EL PASO, Texas – (KFOX14/CBS4) — A contentious proposal to end El Paso’s incentive agreement tied to Meta drew an emotional, standing-room-only crowd to City Hall, with residents and workers warning of long-term consequences on everything from water resources to the city’s economic future.
Nearly 200 people signed up to speak as the El Paso City Council considered possibly terminating an incentive agreement with Worldwide LLC.
The council chambers reached capacity, with some people standing just to remain inside.
People held signs, and groups of union members stood as their members spoke.
RELATED: Meta touts $10B El Paso data center, water and grid pledges as council weighs incentives
In all, 183 people signed up to address the council, ranging from supporters of ending the agreement to those who said the project represents a major economic opportunity.
Supporters of ending the agreement raised concerns about water use, electricity and whether the city had enough information before entering the partnership.
Jonathan Zayan, an El Paso resident, urged people to consider environmental impacts, saying, “If you are against this, I would say, look at the bigger picture. You know, with Meta being here, it’s not a simple fact of saying, oh, hey, I have a job. No, it’s about saying, how is our environment going to exist?”
Zayan also said, “If anyone’s afraid of jobs, just know when we take care of our environment in our city, we’re going to have even more opportunities.”
Another resident, Marco Sanchez, warned about the risks of water shortages, saying, “But no city has ever been destroyed for going bankrupt. Cities have been destroyed for running out of water.”
Not everyone who spoke supported ending the agreement. Some speakers, including union members working on the project, said terminating it would have impacts beyond legal issues.
Eddie Trevizo, a union member with IBEW Local 583, said, “People think item 37 is going to hurt Meta. It’s not going to hurt Meta.”
He added, “You’re hurting the working class. That’s who you’re hurting.”
Angelica Rosales, project director with Sundt Construction, pointed to the scale of employment connected to the project.
“So when city reps want to talk about pay and wages and what we’re employing? We’re looking at close to 4000 people that are employed on the site as a result of this project,” Rosales said.
She also pushed back on what she described as confusion around the project, saying, “I think we need to get the facts straight. I think there’s a lot of misinformation and like I said, I think a lot of what I heard, it’s evident that people have never been in a data center or built one.”
Rosales added, “The electrical scope of work tends to be your largest scope of work on these data centers. These projects are employing several people in this community, and I think that’s important.”
Ana Fuentes, director of Amanecer Peoples Project, told the council she believed residents shared common goals but disagreed with what the agreement would deliver.
“I do believe that we’re on the same side. We want better jobs, and that is not what we’re getting through this contract,” Fuentes said.
El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson and City Council members have said ending the agreement would put taxpayers at risk.
Community members in attendance urged the council to look beyond the immediate decision and consider long-term impacts.
Public comment on the item was still ongoing, with expectations that it could last hours.
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