According to the City Council Agenda Department Head’s Summary Form of May 29, 2012, the city’s staff recommended awarding a Real Estate Management Services contract to TVO Management Services. There were two components to the contract. The first was labeled “Brokerage Services” and the second was labeled “Consulting and Support Services”. The brokerage services were expected to be paid on each completed real estate transaction at a 4% commission rate. At this point is unclear whether any property was sold by TVO.
The consulting services were to be paid on an hourly basis for a “recommended annual amount of $300,000”. The contract was for three years. As you know I can’t depend on the city providing me timely and accurate answers to my open records requests therefore I’m left with finding information via other sources. Because of this it is difficult at this point to determine whether TVO sold any property on behalf of the city. However, we do know that TVO compiled a portfolio of city-owned property.
According to the presentation made to city council at the time the contract was awarded, the City of El Paso owned “approximately 4,562 properties”. These properties did not include those properties managed by the El Paso International Airport. Included in the property portfolio were about 104 leases in which the city was either leasing the property or was acting as the landlord.
The motion to award the contract to TVO was made by Emma Acosta and seconded by Cortney Niland. It carried unanimously on May 29, 2012 and it was for three years.
TVO Management’s CEO is Russell Vandenburg. You might remember that his company led the city’s relocation of its administrative offices prior to the demolition of city hall. In August of 2012, Vandenburg stated to city council that his company had looked at 15 buildings before deciding on the three buildings the city moved its operations to. Vandenburg is also a member of the Paso del Norte Group (PDNG). He was also Redco’s leader prior to the merger with the PDNG.
According to an El Paso Inc. article on July 21, 2013 by Robert Gray; TVO had put together a database of city owned property. Gray wrote that the city had identified 92 parcels of downtown property. The article further states that TVO was proposing that the city sell 30 to 40 properties for an anticipated $5 million for the city.
After that I could not find any more mention of any activity taking place in regards to the proposal to sell the 30 to 40 city-owned properties. As far as I can tell, TVO has put together a portfolio of city-owned property that city council has access to and has proposed selling some of the property.
Instead of an agenda item selling unneeded city property, city council instead will be discussing item 10B terminating its property management agreement with TVO. Without any back up material it is difficult to understand what has precipitated this action however I expect more will be revealed at today’s city council meeting.
Keep on eye on this one, it might get interesting.
Martin,
It’s a little a rich guy on rich guy violence. One rich guy is a part of the cool rich guy crowd who supported steve and the other guy is part of the uncool car dealer rich guy crowd (the car dealers have always been treated differently by the local elite for some reason) who ran against steve. This is just payback for the snub. You’re about to see a lot of people get contracts pulled and given to folks friendly with the mayor. It’s just how the change over in power works. If you do business with the city, you gotta know things change when the mayor changes.
The problem is TVO is not only receiving compensation for their work but they are also receiving a commission. The city is being taken advantage of and the Mayor does not like this.
You are completely right U. I will lay it out for you.
Annual amount is $300,000.00 Consulting and Support Services
4 percent commission per Real Estate Transaction
$900,000.00 3 years
$1,200,000.00 4 years
They even get commission on donated property.
Wasn’t it TVO (Vanderburg) who just happened to get the city into the Times building? No connection, of course to the Times’ uncritical support of the stadium. Nor did anyone protest the price, as I recall, even though there were hardly any comparable sales by which to determine if it was reasonable. I mean, how many downtown buildings had sold in the last few years? Everyone wants their business located in downtown El Paso, Texas, don’t they?
So Wilson “negotiated” with TVO for us tax suckers and we paid the asking price. Keep it up, Oscar.
This was on the agenda dated May 29, 2012. When we had a Mayor and Council Members who never questioned Wilson. They let her do whatever she wanted.
Funding Source: City General Funds, Certificates of Obligation, City Enterprise Department Funds and
City Grant Sources.
I didn’t see it on the agenda. Unless it was EX 1, the subject discussed in Executive Session, dealing with consultation with lawyer and disposal of real property.
Where did you see it?
Hello Rich,
It was item number 10B under number 10. Mayor and Council on the December 3, 2013 city council agenda. (10B. Discussion and action regarding termination of Real Estate Management Services Contract 2012-121R by and between the City of El Paso and TVO North America. [Mayor Oscar Leeser, (915) 541-4145]) I’ll have more on this tomorrow.
Martín
So what have you found out?