e e e e e mhm for e e e good morning everyone it's 9:00 a.m. I'd like to um welcome everyone uh to city council uh we're going to the our chaplain was not able to um make it he is stuck in traffic so what we're going to do today is uh we'll start with a moment of silence and um pray and think and you know a lot of great things in life that uh we can pray for and and some uh and of course always peace on Earth so we'll have a moment of silence thank you we can rise for the pledge please Sarah can you lead us pleasei 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 all now we're going to um again I want to thank uh everyone for being here uh I know that uh it's a little wet out there and it's important that um everybody be safe and um be courteous and watch out for each other and especially uh as uh the school time school school time and kids are out there and they're running in trying to stay out of the rain and uh they're not looking both ways sometimes so let's uh really be extra careful when when we do Drive in uh the school zones and um at all times but especially today when when the weather is bad and again um I do want to thank everybody for being here and we don't have a quorum but we are going to begin with the proclamations we we'll go out of turn on the proclamations because there's a couple people that aren't here so I'm just going to start picking the people that are here so I'm going to start with representative uh Kennedy mayor protown uh this is for the international overdose awareness day we have somebody here for that come on up whereas since its Inception in 2001 August 31st has been recognized as the international overdose awareness day and has become the world's largest annual campaign to raise awareness and end overdoses around the world and whereas all over the world government and non-governmental organizations along with community members hold events raising awareness to end overdose and remember without stigma those who have died and acknowledged the grief of family and friends left behind and whereas the city of El Paso Department of Public Health along with El Paso harm reduction Alliance will inform and educate our community members about substance abuse disorder and the import import of knowing that drug overdose deaths are preventable and whereas with proper support and treatment recovery is possible for people with substance use disorder and aim to prevent deaths and other complications and whereas the theme for 2024 is together we can highlighting the power of our community when we all stand together now therefore be it proclaimed by the mayor and councel of the city of El Paso that August 31st 2024 shall be known as internation National overdose Awareness Day signed by The Honorable mayor Oscar liser good morning good morning um my name is Ivon Marquez um I'm a program manager for the city um of Al Paso Department of Public Health um I have a very important message this morning uh drug overdose is an international crisis um and it has increased significantly in the last 20 years uh worldwide there's an estimated 296 million people between the ages of 15 and 64 that have used a drug um and this is a a worldwide drug report that came out in 20123 um and according to the CDC in Texas alone we have uh drug poisoning debts that have increased more than 75% in The Last 5 Years um as you know new stronger and more dangerous synthetic uh opioids and amphetamine type stimulants exist today so the city of op Paso Department of Public Health Project vaa and our other local partners are here United to say the theme of our campaign campaign which is the together we can highlighting the power of our community to stand together and end overdose let's remember those who have died without stigma and acknowledge the grief of family and friends Left Behind um I want to thank you for your support I'm going to have somebody from project vaa um share a testimony good morning this is a meeting of the El Paso city council for Tuesday August 27th 2024 mayor liser is present and presiding in council chambers along with mayor protim Kennedy representative ACO alternate mayor Pro molinard representative salido and represent ative Gales representatives ernandez and Rivera are running and Fierro are running late this morning due to an accident on 910 it is 9:06 a.m. thank you anyone else youall have a total of four minutes left so please good morning good morning my name is Christine zimmerly and I'm a person in long-term recovery from substance use disorder and mental health challenges I've worked in the field of recovery support for the past five years and in that time I've personally known 28 people who died from an overdose I came here last May with my colleagues and other members of the El Paso harm reduction Alliance Group to request City funded Aran and overdose reversal medicine and our great City heard and supported this request I'm here today to say that our work is not yet done as We Gather here we're reminded that overdose is not just a statistic or headline it's a tragedy that touches families friends and communities across our city City every day we lose precious lives to overdose lives that could have been saved each of these losses represents a story cut short dreams unfulfilled and loved ones left behind to grieve behind every statistic is a person a person who had hopes dreams and a future they were our sons daughters friends neighbors and colleagues they were people who needed help who fought battles with substance use disorder and who many cases suffered in silence due to the stigma that surrounds addiction today as we Proclaim August 31st is overdose Awareness Day in our city we take an important step in Breaking that silence we acknowledge the pain and loss experienced by so many and we commit to doing better we commit to providing education resources and support to those struggling with addiction we commit to ensuring that every person knows they are not alone and that help is available overdose is preventable by raising awareness we can save lives this is about recognizing that every live loss to or overdose is one too many and that every person in our community is worth fighting for as we remember what those we've lost we honor them by taking action today to support our friends and neighbors to educate ourselves and others and to advocate for resources that can prevent future overdoses we have this event on Saturday on August the 31st at Memorial Park and I brought invitations I would like to invite everyone and I would like to um thank Brian Kennedy for the generous donation of lighting our star purple on August 31st to honor life's lost to overdose thank you for your commitment to this cause and for making our city a place where we can choose hope over despair compassion over judgment and life over loss thank you I just uh I want to thank yall CU I think uh one of the things that we talked about just now is awareness and awareness is so important for people to know that they're not alone that someone's there and someone can help them and that's so important and I couldn't agree more that uh we can save lives but one of the things that we need to know is that one life lost is one life too many and and I want to thank you all for for being here here and having the awareness to um for people to understand that they're not alone and one phone call and help that uh could save not only their lives but their friends families and anyone's lives so I do want to thank you all for for being here but also like I said one life lost is one life too many so thank you all and representative Canalis and then we'll come up and take a picture thank