CITY HALL LEAVES MANY QUESTIONS UNANSWERED
City Council Presentation by Dr. Yolanda Chávez Leyva
(December 19, 2007)
I AM SADDENED and angered today to see our City Council continue its rush to push through implementation of the downtown plan. Today you vote on creating a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, the next step in the Paso del Norte Group's land grab, euphemistically named a revitalization plan.
Mayor and City Council, my questions to you today are:
1. Have you told the people of El Paso how much the TIRZ will cost the taxpayers of El Paso? How much of our tax money will go into making improvements in the TIRZ at the expense of other areas of the city, improvements that will benefit the new wealthy owners of property within the zone?
2. Have you told th people of El Pasohow much debt the city will go into make these improvements, which will never be paid back fully by the funds going into the TIRZ account? You may not know cost of this yet, but will you get back to us later on that?
3. Have you told the people of El Pso why the City is rushing to push this TIRZ through? Is it because the Council is anxious to use the current definition of "blight" before our State legislature passes laws to protect people from emiment domain abuse? The definition of blight is so broad that governments and developers across the nation are using it to justify eminent domain abuse. In some cities, a home with only one bathroom or a one car garage qualifies as blighted. How many of us who live in older neighborhoods could face the claim of blight and possible eminent domain?
4. Have you explained to the people of El Paso why the City Council values enriching wealthy commercial developers over the human interests of our community? Why is the City willing to kill Sacred Heart Parish and the community that surrounds it in order to benefit developers?
5. Have you explained to the people of El Paso that the City is willing to destroy a living community and replace it with a mercado that turns our culture and our heritage into a commodity for sale?
6. Have you explained to the people of El Paso that whether you put a one year or a two year moratorium on eminent domain, it is still a threat to homeowners and business owners alike? As long as it exists as a threat, even two years from now, it colors the negotiation process between home owners and business owners and the City from the beginning. All across the United States, developers and local governments are using eminent domain, or the threat of eminent domain, to force people to give up their private property before turning it over to other private owners.
Mayor and City Council, we who oppose this cynical downtown plan somos El Paso tambien and our hearts are broken over the callousness of this City government who will put the interests of wealthy developers over the interests of the hardworking people of this City.
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