FITCH WITHDRAWS “AA” RATING FROM $41 MILLION OF CITY’S GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS
Fitch is one of the major Wall Street firms that rates municipal bond issuances. On January 22, 2019, the firm gave a “AA” rating to four bonds that were issued…
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.…
THE SILVER DOLLAR CAFE IS THE ONLY BUILDING IN THE SEGUNDO BARRIO ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER
Dear Friends and Media, I have attached a picture I took today of the Silver Dollar Cafe. Located at 1021 S. Mesa Street, just south of Olivas V. Aoy Avenue,…
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE “ARENA” BOND MONEY? (Part 3)
At today’s City Council meeting under agenda item 14, City Engineer Sam Rodriguez gave a lengthy presentation on the City’s various capital improvement projects, including the 2012 Quality of Life…
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE “ARENA” BOND MONEY? (Part 2)
I searched the City’s webpage and found a presentation entitled Quality of Life Update, February 18, 2020. I have attached page 4, which indicates that as of that date, the…
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE “ARENA” BOND MONEY?
At the June 8 City Council meeting, City staff gave a financial presentation which included an assessment on how much of the 2012 Quality of Life Bond has been issued.…
MAYOR LEESER REAFFIRMS HIS STANCE REALLOCATING THE “ARENA” BOND MONEY
Dear Friends and Media, Mayor Leeser gave an interview to Sara Sanchez of the Oligarchy Gazette (aka El Paso Inc) in which he was asked about the “Arena.” He responded…
WHICH CITY REPS VOTED TO INCREASE YOUR PROPERTY TAX RATE?
*NOTE: This post is flawed because we only discuss tax rates without indicating whether they are above or below the no-new-revenue-tax rates. When City Manager Gonzalez assumed office on June…
DEBT FROM CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION: HOW DID OUR CITY REPS VOTE?
El Paso is the sixth largest city in Texas but has the highest outstanding debt in certificates of obligation. $642,000,000 in CO debt has been authorized since 2012 without voter…