e e e e e e e for e e good morning mayor we just need uh one more member of the Council on the de to for AUM he's right here thank you good morning this is a meeting of the AL Pasa city council for Tuesday November 19th 2024 mayor liser is present and presiding in council chambers along with mayor protim Kennedy representative ACO alternate mayor Pro molinard and representative Riva it is 9:01 a.m. will everyone please silence your electronic devices so as not to disturb the meeting and rise for the invocation delivered by Al Pasa police chaplain and Sun Valley Baptist pastor Dennis Kaufman who's joining us virtually Pastor Kaufman you're on mute sir about now yes sir okay thank you for this opportunity to uh come before you and deliver this invocation so father we thank you for allowing these people these men and women to come together to discuss the business of El Paso and I pray that you'd give them wisdom and and guidance and understanding as they as they do this as they have this meeting let it be for your honor and your glory we pray for our city our state and our country father as we go through this time of transition and I just pray that you would give a understanding give strength and courage to do what is right according to your will and your purpose so we thank you for all that you do for us and again father we just pray for this group that you give them a special understanding help them to be able to work together to resolve the issues and to help this city to to go on further and to progress and father we thank you for your love and your grace and your forgiveness and we just ask for your blessings on this time in Jesus name amen thank you sir our new U director of Aviation congratulations sir will you please lead us in the pledge to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for us miss PR yes sir for the record representative Canales joined the meeting at 9:03 a.m. that brings us to the mayor's proclamations for those of you receiving a proclamation this morning your group will have up to six minutes collectively to speak at the podium we begin with a proclamation for World AIDS day good morning Proclamation city of El Paso Texas whereas the city of El Paso Department of Public Health HIV prevention provides free HIV syphilis and hepatitis C testing and whereas the city of Al Paso Department of Public Health collaborates with local Physicians clinics Community Health Centers Fort Bliss Dona County New Mexico zad quades Mexico and other organizations to promote a healthier safer community Through community education on HIV prevention and whereas getting tested and knowing your HIV status reduces the spread of HIV whereas testing is critical to HIV prevention and whereas the Department of Public Health joins the Centers for Disease Control and prevention along with the World Health Organization and recognizing the importance of HIV testing and controlling the spread of HIV now therefore be it proclaimed by the mayor and Council of the city of El Paso that December 1st 2024 shall be known as World AIDS day signed the honorable mayor Oscar liser city of El Paso thank you mayor and city council my name is SAR Gutierrez I am the intervention supervisor for the HIV prevention program for the city of op Paso Department of Public Health World AIDS day is a day observed every December 1st since 1988 where organizations and individuals across the world bring attention to the HIV epidemic to increase awareness and speak out against HIV stigma and call for an increased response to move towards ending the HIV epidemic as we observe World AIDS day 2024 we do take this moment not just to remember those we have lost but also reflect on the progress we've made the challenges still ahead and the unique context of our community here in El Paso right along the US Mexico border this year marks the 37th World AIDS day and the theme this year is collective action sustain and accelerate HIV progress hiv.gov described this theme as encapsulating the US government's dedication to harnessing the significant progress that has been made through Global and domestic HIV programs over the last four plus decades working to ensure that no Community is Left Behind at the same time we continue to innovate and adapt initiatives based on new scientific advancement implementation on research and Lessons Learned From programs in the field it is especially important in helping to reduce Transmission in our communities because 2455 individuals in El Paso County are currently living with HIV and this is according to the 2022 Texas HIV surveillance report furthermore 109 individuals were newly diagnosed in 2021 within the El Paso Community this this health issue does not begin and end in El Paso according to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention there are 39.9 million people worldwide living with HIV in 2023 1.4 million who were children and unfortunately 630,000 people died from AIDS related illness worldwide in 20203 in addition the World Health Organization reports that in 2023 1.3 million people were newly infected with HIV in the United States and we saw 31,800 new cases so we invite the El Paso Community to unite in commemorating world's a Day by getting tested and knowing and or updating their status which is the first empowering step to end the HIV epidemic the community can get tested for free Monday through Friday 8 to 11:30 and 1 to 4:30 at 701 Montana Avenue this Wednesday we will be open until 8:00 p.m. for free services we honor the many lives that we have lost to age related illness and we continue our collaborative efforts within our community to reduce HIV cases and also connect individuals to care I thank you all for your attention and I thank everyone who is representative here thank you thank you very much and if you'd like to we'd love to have you come on up here so we can get a picture with everybody and for the record representative ernandez joined the meeting at 905 and representative Fierro joined at 9:07 oh that's not true and representative Salo has requested to be excused thank you representative wearing a skirt was a idea looks great all right right this way ready one two three couple more one two three one more one two three and the next Proclamation is hunger and homelessness Awareness Week whereas National hunger and homeless Awareness Week 2024 is November 17th through November 23rd 2024 and aims to educate about the problems of hunger and homeless and whereas addressing hunger and homelessness is critical for the economic prosperity of El Paso families and whereas the community and human development department has made tremendous contributions to supporting and protecting the most vulnerable pasoans by deploying federal and state funding for support in housing affordability homelessness utility cost burden access to food and supporting individual Financial stability and whereas there are many Community organizations committed to Sheltering and providing Supportive Services as well as meals and food supplies to people experiencing hunger and homelessness and whereas it is the responsibility of the Department of c community and human development to serve as the Catalyst for the Community Partnerships collaboration and change ensuring Equity resilience and sustainability for the most vulnerable ELP Pas ones by giving voice to the underrepresented supporting a strong system of Human Services and investing in Al pas so homes family and neighborhoods and whereas the city of El Paso has shown incredible leadership by integrating the needs of the individuals experiencing homelessness as a strategic City objective in the city of El Paso strategic plan and whereas El Paso helps El Paso Auda serves as a collaboration of organizations providing support to families in crisis driving Community stability and resilience as well as ensuring that individuals in crisis experiencing basic need insecurities are connected to the Services immediately now therefore be it proclaimed by the mayor and the Council of the city of El Paso that the week of November 17th through November 23rd 2024 shall be known as hunger and homelessness awareness week and it's signed by The Honorable mayor Oscar [Applause] liser morning is this working okay there we go good morning mayor and counsel I guess it's been a minute since I stood here um Nicole farini uh director of community and human development this is going to be my eighth hunger and homelessness awareness week and I think that um one of the things that makes me most proud is that when I stand Here I am never standing here alone um I came up by myself and then realized that there is quite a group of individuals behind me it is these folks that really make the support we provide for the most vulnerable in our community possible and so it's for these people that I really stand here today I want to recognize a couple of agencies there are dozens that actually make this work and that are on the street helping people every single day but there's a handful that I just would like to call out by name this morning the El Paso Center for Children El Paso Human Services La Posada my beautiful friend at amistar and my beautiful friends at the Opportunity Center for the homeless it's because of these people that vulnerable vulnerability in our community has a place to go I would like to share just a little bit of data with you um I think that we've made a lot of progress in terms of addressing issues like homelessness we work very hard to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place but really homelessness is one part of a larger Continuum of challenges and vulnerabilities that exist in our community food Security emergency hunger relief housing affordability utilities all of the things that you often see us working on every single day in the Department of community and human development with our partners in August of this year males made up majority of clients served by Street Outreach and mergency shelter all of you know about El Paso helps and the work that Amistad has done to create the city's first 247 Street outreach program last week I had the privilege of joining representative Gales on a ride along where we went out and we saw what these teams are doing every single day and the need that is out there and what I learned in that day is that homelessness and vulnerability is not a homogeneous problem every single human being that you see experiencing these challenges has a unique story and they deserve to be treated uniquely and so very proud of the work that street Outreach is doing females represented the largest group of clients in homeless prevention transitional housing and Rapid rehousing programs what we're learning is that it's very important for women to stay off the street women are incredibly vulnerable to predatory uh individuals and to and and to be victims of crime when they are uh homeless % of individuals served by the city's programs in August self-identified as having a disability I think it's also time that we start recognizing that folks of all abilities um require support in different ways right when we talk about disabilities we're not just talking about physical disabilities we know that there are many on the street that are dealing with mental health challenges so this is a complex issue and requires complex Solutions but the future is bright we are spending a lot of effort a lot of energy from these human beings on helping these folks and so at the end of the day I just want to thank you for what you are doing by recognizing hunger and homelessness awareness week this week and I want to invite you all to join us we are hosting an event this Saturday at the center for civic empowerment on the 17th floor of the blue flame yes the same day as the celebration of lights so we can celebrate together but that event is an open house from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. we will be exhibiting artwork from the elementary school students at M Elementary who have interpreted homelessness hunger and vulnerability through their artwork we'll be displaying