CHARTER
REVISION BOOSTERS HAVE IT SWEET
All
Aboard The SA Gravy Train
Express-News Tax Valuation Drops by $500,000
Only In The Lightning
Another look at the folks pushing
charter revision.
Express-News
VALUATION DATA
| Appraisal year: |
2004 |
2003 |
2002 |
| Land Value: |
1,864,000 |
1,864,000 |
1,864,000 |
| Improvement Value: |
6,536,000 |
6,536,000 |
7,086,000 |
| Total Value: |
8,400,000 |
8,400,000 |
8,950,000 |
| New Improvement Value: |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Status: |
PS |
BV |
BV |
More to follow
- See stories below
* * *
WHAT
WERE THEY TRYING TO HIDE?
'403 -
Access Forbidden'
Bexar
County Appraisal District Computers
Shut Down
Following SAL Tax Expose
Service
Restored Following SAL Inquiries
As Of 11AM
Saturday Public Record Pages Went Off-Line;
Back Only
After SAL Griped; Authorities Unavailable For Comment
SAL
Political Snitch
Bexar
Appraisal District's online tax records went off-line
Saturday, following a scathing expose by the San
Antonio Lightning which showed that some major
contributors to the SA City Charter Revision campaign
had received favorable treatment on their City tax
bills. (See stories below.)
Those
trying to access the tax records were given the
"warning" that access was
"forbidden."
Service
was restored only after the Lightning ran a story
about the "computer outage."
No
spokespersons were available to respond to the
Lightning, but unedited space is offered in the
publication to respond to the unexplained outage.
* *
*
4-23-2004
(Archived In Reverse Order)
POCKET
CHANGE
Frost On
The Pumpkin
Bank On It!
SAL
Political Snitch
Frost
bank supports Charter Revision. Can you figure out
WHY?
| Account
Number: |
90609-521-4200 |
| DBA: |
FROST BANK
PROCESS |
| Street
Address: |
2735
AUSTIN HWY |
| |
SAN
ANTONIO TX 78281 2051 |
| Property
Use: |
BANK |
| |
|
| Roll
Code: |
D |
| Appraisal
Year: |
2003 |
2002 |
2001 |
| Total Value: |
1,979,890 |
2,380,060 |
2,678,910 |
| Required
Notice Sent: |
05-02-2003 |
| Protest
Received: |
06-04-2003 |
Click here for more.
Enough said.
For now. More to follow.
See archives
below.
* * *
4-21-2004
SOMEONE
HAS TO PAY FOR THE PROPAGANDA
San Antonio
Charter Revisionists
Stuff War
Chest With Booty
But Is It
Their Money Or Yours?
SAL
Political Snitch
The
City Hall Crowd is shouting and shooting for $500,000
in "education" money to convince you that
Charter "reform" (read revision) is an
obvious good. So obvious, they are going to spend
half-a-million bucks to point that out.
And
they have a lot of friends jumping in with them.
For
Example:
HEB Grocery
Company is hungry for SA Charter revisions...to the
toon of kicking in $15,000 to the good old boys
pushing the amendments. But did that money really
come from them? Or did it come from YOU?
HEB is
well-known as a good corporate citizen. The company
gives thousands of bucks to worthy local groups and
charities -- tax deductible organizations. A good
piece of the profits they use for this largesse comes
from the sale of food and commodities to you.
Especially
since Albertson's stores folded and abandoned SA.
HEB profits --
and prices -- went up.
So for them, it
is a wise business decision to maintain the status
quo, by backing their benefactors.
Why?
Take the HEB
West Avenue store at Fredericksburg Road. That store
pays no City taxes...exempt.
The City
Council even let HEB take one block of West Avenue as
its own. It was all done in the name of spiffing up
the 'Deco District.' Sweet deal. Delicious.
If you have
been through the Deco District recently you can see
the change. A better grade of graffiti and better
dressed winos and bums.
And for the
average citizens? One less potholed street to worry
about.
Everyone
benefited.
