El Paso City Council votes to move forward with street improvement projects
The El Paso City Council voted to move forward with the remaining 2012 street improvement projects. It stopped progress after it was revealed the city repaved streets not originally authorized by council late last year.
Council authorized spending $5.9 million to complete the resurfacing projects and $23 million in reconstruction projects in progress.
Originally, voters approved spending $210 million to improve 90 street projects. So far only one has been completed and 11 are under construction and in the design phase.
Just about $148 million remains from the original allotment. Expedited street improvement projects cost $43 million. About $18 million was lost from the street improvement fund, being used instead to pay for projects not included in the original list.
The original list was created after studies determined which streets needed improvements most. But late last year, it came to light streets in District 1, which is Rep. Larry Romero’s district, were repaved even though they weren’t on that list.
Now council members are frustrated these additions are making progress even slower.
“We’re going back to practices that we go rid of in 2004, where we’re now politicizing the process,” said Rep. Claudia Ordaz, speaking to City Manager Tommy Gonzalez. “Now certain representatives make decisions on which streets they want to get fixed even though they were never on the list to begin with, without council approval. And you need to take responsibility for that. You always pass the buck, but here you cannot. This has happened under your watch. It’s a pattern of behavior I always hear with you Mr. Gonzalez. It’s either the previous administration’s fault or council’s fault. But when are you going to take responsibility for this happening? You won’t.”
Council also voted to raise the the cap payment to Ross Fischer, the independent investigator reviewing the recent search for a new financial adviser. It went from $25,000 to no more than $50,000.
