City of El Paso Texas - Engineering and Construction Management - Prevailing Wage Rates Resolution (June 11, 2013)

Sep 18, 2026

This agenda item for the City Council of El Paso authorizes the City Engineer to apply and specify prevailing per diem wage rates for building construction trades and heavy construction in public works bid solicitations and contracts. It also authorizes clarification of craft and worker job definitions as needed. The background explains survey design, outreach, and data validation used to calculate wage rate measures, aligned with Texas Government Code Chapter 2258 and Davis-Bacon requirements, with the County approving wage rates based on the results.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages36

Reading Time1 h 31 min

AccessFree to download

Subject

Background/Discussion

Prior Council Action

Amount and Source of Funding

Resolution

Authorization by City Engineer

# CITY OF EL PASO,TEXASAGENDA ITEMDEPARTMENT HEAD'S SUMMARY FORM DEPARTMENT: # Engineering and Construction Management AGENDA DATE: June 11,2013 CONTACT PERSON NAME AND PHONE NUMBER:Irene D.Ramirez,P.E.,Interim City Engineer,541-4428 DISTRICT(S)AFFECTED:All ## SUBJECT: Discussion and action that the City Engineer is authorized to specify the wage rates attached heretoas Exhibit A for each craft or type of worker for Building Construction Trades and Heavy Constructionin the call for bids for any public works contract and in the contract itself and that the City Engineer byauthorized to clarify the definitions of work performed by each craft or type of worker attached theretoas Exhibit B,if necessary. ## BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: The City of EI Paso is required by Texas Government Code Chapter 2258 to determine the prevailingrate of per diem wages for each craft or type of worker within the geographic limits of the City forconstruction of public works. The City of EI Paso's current wage scale that is used on all building projects was approved by CityCouncil on June 3,2008. In 2012,the County of EI Paso proposed a cooperative effort to complete a survey to update thewages for the use of governmental agencies within the County of EI Paso.On May 8,2012 the Cityof EI Paso passed a resolution authorizing an Interlocal Agreement with the County allowing the Cityto participate in conducting a survey of the general prevailing rate of per diem wages in the City of EIPaso. The County invited several governmental entities,to include the City of EI Paso,Clint ISD,SocorroISD,Ysleta ISD,EI Paso ISD,and the County Hospital District.Some representatives from theAssociated General Contractors,the Building Trades Association,the Electrical Workers,and thePlumbers'Union also participated. The County Attorney's Office hosted all meetings,did all mailings and reproduction at their expense,and provided database support for the data analysis asks.They also coordinated some publicservice media spots to encourage participation.Cygne Nemir,the Executive Division Chief of theCounty Attorney's Office and Omar Villa Assistant County Attorney managed the entire process. The survey process consisted of designing two survey forms,one for building trades and another forheavy/highway trades.The contractors were asked to submit the project peak week payroll for theirvarious trades during the calendar year 2011.Approximately 700 surveys were mailed tocontractors,sub-contractors,and unions.Seventy two entities returned surveys consisting ofapproximately 175 projects.The committee validated the completeness and authenticity of eachsurvey and the data was entered into a database.The database was used to calculate the mean,median and mode of each classification's submitted wage rates.The data was divided so that onlythe wage surveys from construction projects within the applicable jurisdiction were used.Onlyconstruction projects within the City limits were used to compute the proposed City prevailing wagerate. The results of the survey have been compiled and it is recommended that Council approve theprevailing wage rates and the associated definitions of the various job classifications.The wage rates and the definitions willbe used to ensure that contractors working on City projects pay their workersin accordance with the approved prevailing wage rates.The Engineering and ConstructionManagement,CIP Project Compliance has the responsibility to check worker payrolls and interviewworkers to ensure correct wage rates are being paid by contractors working on City projects.If thereis a discrepancy and a worker is not paid correctly,the CIP Project Compliance Office willensure thatany required pay restitutions are completed before the final project payment is made to thecontractor. The County Commissioners approved the County wages rates on November 19,2012 based on thissurvey's data. ## PRIOR COUNCIL ACTION: June 3,2008-Adoption of current pr

FAQs

What authority does the resolution give to the City Engineer for public works contracts?

The City Engineer is authorized to specify the prevailing wage rates attached as Exhibit A in bid calls and contracts. The Engineer is also authorized to clarify work definitions attached as Exhibit B if necessary.

Why does the City of El Paso conduct a prevailing wage survey?

Texas Government Code Chapter 2258 requires the City to determine prevailing per diem wages for each craft or type of worker within the City’s geographic limits for public works construction.

How were the wage rate survey results used in the decision process?

The survey results were compiled and the mean, median, and mode of submitted wage rates by classification were calculated using construction projects within applicable jurisdiction, particularly within City limits. The recommended rates and job definitions are intended to ensure contractors pay workers according to the approved prevailing wage rates.

Sep 18, 2026

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