that um on Saturday and then at 2:30 we will be hosting a panel discussion to create broader awareness with the general public about what they can do to help address this issue thank you guys so much thank you Nicole appreciate it appreciate everybody that's here and all the work that you guys do uh it's critical and to the city of El Paso so we want to thank you and we'd love to have you guys come on up and take a picture with us great to wait for me's way too many you can help me she's like can you fallowing her e e thank you so much I will never wor spirited again promise got and the next Proclamation is transer transgender day of Remembrance in the city of Al Paso good morning I have the honor of reading this Proclamation I know you have a big group yes com so us I'll start I'll start reading while you get [Laughter] information um whereas transgender day of remembrance is observed annually on November 20th to honor the memory of transgender individuals whose lives were lost and whereas the transgender community in El Paso across Texas and around the world continues to face systemic discrimination violence and marginalization simply for living authentically and whereas transgender people particularly transgender women of color are disproportionately impacted by hate crimes violence and discrimination in employment housing healthc care and education and whereas it is essential to raise public awareness and support for the transgender Community to affirm the dignity and Humanity of all transgender individuals and to commit to fostering an environment of safety acceptance and inclusion and whereas the city of Al Paso recognizes the invaluable contributions of transgender individuals to our community enriching the cultural social and economic fabric of our city and whereas the city of Al Paso is dedicated to advancing the rights of trans transgender individuals and combating all forms of discrimination and violence against them and whereas transgender day of remembrance serves as a day to reflect on the lives lost to support those who continue to face adversity and to renew our commitment to ensuring that all people regardless of gender identity are treated with dignity respect and equality under the law now therefore be it proclaimed by the mayor and Council of the city of Al Paso that November 20th 2024 shall be known as transgender day of Remembrance in the city of Al Paso signed the honorable mayor mayor Oscar liser good morning U mayor City Council Members my name is Jesus reaga and I'm the advocacy field organizer for the El Paso Texas Rising region I stand before you as a member of not only my social advocacy group but also as a member of the El Paso Community deeply committed to advocating for the dignity safety and the rights of all transgender individuals it is an honor to testify on the importance of this making this day officially recognized as transgender day of Remembrance in our city in El Paso we have the unique opportunity to lead by example a city that is diverse welcoming and rooted in compassion by making November 20th transgender day of remembrance we send a powerful message that El Paso is a place where everyone regardless of gender identity is valued and respected this day is not only a tribute to those that we've lost but also a call to action to work together as a community and to ensure that future generations of these individuals can live their lives openly freely and especially safely I urge you mayor and city council to adopt this Proclamation with compassion and urgency let us be a Beacon of Hope Justice and acceptance for all people and let us honor the lives of our neighbors in a meaningful and Lasting way thank you good morning Council my name is Amber Bettis I am the executive director of the Borderland rainbow Center and I am lucky enough to be standing here with a group of phenomenal individuals a group of amazing El Paso citizens um thank you so much for this Proclamation today this is incredibly important our transgender Community needs all of the support that it can get um and while we will stand here always with them and fight for them it is incredibly important that our elected officials and our community continue to show support for them I am not going to take up a whole bunch of time because there are so many more important people behind me that need to speak and I would love for each of them to at least get a few seconds in good morning city council um first off thank thank you for bringing forward such an amazing and uh incredibly important uh Proclamation um when I as a transgender woman when I first learned about um what it was to be transgender transgender day remembrance was one of the first things I learned about and one of the first things that terrified me because it taught me that the the that the world isn't isn't quite as safe for transgender people like me and whether it be by our own hand or by others who simply don't respect our existence or or who wish us not to exist it terrified me but it also lit a spark in me to not only fight for my existence but to fight for the exist of everybody in this community because we all deserve to be able to exist and we all deserve to be able to shine the brightest that we can and this day just stands as a reminder that not everyone was able to make it to this day so thank you again and have a great [Applause] day hi thank you for this opportunity um I stand before you as a parent of a transgender daughter um I uh it's been very difficult these past few weeks my daughter has a lot of anxiety right now about being out in public she came out when she was 13 years old and I always uh felt safe in the El Paso Community no matter our differences and I've always told other people that El Paso is one of the safest communities in Texas and as as other people in Texas are wanting to flee their towns and move to a safer place I encourage them to come to El Paso because of the diversity that we offer and the safety that we offer right now my daughter doesn't want to leave the house and that's okay I just keep encouraging her that El Paso is one of the safest place and this is a good place for someone who is transgender to be right now because of the representatives and of the people in this community that will protect her she does have a right to exist um we all do as humans we all have a right to exist on this planet nobody asked us to be here so we should all just work together and even with differences understand that everybody deserves equality and everybody deserves the right to walk outside their home and not feel uh not feel safe they deserve the right to feel safe so um I I thank you for this opportunity and um for protecting my daughter's right to be here [Applause] I'll say something I promise this won't be long I think I just want to honor and give a lot of space to the stories that were just shared with you but also for the stories that are standing behind me right now and they may not want to come to the microphone but their stories are equally important so when we talk in this organization about equity and we talk about the voice of the underrepresented and we talk about being the safest city we need to be talking about it for everyone and so I'm happy to be a part of that I'm happy Amber to call you friend thank you m and I'm happy to uh support this work thank you very much and what we'd like to do is have everybody come forward if you can so we can get a picture e e e and the next Proclamation is Alejandra Munos and Andy vas Day celebrating borderless Innovation and opportunity good morning the proclamation um reads for the city of El Paso whereas Alejandra Munos and Andy Vargas celebrated entrepreneurs and venture capitalist from West Texas have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to Breaking barriers and creating opportunities especially in regions often overlooked by traditional investment their careers have epitomized the spirit of visionary good troublemakers striving for transformative progress Andra Alejandro and Andy have co-founded no border ventur a pioneering 30 million Venture fund designed to support Innovative startups and build the next wave of unicorns across the southwest and mountain region including Texas New Mexico Oklahoma Arizona California Colorado Utah and Nevada their mission centers on fostering economic empowerment in the border and mountain regions channeling resources and guidance to diverse high potential Founders and whereas no border Ventures has positioned itself as a critical supporter of early stage Tech startup with plans to invest in 20 to 25 companies over the next 5 years through its first fund leveraging their unique Regional networks and mentorship roles Alejandro and Andy aim to access Prime deal flow and provide portfolio companies with unparalleled strategic support greatly enhancing their chances of success whereas Alejandro and Andy's expertise is fortified by their backgrounds in finance and technology and an educational foundation with prestigious institutions like Harvard and Wharton which combin with the wisdom of their Advisory Board including unicorn investors exited Founders and former CEOs positions no border Ventures as an invaluable partner to Founders to F yeah to Founders and whereas their dedication has garnered the recognition of prominent leaders including Congressional Commendation from congresswoman Veronica Escobar for their transformative efforts and Venture Capital within the Border region and backing from Henry settles former mayor of San Antonio and the 10th US Secretary of house Housing and Urban Development and whereas Alejandro and Andy's Investments philosophy aligns with regional growth industries such as semiconductors AI clean tech Advanced manufacturing and fine Tech further supported by their extensive mentorship experience with institutions like UT system Tech Stars Tech Frontier MCA and the Capital Factory and their active roles in fund accelerators like VC include recast Capital Bridge funding Global cool water and VC lab and and um not mentioned here both local op pasoans um Andy went to B high school and um Alejandro he's uh went to high school in in Sadat harez and two wonderful a pasoans now therefore be proclaimed by the mayor and Council of the city of El Paso that November 19th 2024 shall be known as Alejandra Munoz and Andy Vargas Day celebrating borderless Innovation and opportunity signed by honorable mayor Oscar liser [Applause] congratulations thank you Cassandra and members of city council Alejandro and I were as mentioned after mentioned were from op Paso uh proud to be El pasoans and we're launching a border Ventures to support good troublemakers that will build the next wave of unicorns in the southwest and the mountain region we H from op Paso and have built careers in technology from Bloomberg to Amazon to finance Investment Banking JP Morgan UBS and Marathon petroleum Supply Chain management group of Mexico and as startup operators and investors for Bay Area Venture cap capital firms and East Coast Venture Capital firms now in terms of involvement and the benefit to Al Paso as part of building no border Ventures we have moved back to the borderplex after being away for over a decade and we bring a wealth of knowledge and Rich Global Network to support the Region's Economic Development and seize opportunities in supply chain Logistics Tech data centers Energy Management Advanced manufacturing Aerospace fintech future work and more Alejandra is currently a professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at El Paso a member of the borderplex alliance task force for strategic Economic Development an investor in residence for the medical center of the Americas and a mentor at nmsu's Arrowhead Center I'm a mentor for Tech Stars board member of tech Frontier and a member of the regional renewable energy advisory Council meanwhile both Partners Provide support to multiple early stage startups from Texas and New Mexico thank you so much for the time today um we are we are both products of this city and uh the support that