you mayor yeah this is uh such an important issue for me for the whole Community thank you all for being here um I'm you know it's it's the work is never done but I'm I'm really proud of what we've been able to accomplish with your help and and I remember when you were here last year I think in in March and in May potentially um and uh you know I worked with uh former representative anello and I believe it was repal though uh to to pass an item to uh have no lockone Narcan available in every public facing City facility and in every first responder vehicle and I'm I'm looking now I I can see we the the police department this year has administered uh no oone to 18 different people those are 18 El pasoans who might not be with us but for that availability so thank you for the work you do in advocating for that um and I think there's plenty more that that the city can do to to work with you all to make sure that um we focus on prevention and uh and greater access across the city to to life-saving uh intervention so thank you thank you mror protm uh I want to urge everybody to go out to the event on the 31st um too many times our incarceration system is what we consider our rehab system and I don't think there's a family that's untouched from this issue I'll just say that one of the most heartbreaking days I had as an attorney was when I had a client I'd been working with for a long time and the phone call came in and they just said we lost her and uh I want to thank you for all your work thank you sir y want to come on up how are you for the record representative Rea join the meeting at 91 a.m. are M I know you do need to do okay okay y'all are a big group if we can get you to do two rows for us and Shorty's up FR you know who you are you don't sir can you see you represent F actually you could be back yeah there we go on stool here all right sir the can I get you to move over to this Dr T over here all right ready one two three two three thank you thank you so much excuse me sir can you introduce yourself sure nothing to do with this good morning mayor and Council um first of all thank you for this uh Proclamation today for our team who's been doing the hard work uh but the mayor's just asked me to introduce myself because I've been taking photos with yall I'm Vinnie Tania I'm the new health director for El Paso I've been on the job for about three weeks I think this is the fourth week and uh getting to know the community and I want to tell you what a warm friendly Community everybody's been welcoming me with open arms so I want to thank you all for that thank you and welcome to sir thank you m p and then next Proclamation is lifeguards recognition day and for those of you receiving a proclamation this morning your group will have up to six minutes collectively to speak at the podium repr Mard Proclamation city of El Paso Texas whereas on May 7th 2024 the Beast Urban Park edorium a distressing incident occurred in which a woman collapsed on the pool deck necessitating immediate and skilled intervention and whereas the parks recreation department lifeguard team consisting of Michael salad Dominic IDI Rodrigo Ario Edward Mendoza Alondra varos and under the leadership of pool manager Victor I promptly initiated the emergency action plan demonstrating exceptional preparedness and professionalism and whereas the Lifeguard swiftly attended to the woman contacted Emergency Medical Services and conducted an automated automatic external defibrillator analysis with the utmost care and position and whereas upon receiving AED analysis advising against the shock the lifu team immediately began administering life-saving CPR skillfully performing both compressions and ventilation until EMS arrived on the scene and whereas the Tim and expert actions of the Lifeguard team were critical in Reviving The Woman ensuring she could be safely transported by EMS to a nearby hospital for further care and whereas the city of op Paso in partnership with the American Red Cross recognizes an honors lifeguards Michael salad Dominic IDI Rodrigo Rio Edward Mendoza Alondra mariio and poll manager Victor I for their outstanding bravery dedication and heroism in the face of emergency and whereas these individuals hereby were at the American Red Cross life saving award for the remark contributions to the safety and well-being of their Community now therefore it be a proclaimed that by the mayor and Council of the city of op Paso that August 27th 2024 shall be known as lifeguards recognition day signed the honorable mayor Oscar liser city of El Paso good morning major good morning City Council Members Pablo cero uh Parks and Recreation director for the record uh just want to begin uh by thanking each and one of you for this recognition and especially to our aquatic staff that day in and day out groups like this young men are saving lives and and keeping us safe in The Aquatic facilities so thank you so much for this recognition and I don't want to take a long time so I I I I need to have them talk to you just for a little bit in this couple of moments so let me uh introduce Anna uh from from the Red Cross uh to say a few words thank you Anna hi good morning mayor my name is annaa and I am the executive director of the American Red Cross in the west Texas chapter here in El Paso so we all know that emergencies can happen at any time in the grocery store parking lot at a family wedding on a hot day at the community pool or even at the office or inside your home but regardless of when and where they occur emergency situations usually have one thing in common a crowd of people standing around staring at a victim wondering who should act and trying to remember what to do that is until a hero emerges in the crowd but what is a hero I did a little research to make sure we were all on the same page on this and the consensus was a person admired for achievements and Noble qualities one who shows great courage a person who has idealized for outstanding achievements I think saving lives without a question fits the definition all three of them we are here today to honor a few individuals who are with us with the American Red Cross life saving Awards someone who is an extraordinary hero Victor iarra Edward Mendoza Rodrigo Rio Dominic IDI Michael salad and Alondra baros I present each of them with the American Red Cross life- saving award for professional responders this is one of the highest awards given by the American Red Cross to an individual or team of individuals who save and sustain a Life by using skills and knowledge learned in a Red Cross training services course this action exemplifies the highest degree of concern of one human being for another who is in distress the certificate Bears the signatures of the president and CEO of the American Red Cross Cliff Holtz at this time I'd also like to extend a special Red Cross thank you to Stacy Wright for her effort in nominating to today's award recipients in my experience with the Red Cross I've learned that Heroes the brave men and women willing to step forward and help a stranger during their greatest time of need they're all around us but I've also learned that these individuals are not common because to act quickly and decisively during a crisis takes a level of Courage reserved for only a Chosen Few congratulations to today's honores and keep up the great work thank you again thank you so now I I'd like to invite Stacy Wright to say a couple of words to our team okay first I'd like to thank Council for recognizing the work the lifeguards do um I've been training lifeguards for more than 20 years I've always been proud of the work that I do working with them