|
Only have a minute? Listen instead
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
It’s always nauseating to stomach a politician’s rosy spin on the state of things, with the recent Harlingen State of the City address being no exception.
We heard from the mayor how city coffers are overflowing with millions of dollars of our hard-earned tax money as city hall competes against small business with their annual money grab on families and businesses.
The mayor stated that the city lowered the tax rate, true, but as a quick-learning politician, what the mayor doesn’t share is that with the skyrocketing valuations for 2022 the city handsomely pirated a booty of more than $1 million in new tax money. And that the commission adopted the highest rate allowed by law without having to go to the voters! No favors there.
Sadly, a commission going along to get along at taxpayers’ expense!
Last summer, as citizens gathered in protest of the city’s proposed tax increase, our mayor stated that the additional $1 million was “essential” taxation. But now we learn as our mall is even faltering worse under our new mayor by not yet having paid its share of the mayor’s 2022 “essential” taxation, city hall with its heavy-handed taxation is the fastest growing business in town!
The mayor says Harlingen is transforming and that transparency is a top priority, but is it really? The mayor has diminished citizen input at the meetings by moving it down on the agenda contrary to state law, and not allowing people to speak on agenda items unless they are friendly commenters. At the final tax rate adoption meeting last summer, the mayor called an executive session lasting more than an hour just prior to the tax increase public hearing and vote to scatter the concerned citizens from speaking out against the tax increase. Food and drink were provided in private for the commission while citizens waited wastefully after taking time to attempt to voice their taxation concerns to no avail.
Our mayor wants our vote, but not our participation. Tragically, more taxation without representation!
And what about the city manager’s recent pay raise? When is that information going to be released to the public? Harlingen has a bad history of overpaying underachieving city professionals, and the citizens have a right to know. If the mayor is truly about “transformational” transparency, then why not publish the city’s top five highest salaries on the city’s website? And I understand that the mayor loves to travel, so how about also listing the mayor and commission’s travel expenses as well?
It might have been better if the city had conducted the State of the City Address in a circus tent in the empty mall parking lot as carnivals and circuses are more the growth in Harlingen. Plus, it truly would have been more inviting to the average citizens of Harlingen than the special-interest donors looking for advantage over Harlingen taxpayers, and who no doubt will be listed in our elected officials campaign finance reports as well! So yes, mayor, taxpayers will pay for that dog and pony show one way or the other!
Jerry Prepejchal is a former Harlingen city commissioner.
RELATED READING:
Harlingen mayor: Annual State of the City Address won’t cost taxpayers
Sepulveda marks first State of the City address as Harlingen’s mayor