we've received through know through our education through the professional opportunities have made us who we are today and part of why we're back in the region is to support others like us to help create and Empower that economic development in invest in Innovation support innovators from our region which we have many and to create economic impact bring more better paying jobs and improve high-tech Industries along the blex with that want to thank you so much for your time and we look forward to collaborating with the city and uh and the county thank you thank you very much if you want to come on forward we'd like to get a picture taken with you think [Applause] and the final Proclamation is Coach Danny MCB day [Music] Proclamation city of El Paso Texas whereas the city of El Paso Mourns the passing of Danny mckp a cherished coach and Mentor who dedicated over 41 years to nurturing the talents and spirits of countless young athletes and whereas Danny McKillip born on September 22nd 1947 in South Carolina made his way to El Paso in 1967 following a stellar athletic career that included being being a key contributor to utep's victory in the 1969 NCAA cross country championship and whereas coach mckillip's remarkable tenure at Al Paso high school as a cross country and track and field coach was marked by exceptional success including leading the cross- country team to five state titles and earning a well-deserved inclusion into the El Paso athletic Hall of Fame and whereas known for his unyielding commitment to Excellence coach mckill inspired not only his athletes but also his colleagues and students through his Boundless Energy kindness and passion for education and whereas his legacy extends far beyond uh athletic achievements he was a beloved figure who made a lasting impact on the lives of many encouraging them to strive for greatness both on and off the field and whereas the profound influence of coach mckp will continue to resonate within the El Paso Community inspiring future generations of athletes and coaches to uphold the values of dedication integrity and perseverance now therefore be it proclaimed by the mayor and Council of the city of El Paso that November 19th 2024 shall be known as Coach Danny McKillip day signed by our honorable mayor Oscar liser good morning good morning Council my name is Gloria May Nicholson and I had the privilege of being part of the the 1978 and 1979 state championship CrossCountry teams in 1979 I made all state and I owe much of My Success to one person Coach Danny mckillop coach mckop dedicated 41 years to coaching cross country and track throughout his career he led his team to five state cross country championships but beyond his accomplishments coach mckill was so much more he was a father figure to most of us always there to guide us motivate and push us to be our best both on and off the track he meant the world to all of us especially me I loved him dearly and his impact on my life is something I carry with me forever he inspired so many and with no surprise many of his athletes went on to become coaches themselves following in his footsteps coach mckop deserves all the recognition in the world and we are truly grateful that the track field at El Paso high school has been dedicated in his name it's a fitting tribute to a man who gave so much to all of us thank you [Applause] good morning uh my name is Carmen hakz de Gonzalez uh coach mckop was one of the most influential persons in my life as he was for so many other students he coached me as an athlete all through high school and more than that he taught me about life by example he modeled how to be a great caring human being I'm trying my best to imitate his great characteristics he is forever in my heart I truly thank God for allowing me to have known him it was a great P privilege and blessing this recognition is so deserved thank you for acknowledging our dear Coach Danny melp thank [Applause] you uh hello good morning my name is Eduardo hakes I'm the brother and uh I want to also say a few words I don't have anything written but I can tell you he was my American father the one person that really taught me how to one of the people besides the man in my family Tau me how to be a man and how to get ahead and notch in life um there's so many stories that I can tell you but the only thing and the main thing I want to let you know that he was a great man a beautiful human being and he thought us all and there's hundreds of us that learn a lot from him as a human being as a coach and as a teacher thank you thank you very much representative Fiero thank you may proam I just need to share with you and you'll understand the story I walk into the the Starbucks University not one time many many times and I would see coach there and he would come sit down and have a conversation with me like we were old friends and and I would leave there feeling so special then one day I noticed that he did that to everybody in the in the Starbucks I was not special he did it to everybody I had to share that story with you thank you for for bringing us to our attention thank we thank you special representative F come come on forward we'll get a picture taken e C for Council per the rules of order for this meeting no use of personal cellular devices nor personal communication should take place on the day as while the meeting is in session once you obtain the floor from the presiding chair you will have up to 10 minutes for debate and may speak twice per item please speak into the microphone and refrain from side conversations at the day as while the meeting is in session for those of you joining virtually please mute your microphones to reduce any background noise that brings us to the consent agenda all matters listed under the consent agenda will be considered by city council to be routined and will be enacted by one motion unless separate discussion is requested by council members prior to the vote members of the audience may ask questions regarding items on the consent agenda when the vote has been taken If an item has not been called out for separate discussion the item has been approved Council May however reconsider any item at any time during the meeting mayor potim uh page three item two requests to excuse absent city council members and that's to excuse representative Isabelle salido uh page 11 item 29 move to the Forefront of the regular agenda per representative Fiero I item 20 already was the front of the agenda as Miss pryan reminded me Miss PR is there a second there's a motion made by mayor protim Kennedy seconded by representative F to approve the consent agenda as revised on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously representative ernandez not present we now turn to page 11 to item 29 that was moved to the Forefront of the agenda item 29 is a public hearing of an ordinance amending title 2 Administration and Personnel chapter 2.64 city employees pension fund to amend several sections to create a subsection regarding advocating for candidates and trustee elections to delete obsolete language to add language clarifying and defining proceeding retirement and create a subsection to Define pensionable gross contributions to clarify years that apply for pension credit to Define and clarify pension for employees who become disabled and to add a new section regarding proof of incapacitation Representative mullar the recommended revisions clarify various sections of the non-uniform pension ordinance passage will facilitate the administration the retirement trust and remove ambiguities in the current language there are no actual cost to implement the recommended revisions yes so there is a motion made by representative Fiero second by alternate mayor protim mol to adopt the ordinance on item 29 there is no public comment on that motion call for the vote in the voting session and that motion passes unanimously representative ernandez not present we will now go back to page number seven the next item on the agenda is item number 20 and item 20 is discussion and action regarding the September 12th 2024 and October 11th 2024 Al Paso firemen and policemen fund second tier Plan cost of living adjustment correspondence submitted to the city manager this item was originally placed by mayor potim Kennedy um we could all speak for a long time on this this has been going on for multiple years um when there had to be some accommodations made to continue to fund this program and the pension um we could we could get into long discussions about forward drops and things that have been done to make this work uh I will say that that there is some additional work yet to be done which is why um City staff and uh pension are working together on language to go to the State uh to make some changes that will be required to move this forward in the long run but I'm going to say this um there is first of all there is no cost to this item today uh everybody began to say well there there will be in the future and I'm going to say I would make the same motion if there was a cost of this today because when you think about this we've done good work with the new contract on getting more police officers into the academy but the one part that was being unsaid is that lateral move that we were suffering when people look and realize there's not a cost of living increase for a large amount of those those that are coming online I think that if we want to plug the gaps and stop the leakage we have to make sure from beginning to end we take care of the First Responders and though there is no cost today I will be plain that if there was I would do the exact same thing because Public Safety is our number one task at the city of Al Paso and with that I will make the motion to approve this representative molar thank you mayor proam good morning everyone um I Echo that everything that you've said before in full disclosure I do receive a pension from the opaza fire policeman fund but I'm not tier two I'm tier one and have been for quite some time but we talk about public safety for for our community making things well doing things right um it's not just the police it's not the fire it's Municipal Court all our responders that First Responders that go out when you when a citizen calls that 911 number and they need help whether it be an accident a burglary a theft whatever they need to make sure they need to know that what we're doing is correct for the city of El Paso and all its citizens okay and it's just the right thing to do I'm very proud to cast my vote vote in favor of this I know we have some public comment Miss PR yes sir there are several members of the audience that signed up to speak the first person is Tyler grman followed by Shan Shelton Patrick natividad and Paul Thompson good morning sir you have three minutes thank you ma'am my name is Tyler grman the executive director of the El Paso fireman and policeman's pension fund um I would just like to uh thank you all for going through this process with us obviously it's been uh uh long overdue but um I think it's necessary for not only for recruiting but for retention to keep these fire and police Personnel in ELP Paso once they get on the job uh I I can't say how important this cost of living is to them um so we appreciate you and uh hope that you will uh be in support of this uh agenda item which is the 1.5 % cost of living increase for our fire and police Personnel after 5 years of being retired or in the forward drop so thank you the next speaker is Sean Shelton followed by Patrick natividad and Paul Thompson good morning you have three minutes thank you good morning Council appreciate coming back and I want first off thank you all for your continued support on this item and for allowing us the opportunity to speak on it today as one of the top performing Pension funds in the state our continued success and top tier returns is what allows us the ability to propose this benefit enhancement we understand the change must be supported by the existing funding status and are not here seeking an additional contribution as it currently