because at any moment they are willing to step up and help and I have hundreds of stories of lifeguards responding to car crashes emergencies in grocery stores let alone in our pools and so when I saw this rescue and the work that these these gentlemen did especially as a team um I wanted to recognize them for their outstanding work thank you can you all come up and um can you all introduce yourselves please cuz we want to know who's who come on up please uh hello sir my name is Victor I am the facility manager at the Auditorium good morning good morning good morning I am Dominic and I was responding lifeguard good morning good morning I am Rodrigo Rio and I am lifeguard good morning good morning my name is L baros and I was a pool attendant good morning good morning my name is Edward mosa and I was Al live C good morning good morning my name is Michael Salado and I was one of the First Responders providing care of the lady good [Music] morning thank you so much again thank you Brenda Romero Aquatics manager and other coordinators like Martin and Jesus they do a wonderful job to keep us safe so thank you so much for this thank you all want to come [Applause] [Music] up and for the record representative F join the meeting at 9:17 a.m. hey Sarah looks like you got the memo the I was going to jump in and see if they no no right yeah are we all doing the hair next too can I get the Shorties up front and make it two layers I have a fellow shorty do not be offended sir at the end could I get you to move over to this side please first all right representative F yes in the front if you want to that's perfect she missed you in the first picture she want make sure she I'm going to photoshop you in okay thank you all right ready one two three couple more yes sure thank you ready one two three any of those 47 more one two three one more can you take a couple pictures share with me and I'll yes okay one two three good are you still on the gr yes I'll send them there that's it right I am one more wait wait wait one more one more sorry all right ready oh I'm sorry guys good one two three there you go now course thank you thanks guys good M and the next Proclamation is MC nice on education and cultural enrichment day thank you mayor yes sir Proclamation City B [Music] passo okay Proclamation city of Al Paso Texas we're asked alandro L Hamilton also known as MC nice born in Los Angeles and raised in Al Paso Texas has exemplified extraordinary talent and dedication across multiple domains including as an artist philanthropist Christian hip hop artist and motivational speaker actor and three-time best-selling author I understand he's joining us virtually uh when MC nice has established whereas MC nice has established a mon Monumental Legacy spanning three decades demonstrating Excellence Innovation and music Mastery achieving groundbreaking success in Christian hip hip hop and gospel excuse me securing six billboard number one records and co-founding God's house of hip hop radio earning this prestigious Stellar Award for best gospel hip hop radio station and whereas MC nice illustrates 30-year career in music includes over 20 number one records on the billboard iTunes and radio charts collaborating with icons like Tupac post homly and Nas contributing to Motion Picture soundtracks including Oscar winning crash and creating the first African-American animated music series on Netflix D ham and where MC ni's commitment to education leadership his Academia was recognized with his appointment as Vice Chancellor of a university and his Visionary plans to establish a Cutting Edge Performing Arts School in El Paso Texas catering to students from kindergarten through 12th grade symbolizing a significant effort to deliver quality and education and Inspire youth through the Arts and whereas MC ni deep ties to Al Paso are evident in his dedication to establish a school in the city where he attended Elementary and secondary schools and his collaboration with El Paso Community College on educational initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities for local students and whereas MC nice impact extends beyond music into television and film where he has showcased his versatility and talent and whereas MC ni's outstanding contributions have earned a Lifetime Achievement Award signed by Joe Biden Al among along with the honorary doctorate degrees in music and humanitarianism now therefore it be proclaimed by the mayor and City Council of op Paso that August 27th shall be known as MC nisis on education and cultural enrichment day signed by The Honorable Oscar liser mayor Oscar liser absolutely awesome can everybody hear me is anyone here I am no there he is hey how you doing how are you how you doing fantastic can everybody hear me yes fantastic so I I I want to I want to I want to thank the mayor I want to thank this uh uh the districts uh for really recognizing me especially you know um uh Julia Vera I am Dr alesandro Hamilton I grew up in the uh northeast side of El Paso where I think it's back then the projects weren't the projects they were they were just the place to live and and and kind of like get yourself together it was called the Roosevelt I went to iring high school I went to Basset I went to Junior High the beauty about who I am is that I'm the first in the city of El Paso to have a multiplatinum record like you said I was involved with the Oscars and the jammies uh uh is the first African-American afro Latino uh Cartoon to be uh on um Netflix because I am Puerto Rican as well so I'm afro Latino and I was also one of the founding uh members for the first um Latin rap group in the history of rap music to hit the Billboard charts called lighter shade of brown so my whole objective when in El Paso was we didn't have when I came up that we didn't have the necessary tools uh and Outlets that would allow a person like a khed or Evander Grim or Elia sparza to really uh uh to to come up and and flourish and so we had to leave and go to different cities in order to become who we became so what I wanted to do was like okay how can we cultivate B the talent that is in El Paso but at the same time give them not just the education uh uh Outlet I mean not just the outlets for you know uh Performing Arts but the outlets for becoming better you know better individuals whether it's you know um education in regards to college whether it's in the Performing Arts field or whether it's just being somebody that's working in the field so my thing was I partnered with a few uh people that we're going to bring the state of the art um performing art school to El Paso um that will incorporate also uh AI right because at the end of the day if we can cultivate the talent there we can keep you know the talent in town and help build the you know build the city instead of people leaving luckily for me I have fond memories of of El Paso from the 80s you know um yeah from the 80s into 90s and at the end of the day I want to be that guy that that ushers in along with other people to to help establish and cultivate the talent that is in El Paso you know so for me it's it's not just a a a a want it's a life's Mission my mother grew up my mother uh died there a couple of years ago you know and and for me this is the one of the best ways to honor not just her Legacy but at the same time the outstanding work that she did with me as a child growing up in a single parent home to come back and and give you know to to those that um that that need these type of outlets so it's it's not something I'm looking to do to gain notoriety is what I'm want to do to help others because I'm a helper I'm one of those guys that