City and Public Service Board come to land management agreement

The City of El Paso and the Water Utilities Public Service Board don’t always see eye-to-eye on how public land should be used, but Wednesday, the two groups came to agreement.

The Public Service Board has the authority to determine how 25,000 acres of city land is used by how much water it can supply. If the land isn’t needed for utilities infrastructure and it has enough water, its inexpedient and can be sold.

The board, which includes Mayor John Cook, said ensuring the land can handle development is important in preventing urban sprawl.

“I formed a blue ribbon committee of volunteers from the community, some previous chairs of the public board and came up with some recommendation that were approved unanimously by the board this evening,” Cook said.

Those recommendations include a methodology for declaring land inexpedient by meeting certain criteria such as meeting community needs while still ensuring there’s adequate water. Council members approved the methodology with the exception of Rep. Susie Byrd. She says PSB’s role in land use planning usurps the power city taxpayers should have in determining how their city is developed and how fast.

“Particularly when the vision the PSB board has is in conflict with the city council’s directives,” Byrd said.

Byrd says the board should oversee water management and leave the land planning to the city to expedite growth and development. But Cook says you can’t have growth without water.

“I don’t think you could characterize the board as being anti-growth but you have to make sure that any growth in the community, you look at at the water resources as apart of that,” Cook said. “Land without water is worth nothing.”