El Paso city representative says new procedure will foster ‘backroom deals’

As City Council works to streamline city business through a new mechanism, some city representatives have said the new procedure will foster ‘backroom deals.’

City Council on Tuesday approved a new procedure that requires city representatives to obtain the signatures of two other city representatives in order to place an item on the city council meeting agenda.

Currently, any city rep. can place anything on the agenda without needing signatures.

Other Texas cities, like Austin and Fort Worth have similar measures aimed at streamlining city business and trimming down often lengthy city council meeting. Most of the El Paso City Representatives agreed the new process would help them be more efficient because it would force them to research and vet an issue in ‘working’ meetings, like committees before coming to a vote in a City Council meeting.

But City Rep. Lily Limon, visibly upset over the proposed measure, said the new procedure would diminish the voice of city representatives.

“By doing this you are essentially saying that as individuals we don’t have the right to bring up an item to council,” she told City Rep. Ann Morgan Lilly, who proposed the change, which had previously been discussed at the City Council’s strategic planning sessions.

“This action is taking our rights away from individual representatives. I can tell you that this will do nothing more than encourage backroom deals. Because in order to get the two additional persons, you may have to go through four or five… what you have created is a walking quorum,” Limon told the rest of the City Council.

City Attorney Silvia Firth responded to Limon’s concerns, saying the Texas Open Meetings act allows city representatives to talk to each other before a meeting to schedule a vote on an issue. City Rep. Michiel Noe said there was nothing illegal about the new process.

“You can choose to call it what you want just to get people angry with us but it’s not true. It’s not a walking quorum,” he said, addressing Limon.

City Rep. Claudia Ordaz, who supported the change, said the current process is “an inefficient use of time” compared to the more streamlined process she’s worked in the state legislature and Congress. “You have to get co-sponsors for that bill and in that time you have work sessions and prepare for that bill before you hear them on the senate floor. This is just the best way to do business and I’ve seen it in other cities and the current process we do have is incredibly inefficient when members put random things on the agenda and all of us aren’t prepared.”

Tommy Gonzalez, the City Manager, told city council he had been very “outspoken” with the city representatives when he first started the job because they’d often place items on the agenda without first talking to him about it.

The item passed with Limon voting against it. City Rep. Robinson was out of the room during the vote. He and Limon said they would still place items on the agenda without the now-required signatures.

“If I want to put something on the agenda, I will put something on the agenda. Period,” said Robinson, who also called the new procedure “ludicrous.”

“This vote today is going to say no we don’t have a climate of respect and so with that – this is all that I can say to that,” Limon said as she turned a coffee cup upside down. The coffee cup is symbolic because it was given to all city representatives during a workshop they had on being collaborative and supportive to one another.

The rest of council seemed comfortable with the signature requirements. If I’ve got an issue that I feel is important enough, to actually put it on the agenda and I cannot get two other city reps to sign off with me, then there’s something wrong,” said City Rep. Larry Romero.