It’s Your Money and Your Land
by
Jaime O. Perez
PSB Giveaway – It’s Your Land
El Paso taxpayers own over 11,000 acres of land. The Public Service Board (PSB) holds the acreage in trust. Many years ago, truly wise and forward thinking leaders set aside the land to assure growth and prosperity in our fair city.
More recently, tax and spenders who self-describe as, 'progressive forward thinkers', have figured out how to raise a quick $40 million for their pet projects. Why control spending when you can get quick cash?
They want to sell 5,000 acres of public land. The problem is the land is worth $340 million. So why would we want to give away a surplus value of $300 million to a mega-developer?
The answer is simple. The first answer is, they have the power to do it. The second answer is, those that stand to benefit are part of those involved in the take over of downtown.
When anyone wants to investigate corruption, just follow the money. Remember, it’s your land.
Thomason Accountability
The tax and spend crew is on a rampage at the County led, in this instance, by Veronica Escobar, because of the successful effort to bring accountability to Thomason Hospital. To Tax and Spenders, increasing taxes and spending lots of your money is no problem. But, attempt to impose accountability, well, then, Houston, we have a problem.
The previous Court under Dolores Briones gave Thomason Administrator, James Valenti, blanket authority to reallocate hundreds of millions of dollars. The contract signed on Dec. 14, 2007 states in Part A Section 3. CEO authorized to substitute capital expenditures in amounts not to exceed annual capital budget. In addition, Section 4 states The CEO authorized to enter into non-budgeted capital expenditures not to exceed $250,000.
What this means is that Valenti could unilaterally spend a quarter of a million dollars in addition to reallocating the entire annual capital budget.
The new agreement requires that anything over $250,000 must receive a full airing at Commissioners’ Court. Tax and Spenders love to speak of transparency.
Just don’t ask them to practice what they preach.
Police Bailout
Meanwhile back at the City, tax and spenders will be adding $20 million a year over the next decade to government expense in order to fund the police pension fund. Did this come with any additional control of expenditures? Of course not! Did this come with any slow down in the gargantuan growth of salaries and nifty little two-wheelers? Of course not!
Tax and spend and prosperity will come, they argue.
Storm Water Utility District
The city manager is pleased as punch that $115 million will the initial investment for a storm water utility district proposed by Denver engineers. Local engineers don’t cut the sludge when it comes to important projects. What’s another $115 million when the current tax and spend council has already increased the tax burden by $936 million in the last 18 months. No word on how much money will be bled from the taxpayers this time to fix a problem caused by incompetent planning.
Can everyone say gazillion-year-flood?
Eminent Domain By Other Means
You may already know our law enforcement leader Chief Richard Wiles does the city manager’s bidding and is not accountable to the public. The recent harassment of Gardner Hotel customers is par for the course.
Officer Medina made clear, “everyone gets ticketed,” except the city contractor in areas specifically designated for the Gardner Hotel and, in spite of, signage on the parking meter hood. The policy is clear. Crystal.
No use trying to get a response from the Police Department or its public relations department. Besides, who, among the administrators, cares? They have the money and support and more money, money, money they could possibly want. No accountability required promise the tax and spend majority.
La Fe Has No Fe
The funniest episode in the downtown saga is the 'news' that La Fe Clinic conducted a survey of Segundo Barrio residents and found slightly more than half want to have their homes taken away by eminent domain.
I don’t know about you, but I would like to see the margin of error on that 'poll'.
Rumor
There is a rumor that a descendant of Benedict Arnold and historical revisionist wants everyone to know, dear old Benedict was, 'an American-born' citizen. Junior Benedict would like to include all the British colonial administrators prior to the American Revolution on a plaque to honor this 'American' equestrian hero who had, 'an impact' on U.S. history.
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This perspective first appeared in Border Observer, Jaime O. Perez, Editor