The El Paso Times reported that City Manager Joyce Wilson spoke to the Central Business Association last week.
“The role of civic leaders, elected officials, appointed officials like myself and even leaders of civic groups, is to inspire the community to think it can be more than it can and to really have a grand vision,” Wilson said. “And I believe we have done that.”
Inspire the community to think it can be more than it can? That reminds of the time we got Uncle Purvis to jump off the roof of the barn with an umbrella. After that, he never did walk right.
The truth of the matter is that property taxes are a serious stick in the spokes for any economic development here. El Paso has the fourth highest tax rates of any city in the nation. Even if your house is paid for, it’s like you’re still paying rent to the city.
Even if you live in an apartment, or your mom’s basement, you’re still paying for property taxes, because those taxes get built into the cost of everything that you buy, from your restaurant meals to your skateboard grease.
The city government creates jobs in El Paso, but they’re mostly city government jobs.
Nobody wants to bring it up, because it’s bad for business. Like we can bullshit the businesses we’re trying to entice, the way we bullshitted Uncle Purivs into thinking he could fly.
(Read the rest of the column, including how the voters asked for it, at the El Paso Times.)