I want to see other people succeed and it it has nothing to do with about me being you know the face or whatever it's about helping people succeed and in El Paso we got so much talent we got so many people there and that's what I wanted to do so I want to thank you guys for this recognition and I'm and I hope to be meeting with a lot of you soon because I will be there to establish the school and and it's going to be it's going to be it's going to be [Applause] awesome thank you and um you know it's a big congratulations on what you do I I um being able to sing and do what you do and what you all do is really um amazing and uh to be part of our community and sit here as we hear you talk about our community it's um very humbling to to hear everything you've done so congratulations and and and thank you again for um giving ELO a big shout and great recognition thank you molar thank you mayor uh sir thank you very much for everything you've done for the community and for the world anyways my name is Joe Molina I repres present District 4 if you know where Hondo Pass is north of Hondo Pass it includes Iran high school so brother thank you very much from one Northeast man to another God bless you go Rockets amen and thank you for the smile early in the morning it goes a long way at about 2:00 we want to get you back on to give us one last smile oh is that what it is yeah I'm currently so I wanted to be there but I'm filming so I was supposed to finish filming yesterday and um the director you know because I don't know if people know I do film in television so I got a new TV show coming in in in uh in the top of the year and um so they extended the film shoot so I'm here uh filming but I will I will be coming to shake all of your hands and uh yeah and and and and let's just go and build and and and and help the people man that's what I'm about great thank you mayor if we can get the council members to stand before the photograph we're going to um project our resident here on the on the screen if we everybody can smile around the screen yeah we're going to take a picture and then we'll keep that smile keep that smile on we're gonna we're we're going to take a picture with the projection of you let's do that one over there EAS right here that one right there behind you maybe that's not easier AR's not blocking the that's a nice photograph if one of you can hold up the proclamation yeah perfect thank you all right we got it in eight years this was the first we take a picture with a TV behind us [Laughter] so thank you again and have a wonderful day appreciate you thank you m PR and the next Proclamation is gold out for Childhood Cancer Awareness representative cedo thank you mayor good morning Proclamation city of El Paso Texas whereas each year many parents hear the devastating words that no parent wants to hear your child has cancer we gold out El Paso want families to know that they are not alone during these difficult times and they have our support we will try our hardest to help families in need in any way possible and gold out El Paso honors all the children and families affected by children Childhood Cancer we honor all work Warriors survivors angels and they have courageously fought this battle we honor families affected by Childhood Cancer because no CH child should fight alone and whereas gold out El Paso will continue to make it its goal that the city of El Paso turn gold every September and whereas children fighting cancer should never feel alone and with the support of the community and all children fighting cancer will always get recognition especially in September for Childhood cancer awareness month for our children in our future and whereas we ask the adop Paso Community to join us in in Gold AO Paso motto when one fight we all fight when one cries we all cry when one celebrates we all celebrate we are all in the fight together now there therefore be proclaimed by the mayor and the city council of the of the city of op Paso that the month of September shall be known as gold out for childhood Hood cancer awareness signed by The Honorable mayor Oscar liser is anyone here I don't see anyone here but uh you know Childhood Cancer is um something that u i i was the chairman for Hope on wheels for Hyundai for seven years which was the national um chair to to try to fund for research for Pediatric cancer and one thing I did learn that pediatric cancer is U 6% of all cancer is pediatric cancer so the research and the money and the drugs is really hard to to um to have so it's important to we continue to research continue to have and I think that um I know that uh that Children's Hospitals here also which is appropriate because uh we've been a huge donor to trying to find a cure for Pediatric cancer and as I said earlier when we talked about um uh overdose that uh even though now we have about an 80% cure for Pediatric cancer One Life loss is one too many and it's uh we'll continue to to fight for for children and awareness again is important so um I know that I got the opportunity to meet uh with gold out the family originally and U it's uh continued to be something that uh we'll continue to fight together because like I said uh it may only be 6% of all cancer is pediatric but the research and the funding is also only 6% so it's important that we continue to fight together to make sure that uh we don't lose another life another child's life so thank you all and uh we'll go to the next one m p yes sir the next Proclamation is afro latinx we week please come on up Miss Tucker Dr bid Richard and everyone else welcome Proclamation city of El Paso Texas whereas El Paso AF latinx Heritage week was established in 2024 by proud Latina Dr Jaclyn B Richard JD dnp RN CN catch my breath after those good morning founder of the soy Marosa initiative which is dedicated to raising awareness and educating the community locally regionally nationally and internationally about the afro latinx experience and presence in the United States while encouraging and promoting connections across all sectors of the El Paso Community and whereas in 2020 there were approximately 6 million AFR latinx adults in the United States and they made up around 2% of the US adult population and 12% of the adult latinx population and whereas it is essential to acknowledge celebrate and honor the many who identify and embody the Deep Heritage of living as black latinx and latinx people collectively as afrolet residents of El Paso like Nancy lorenza green an artist educator musician poet and writer who is an esteemed member of the community and looked forward to seeing this Proclamation come to pass until she unfortunately passed away on July 31st 2024 and whereas we recognize other Alp pasin who actively Champion education on the history of various ethnic ethnicities like Tomas arano Angie barasa Tanya Barry adoni Jones torns Maria Kennedy and many other individuals who contribute profoundly to the cultural social and economic fabric of our community and whereas the diverse experiences and contributions of AFR latinx Al pasoans deserve recognition and celebration as was reflected in various sessions and programs during the juneth educational opportunities presented by the city of El Paso to discuss AF latinidad and whereas the city of Al Paso reaffirms its commitment to proving promoting a more inclusive and Equitable community by recognizing the significance of El Paso afternic Heritage week and congratulates so Marosa El Paso on establishing this cultural and E and educational initiative and whereas we invite the city of Al Paso to celebrate Al Paso AFR latinx Heritage week from September 29th through August