DEMOCRATS DIVIDED OVER PROPOSED $400M CO ISSUANCE FOR UMC
The only Democratic leaders present at the 3-2 vote by the County Commissioners Court to post notice to issue up to $400M in certificates of obligation without voter authorization were…
PROOF THAT THE “ARENA” WILL COST MORE THAN $500 MILLION
Dear Friends and Media, The City’s planned multipurpose basketball arena, strategically disguised as a “Multipurpose Performing Arts and Entertainment Facility” on the November 2012 ballot, will cost more than $500…
EL PASO TIMES: FIVE CITY REPS VOTE TO CONCEAL “ARENA” COST FROM THE PUBLIC
Dear Friends, Anthony Jackson of the El Paso Times published a lengthy report on yesterday’s 5-3 vote to prevent the public from learning that the City’s planned “Arena” will be…
THE GREAT EL PASO EXODUS
Dear Friends, As I indicated below, the 2020 US Census shows that the population of Texas increased 15.9% between 2010 and 2020, while the population of the City of El…
CITY’S $413M PUBLIC SAFETY BOND HAS NO CITIZEN OVERSIGHT!
Dear Friends and Media, Unlike the 2012 Quality of Life Bond ($473,250,000) and the 2019 Ysleta School Bond ($425,000,000), the 2019 Public Safety Bond ($413,000,000) has no bond overview advisory…
CITY’S OUTSTANDING NON-VOTER APPROVED DEBT HITS TEXAS RECORD: MORE THAN $1.1 BILLION INCLUDING INTEREST
On Tuesday, KVIA aired an excellent report on the City’s outstanding non-voter-approved debt from certificates of obligation, but they misstated the figures. According to KVIA, the City owes $851.1M in…
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…
CITY PROVIDES “ARENA” ACCOUNTING AFTER OPEN RECORDS REQUEST
One month ago I filed an open records request with the City of El Paso as follows: “Please provide me with documentation indicating when and how much 2012 Quality of…
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…