Advocates of the Quality of Life bonds completely misrepresented the facts before the 2012 elections. They minimized the impact on
Category: ballpark
We’re Number 2! (For Now)
Fort Worth has slightly higher property tax rates than El Paso. For now. According to SmartAsset.com (killer website name), the
Dueling Commenters
ChucoGeek had this to say in response to the article Times Change: This is why we are stuck following through
Naysayers, Malcontents, and Liars
Former City Council Representative and Mayoral Candidate and current member of the board of the Downtown Management District Steve Ortega,
Death and Taxes
Here’s a chart I lifted from a presentation the City’s Interim Director of Municipal Financial Operations gave to City Council
Our Local Public Private Partnerships
Public Private Partnerships are all the rage. The ballpark got one. The City is looking to develop luxury apartments on
Seth Godin on Arenas
Seth Godin today talks about cities building stadiums in a column titled The Super Bowl is for Losers. So why
You Break It, You Buy It
Naw, we’ll just stick it to the taxpayers. Woody Hunt is a smart man. He’s studied public corruption. Here’s what
Looking Back
Look at this chart from Interim Director of Municipal Financial Operations Robert Cortinas’ presentation last Tuesday: It shows the growth
Retrovision: The Road to Economic Development
This is a lightly edited version of an article that originally appeared on 6 June 2013. Since then, very little
Big Changes at City Hall
Remember when the rationale for all those pricey public amenities was “to shift the property tax burden from residential to
Does This Sound Like El Paso?
From a 2009 El Paso Inc. interview with Woody Hunt: Q. How does corruption impact economic development? If the procurement
Ballpark Numbers Updated
An alert reader sent me this spreadsheet which shows the actual numbers for the ballpark. Four years in and we’re
Ballpark Numbers
Are you troubled by insomnia? Then I’ve got some ballpark numbers that should put you right to sleep. Because there
Will Tourism Save Us?
Besides call centers, the City of El Paso’s economic development policy seems to be solely focused on tourism as a
Rent Seeking
From Investopedia.com: What is ‘Rent-Seeking’ Rent-seeking is the use of the resources of a company, an organization or an individual
About That Children’s Museum
El Paso Community Foundation President Eric Pearson says the Children’s Museum is going to be an economic driver. From KVIA:
El Paso Then and Now
Perhaps they meant well. Maybe they were trying to seize the moment. Maybe they thought that the tide had turned,
The Crab Bucket Analogy Revisited
See, there were all these crabs in a bucket. And the rich crabs said, “Hey, let’s make a better bucket.
Is El Paso City Government a Secret Public/Private Partnership?
Nothing else makes sense. The City is pursuing a plan formulated by the Paso del Norte Group, a bunch of