uh through October 5th 2024 now there be it proclaimed by the mayor and Council of the city of Al Paso that the week of September 29th through October 5 2024 shall be known as El Paso AFR latinx Heritage week signed by our honorable mayor Oscar liser good morning wow good morning good morning Council uh and good morning mayor uh I am Dr Jacqueline ble Richard I'm of Puerto Rican descent afro Latina I'm a lawyer uh a nurse and an educator here in Old baso and I am the founder of the soy Marosa um afro Latin initiative and um this initiative is uh dedicated to raising awareness and education about afro Latinos and I'm profoundly humbled by the recognition to initiate this afro latinx Heritage week El Paso has a vibrant tapestry woven from diverse threads and the AFR latinx Community adds a viral add a vital and enriching uh Dimension to this fabric afro Latino of Mexican descent uh in particular like the late uh Nancy L green um and along with other afol Latinos who have brought their unique cultures of their Latin American countries uh to this city contribute significantly to our local Heritage their stories their struggles their triumphs and uh are an integral part of the Hispanic Community here and in the US this week give us an incredible opportunity not only to reflect on the past past but also to celebrate the present and look forward to the future thank you to the city of El Paso and uh representative Canales uh whose support has been instrumental in making this a reality thank you for recognizing the importance of afol latinx Heritage week I also extend my deepest appreciation for the black El Paso voice Monica uh we share a common goal to educate Inspire and Empower our communities in closing as we embark on this first afro latinx Heritage week during Hispanic Heritage Month I urge each of you to actively engage with the stories the music the art the history of Afro Latinos and if you want to know more about the work of the soy Marosa uh initiative uh you can visit the soyar ava.org and also um find us on Instagram at afol Latin xor culture I would now like to seed some of my time to um uh afro Latinos actually from El Paso so come good morning good morning I'm Tomas arano i' like to thank Dr Jacqueline for uh having me with her today to receive this Proclamation um I it's very important uh to have um recognition and I think that this is going to create a a bridge between the black community and the Latino Community us as afro Latinas uh really have a unique experience and we come in different uh shapes and sizes um they're not just I'm black and Mexican my mother is Mexican uh my father is black but we also have our Puerto Ricans we have our uh Kuan um our Dominicans um and it's just important to have that representation um to show the youth which I am very involved with um that people that look like you um that come from places like you came from um can really make a difference um representation matters and I think that the recognition and the awareness is also going to um help create that education and education is the gateway to inclusivity and Equity um so I really thank the council I thank you uh mayor liser uh for giving us this opportunity and giving us this recognition thank you good morning buos Maria Kennedy and um they told me that I can stress myself also in Spanish um I'm um African-American and um Mexican descendant um I grew up in the community and I um um um Miss challenges but um I do um um I'm grateful uh you know that uh you give us this opportunity to express ourselves and uh to be recognized that uh we are here we are here we are growing and um we are um um um having our children uh here um and uh getting education um thank you mayor um Oscar leiser um and all the council members um for giving us this opportunity um thank you thank you and just in closing again I just want to say that you've just heard from two uh people who were actually born and raised here in El Paso uh the both afro Latinos both very much uh Mexican Americans and um and African Americans and um so I again I really appreciate uh this and um and I look forward to uh to the Future in expressing ourselves during this week thank you thank you very much and uh we look forward to many many more years of celebrating this and and continue to work with you all thank you with that for the record representative ernandez joined the meeting at 9:36 a.m. you yes good thank you and our final Proclamation the final Proclamation is El Paso Children's Hospital Childhood Cancer Awareness Month I'm excited to read this Proclamation and we have leadership from the Children's Hospital always great to see you here so glad to have you in District to so let everybody come up and I will get to the proclamation good morning Dr Stout good morning whereas El Paso Children's Hospital provides the highest level of Pediatric Care in West Texas and southern New Mexico and whereas close to 10,000 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed Nationwide among children this year alone and many infants children and teens will suffer from long-term effects of comprehensive treatment including secondary cancers and whereas thousands of kids across the country will lose their battle with cancer and many medical providers and medical professionals will Race Against Time to provide life-saving treatment and medical breakthroughs to prevent the tragic loss of life and whereas the Southwest university university pediatric blood and Cancer Center at El Paso Children's Hospital hospital is the only certified children's oncology group Center in a 270 Mi radius which provides quality clinical trials to treat many types of pediatric cancer and whereas that means that children are able to stay right here at home to receive the best care using the latest research and protocols in a multi- specialty environment designed just for kids where they receive the very same protocols as some of the top hospitals in the world and whereas the Southwest Southwest University pediat atric blood and Cancer Center at El Paso Children's Hospital has been able to help hundreds of families affected by Childhood Cancer now therefore be a proclaimed by the mayor and Council of the city of El Paso that the month of September 2024 shall be known as El Paso Children's Hospital Childhood Cancer Awareness Month signed the honorable mayor Oscar liser thank you for being with us good morning thank you Mary liser representative oo and all of the city council we appreciate this opportunity to share in the work that is done at El Paso Children's Hospital the hospital is now 12 and a half years old when the hospital was opened um right before then and you look at the number of children who used to leave the community for care that was over 650 kids very conservative number of who left Del Paso for care however we believe that number to be much more because of the statistics that we see nowadays at our at ad El pastel Children's Hospital on average approximately 75 up to 100 children are diagnosed in our region alone with cancer diagnoses every year this year we are celebrating 40 ringings of the Bell that means 40 children who are in remission because of the team that you see behind me the work that they do goes unselfishly taking care of the families and the children of our community in total we have treated over 800 children to be right here at home to receive the highest level of Cancer Care in the past individuals would have had to um seek care outside of El Paso but because of a comprehensive program such as what we have and under the leadership of Dr Benjamin Caro who's on my other side um we're able to keep our children right