A motion to name the Big Bend Sentinel, Marfa’s century-old newspaper, as the city’s official paper of record died without a second at a recent Marfa City Council meeting.
Councilmember Travis Acreman said he made the motion during consideration of Resolution No. 2026-06, but no other council member seconded it. Without a second, the item did not advance to a vote.
The proposed resolution came after the Sentinel announced it was suspending its print edition for the summer, raising questions about whether the paper’s digital publication would be sufficient for official city notices.
Acreman said Mayor Manny Baeza’s legal consultant, Teresa Todd, had reminded the council that the city is responsible for designating a paper of record each fiscal year. He said the designation did not occur last October, and the resolution was brought forward to consider whether the digital Sentinel would be a sufficient vehicle for public notice while print distribution is on hold.
“As far as I know, the resolution was not requested or championed by any individual council member,” Acreman said in an email Tuesday.
Acreman said the council will likely revisit the issue in October. Until then, he said, the city’s previous newspaper of record designation remains in effect.
