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Council postpones decision on large ETJ-release petition until Sept. 18
Summary
The council postponed action on a petition to release approximately 1,830.4 acres from the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction to Sept. 18 as staff continues verification of voter and property data.
The Socorro City Council on Sept. 4 voted to postpone consideration of a petition to release about 2.689 square miles (approximately 1,830.4 acres) from the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction until the Sept. 18 regular council meeting to allow staff additional time to verify petition materials.
City Attorney Jim Martinez told the council the petition is large and requires careful review. “There are over 1,000 voters involved. There’s over 7,600 different parcels of land, and over 430 signatories to the petition,” Martinez said, adding staff needed time to confirm owner valuations and voter information. He recommended postponement to avoid procedural mistakes that could prolong the process.
Martinez explained the statutory test for such petitions requires examining the property owners and their assessed values, and that staff must rely on county elections records for voter information. He said staff was working with El Paso County election officials to verify records and would return with a firm recommendation by Sept. 18.
Council approved a motion to postpone the item to Sept. 18; the motion carried by voice vote.
