County Judge Race: Holguin defends projects funded with debt

Running for County Judge as a fiscal conservative, City Rep. Eddie Holguin’s campaign website boasts about his accomplishments – some of them which were funded through debt.

Holguin has consistently voted against funding city projects with Certificates of Obligation, which is non-voter approved debt. His campaign website touts all of the street improvement projects that have taken place in District 6 under Holguin’s tenure on City Council.

According to the City’s Transportation Department, all $2.6 million worth of city street projects completed in Holguin’s district from 2006 to the present have been funded with certificates of obligation. Holguin said though he votes against the debt, once council passes the funding mechanism – it’s his responsibility to ensure his district gets its share of the certificates of obligation that his constituents will also pay for.

However, at the time City Council approves certificates of obligation, it also approves the programs the debt will fund. Holguin voted against funding the street improvement he now boasts about.

“A lot of those streets had never had any maintenance on them. Some of those streets were 35 or 40 years old and had never gotten any maintenance on them so I’m really glad we were able to pave a lot of those streets and really do what people had been asking for,” said Holguin on Wednesday.

His website also mentions Holguin made it a “priority to ensure that all of the senior centers, libraries and community centers in his district have been remodeled and updated.”

According to the funding information for those projects, they were paid with federal HUD dollars, park dedication moneys and in one case certificates of obligation. Park dedication funds stem from the requirement the City placed on developers to build or pay for a new park in new communities.
Holguin said he fought for that money in his district. Upgrades to the Ysleta Park Recreation Center, in Holguin’s district, cost the City about $49,150 and were paid with Certificates of Obligation, according to city officials. Another project Holguin opposed the debt for.

Holguin also says he “was instrumental in the creation of the Sun Metro Mission Valley Transit Terminal.”