MARFA — At a City Council meeting last week council members approved changes to the ongoing city administrator hiring process, heard an update on the major street repair project and approved the purchase of a new truck for the Marfa Police Department.
Council members Raul Lara, Eddie Pallarez, Mark Morrison and Travis Acreman were present, along with Interim City Administrator Kelly Perez, Mayor Manny Baeza and City Attorney Sylvia Firth.
City administrator search
City representatives previously told The Big Bend Sentinel that no changes were planned to the ongoing city administrator hiring process despite the fact that three council members were heard on tape discussing the need to hire a male for the job, prompting some residents to object to the biased remarks and call into question the council members’ objectivity. Employment lawyers that spoke with The Sentinel recommended changes to the hiring process to restore public trust and to ensure the city does not face legal claims from female applicants.
On Thursday, council members voted to dissolve the previously formed hiring subcommittee — which had included Baeza and Acreman, as well as Morrison, who participated in the male candidate discussion — in favor of a scoring template for all council members and to conduct open candidate interviews so that members of the public can observe.
The matter was discussed in closed session. Firth detailed the council’s motion when they adjourned. “I’m looking for a motion to dissolve the hiring committee and to agree to use one scoring template for every City Council member to fill out with regard to every candidate that we have a resume for,” Firth said. “Then, once these templates are reviewed and the top candidates are selected, those interviews will take place here at City Hall in public so that the members of the public can witness the interview process.”
Perez did not provide specific reasons why the council ultimately voted to change up the hiring process, stating only that council members mutually agreed on the decision.
Council Member Acreman — who initially stated that he was “really distressed by the attitude” fellow council members displayed about female candidates, leading him to call for their resignations — said this week that the new changes to the city administrator hiring process are ultimately “a step in the right direction.”
“Regrettably, there are stains on this Council that can only be washed out by the voters,” Acreman wrote in a statement to The Sentinel. “But, if we are going to move forward with a flawed process, better it be a more transparent one.”
Street repairs
Council members also discussed construction bids the city received for street improvement. The city is working with engineer JACOB | MARTIN to overhaul several of Marfa’s streets in sore need of repair. Baeza explained that four bids for street repairs had been received ranging in price from $2.2 to $3.1 million. But, because the lowest two bidders did not request construction drawings directly from the engineering firm as requested, they had to be disqualified.
Council formally voted to award a construction contract to Permian Paving, the next lowest bidder, on Tuesday before the AEP hearing. Permian Paving, who recently completed street repairs to roads by the Marfa Housing Authority (MHA,) bid the project at $2.4 million, with a $2.7 million contingency.
The streets targeted for a complete rebuild include:
- Russell Street from U.S. 90 north to Columbia Street, excluding work in the railroad right of way
- Mesa Street from U.S. 90 north to Lincoln Street
- North Gonzalez Street from Columbia Street north to 3rd Street
- East Galveston Street from U.S. 67 east to South Dean Street
- 3rd Street from State Highway 17 west to Austin Street
The city intends to pay for the street repairs with a $2.1 million tax note it took out a couple of years ago. It will face engineering costs on top of the construction costs; it was previously stated that the total cost of the project is estimated to be around $3,198,000. Baeza said opting for a surface material that results in a smooth road — like the streets around the MHA rather than a cheaper “two layer mix” like on Austin Street — is worth the extra cost.
“Those roads they’ll give you a shelf life of 13 to 15 [years], before you need to chip seal them or anything,” Baeza said. “It’s a little more expensive, but they’ll last longer.”
A timeline shared by the engineers a few months ago included putting the project out to bid in July 2025, with construction starting in January 2026 and wrapping up by July 2026.
New police vehicle
The Marfa Police Department approached council to request the purchase of a new vehicle with Operation Lonestar funds — Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security initiative. This year the department was awarded $145,000 from the state, according to a follow up with Chief Gilberto Carrillo. That money is in addition to a $194,000 Operation Stonegarden grant from the federal government.
Grant administrator Rene Gonzales explained that this year’s Operation Lonestar grant award needed to be spent by August 31, and the department was not set to spend all of the money they allotted to officer overtime, so they bought new computers and were requesting to purchase a $95,000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500.
The department received five new Chevy Tahoes in 2022, paid for, in part, with border security grant funds. Those vehicles have been leased from American Leasing Company, according to Carrillo. He said one of the Tahoes was struck by another car while it was parked at City Hall and that damaged vehicle has been causing the department issues, so they are seeking to replace it with the truck.
The new police truck will have lights and decals but will still need to be outfitted with a radio and a camera. The department intends to keep the vehicle that is being replaced by the truck, Carrillo said, for which a use has yet to be determined. The Marfa ISD school resource officer is currently utilizing a vehicle Marfa PD purchased from the Department of Public Safety (DPS) surplus for $1,000.
Carrillo said that now that the Tahoes have been leased for three years, the department can either opt to buy them for $1 each or send them back to the leasing company and get a new fleet. He said because the vehicles have low mileage it is likely that they will purchase and keep them.