City Council keeps Sentinel as ‘paper of record’

Members also discuss natural gas safety, dispatch services and an interlocal road work agreement

Marfa

After some council members had expressed concerns about reaching Marfans with official city notices without a physical newspaper being printed, the council came to an agreement with Big Bend Sentinel to keep it as the “paper of record” if the newspaper distributes printed notices to select locations throughout the city. Councilmember Raul Lara was absent.

State law requires that government entities publish a variety of notices — such as tax rates and public hearings — in a newspaper, usually one located in the county where the entities reside, as the paper of record. While not the largest revenue generator for community newspapers, those paid notices provide a foundation of financial support.

The Sentinel took a hiatus in printing the physical paper in mid-June after it noted the printing expenses made it impractical, and it continued to publish online. While the online notices meet all the state statutory requirements, council members, and particularly the mayor, were concerned that older residents who don’t use technology would be left with no way to view notices.

Mayor Manny Baeza suggested it might be best to give the paper of record to the Alpine Avalanche for a few months until the Sentinel gets back on its feet and starts printing again, but Councilmember Travis Acremen had questioned how many people in Marfa actually read the Avalanche.

In public comments, several speakers — Hilary Scruggs Beebe, Robert Halpern, Frank Richardson and former Sentinel publisher Max Kabat — spoke in favor of supporting the Sentinel.

The council voted unanimously to keep the Sentinel as the city’s paper of record with the stipulation that it distribute paper city notices to locations to be determined.

Natural Gas Manager Jim Mustard gave the council an update concerning the “Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) organizational P-5 requirements, public awareness program, emergency plan, and emergency operations plan” to ensure operations, all of which the utility complies with. 

Mustard also noted that Marfa is on the commission’s “critical infrastructure map,” which designates areas where transportation of natural gas makes areas critical in times of emergencies. He said he doesn’t believe Marfa even meets the criteria to be on the map, but for some unknown reason it was put there. Mustard said he is considering filing for an exemption from the regulatory and reporting requirements associated with being on the map. Although, he noted that being on the map comes with a benefit that these areas are prioritized for restoring power in times when power is cut or goes out. The item was for discussion only, and no action was taken.

Police Chief Gilberto Carrillo presented a contract renewal with Presidio County for dispatch services. The new contract includes the opportunity to do a video call to dispatch to, for instance, help dispatchers locate where callers are if the callers are unfamiliar with their surroundings. The council unanimously approved the agreement.

Mayor Manny Baeza presented an interlocal agreement between Presidio County, the city of Marfa, and the city of Presidio that stipulates that if any grant money or other revenue comes to entities, that they seek to share resources, including manpower and equipment.

Presidio County Commissioner Deirdre Hisler, in attendance, said she initially opposed it because she hadn’t received it yet when it first came to Commissioners Court. Since then, and after revisions, she is supportive of the idea but still has questions on some of the provisions. For instance, the county doesn’t have road and bridge employees with the skill set to pave roads, since the county only maintains dirt roads. Ideally, professionals would be contracted for significant road work projects, which Baeza agreed with.

Baeza also agreed that there were unknowns about how things will work out, but he favored having the interlocal should it be needed. “We’re just trying to take the first step in working with the county,” he said. The council unanimously approved the interlocal agreement.

Baeza told council members that applications for the city administrator position ends today, August 14. He said there were 12-15 applicants. Council members will receive all applications and then work to narrow them down to a smaller pool.