CITY EXPENSES TO EXCEED PROPERTY TAX REVENUES BY $60 MILLION IN FY 2025
David Crowder of the El Paso Inc published a report in which he analyzed a PowerPoint presented by City CFO Robert Cortinas–yes, the same CFO who recently told me that…
TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION ON THE CITY OF EL PASO: “ABUSING” CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION IS “BAD BEHAVIOR”
Elida S. Perez just published an excellent report on the City’s abuse of certificates of obligation. It is rare for El Paso Matters to delve into government financial matters, so…
TAXABLE PROPERTY VALUES INCREASE 4.23% TO $38,742,350,037
In preparation for confiscating even more of our wealth, our City Council heard a presentation yesterday from CFO Robert Cortinas in which he affirmed that in FY 2022 the total…
EL PASO TIMES LETTER TO THE EDITOR: “TAX BURDEN BEYOND BELIEF”
Dear Friends, I don’t know Ms. Susan Butkiewicz of East El Paso, but the sentiments she expressed in her recent letter to the Editor of the El Paso Times are…
CITY CFO ROBERT CORTINAS TAKES TWO QUESTIONS FROM US
Yesterday at a District 2 event I had the opportunity to ask City CFO Robert Cortinas two questions, and you may view the video of our exchange here: 1. Given…
WHY DOES OUR CITY FEEL IT MUST PROVIDE US WITH ENTERTAINMENT?
“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” –President Gerald Ford, August 12, 1974 Dear Friends,…
CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION: SVARZBEIN, HERNANDEZ AND RIVERA ENTER THE HALF-BILLION-DOLLAR CLUB!
With Tuesday’s 6-2 vote to publish the City’s intention to issue another $96 million in certificates of obligation without voter approval, Reps. Svarzbein, Hernandez, and Rivera have achieved the impossible.…
CITY’S BOND OVERVIEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE (BOAC) TO CONVENE MONDAY, JULY 12 AT 4:30PM
The City of El Paso’s Bond Overview Advisory Committee (BOAC), a group of citizen professionals charged with monitoring the City’s expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars in municipal bonds,…
CITY COUNCIL VOTES 6-2 TO ISSUE ANOTHER $96 MILLION IN DEBT WITHOUT VOTER APPROVAL!
Today our City Council voted 6-2 under agenda item 3 to publicize its intent to issue another $96 million in certificates of obligation without voter approval, with Reps. Molinar and…
EL PASO HOMESTEAD PROPERTY TAX RATE STILL SECOND HIGHEST IN AMERICA
Dear Media, The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence have just come out with their annual report comparing the property tax rates of American cities.…