Neighborhood Associations - Why they are important
I wrote a piece yesterday about something that happened involving fundings some projects in neighborhoods in the valley.
Anyone who lives in the valley knows that there is a big difference between the way City Rep Claudia Ordaz and her predecessor do city business.
Her predecessor was known for one thing, saying no. Sure he was able to tell taxpayers he was looking out for them but the reality is that he didn't do a good job of ensuring that those tax payers who still had to pay taxes no matter how many times Holguin voted no, were getting their fair share in tax dollars back to District 6.
One of the reasons that happened is because of neighborhood associations. In this case, lack thereof. At the time of Ordaz's election there was only one active NA. From what I gather, her predecessor didn't care much for NA's because they were a pain in the rear and because of the same fear every other elected official in the city has...that when you give someone in the community a leadership position you may actually be creating a future opponent.
The problem is that a lot of city funds for projects flow through neighborhood associations, which gives the community members maximum control over how their funds are expended. Since there were basically no NA's, the funds never really flowed down to District 6. As a result tax payers weren't getting their fair share and its why they saw projects happen in other parts of El Paso but not in the valley.
Since she was elected Ordaz's office has been holding meetings with constituents to educate them on the process and the need for the neighborhood associations to form. As a result there are now more NA's in the district and more are in the process of coming on line.
If you are ever in the valley you know that for years there is a tremendous need for better streets, sidewalks, lighting, and speed control measures. The Pueblo Viejo park residents were more concerned about getting better streets than canopies. Had Ordaz funded all 8 canopies it basically would've sucked up the funding for two years and would've been something that only a limited number of valley residents would've used.
So her amendment Tuesday made sense.
The point is, if you want something done in your community like a street improvement, lighting, or speed bumps, talk to your neighborhood association. Call the city and they can tell you which one you live in. If there isn't one in your area talk to your city rep and ask them to help you form one. Its your tax dollars so you might as well use them.
Call 3-1-1 and you should be able to get more info.
Anyone who lives in the valley knows that there is a big difference between the way City Rep Claudia Ordaz and her predecessor do city business.
Her predecessor was known for one thing, saying no. Sure he was able to tell taxpayers he was looking out for them but the reality is that he didn't do a good job of ensuring that those tax payers who still had to pay taxes no matter how many times Holguin voted no, were getting their fair share in tax dollars back to District 6.
One of the reasons that happened is because of neighborhood associations. In this case, lack thereof. At the time of Ordaz's election there was only one active NA. From what I gather, her predecessor didn't care much for NA's because they were a pain in the rear and because of the same fear every other elected official in the city has...that when you give someone in the community a leadership position you may actually be creating a future opponent.
The problem is that a lot of city funds for projects flow through neighborhood associations, which gives the community members maximum control over how their funds are expended. Since there were basically no NA's, the funds never really flowed down to District 6. As a result tax payers weren't getting their fair share and its why they saw projects happen in other parts of El Paso but not in the valley.
Since she was elected Ordaz's office has been holding meetings with constituents to educate them on the process and the need for the neighborhood associations to form. As a result there are now more NA's in the district and more are in the process of coming on line.
If you are ever in the valley you know that for years there is a tremendous need for better streets, sidewalks, lighting, and speed control measures. The Pueblo Viejo park residents were more concerned about getting better streets than canopies. Had Ordaz funded all 8 canopies it basically would've sucked up the funding for two years and would've been something that only a limited number of valley residents would've used.
So her amendment Tuesday made sense.
The point is, if you want something done in your community like a street improvement, lighting, or speed bumps, talk to your neighborhood association. Call the city and they can tell you which one you live in. If there isn't one in your area talk to your city rep and ask them to help you form one. Its your tax dollars so you might as well use them.
Call 3-1-1 and you should be able to get more info.
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