* * *
Of course HEB
does pay taxes at other stores. But some of those
stores must be located in declining neighborhoods,
because their tax-valuations, according to Bexar
Records, keep dropping annually. By millions over the
years. Examples:
| H E B 195 SA
...11551 WEST AVE 78213 |
| Appraisal
Year: |
2003 |
2002 |
2001 |
| Total
Value: |
2,244,240 |
2,466,650 |
2,489,290 |
| H E B 398 SA ...
2929 THOUSAND OAKS 78232 |
| Appraisal
Year: |
2003 |
2002 |
2001 |
| Total Value: |
2,415,060 |
2,579,410 |
2,849,690 |
| |
|
|
|
| H E B 372 SA ...
1955 NACOGDOCHES RD 78209 |
| Appraisal
Year: |
2003 |
2002 |
2001 |
| Total Value: |
2,196,170 |
2,093,350 |
2,392,930 |
There are plenty of these examples. Want to see more? Click here for Bexar
Tax Appraisal Data .
*
* *
Did
YOUR tax valuation go down this
year?
Ask
yourself this question:
If
you were a big company like HEB that enjoyed such
benefits from the powers at City Hall, wouldn't you
want to keep the same folks in office -- and in your
pocket -- for just as long as possible?
It
just makes good dollars and sense.
HEB.
A home town hero!
Should
HEB brass care to comment, unedited space is offered
in this publication.
*
* *
What
about the other big boosters of SA Charter revision?
The
Political Snitch will tell you about some of them on
Friday. It could get Frost-y. In fact, bank on it!
(See
previous stories below.)
* * *
4-17-2004
YOUR
TAX DOLLARS AT WORK
City Charter Reform Boosters
Tied To Looting Of Mirasol Homes
40%+ Of Taxpayer Money Goes To
Developers' Profits
The Political Snitch
Oh mama; lock
up your dollars!
If you've ever
wondered why big business kicked in $500,000 to
"reform" term limits and other taxpayer
safeguards, here is a piece of the puzzle.
$20 million of
your hard earned money was squandered on the
demonstrably deficient SA Mirasol Homes project.
Developers kept more than $8 million of that in
profits, the Political Snitch has learned.
And some of
that ill-gotten booty is being used to promote
"charter reform" which would allow the same
crooked bunch to return to City Hall.
(Click for previous
commentary.)
A
Federal audit is now underway into just how much of
the money spent by SA Housing Authority was profit on
the 240 plus houses, some with no back doors or
windows. It is already known that Henry Cisneros --
ex-mayor, ex-convict -- was in the wings with KB
Homes helping direct the play.
This
is the same guy who has touted -- some tell the
Snitch he initiated -- "charter reform."
If
you remember when, Cisneros and his free-spending
ways led the outraged CA Stubbs and an army of voters
to impose the most strict term limits in US history.
This
was long before Cisneros was convicted of lying to
the FBI about his mistress and a blackmail plot. This
was long before his pardon by buddy Bill Clinton.
Long before he started jumping and stumping for John
Kerry.
If
that original reform is deformed by the latest
council-led initiative, Henry and his minions can
return to the political stage at City Hall -- for a
lot longer -- and then, God help us all.
*
* *
You
may have gotten a really slick flier from the charter
"reformers" in your mail box. Might have
come the same day you got the newest tax levy on your
home.
If
you didn't get the flier, then the City Hall crowd
doesn't deem you worthy.
In
any event, the Snitch can reveal to you that the
money used for the high-gloss,
five-color-tout-for-your-vote was ultimately paid for
by YOU.
That's
right, you suckers!
Don't
believe it?
Catch
this column on Tuesday.
*
* *
Other
items from the Snitch in coming days:
Nelson Wolff's son eyes City
Council -- if it becomes a paid position.
Which former SA Mayor jumped on
the band wagon to support charter revisions in a
blatant bid to nail down the top spot at San
Antonio Water System?
"Henry...so romantic!"
And
more.
Oh,
mama! Stay tuned!
- Developing -