stands the only employees within the city of El Paso's Workforce that do not have a cost of living adjustment in retirement are firefighters and police officers hired after 2007 this benefit is extremely important to our members and one that particularly hits home with me I am part of the tier 2 retirement plan and like many others will be forced to retire as soon as I reach the age and the time this benefit I will not be retiring by choice but out of necessity tier 2 firefighters and police officers would be forced into early retirements looking for second jobs to help combat inflation and to make ends meet this benefit gives firefighters and police officers something to look forward to at the end end of a long and strenuous career it can be looked at like the light at the end of a tunnel something that we hope firefighters and police officers will seek out both departments have made changes in hopes of incuding increasing recruiting in recent years now it's time to start figuring out ways to retain these employees both departments are frustrated of spending countless hours and amounts of money and training these employees only to watch them walk out the door and join other agencies in search of better benefits there is no reason why we cannot make this decision today everyone or almost everyone in this room understands the importance of such a change and has voiced your support of this item I would appreciate your continued support and calling this item to a vote today and approving this benefit thank you thank you the next speaker is Patrick nativ good morning you have three minutes good morning mayor Pro and city council uh my name is Patrick Gad I am the current president for the AL Paso Municipal Police Officers Association uh first and foremost I want to thank each and every one of you for continuing this journey it's it's been a long path to get here um these men and women that we all stand next to each other back here when they sign up to be police officers or firefighters unlike the private sector and some members of public sector they don't get to negotiate a package as far as what their contract is going to give them they don't get lucrative packages that include all sorts of incentives they get what myself and my partner Jay over here and the rest of our boards fight for at collective bargaining which again you guys came through this last year uh with our collective bargaining agreement the unfortunate thing is that after 20 25 30 35 and sometimes 40 years of service these men and women leave and the tier 2 guys they leave with physical scars they leave with emotional scars and unlike Veterans of the US military a lot of these injuries they just take with them they don't get benefits they don't get disability benefits for the injuries that they carry with them into retirement so when they do leave here they leave with whatever their pension is at that time so it would be unfair to see them go off and have to go work additionally just to make ends meet so with that being said I want to thank you guys again for the continued support look at the faces of all these men and women that are here behind you they are our future and again this package here will ensure that we continue to recruit and retain everybody is fighting for police officers and we have to bring them the best Ben benefits possible not only while they're here but when they leave thank you thank you the final speaker is Paul Thompson good morning you have three minutes good morning thank you good morning mayor and Council um I will keep this short I stand here to you I stand here before you to ask for your support on this item which has no cost to to the city and the pension fund can afford to pay for it as stated by the actuary there's been some wh ifs about the future let me be clear the Actuarial study is a projection on the future based on an assumed rate of return of 7 a half% since 1991 the El Paso fire and police pension fund has returned over 88.6% once again we are not asking for any funds from the city at this time we are only asking you to approve this benefit which the fund can pay for thank you for your time mayor protm that concludes public comment on this item representative Hernandez I was just going to ask um if there was a presentation you're going to provide if if you are I'll wait for my comments we did include it in a backup and share that all with you but we'll only present it if you'd like to see it but it has been posted okay no I'm I'm not requesting it um um sure yeah I'm I'm eager to call for the vote too I just want to um try to communicate to my constituents believe it or not they're watching hi guys um so the tier two was a change as a result of concerns on the finances from the city back in the day and as an unfortunate consequence you have all of these new uh First Responders coming on to the city of El Paso and they did not get that cost of living adjustment the same cost of living adjustment that we are providing to city employees we are we are seeing those cost of adjust cost of living adjustments by 50 Cents or by 1% every year since I've been on Council it's been some kind of adjustment and so it is only fair and prudent that we have these consistent processes of colas across the board and because police officers and and firefighters have their own contracts with the city of op Paso and they have their own pension fund it is still the liability of the city of El Paso but because of the change in the tears now they have been left behind so it is my privilege to support this because of them being left behind and so it makes me uncomfortable but now comes a conversation about in the future you know what we need to do and work in Tandem and so I just want to make sure that in my position you all know that I'm committed to having those conversations having those tough conversations um and we want to see a fruit F relationship because it is in the best interest for the city and our taxpayers and thank you for your commitment to our community and keeping us safe I was just going to say that that um one thing everybody in the room agrees with is First Responders in public safety is critical to the city of El Paso and I want to thank all of the First Responders for taking care of every citizen in El Paso and we need to make sure that we take care of you and with that Miss pran yes sir there was a motion made by mayor protim Kennedy seconded by alternate mayor Pro molinard and representative Rea and this is to support the 1.5% cost of living adjustment for the El Paso firefighter and police officer T second tier plan on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously [Applause] that brings us to the first reading of ordinances these are items 21 to 25 there's a motion made by representative Riva second it by rep alternate mayor protim molinar to approve the first reading of ordinances these are items 21 to 25 on that motion call for the vote in the voting session and that motion passes unanimously that brings us to item number 26 item 26 is discussion and action on the request that the managing director of purchasing and strategic sourcing be authorized to issue purchase orders to increase contract fueling rebit to Allon brand this change order will add capacity to the current contract to increase fuel costs through the duration of the contract and while a replacement contract is awarded there's a motion made by representative Fiero seconded by representative Riva to approve item 26 on that motion call for the vote Mr May alter mayor prend go ahead represent Canales I don't have the thing on the screen so you're going to have to voice your concerns to me sounds good uh I just wanted to ask a question about the uh procurement process for the the replacement is that already underway yes we're working on it cloudia Garcia with purchasing and strategic sourcing Department yes so we're working on the Sol station to be advertised uh and this amount the the extra capacity how long will that carry us through uh I think we're anticipating until the contract expires which which is uh early next summer early next summer and we should have uh the procurement done for the replacement in time for that okay thank you Council the voting session is open and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously item number 27 is a public hearing of an ordinance authorizing the city of Al Paso to sell to the state of Texas acting by and through the Texas Department of Transportation approximately 0208 acres of land located in the n d Monday survey number 241 in the city of Al Paso Al Paso County Texas move to approve there's a motion made by alternate mayor Pro molinar seconded by representative Hernandez to adopt the ordinance on item 27 there's no public comment on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously item 28 is a public hearing of an ordinance authorizing the city of Al Paso to sell to the state of Texas acting by and through the Texas Department of Transportation approximately 5069 acres of land located in in the n d Monday serving number 241 city of Al Paso Al Paso County Texas there's a motion made by mayor protim Kennedy seconded by alternate mayor Pro Molin to adopt the ordinance on item 28 there is no public comment on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously item number 30 is a public hearing of an ordinance amending title 12 vehicles in traffic chapter 12.88 schedules and this is to add item 119 from North El Paso Street from Franklin Avenue to West Main Drive West Side move to approve second there's a motion made by representative Canales seconded by representative perro or Riva I'm sorry it was representative Riva to adopt the ordinance on item 30 there's no public comment on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously item 31 is discussion and action on a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a chapter 380 economic development program agreement between the city of Al Paso and popular building El Paso LLC in support of a downtown multif family housing Redevelopment project located at 301 East San Antonio Avenue representative Canales yeah can we please see the presentation first of course thanks certainly uh good morning Karina braz Gala economic and International Development I'm excited about this one although it's just the first step in I think tackling a much bigger problem that faces downtown and the city in general so this is presentation on a chapter 3 agreement with popular building LLC of course it's a subsidiary um handling a project uh for a downtown multif family mixed use building at the popular building um home to vases so a little bit of background just to remind everybody about what we're trying to tackle here so the downtown and Uptown and surrounding neighborhoods plan but this goes further back to the 2019 Regional Housing plan um discussions even beyond that in the 2012 comprehensive plan uh plan El Paso but most recently we've identified a demand for up to 10,000 new housing units by 2040 that is a goal that we have set as a city for the downtown and uptown area and of that we're looking at 3,400 affordable units uh across different affordability types so that's usually based on uh area median income or Ami Housing Development was identified as an essential element to attracting investment to downtown we have this conversation everywhere retail follows rooftops if you have residents that allows you to make the pitch and attract additional um supportive retail in the area and businesses specifically when we've been talking about downtown we've really been interested in the idea of bringing grocery stores to the area um you know new restaurants convenience stores but also kind of driving that day toight activity that we're always looking after so the other thing that's been identified in multiple housing reports and also in the downtown Uptown sty neighborhoods um Market study it was attached as an uh appendix identifies the development feasibility gap for new housing projects um this is credited to a few items so one rising cost of construction we hear