On August 14, 2012 the mayor of El Paso signed ordinance 017849 ordering our 2012 quality of life bond election. The ordinance outlines the specific projects that were to be proposed and voted on. From the ordinance:
“… an election shall be held on the 6th day of November 2012, in the city … for the purpose of submitting the following measures:”
“Shall the City Council of the City of El Paso, Texas, be authorized to issue general obligation bonds of the City in the principal amount of $228,250,000 for permanent public improvements and public purposes, to wit: acquiring, constructing, improving, renovating and equipping new and existing library, museum, cultural and performing arts facilities and improvements, including the acquisition of land and rights-of-way for such projects, and acquiring and installing public art related to and being a part of some or all of the foregoing; such projects to include the following:
Arts & Entertainment
Multipurpose performing arts and entertainment facility located in Downtown El Paso;
Downtown
The ordinance specifically proposes a performing arts and entertainment facility located in Downtown El Paso. City council has been kind enough to publish maps telling us what they consider to be downtown.
The election was held. The public voted in favor of building the performing arts and entertainment facility.
One little problem
However on May 28, 2013 (7 months after the bond election) the city signed a lease with a baseball team group relating to the new ball park.
Section 15.3(c) reads:
neither City nor any Affiliate of City, shall, directly or indirectly, develop, finance, facilitate or otherwise participate in the development or approval of any other outdoor concert venue in downtown El Paso that is reasonably anticipated to compete with the Ballpark, with the exception of a soccer stadium for a Major League Soccer team.
Concert venue, downtown
It would appear that we could have a conflict. The city got us to vote for a downtown performing arts facility. Then they signed a lease prohibiting them to build one.
Will we have to pay the sports group for this? Will the city just build it’s performing arts center somewhere outside of the downtown area. Will the performing arts money be “repurposed” to build something different?
Texas law requires that bond money be spent the way the bond ordinance specifies.
The actual signed lease with the sports group is not available on the city’s web site. The document that I have quoted from was presented to city council as part of the change process when the sports group agreed to pay for any costs above $62 million.
Outdoor
The key word here is outdoor. The city agreed to not build an outdoor venue. That will limit our design of the new facility. It will need to be enclosed in a building.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
“…with the exception of a soccer stadium for a Major League Soccer team,” which we all now know is and was on Mountainstar’s personal agenda. That’s no coincidence.
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Maybe you’er overthinking this one. It does and did say, very clearly, outdoor. The intent of the bond issue was not ever to include that sort of thing. They’re looking to tear down and replace the civic center plaza and the Abraham Chavez theater. That’s all.
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You will never get them to admit to it.
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But its the truth. those will be torn down just like City Hall unless Leeser can stop it.
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What a crock-of-you-know-what deal! The city shoots its own self in the footand gives the cabal their icing on the cake,,, like mindless fools. Good look at these behind the scenes goings on…keep shedding light, Brutus!
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What we got heera is a fayylya to communikate!
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Mountainstar bought-and-paid-for: Niland; Noe; Acosta; Lilly. You need one more vote to make it happen and 2 to make it foolproof.
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