The County Commissioners Court is on an unprecedented spending binge. Not only have they raised our taxes and increased their salaries, they now plan to issue up to $500 million in new debt, including $150 million in certificates of obligation without voter approval.
Their Ministry of Truth is all fired up, blasting the community with emails and social media posts and hosting numerous community meetings across the County.
You see, the County Judge and Commissioners want to convince us they need to bond a half-billion dollars to improve County facilities and provide us with new walking trails and other amenities and up to $72,660,000 for Ascarate Park Improvements, including a fishing lagoon, splashpad, arboretum, enhanced pool/waterpark, and amphitheater.
Meanwhile, the County is financially overextended and has announced budget cuts across all departments, including the District Attorney’s Office.
The creepiest propaganda piece is this County YouTube video, which has attracted a whopping 85 views over the last seven days. It is even worse than the pro-Arena disinformation put out by the City during the Dark Age of Dee Margo and Tommy Gonzalez.
The narrator tells us that El Paso has not issued major debt since the 1990s and pays less debt service than certain other Texas counties (that are more populous and/or wealthier). We are also told that issuing hundreds of millions in bonds will not harm the County’s coveted credit rating, so there is no reason to panic.
Then there is the County Facebook page, which is now outsourced to Barracuda Public Relations LLC. There you will see the phrase “Join us in shaping the future of El Paso County!” repeated ad nauseam, complete with trendy memes and catchy graphics.
You can also visit the Instagram page of Commissioner Sergio Coronado and watch him and Chief Administrator Betsy Keller tell you why you need to pay higher taxes to support more deficit spending.
We could go on and on…
But here is the reality.
We, the taxpayers of El Paso County, will not vote for one single dollar of bond debt unless the Commissioners Court cuts their salaries back to where they were in 2016! The County Judge should earn $87,577 rather than $152,700 and the Commissioners should earn $62,680 rather than $133,500.
And if any of them vote for a certificate of obligation for a non-emergency purpose, we will oppose him at the ballot box with every ounce of our energy. (We say “him” because we know Commissioner Iliana Holguin will never betray the taxpayers, and her four colleagues are all men).
Have a nice day.