this across the board um materials are more expensive labor is more expensive but then when you're talking about the inner part of the city um and downtown specifically infrastructure upgrades downtown was built much earlier than uh other areas of the city and so it has a cost associated with upgrading things like underground vaulting adding Transformers um storm water infrastructure roads that sort of thing and then the buildings themselves upgrading uh electrical mechanical within them and then and often times adding things like elevators or additional access points that we now require Under Fire codes uh financing interest rates have not been great they are getting a little bit better but that is still always uh the ability to get financing in place build a Capital stock that can really support something um and specifically looking at upfront there's often a huge upfront cost in redeveloping these buildings and then regulatory barriers which has been an ongoing conversation um largely led by planning and inspections but some conversations and I know there are items kind of in the queue um regarding upgrades to our building codes our fire codes um and Zoning codes both downtown and across the city to help kind of address the way that we look at converting buildings and adaptive reuse all of this leads to one conclusion which is that incentives are absolutely critical to address the Gap and spur a housing market downtown the incentive approach um and this has been discussed with Council before but a few years ago we earmarked about $8 million for downtown housing projects assistance the idea would be that that would specifically be for upfront Grant financing um in addition to the way that we usually structure our incentives and that is out of the impact fund which is meant to be in down a downtown investment fund and uh the way that we've approach these deals is again it's another a little bit of a pilot approach this is not going to be a oneandone we're not expecting $8 million to fix the whole problem um but we are taking a approach here with a few of these deals we have other ones that I'm hoping to bring forward early next year but looking at a level of participation similar to other priority initiatives specifically downtown when we started targeting hotels to build out the convention center planning um the Convention Center Hotel program leverage State incentives um we are looking at a combination of tax credits from the federal and state government on these projects uh for housing assistance Westar Tower bringing a new class A office space to downtown the first since the 70s and then some of our earlier housing developments the Martin building Art Space Lofts um and then even the blue flame which is a uh lower uh income development but bringing those online and so the incentive package we have today does include those grant that Grant assistance identified by Council and uh matches the participation when we've gone after other priorities in the area here is the project site although I believe most people are familiar with it so it's the popular dry goods company building uh 301 East San Antonio built in 1914 it is a of course a historic trast building on the National Historic register uh it is historic tax credit eligible and the developer will be pursuing tax credits for this project it is most recently home to fases um and is currently under contract to sell to the developer here's the proposed development so it's a historic Rehabilitation and adaptive reuse it'll be mixed use so ground floor retail space um and then 999 multif family residential units of that 15% of the units will be moderately affordable that is our 80% area median income um and while we are looking to Target uh lower levels of AFF well lower levels of income so higher levels of affordability um across the board it is done very much on a case-by Case basis what makes sense for the development and when we are looking at our housing inventory more broadly it's very important to incorporate levels of affordability so again looking at something like the blue flame or some of the projects that home does those are going to be in your like extremely low and low income areas so looking at things in the 60 and 80% Ami um is really going to help us get to that affordability Target um I would love to see more affordable and our goal is whenever we bring these projects forward to always if possible have an affordability component and it is a mix of unit types so they go from Studios all the way to three bedrooms um and the affordability component will be mixed among those unit types so there are spaces here available you know just for your kind of urban live work situation but also for more family targeted units and then there is a 65 space parking garage I believe there's a question about parking so we did confirm that that parking garage will be um upgraded and will be for the use of residents um I know that's 99 units and you'll have more than 100 people living in there when we are talking about parking access downtown um you will one see some just absorption uh people who live and work downtown who may not want cars or have cars um and then we have another uh number of other mechanisms it's it's one of our highest of Transit areas um and then we have uh the parking the Downtown parking permit District so those are area limited if you're resident downtown you can receive a parking permit I lived downtown for about four years um used that scheme and so the only issue I ran into there was having to get parking tickets dismissed uh which is more of a credit to me than to the program and here's our development Partners it's popular building LLC again it's a subsidiary but um it's the development firm was founded by Al Paso native Robert Palos he's done a number of um smaller projects increasing over time both utilizing incentives with our infil and TOD programs but also independently um and has have very good history of performance both with the city and outside of City programs uh the goal of this program is to bring renewed vibrancy to the urban core redevelop the historic buildings and create a more sustainable Community which I think is Absol absolutely in line with the city's vision and they'll have backing support from maccaffrey interest which is a national Redevelopment firm again specializing in um historic preservation and adaptive reuse here is the proposed incentive package so first uh tur 5 uh board recommended unanimously that we approve this uh program the incentive so they're comfortable with the property tax rebate so it's a 10-year rebate our goal is to get these uh properties renovated built and on our tax as quickly as possible so that will be a tax rebate out of tur 5 our standard 1% sales tax rebate on construction materials and our development fee waivers um the bulk of this is a $4 million development note so it is a 0% interest note for 10 years um and we will be filing that separately along with a deed of trust against the property so that in addition to being able to fully recover that under our standard recapture we have some additional legal protections um because we do recognize that this is kind of a unique proposal and we want to make sure that the city is protected on those but that is uh about 16% uh participation from the city for the project uh total incentives capped at 6.72 million proposed incentive here are some key deal points there are more within the agreement that everybody's had a chance to review but I think critically for for folks watching this at home and interested in this program or interested in working with us um so one I'll point out something it's it's kind of a longtime Horizon as it always is with our projects um we're looking for a certificate of occupancy within 36 months of historic tax credit approval because this will be a tax credit project uh they cannot complete their full permitting package until the uh historic committee has had a chance to review and approve the proposal which makes sense we want them to be in compliance with all federal and state standards so we've timed the construction based on when they can reasonably have design sets approved um they will also be required to maintain Class A specifications and 8 % occupancy we want this building to be renovated well we want it to be maintained and we would like it to be occupied that is the goal there is also um I'm calling them a kind of situation of Good Neighbor Clauses relating to code enforcement actions so we want to make sure that there are not noise complaints um there are not issues with uh the tenants both residential and specifically commercial and make sure that this is uh any retail that goes in on the bottom floor any commercial actions but anything that happens in the building um that they are being a good neighbor to those around them while still respecting the fact that we do want people to call in um code enforcement and PD when necessary tenants rights protection so uh protections around will be asking for a sample of their lease we'll be reviewing that consistently and making sure that they cannot evict people without proper cause um and that there's you know mechanisms in place for when units need to be renovated uh replacing uh you know rehoming people in that way and then housing Choice voucher participation um so this is not just for the affordable units this is across the building they need to affirmatively opt into the housing Choice voucher program there are requirements there about marketing within it accepting partial payments with vouchers um and a number of other items that are just best practices across the state and the country and then again full standard recapture so um in the event of default or failure to perform recapture of all incentives paid to date plus that additional deed of trust which would allow us in the case of repay if non-repayment to place a lean against the property here's the anticipated community tax benefit uh so you can see about equivalent to the city's participation for that 10 years um we receive an equivalent benefit to our partner tax entities um episd receives one of the largest benefits and I think there's kind of a a non-tangible benefit here which is that if families move in that could assist with I think adding attendance to the district so the request action today is approval of a 380 agreement uh again the tur 5 board did recommend approval of the agreement and then I'll very briefly so just remind everyone um this is kind of a limited turn program we're hoping to Spur some in uh some interest in the area really start moving that housing market a little bit but I want to advise um folks do not start calling me in February or March and asking when they can move in we're still very early stages so the developer will still need to apply for phase two historic approvals and then at that point can submit plan sets for permitting construction I would anticipate completion in 2027 28 um just to give a sense but if we do not act now then there are no units online in 2728 and the housing Gap only grows I will also for this group uh flag some next steps that have nothing to do really with the uh project in front of you but just reminding you all we've talked to you both myself uh my partners in Community Development um in planning and inspections about a number of targeted interde departmental efforts to address housing needs um it is one of uh city manager Max's priorities for housing it is something that we've heard from the community we know that there was a gap in 2019 we do not anticipate that that has gotten any smaller um so there's a few things ongoing so first the uh Housing and Urban Development Department is undertaking their housing market analysis update they do that about every two years and combined with the Envision El Paso comprehensive planning effort which we'll have a housing assessment as an appendix there that should give us a sense of our inventory our need how that has shifted over the past five years and then um I have spoken several times about the need for public