El Paso City Council delays arena vote again, rejects 'right to be heard' proposal

The El Paso City Council once again declined to take action on selecting a new site for the long-delayed multipurpose cultural and performing arts center.

During the City Council meeting Tuesday, March 26, East Side city Rep. Art Fierro moved swiftly to have the item delayed for another two weeks, without discussion, during approval of the consent agenda.

This makes the third time the City Council has punted on making a decision since the Union Depot site was first proposed in February.

A chorus of criticism has risen since then, with the El Paso Downtown Management District calling for the Union Depot plan, which would establish a hybrid venue with 4,000 indoor seats and seating for another 4,000 on an outdoor lawn area, to be scrapped in favor of a larger venue.

With only $163 million left to fund the project, however, the city would have to partner with private investors to build anything bigger than what's currently under consideration.

While Fierro could not be reached for comment, West Side city Rep. Brian Kennedy explained that council members received a briefing on the arena plans during a recent executive session and "weren't quite ready to talk about (it) in an open meeting."

Kennedy expressed optimism that the City Council might actually discuss the issue during its next meeting on Tuesday, April 9.

'Right to be heard' proposal deleted

Tuesday, likewise, saw the death of South-West city Rep. Chris Canales' "right to be heard" proposal, which would have required the City Council to read written comments aloud during City Council meetings.

"This outcome not only undermines the principles of democracy but also sends a discouraging message to our community members who are eager to engage in the decision-making processes that affect their lives," Canales wrote in an email. "It is imperative that our elected officials prioritize the voices and concerns of the public and create avenues for meaningful participation."

"My proposal is vital for the accessibility of City Council meetings, allowing an opportunity to participate for constituents with a disability, those caring for a child or elderly relative, or people who for any other reason can't attend the meeting in person or wait by their phone to call in at the unpredictable time that an item is considered," he continued. "This amendment represented a step toward ensuring that all voices are heard in our democratic process. Instead, it appears that we have taken a step backwards."

The most recent City Council meeting marked the fourth time Canales' proposal, which he said was aimed at ensuring residents had a voice in civic matters even when they could not appear in person, was on the agenda.

But while Canales hailed the proposal as a move toward accountability and open government, Kennedy, who moved to have the item deleted, said there was no need to change the City Council's current policy. Under that policy, all written comments submitted to the City Council are permanently attached to that meeting's minutes.

"The council just decided we are going to stick with the current rules and did not want to revisit this again," Kennedy said. "Our thing is ... honestly, if you write a letter, it gets attached to the minutes rather than just being heard on the YouTube feed."

Further, with each council member receiving time to speak on any issue that appears on the City Council agenda, Kennedy said council members could opt to read submitted letters during their time.

"We're not trying to quelch people's ability to have input," he said. "We're just not."

The City Council ultimately voted 5-3 to delete Canales' proposal — Canales was joined by city Reps. Cassandra Hernandez and Josh Acevedo in trying to keep the proposal alive.

"It is disheartening to see that five of the eight council members ... voted for the deletion of this crucial proposal before it could even be debated and before the public had any opportunity to comment," Canales said. "This represents the third time in recent months that this type of abrupt deletion has been used to silence debate and public comment on proposals, and it is a worrying trend against public participation from a majority of the Council."

"Moving forward, I urge the City Council to reconsider (its) decision and to demonstrate a commitment to public participation, transparency, accountability, and inclusivity in all aspects of governance," he added. "The El Paso community deserves nothing less."

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: When will El Paso City Council decide on Union Depot arena site?