here because we know how important it is when it's a cancer diagnosis often times children may be in the hospital for weeks months at a time and when children are able to be here within their Community to be surrounded by their families and also their friends they Thrive and they do so much better with their treatment our new multip Specialty Center that we have opened up is also to a support of our cancer program so now of all all of our Specialists that are either employed by the hospital or by Texas Tech are underneath One Roof making it easier for families as a One-Stop shop as I like to call it so you can come see all the specialists at a particular time um of appointments I want to introduce our team but I'd like to first before anybody says anything additional is um introduce my little superstar here I don't know if you can see her come this way there's a microphone over there on the there this is Mia um Mia baras as well as her mom Nancy right here we are very proud that they are able to come and to uh be here to be representative of all of the children who are treated at the hospital you may recognize Mia She was recently on our commercial that we produced during the Olympics Mia is a little rising star for soccer and so we know that our journey is to help her to reach her goals and her dreams and through the programs that we have at El Paso Children's Hospital that's what we do um that is our sole Mission I'd like to go ahead and to ask um before I ask Dr Caro to say a few words to Dr Amanda French to please um Step Up she is one of our nurse practitioners who has been with the hospital for many many years and she does phenomenal work in working with all of our families Amanda hello good morning good morning doctor um I would like to just say a few words backing off of what Cindy said um I was able to actually walk the first patient over whenever we open the doors of El Paso children's hospital and ever ever since that day I think we're all a testament to the amazing work that's happening at El Paso Children's Hospital we've grown tremendously over those 13 years and even now we're able to continue to grow our program and take care of many many children's of El Paso without them having to leave El Paso which is one of our biggest goals that we have with El Paso Children's Hospital is to keep our children here at home there's a lot of stress that comes in um whenever these patients have a diagnosis of cancer and it fills our passion to be able to love and help these patients through those terrible times when you see Amanda at work you know how much she loves these children I mean these children run to her they're hugging on her and so her sole mission is to make sure that these children get well additionally I'd like to introduce Dr Benjamin Caro he leads our oncologic team at the hospital Dr Caro H uh thank you for um having us uh here today uh I'm Dr being in the community for 27 years and I have seen the cancer um children uh you know uh go through um difficult times when uh you know I first started 27 years ago um children were being treated a different hospital with no pediatric oncology train nurses uh no pathology uh trained uh you know uh pathologist um it was a very difficult situation for them and they were spread throughout the the hos throughout the the city in different hospital and eventually those patient have to go out and um eventually um go through the most difficult part of their their care uh in a strange environment uh with a lot of U uh stress uh financial and emotional uh stress for the families uh it's been wonderful to see um that a pass of children's um change all this and uh over the last 12 and a half years uh we have been uh seeing patient that were routinely uh transferred to uh hospitals across uh Texas um being treated in our community uh this is an amazing thing for our patients they are uh supported by not only by a father or a mother thank they also supported by uh a number of U you know family members um thank you for everything that you do for us okay and uh thank you for your support thank you I know that we're out of time but I'd like to hear from Mia Mia you want to come here we're we're very very happy to to see and that you're here and um I just U want to congratulate you on um on the fight and looks like you're doing really good you want you want to you want to say a couple words s Mia I know I put you on the spot but isn't she beautiful you know M beautiful young lady and this is why we do what we do every single no absolutely and me if you look at me I had cancer a long time ago so you get to grow up and be old so and ugly though but you won't be ugly you'll be beautiful but I'm uh I'm a four-time Survivor so it's uh you'll be able to fight it and get old and beautiful thank you so with that you want to I take some from up here for you if you'd like as well we perfect that's good thank you all right ready one two three ready one two three else good thank you [Applause] next Miss Prim yes sir Council per The Rules of Order no use of personal cellular devices nor personal communication should take place on the day while the meeting is in session once you obtain the floor from the mayor you will have up to 10 minutes for debate and you may speak twice per item please speak into the microphone and refrain from side conversations at the day while the meeting is in session for those of you joining virtually please make sure your microphones are on mute to reduce any background noise that brings us to the consent agenda all matters listed under the consent agenda will be considered by by city council to be routine 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 alter M good morning proposed revisions for the August 27th 2024 meeting agenda as of August 27th 2024 at 08:30 Page 6 item 17 revised for mayor's office and that revision is to the last name of the appointee to re Gaskins with a G page 12 item 36 postponed for two weeks per capital Improvement department and also like to add see if possible without exception for postpone for four weeks we did receive an item from an email from the sunrise Civic group relying some more time so if anyone from the capital Improvement department is here to object or consent I believe that was being postponed anyway no that's a hold on what are we doing oh wait never mind let me see I'm trying to increase it from two it's deleted for two weeks so we're going to delete for for postpone postponed for two weeks so that's all that's all we're going to read into the record okay can you hear me now yeah page 12 item 36 postpone for two weeks per capital Improvement Department page 12 item 37 revised per environmental services department and that revision is to remove any references to and recyclable materials and recyclables now second that pardon me second person there's a motion in a second there is a motion made by alternate mayor Pro mol seconded by representative Rea to approve the consent agenda as revised on that motion call for the vote in the voting session and that motion passes unanimously Representatives Kennedy and Fiero not present that brings us to page number eight to item number 24 and item 24 is discussion and action on a resolution to accept the recommendation from The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to approve the renaming of Pard Park Pond located at 3090 Pard Street Al Paso Texas 79930 to Mario Navaro Park and this item was submitted by representative aavo represento thank you I I um want to tell you a little bit how we got here today as um we have Miss Flo and family coming up so I I will tell you a little bit about how we got here I um I