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

Spending vs. ranking

May 29, 2013

Let’s look at how money effects the rankings of our local high schools.

The data from Children at Risk includes a column titled “Spending per Pupil”.  I have no idea what type of spending is included in this item.  It could be that physical plant and administrative costs are included.  I hope not.  I suspect that the numbers do include local, state, and national funds.

The size of the student population at a school might distort a comparison so I have included those numbers.  Many think that the economic status of the student affects results so I have included that data item.  I don’t mean to get into that discussion at this point.

The schools are listed with the highest spending first.

CAMPUS              ENROLLMENT SPENDING PER PUPIL %ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED 2013 RANK SCORE
Riverside Hs 1,326 $8,557 87.10 273 B
J M Hanks Hs 2,010 $8,086 67.70 552 C
Anthony H S 228 $7,926 100.00 377 B
Fabens H S 737 $7,899 90.20 331 B
Irvin H S 1,661 $7,463 86.90 1,042 D
San Elizario H S 1,084 $7,234 90.00 505 C
Bowie H S 1,217 $7,173 96.40 1,046 D
Parkland Hs 1,284 $7,169 76.30 614 C
Clint H S 586 $7,152 78.50 105 B
Jefferson H S 1,111 $6,864 90.30 573 C
Ysleta Hs 1,542 $6,800 87.90 705 C
El Paso H S 1,234 $6,671 74.40 554 C
Andress H S 1,859 $6,658 61.60 1,047 D
Mountain View H S 907 $6,295 90.60 405 C
Horizon H S 1,056 $6,259 93.80 433 C
Del Valle Hs 1,864 $6,235 88.20 108 B
Burges H S 1,494 $6,120 70.10 492 C
Eastwood Hs 2,152 $5,979 58.40 363 B
Austin H S 1,610 $5,689 80.60 986 C
El Dorado H S 2,621 $5,662 69.60 390 C
Bel Air Hs 2,190 $5,648 79.70 222 B
Silva Health Magnet 596 $5,633 53.40 10 A
Tornillo H S 371 $5,588 93.50 538 C
Americas H S 2,465 $5,514 58.30 669 C
Chapin H S 1,883 $5,467 61.00 530 C
Canutillo H S 1,555 $5,442 71.20 1,002 D
Socorro H S 2,682 $5,440 85.70 467 C
Montwood H S 2,870 $5,422 55.90 533 C
Franklin H S 2,999 $5,416 38.70 371 B
Coronado H S 2,774 $4,997 41.90 195 B

The fact is that some schools where the students are not poor enough do not qualify for Title I (federal) funding and as a result go without.

The results show that more money does not get better results.  Parental and community involvement are the key.  Don’t even try to tell me that economically disadvantages children are stupid.

Looking at these numbers makes me wonder about the disparity in spending.

I think that the kids at Coronado have a case if they say

We deserve better

Brutus

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

Wilson Unraveling

May 28, 2013

Today’s City council was pure entertainment. Things went smooth until the Baseball stadium which was to cost 40 million was now costing 50 Million dollars. The Wilson quintet went ballistic. Finger pointing prevailed as the City engineer said he ‘never said’ and Courtney said, “you said”. He almost said “but Ms Wilson made us do it” but he didn’t have a new position yet from all the goodies he’s promised. In fact they threw him under the bus as Courtney wanted them all fired. Isn’t she the one who kept information from Byrd as the beloved chief puppet.

Doctor Noe kept saying “no, no I didn’t get that information”, risking the East Soccer Complex that he recently was promised by the City Manager for his continued cooperation and to stop trying to run the city like a business.

Let me tell you, Ms Wilson became, what you might say Testy. She said the original 40 million was not guaranteed but actually given by another consultant who is no longer on the job. It was just a “guesstimate”. Want to see fancy dancing, the lady was doing the Cha Cha. She ended with “you won’t know what it cost until we get to the end”. They should have known this right along so “what’s the problem”. This was the City Manager at her finest.

Ortega was looking at his 27% desolving. He’s almost convinced he should vote for Oscar. Let him take the heat. He wants out and back to teaching middle school in Clint.

Robinson and Holguin couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Both of them developed intention tremors.

Emma thought it would have been better if she wasn’t unopposed and lost the election.

Ms Byrd asked if we could watch the smoke stacks fall again.

Stay in touch. Maybe the El Paso Times will turn and do free, Hyundai advertisements.

16 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by M.T. Cicero

Wrong side of the tracks

May 28, 2013

Last week city council voted to evict our local railroad museum.

Evict!

The city invited the museum  into the Union Plaza transit terminal back in 2004.  From what I understand,  the arrangement has been operating without a written lease.  It’s not that the museum has not asked for one, the city just won’t work with the museum.

Now the museum has two weeks to move out.  This is a volunteer organization that now has two weeks to pack up all of their many belongings and move out.

The museum provides free services to the city.  Among them is that the city is required to maintain historic engine number one under an agreement with UTEP (who owns the locomotive).  Guess who provides the maintenance — the railroad museum.

The city representative who was just elected to the EPISD school board was quoted as saying “We can’t be the sole source of support for that museum…”.

First, the city is not the sole source of support.  Many volunteers and donors contribute to this quality of life project.

Second, the city has just leased 17,000 plus square feet of the train station  to Texas Tech University for $1 per year for up to 75 years.  Maybe if Texas Tech paid a market based rate for the space we would not consider the city the sole source of support on the rent.  The city gave the Albert Fall mansion to Texas Tech for $1 a year.

Why are we supporting a state funded institution with our own local tax money when we will not support a railroad museum or a science museum?  It sounds to me like someone is not kissing the city manager’s ego.

Find the time to call your city representative.  The city still has time to stop this nonsense.

We deserve better

Brutus

1 Comment | City government, El Paso Independent School District, State Government | 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

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