This article originally appeared on 17 January 2017.
What do you think has more effect on the El Paso economy. A downtown arena, or the value of the peso? An indoor driving range, or the price of labor in China? A convention center hotel, or the military budget?
City Council thinks that they’re gods, but they’re not. City Council trying to control the El Paso economy is like eight fleas trying to drive an elephant.
The only thing they can do about the local economy is make it worse. By driving up property taxes. By hurting local businesses. By diminishing confidence in City Council.
Our City Council talks about shifting the tax burden from residential taxpayers to commercial property owners, but the way they try to do that is by providing commercial property owners with tax incentives, and by taking commercial properties off the tax rolls.
God help us.