I think that there there's been a lot that's happened in the last two years for your family and and I think that when you approached me a few months ago about doing this I thought it was a a really great idea to really have a way to memorialize and think about your your son in a place that he loves so much right and and I think that when Mario Navaro was here with us he did he did a lot in our community and he was an outstanding resident of El Paso uh person that loved to skateboard um a big skater person that loved this park a lot of memories were made at this park and I I know that this renaming did pass unanimously at The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and there was a presentation prepared for this so I want to read some highlights uh from that presentation to let Council and the public know exactly who Mario Navarro was and then I'll invite you to share more about your son your husband your relative your friend and I um thank you for being here so I'm going to read a little bit from the slides Mario Navaro was a Union Pacific train conductor for nearly a decade on August 29th 20202 Mario lost his life in a tragic train derailment in the Lower Valley as he was getting a train into the rail yard Mario survived by his wife two children his mother and father two brothers and the community he TIR tirelessly served he was a true servant to his community Who provided opportunities for local youth to grow together and build a sense of community Mario's mentoring encouraged positive development and Community involvement through Golf Art and skateboarding Mario advocated for the betterment of his community actively engaged in community service and mentorship and built a community around Pond Park in the area where he grew up and was um always there during his life he spent there he spent time there with family friends he constantly organized events in community Parks encouraging others to use these spaces for Community meetings picnics bike rides and walks he believed that parks are essential for connecting the community to Nature and building bonds with each other he was dedicated to partnering with nonprofit organizations to respond to her community's greatest needs Mario regularly attended Community meetings to advocate for his neighbors and encourage engagement in contributing to the community's well-being he had a deep love for his community that inspired him to become an advocate for social justice and Community improvements that range from educational reform to Environmental Conservation centering the most underrepresented voices and I know that that just captures a little bit of his Essence and I would love to open it to you to tell us more about Mario and how we got here and you know we're we're doing this 2 days before the 2-year anniversary of his passing so I'm I'm happy that hopefully this passes today and we'll be able to have this in place for his second year anniversary of his death thank you representative um I one of the things I do want to say and um you know um Betty's been my friend for for a very long time and I know I've known you for quite a while but one of the things that touch my heart that's really important and this is what life's about to be honest with you says to me my father is just a regular dad he's just a type of dad who would take me out of school to go get ice cream or take me to volleyball practice or just to the park to have a great time this park is one of the parks you to always take me to this is what life's about and when I read that it really touched my heart I I had a hard time reading it to be honest with you so um you know I know that uh it's hard for you all but uh one of the things that we can always do is to never to forget and keep the memory alive and this this is what we're doing here today and I know that uh those wordss I just read was from uh Mia so um I I just thought uh after everything I read and everything we talked about that that really touched my heart and I and I wanted to share that with everybody which um good morning good morning mayor good morning council members uh I didn't realize that it would be teed up in in such an emotional way but I appreciate uh the fact that actually many of you knew my husband and many of you I've worked with uh throughout the course of my career I appreciate being a part of this community my family and I have spent so much time engaged with effort you know Community efforts to help and enrich and help this community progress that was a big aim of my husband Mario Navaro um we've talked a lot about the things that he did when he was with us um and my hope today and as representative aavo just mentioned is that during one of the most difficult months um given that in two days on August 29th it will be nearly two years since my husband uh was killed in a railroad incident um oh usually I'm actually pretty composed um this is more than just honoring him for everything we loved about him as his family he was an absolutely important part of this community as I mentioned he cared so much about the Arts we mentioned skateboarding how how he mentored so many young you know upand comers and as well just anybody who ever came into contact with Mario can attest to the kind of man he was it's so important that we use these spaces within especially this you know smaller part of the community 79930 that that he grew up in his his grandparents lived on pierce his mother lived on Taylor we lived on Jackson our kids spent countless hours there our family and friends um every anniversary of his birthday which is something we celebrate slash our anniversary our wedding anniversary we actually go there and have a barbecue and celebrate there um so even though it hasn't officially been named uh process meant that we had to wait at least a year uh our friends and everybody around there lovingly refers to to at as naar Park already so it made complete sense that we would honor the amazing person that my husband was and how much he meant to us and the community and thank you very much for listening thank you you want to say something hi everyone I just wanted to say thank you for considering this it's an amazing thing that we're trying to do and I think it would make a big impact on people and it's just a great thing because people already call the park by um after my dad and I think if it was like permanent it'd be amazing to have a story to tell about it thank you I'm not sure if anyone's ever told you but you look just like your mom um good morning I'm Emma one of me and aaro's best friends I just wanted to talk about what an amazing person Mario was Mario's Joy radiated everywhere he was I remember when I was younger we were at this party and the whole time I was talking to him I had a big smile because he always seemed interested in every word you said and made sure it was heard he had such an amazing Soul Mario and Monique did an amazing job raising their kids they T they taught them to always make sure to make the most out of every moment and to always be the best version of yourself that has not only impacted them it has also impacted the way I am I will always remember the way he made everyone feel we have made so many amazing memories mories at Poland Pond Park during our days there we have grown up going to that park with our dads and spending hours there under the warm sun it would be amazing if you could rename that Park so that if anybody ever asked about it we could tell his [Applause] story hi good morning my name is jeanclaude bin and I go by JC I wasn't born in El Paso by I got here as quickly as I could uh first I'd like to say uh thank you for the opportunity