facility Corporation this is a tool that is used by most other major cities and minor cities across the state um that allows us to really make a dent in the um tax liability and the financing bring some tools online that we can leverage in partnership with the Housing Finance Corporation that already exists um and so you'll see some of that coming forward in the coming months I was also advised by Abraham there will be a noo so notice of funding opportunities released between Community Development and home uh early next year and so that's another kind of infusion of cash open to eligible projects um again and that's more targeted the kind of the lower range of affordability but really the goal here is this tier 2 the inner part of the city INF Phil areas uh downtown Uptown specifically to really get that going so you will continue to see us trying to make a push on a lot of these items and it cannot just be it can't be done by incentives alone it cannot be done by a single department or a single deal um but we wanted to make sure that everybody is clear that this is a concerted effort and we will be trying to attack this from many different angles in the coming months and that concludes my presentation I'm happy to take any questions representative Canales uh thank you may p uh I'm very excited about this uh development um I you know huge kudos to uh Mr pesos and team I see some folks hiding in the back of the gallery um you know this is a a Innovative project in downtown uh and really a transformation of a building that's been completely vacant for the last several years uh but even though the the ground floor was occupied before that um the majority of the building has been vacant for several decades uh and it's a beautiful historic tro building that will be completely transformed and restored uh through this through this uh development and so I I think it's something very exciting for downtown um you know we have not had this kind of uh investment in residential in down town in quite a long time uh and so that makes this a really special proposal um I want to point out again well I'll I'll I'll ask you uh just so that it's absolutely clear uh how much of this incentive is coming from the general fund it's again going to be the same answers I think several of the deals I've brought forward this year so um there is a I think Robert courtine get mad me if I don't point out that every time we do a development fee waiver that's kind of a sort of loss of Revenue proposition and then construction material sales tax um so if I take those together the value um cost to the general fund is about $220,000 $220,000 and uh the total incentive is $6.7 to million correct uh representing 16% of the total anticipated project costs that a $42 million investment um in downtown uh at a at a you know Revenue diversion from the general fund of less than $250,000 I think that value proposition is incredible for for the city uh and just in the impact to the city alone uh economic impact more than pays for itself not to mention the the huge benefit to the other taxing entities uh the school district the county uh UMC EPCC they will all benefit greatly from this and again you mentioned specifically episd I think stands to benefit uh doubly in the fact that they will also very likely uh see an enrollment increase based on you know 99 units coming online uh so I think that is a a huge a huge plus of this uh development uh I'm very happy that we are including the the tenants rights protections the housing Choice voucher participation I know uh you and I spoke about that fairly early in the process uh and the Good Neighbor Clauses as well we want to make sure that this is a development that's serving the people who are demanding this kind of housing um and also uh you know it's that they're good neighbors to downtown and the the uh businesses around them hopefully the future residents around them too in in other buildings um I'll ask you one more time you mentioned it multiple times but uh just for for everybody's uh everybody's awareness the development Noe is again fully recoverable uh through our uh recapture Clause is that correct correct so it's for it's designed to be forgivable at the end of the 10-year period assuming performance standards are met um in the event that that there is a default on the agreement the development is not completed it is 100% recoverable up until you know it's either forgiven or it's collected um and then in the event of default it's recovered and then we have uh our city attorney's office very helpfully came up with a number of mechanisms to kind of Stack to make sure that in addition to just the recapture clause in the agreement we'll have other things filed um again we believe this project has the ability to perform but we always want to be very sensitive when we're dealing with um Municipal funds that were protecting the city's interest in that way yeah I appreciate these are safeguards that were not on all of the city's old uh incentive agreements and uh you've taken great steps to make sure that uh we have a lot more uh guard rails in place for these these projects that we choose to incentivize uh to make sure that they do perform and I again I have complete confidence that that this one will I'll say thank you one more time to uh to the to the investor the developer Mr palasio and the team uh you know you're a next generation of investors in downtown and that's very important to me I think uh this like you said will hopefully just be a first uh a first step and many more dominoes will fall down the road uh as as these buildings get redeveloped so thank you uh Karina too and your team for all the hard work you put into this I know it's been quite a runup uh so thank you thank you and thank you miss Ma too for the dedication to seeing a project like this through representative Hernandez um no I heard something about a concern about parking and I laughed I'm like we literally have tens of thousands of people come downtown um and in Winterfest I think um Diana said there like 400,000 people that comes to downtown every year um this is exactly the type of of projects that we should be celebrating and um so I wanted to personally say to Mr basos thank you thank you to you and your and your investment team for believing in the city's Mission and the city's um downtown management District's efforts to create more livable spaces in downtown there are more and more young people we have met with who are just begging for more spaces especially affordable spaces um and then on a side note I recently met an individual like literally last week um who his father worked for the popular for 40 years and he has so many wonderful stories to share so I would love to put you in connection with him so he can give you some historic um information about his time working there for for 40 years I was just stunned he had better fashion than I did for sure um but thank you again thank you Kina for bringing this forward would' love to see more of this be more aggressive with it and I'm happy to support thank you Dr oovo thank you I just wanted to um thank you for for this project I think it's been great and I really appreciate it your detailed presentation covering all bases really and I really am just shamelessly going to plug since Mr palasio is in the room that I would love to see a grocery store on the retail space the the pan to the audience okay that's good to hear just cuz I think that would be a huge game changer for downtown I think we're seeing um a few convenience stores up but access to better Foods is is vital and I think as we look at more housing coming into downtown that is going to be a really big deal so thank you for this project and then we're just historic preservation and making things that look really cool it's awesome so thank you representative molinar thank you mayor proam uh good morning to me the it's not the popular La Popular at least that's the way my mother and my parents my grandmother described it to us and told us you know you're going to get change your clothes you're going to get the bus you're going to go down town and we went shopping there and we did all kinds of stuff and of course there was different stores there was this one at Basset there was even the one at Northgate Mall for quite some time but more than importantly what did the popular stand for as a part of op Paso op Paso's history it provided economic benefits a way of life employment for so many people Generations I can tell you I got my very first credit card from the popular and it was very exciting and once I got it I went and shopping it was cool it was fun it was exciting and so I don't know I cannot tell you what to do the owners or the proposed people that is coming but if at all possible if at all possible put some type of I don't want to call it a shrine but some type of visible display that know that it is a Paso history it stands for something uh economic growth but a way of life and I would appreciate that very much thank you representative Rivera thank you mayor protim I just want to everybody else has said what I've been wanting to say but thank you very much for your team for you K thank you for your team it's Miss Miss Mack great vision but the best vision of all is belongs Mr palasio back there can you want you want to come up and say something to us sure come on over and I know we have a few people signed up for a public comment but well I'm I'm calling him over so I'm I'm jumping over the line because you know what may Pro make motion to suspend the rules right yeah we have a motion to suspend the rules we have a second second Mo in a second to suspend the rules I thank you first of all your hold on we got to take a vote on it there's a motion in a second to suspend The Rules of Order all in favor I anyone opposed motion carries thank you thank you Mr Mr palast thank you for your vision thank you for taking that building on the biggest iconic building that we have out there everybody knows it everybody wants it to be restored it was dilapidating to a sorry State and you have that Vision to improve it and you you're willing to work with the city you did and I hope I and I I hope and I wish that you have much success on this thank you thank you stepping up to the plate and um you know I I everything's been said you're naille pass on which even makes it better and so uh you want to say something that go uh sure well I I just uh like to start by exess expressing my gratitude uh to Karina and her team uh first and for everyone at the city of El Paso this project would not uh be possible in any way were it not for the support of um everyone at the city the staff the representatives and so I'd like to express my sincerest gratitude uh to everyone for considering this item um I believe as has been said by uh by everyone on on uh who's spoken that this will be a truly transformational project for downtown El Paso bringing more housing more affordable housing more retail uh to the historic center of our city bringing renewed vibrancy to the streetcape and I believe being a catalyst for future Redevelopment uh both that I hope to undertake as I continue in my career and that I believe others will also be inspired to to undertake so uh yes again I would like to say thank you again for considering this request uh of course I I I would encourage um everyone who feels so inclined to to vote in favor of the 380 agreement and I very much look forward to continuing to work with everyone here as this project is uh continues and and is eventually brought to fruition in the next few years thank you sir than thank you thank you mayor ptim representative Canales move to approve second yes sir we do have five members of the public that signed up to speak the first person is William Helm Mr Helm is joining us virtually sir star six please to unmute your telephone William Helm good morning you have 3 minutes good morning honorable mayor and Council Council I'm William Helm AIA principal architect within T2 architecture my business partner Edgar Lopez AIA is in the room