Debate Of Storm Water Utility Erupts At Council Meeting

By ABC-7 Reporter Darren Hunt

EL PASO, Texas – Another El Paso City Council meeting, another fight over the Storm Water Utility and its fees.

Mayor John Cook is now facing a recall for his part in establishing the Storm Water Utility. So on Tuesday, he hoped to show everyone the benefit of the new department by asking for a progress report.

But what it did was open a can of worms.

“I would love to see us come back with a viable program that doesn’t hurt near as badly as this one does,” one El Paso resident told Council Tuesday.

Several other residents were quick to take aim at City Council when the Storm Water topic was breeched.

“I’m sorry, but you’re guilty by association,” Northeast El Pasoan Bill Greer said, “association with the past, because your other folks that preceded you, all the way back to 1857, didn’t do what the hell they were supposed to do.”

Like provide the proper upkeep for dams, channels and drains in the city.

Dave Brossman, the Public Service Board’s operations’ director for the new Storm Water Utility. He pointed out that the department is already functioning.

In fact, it’s already managed to remove vegetation from seven different dams, clean up more than 15 miles of the city’s 103 miles of channels and clear out more than 400 drains in Downtown El Paso.

“It’s very unfortunate we’re spending a ton of money in storm drainage just to pick up trash,” Brossman said.

Residents and businesses aren’t the only ones upset. Representative Eddie Holguin pointed out to Representative Beto O’Rourke that most of the work the utility has done is in his district.

“If my district was getting cleaned, and my holding ponds were getting cleaned as yours are and my inlets were getting cleaned as yours are and your streets are getting paved,” Holguin said, “I think I would share your opinion, but I don’t.”

Holguin got angry when nobody from the utility could tell him when his district’s drains would be cleaned.

“To tell me I might or might not get my stuff cleaned, I think that’s unacceptable,” Holguin said. “Especially when you’re taxing the citizens of my district out of their homes.”

The Storm Water Utility is using a computer, much like the streets department uses a computer, to select what area and what project is up next up for them. And O’Rourke pointed out, in his eyes, that’s the fairest way to do things.