Former El Paso City Councilman Uncovers Financial Controversy

Joe Pickett, who served as an El Paso city councilman in 1991 before moving on to the Texas House of Representatives from 1995 to 2019, made a shocking discovery after his retirement.

Upon noticing a 50% increase in the franchise fee on his water bill, Pickett sought answers from the city. Despite his efforts, the city manager failed to provide a clear explanation for the sudden spike.

In early 2020, Pickett took matters into his own hands by writing letters to the City Manager and his city council representative. When his inquiries went unanswered, he delved into the city's budget and uncovered millions of dollars being shifted from the franchise fee to other departments.

By October 2020, Pickett had filed a lawsuit against the city. Recently, the El Paso City Council rejected his latest settlement claim, refusing to provide him with the settlement money he sought.

Throughout this ordeal, Pickett made even more startling revelations. "What we found out are some other questionable fees with all the open records requests, the depositions," Pickett stated. "I guess you could call it a win for the public in that once I caught the city at what they were doing, they have not openly been transferring money from that account."

ABC-7 reached out to the City of El Paso for comment, but has not received a response as of yet.

What do you think?

• Should more investigations be conducted into municipal finances?
• Do you believe Pickett's actions were justified?
• How can transparency in city budgets be improved?