with you today as well and on behalf of our entire team at nc2 we're offering our support to you today for the chapter 380 agreement with popular building El Paso LLC the popular building is an important Landmark retail building designed by Henri tros that is situated at the center of the heart and history of El Paso as we've already heard today our El Paso based Architecture Firm has been quietly working for several years now with the current owner Mr FAS who was under contract to sell the building to Robert glassia development company during that time we've performed a comprehensive assessment of the historic popular department store building and created the preliminary design for the Mixed Street development this is necessary predevelopment work we've completed has paved the way for this project to become a reality the project will utilize both state and federal historic tax credits to be to bring millions of investment dollars from outside the city to our region in the form of these tax credits we've already had a preliminary meeting with Texas historic commission who has expressed their support of this project based on our modeling of this mixed use Redevelopment this will be a crucial project to create additional market rate and affordable multif family housing options for downtown workers and will be a significant step forward in transforming Central El Paso both night and day we've personally known the developer Robert colosio for several years now and have faith in his ability and commitment to the completion of this project as a native El pasoan he is committed to making his hometown a better place by moving it Forward Mr palasio has an established track record of Redevelopment projects both complete and in progress in central Al Paso already the popular building will build on this successful track record and will increase the stock of available rooftops to Central El Paso most importantly these incentives are an investment in jobs for El pasoans with this vote we are asking for your continued support of projects which support local salaries and businesses Mr pazos is committed to keeping both the design and construction work local with the popular building project resident2 these incentives will help pay for the full architectural design of this project and will in turn support the local ceries of Architects in our office who specialize in historic Rehabilitation and multi family design right here in El Paso secondly Mr pesos is in discussions with several local construction companies being considered to build the project keeping these construction dollars local as well as a reinvestment in our local economy and tax base we enthusiastically ask for your support of this crucial project for the future of El Paso thanks in advance for your careful consideration of this 380 agreement thank you the next speaker is Victor urado followed by Peter Schwarz Joe Gooden WTH and Nadia bang good morning you have three minutes good morning Council mayor morning my name is Victor Walo uh West Texas program officer for preservation Texas nonprofit organization for Statewide historic preservation um and I was a former commissioner at the historic landmor Commission under former District 2 representative Alexandro anello um I just want to highlight and really Echo the importance of this uh structure the poad built in Circa 1914 by tro it is one of the last few extent examples of the Chicago style architecture rounded Corner large Windows massive Corners up above uh we see some of these examples over in the Anson Mills building as well as the cers building uh adjacent to the Basset Tower and so a really important uh structure architecturally aesthetically and and culturally uh definitely could reap the benefits of of historic tax credits through the THC uh Beyond its architectural uh cultural and aesthetic qualities though uh it could it really exhibits uh great Economic Development potential for the city uh so your contribution in the form of tax incentives uh will definitely help support the Adaptive reuse of the structure for a purpose that was not originally intended formally resident uh formally uh uh retail now residences uh and it will definitely encourage the rehabilitations of other buildings in the vicinity um so definitely also contributing to the the quality of life uh and theability downtown which in turn really injects uh dollars to the local economy uh for the community's benefit uh it attracts and retains businesses uh which can create additional jobs and encourages local spending and finally uh I just want to say that uh it will help keep the historic preservation momentum going we've seen A Renewed interest in inves ing in our historical assets uh we see for example the crest building which is currently being renovated and so your contribution is really going to impact and then keep the historic preservation momentum going here in op Paso thank you thank you sir the next speaker is former mayor protim Peter Schwarz good morning you have three minutes good morning sir good morning mayor good morning Council how are all youall doing today thank you thank you um I'll just keep it brief this is an amazing project for not just the future of Al Paso but honoring the past as well um this is a beautiful example of taking probably one of the last and most important TR structures that we have and bringing it back to life um this property is something that is not a one-off this is something that we've seen this Council and previous Council support um The Crest building uh the Paso Norte Hotel The Plaza Hotel um the street cars the even the Plaza theater this project is one more brick in terms of building that that bridge to the Future and I want to thank you um for your encouragement for supporting uh this project as it will be something that will connect us again to our past um one thing that I think is really remarkable as well um is that this is also a great project towards the sort of next phase and evolution of downtown of downtown 3.0 we've seen the cultural amenities whether it's lanu or the ballpark be invested we've seen the hotel and other structures being invested but all that is helping to set the table for multif family and robust density north of pyano in our traditional Historic downtown core um it's very exciting I wish I could vote on this obviously I'm no longer in Council but uh I would encourage each and every one of you to do this and just as a a separate aside from a sort of personal space um as the former district one rep I had an opportunity to represent a number of the uh Schwarz family um that were there in District 1 um and the excitement that's here is there is palpable um this is something that is connecting El Paso to a beloved um retail and cultural icon um I think representative alternate mayor protm molinar is pretty eloquent when he talks about the crest and he talks about these memories that he had when he was a kid um but some of those memories that families have for the popular are really really deep um generation of families not have only shopped there but were able to get their first credit card be able to get their job and grow with the community grow with the company as well um in addition to that the Schwarz family was also very generous in terms of how they treated um folks coming into El Paso it's not very well known but the popular helped to resettle and hire Holocaust refugees and Holocaust Survivors after World War II and did something similar with Russian immigrants after the fall of the Soviet Union as well um so this is a project that not only only is transformative for our future but also is celebratory of our past um this is a slam dunk and I would encourage each and every one of you to to uh to support this Happy Thanksgiving and um happy holidays as well take care thank you former mayor Po and I know if you were able to vote we know which way you'd be voting so we'll we'll assume that today and thank you for being here the next speaker is Joe Gooden reth good morning you have three minutes good morning Council mayor morning sta um happy to be here today for this um we've we've already established how important this building is to downtown and our history and now talking about our future but really downtowns are nothing without people and that's the probably the most uh exciting aspect that I see about this project building our residential base within downtown has probably been one of the most challenging aspects of our downtown Redevelopment as we've seen other segments of our population grow residential we've even lost ground in some parts of our downtown unfortunately so this this project will help hopefully turn that tide in bringing more and more residential downtown um but the the gaps that Karina mentioned in her presentation I want to touch on those are real those are the factors why we have not seen uh growth and residential in downtown are also symbolic of of infill challenges across the core of our city so supporting incentives like the like the package in front of you today are necessary to support the additional residential but it doesn't it isn't just an incentive to support the developer um building the residential businesses follow residential I think uh Mr Helm alluded to it this is going to create jobs in terms of construction the architecture the design it's going to increase the property value which brings a benefit to our school districts and other taxing entities and then hopefully maybe the grocery store follows but it'll definitely businesses will follow residential creating oportunity for entrepreneurs as well as opportunities for the people that those businesses would employ so I want to thank you for your support of this infill development I want to thank the developers Mr palasio and his team and I really want to thank Karina and her team when this project first came to mind they really did come with open ears open eyes and and an interest of working with a developer to come up with something that's that's in the best interest of the taxpayer the city the community as well as the developer to help get this project across the finish line so thank you for your consideration today thank you sir and the final speaker is Nadia Bing coming coming up behind you good morning you have three minutes good morning good morning good morning Council good morning mayor how are you um as a symbol of progress and change in our community this acquisition is not just a business transaction it's a milestone in the history of our city it represents the convergence of past and future of tradition and Innovation as an El pasoan with roots that stretch across continent I understand the importance of embracing change while honoring Our Heritage this is a reflection of that philosophy a blending of old and new of tradition and progress I have no doubt that the building will continue to serve as a beacon to our community and collaboration and let us remember that in every change there is an opportunity for growth and transformation it will be a Living testament to the spirit of Al Paso thank you for your consideration thank you and I know um that you have a video to show but before we do that I do um want to thank you for I know I had you know a concern for parking because it's important Public Safety for multif family use which is going to be an also for you know whether elderly or whoever may be there it's really important that uh as a priority is Public Safety and thank you for clarifying that that there'll be 40 parking spaces below5 65 see overnight we multiplied so that's perfect no and that's really important uh because uh as public uh officials our number one priority is Public Safety and make sure so I do want to thank Mr palasio for uh this project and your investors it uh it is a great project for our community whether you know we're talking it's downtown but it's really for our community and expansion of our city and U I do want to congratulate you for having the vision but also the city for the vision that you all have because if we didn't feel it was a good project wouldn't