Dollars ($7,500.00).






Wow!


Evidently you have to be pretty sophisticated to handle this stuff.


We deserve better.


Brutus

									


				

				 6 Comments				|  City government								 |  Permalink

 Posted by Brutus				

			

			

		
			

				
More special interests at the city

				August 21, 2018



				

					
Evidently the city is not concerned about how the taxpayers feel about the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones that they have been creating.


The city council agenda item that we wrote about the other day in xxxxxxxxxxxx had this in the backup material.




The consulting firm confirmed that the city wants to create more TIRZs and/or expand existing ones.


We deserve better


Brutus

									


				

				 3 Comments				|  City government								 |  Permalink

 Posted by Brutus				

			

			

		
		

			
« Previous Entries

			
Next Entries »