Citizens Commission Meant To Investigate Utilities Shot Down
El Paso City Council decided on Tuesday that regular residents will not investigate the service interruptions local utilities dealt with during this month’s freeze.
City Rep. Steve Ortega had proposed a three-member citizens commission investigate El Paso Electric, Texas Gas Service and El Paso Water Utilities.
In his proposal, Ortega wrote that the residents must be “individuals whose reputation and record inspired the utmost in the public’s trust and confidence.” He mentioned former Mayor Larry Frances and former Public Service Board member Richard Castro as contenders.
Not all were sold on the idea. Some city representatives, such as Eddie Holguin were concerned the commission would have no real power to investigate, and instead rely solely on the cooperation of the utilities. City Rep. Carl Robinson agreed.
“They don’t have powers, we, as elected officials, are the ones who have subpoena powers,” Robinson said.
City Council already planned to intervene, or be an involved party in the Public Utility Commission’s investigation into El Paso Electric. They’re also conducting their own investigation into El Paso Water Utility’s performance and interrupted service during the winter storm. A state senate joint committee is also investigating the power outages.
El Paso Mayor John Cook said those investigations were enough.
“This would be just one more layer of bureaucracy, I don’t think we need it,” Cook said.
City Rep. Beto O’Rourke said it was the City Council that was charged with keeping the utilities accountable, something a constituent had recently reminded him.
“My constituent said ‘that’s what we elected you to do, so why are you kicking this can further down the road, why are you passing the buck?'” O’Rourke daid. “And I think there’s a certain level of frustration with the numbers of studies and and committees that the city creates to look to look at problems.”
Ortega argued the utilities had already agreed to participate in the commission’s inquiries and that an independent study is needed.
“I felt like a review from arm’s distance from politicians, at arm’s distance from governement, and conducted by citizens of the community was warranted. i think it would be a public relations nightmare if the utilities did not want to participate in a commission”, he said.
The proposal failed and the mayor had to break the tie. Representatives Rachel Quintana, Holguin, O’Rourke and Robinson voted against the commission and the mayor sided with them. Voting for the commission were representatives Ortega, Susie Byrd, Emma Acosta, and Anne Morgan Lilly.
Instead of a commission, O’Rourke proposed a public hearing where City Council members and residents could question the utilities about the findings of the investigations.
“For if any reason the utilities did not want to be present, we could actually order them by law to be present and answer the questions that we have”, he said. The vote for the public hearing was unanimous.