we we wouldn't be offering $6.7 million and incentives but we feel that uh it's the right thing for the growth and and the prosperity of our community so uh again your team and thank you again for clarifying that because that is so important I know when we did baseball parking was one of the biggest issues we did a parking study and and um we were able to to clarify a lot of the the needs for our community including the convention center so I do want to um again uh my mom used to work there 1967 we moved up here my mother made a dollar an hour working at the popular back in 1967 and um stay there for about 25 years and she the popular and my dad worked at the American Furniture which is another staple building here and we're able to support their family nine of us so uh the popularest special building in our community and it's a it's it means a lot to a lot of people but uh I knew it as LA and that was really what it was uh growing up but uh again Mr palia you're and your team and I heard someone say that uh you know this is the next generation and the vision for our community and it is so I do want to thank you for your vision and uh look forward to seeing more things from you all thank you ma'am thank you sir one of the most rewarding parts of working on this project has been hearing everybody's stories um and so we did get a special video message from Edie Schwarz Brandon who is the last president of the popular uh department stores and so she just sent in it's a brief clip if you'll allow me to play it I'm me Schwarz Brandon the last president of the popular um I'm here today to talk a little bit about converting the building for living uh so that people can have space in the downtown area to actually live I'm excited that we have the opportunity to have our city council support the idea and support uh the conversion of the popular into a nice beautiful living space for Citizens thank you and is that it on the video or is it stuck sounds like she's done thank you and uh I know that uh I remember my mom would always talk about the shortz it would always be Mr Schwarz Mr Edward Mr Albert and that's what they win by so I do um again look forward to the seeing this uh project uh in the very near future and again to your team Mr palasio and everyone out there congratulations and thank you for the vision and with that Miss PR yes sir there's a motion made by representative Canal second by representative Rea to approve item 31 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously that brings us to item 32 and this is discussion and action that the city manager or designate be authorized to effectuate the listed budget transfer attached to the resolution as exhibit a for the capital Improvement Department in support of allocating investment interest proceeds to set up budget for art museum expenditures associated with the HV vaces system and the closure of project pcp20 PRK 011 mallan Canyon party hall second there's a motion made by representative Fiero seconded by Alter mayor Pro Molin to approve item 32 on that that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously Council we've reached the end of the agenda is there a motion to recess until noon for call to the public move there's a motion in a second to recess the city council meeting until noon for call to the public all in favor anyone opposed the meeting is in recess at 10:51 a.m. we do have three people first to the yes sir we do mayor yes we do e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e yes sir is there a motion to reconvene there's a motion in a second to reconvene the city council meeting all in favor anyone opposed and the meeting is back in session at 12:01 p.m. that brings us to call to the public the El Paso city council is a local government body charged with serving the citizens and the meetings must be focused on the meeting at charge the city council Council meetings are public meetings under the Texas open meetings ACT public comment is an accommodation and not a requirement requirement of city council all persons in attendance are expected to display civility in decorum that is respectful to other persons without the use of insulting profane threatening or abusive language public comment will not be used for personal attacks against a person or group's character or Integrity which are not pertinent to City business nor May any member of the public uses form for political statements or campaigning please note that during call to the public the city council may not Del liberate or decide any subject that is not on the agenda however Council May propose that a topic brought forth be posted on a few future agenda this afternoon we have three members of the public signed up to speak we begin with Elizabeth Crawford Miss Crawford's topic is Psalm of Thanksgiving for life good afternoon Miss Crawford star six please to unmute your telephone and you'll have three minutes good afternoon ma'am good afternoon thank you in Psalm 107 the psalm of David we're told oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his Mercy his steadfast love his loving kindness endures forever Psalm 139 the psalmist David for you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mother's womb I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous are thy works and that my soul knows right well we see in the Psalms the psalmist praising God for his creation of him for God knitting him together in the womb God is the creator of Life speaking of Jesus John chapter 1 the True Light which lith every man that cometh into the world he was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not he came unto his own and his own received him not but as many as received him to them gave the power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth John bear witness of him and cried saying this was he of whom I spake he that cometh after me is prefer be before me for he was before me and of his fullness have we all received and Grace for grace for the law was given by Moses Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ no man has seen God at any time the only begotten son who is in the bosom of the father he has declared him John 3 and no man has ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven even the son of man and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life for God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved thank you so much and I hope each one of you has a very good Thanksgiving thank you so much thank you ma'am the next speaker is Ron k Mr kom's topic is exercising constitutional rights 1983 Animal Services good afternoon sir you have three minutes good afternoon good afternoon sir good afternoon getting a school and doing some additions so we could take care of all the Strays that were created from the shelter not picking up the 35,000 Strays in 2021 22 compared to 17 18 and 19 according to your shelter reports what did you tell me sir that you did not want to house a bunch of Strays you weren't interested in getting a facility large enough to take care of the problem that was created by the sh shelter so what is your solution now you're just going to leave more Strays on the street to create more Strays I I'm I'm confused sir I I don't see an end to this problem we're multiplying upon multiplying upon multiplying and you're not fixing the issue what are you going to do you're the director you're the one leaving the Strays and the streets right now asack meeting June of 23 so Terry I I got another question for you if your adoption rates are down 42% your uh transfer to rescues is down 53% what are you going to do to make things better what are you going to do to get the community and the rescues back on your side okay Terry here's my problem if you're leaving 9400 Strays on the street they're unaltered where you want me to put them a thousand and you well Terry when if you remember you and I had this convers oh I I I just want to remind you these are meetings from ASAC in June of 23 this is a gentleman that's doing so much great work for us um and just so you know the very first rescue meeting we had with Terry there was standing room only in the waiting area in the front of the shelter now when we go to rescue meetings I think there's 10 and the rest are Fosters rescue Runners and uh volunteers you look at 22 numbers on your city shelter reports you live intake 9,400 less Strays and killed 707 more so we keep being told by limited intake we won't kill as many well according to shelter reports that wasn't true either the shelter reports uh you actually live intake 9400 plus less Strays than you did in 2019 thank you sir Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family you too thank you all the final speaker is Barbara Valencia Miss Valencia's topic is Animal Services a cautionary tale of shelter mismanagement good afternoon you have three minutes good afternoon good afternoon ma'am thank you I'm Barbara Valencia with Huckleberry Hound Dog Rescue El Paso animal services and its director have become the subject of national ridicule as well as being used as a cautionary tale of shelter mismanagement a recent National article highlighted the Dismal statistics of El Paso animal services in particular the ineffective Community Sheltering program the article States in 2023 3,860 found animals are registered with El Paso animal services but only 793 registered animals made it back home the status of the remaining 367 animals is unknown whether they survived is unknown since there is no followup done by the shelter now those numbers in the article have been fact checked and the comments that follow the article are scathing to say the least like this one I wonder As A Firefighter if there were 3,860 house fires under his tenure and he only responded to 793 of them thus ignoring and allowing the remaining 3,067 houses to just burn to the ground would he still be employed with the fire department I think not during his time as director El Paso Animal Services has taken in and along piggy backing off Aon has taken in 55% fewer animals adopted out 42% less animals 53% less animals transferred to rescues and in spite of taking in 55% fewer animals he is euthanized 128% more animals let's not forget his justification for severely limiting the intake will result in low euthanasia rates how is that working out oh wait it isn't he takes in less but euthanizes more our tax dollars pay $150,000 a year for the position of director of Animal Services and as such we have the right and expectation to have an experienced qualified and competent person to fill that role unfortunately this director is not that person excuse me ma'am that I will ask you not to make personal attacks or I will ask you not to come back we've talked about about this with you numerous times and I'm going to ask you one final time even though I may only have two meetings left I'm going to ask you not to attack somebody personally I have never attacked anybody person okay' you said he was not confident enough to have his this job that is a personal attack I didn't say he wasn't confident enough okay I'm going to ask you not to do that please okay I apologize I never done now in fact you guys banned me from speaking because you said I attacked Colonel Weston and I never said anything about Colonel Weston that was not me okay you were not you were never banned prior to this and I told that to Ron anyway I banned go ahead ma'am this Department's failure which is Animal Services Department reflects on this governing body's oversight as well as those of its okay this governing body's oversight response forget it thank you very much thank you I mean Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family ma'am I mean accusing me of things that I didn't do Banning me from speaking which I was banned concludes call to the public this afternoon do you have a motion to move there's a motion and a second to adjourn the city council meeting all in favor anyone opposed and the regular city council meeting for Tuesday November 19th 2024 is adjourned at 12:12 p.m. thank you Council I'm