to the the city council um and the district representatives for not only their time here this morning but the time and service that they put in for the city in general uh what a great way to honor one of El Paso's native Sons by renaming a small sliver of space in his honor and memory I moved here nine years ago and it didn't take long before I met a bunch of the old older skater crew a Sunday where a dozen or more guys left the skate park to go ride a parking lot with a Slappy curb that's when I met El Paso's own Mario Navaro Mario and I bonded after a couple more sessions and though he had many friends in the city he quickly became my favorite friend to skate with he he had a smile that was super contagious and when skaters get together we cheer each other on we watch each other's progress uh and it's a bond like no other uh we'd scream and Hoot and Hollow for each other and cheer each other on he was a big dude and he made skating uh look graceful um and uh not not only uh a skater but I learned much more he was a mentor to younger Generations uh as well as giving back not only advice but also handing down gently used gear to younger skaters or skaters in need he also gave back and contributed to keeping Parks clean often the first one at the session with a broom sweeping to make sure it was a good role for his brothers friends and kids he was unassuming strong but gentle humble but proud and many loves and had many loves in his life including motorcycling skating biking and giving back to the community and of course his love for friends and family which included his pets too he was very friendly and he became one of my running buddies and he shared many corners of alp Paso uh uh places to eat breakfast burrito spots and of course different parks on the west side in central as well uh can go on naming names but Polar Park was one of his favorite spots uh we would make this at a pit stop when we ride motorcycles the day or we take the kids there for launch for a picnic um I think uh he loved the space both for its quiet nature its easy accessibility and its multi-use functionality uh like Mark Mario the park is unassuming but is beautiful in so many useful ways a place for peace and reflection where you can walk a dog have a picnic uh but just a place for Fun and function uh what a beautiful thing it would be to honor op Paso's own Mario Navaro by dedicating this little slice of the city in his name and his memory thank you again for your time and your consideration for this item thank you mayor liser city council my name is Betty Flores I had the privilege of being Mario Navarro's mother and it was the best 49 years of my life this was an outstanding man a kind and gentle he would call me every other day just to say are you okay mom do you need anything and we always ended every call with I love you which I am so blessed that we did we spoke literally at 6:30 that evening of the night that he was killed so I hold that dear in my heart and I know my son is in heaven and I know he's looking down on all of us and this is just a fraction of the friends he had but because of work they couldn't all show up but I'll end with Maya Angelo's uh Point people will forget what you said people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel so I thank you very much mayor and Josh asava our city representative thank you for being so kind and listening to me and your representative Luis for hearing me cry so many times and deciphering my words through my tears thank you so much for your support in this effort thank you representative um you want to make a motion real quick sorry um I was messing with this um before I make a motion to approve this I I do want to give you some good news I know that when we go through the the policy of changing Park names and stuff you also have to figure out how to buy the sign and get that signage so we we secured that money and you won't have to worry about fundraising for it and so looks like marathon's going to be um paying for the sign I do [Applause] move I I move to approve this item second second thank you representative FOH followed by no more thank you mayor first and foremost Betty you're you're a friend we've known you forever um Mo'Nique you're the strongest most passionate person I've ever met and and when you when you commit to helping you can't get rid of you and and and and that and that's a passion that that I've seen in your daughter um at at the volleyball camps at op Paso high and and it's just I'm just so glad I didn't have to read the mayor statement but thank you and um we love you thank you thank you thank you representative erand this I just wanted to read um a letter that I received urging me to vote in favor of this do you all know Ken Ken Ken here okay well that's why he sent me the email uh he's a constituent of mine and he's asking me I am asking for your support it it is very dear to me although not in your area the item in question is the name change of paard Pond Park to Mario Nado Park Mario was a very dear friend of mine he was a good citizen and an El pasoan Mario was tragically killed in a train derailment 2 years ago polard Park was a regular recreational spot for our family and friends and has become a place in which we can visit and remember him Mario was a kind soul he was a very he was very active in the op Paso skateboard Community he was also willing to Mentor Youth and was a great role model I am a retired police uh excuse me El Paso Fire Department Captain I serve the city of Paso for 22 years and now I'm a high school teacher many of us older skateboarders would be honored to see our friends memory honored by this action again I'm asking for your support I just wanted to say thank you for pushing this together I know it's difficult but now his memory will forever be part of our community and congratulations thank you and with that I do want to thank um of course uh Betty Flores for serving our community and and um you know your leadership um obviously shows in your son's leadership also so um thank you for what you've done and continue to do for our community thank you very much and with that M PR and know we have a motion in a second and unfortunately I won't be able to vote because I I got a feeling it won't need my tiebreaker but if I could I would I promise thank you there's a motion made by representative asso seconded by alternate mayor Pro molard to approve item 24 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes [Applause] unanimously I could keep it reading huh you yes that's right sorry I was on phone back how are you support right bu might [Applause] congratulations you did a great job thank you thank you thank you yes SP you're welcome take care yes sir the next two items are related would you like to consider them together yes ma'am thank you item 25 is discussion and action on a resolution nominating Jackie York by the city of Al Paso as a candidate to the AL Paso Central Appraisal District Board of Directors election to serve starting on January 1 2025 item 26 is a resolution nominating Tanny Berke by the city of Al Paso also as a candidate to the AL Paso Central Appraisal District Board of Directors election to serve starting on January 1st 2025 motion approve second there's a motion made by representative salido seconded by alternate mayor Pro Molin to approve items 25 and 26 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously the next item is number 27 and this is discussion and action on a resolution that the city of Al Paso reappoint to the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority Laura M Enriquez to position five whose term will expire on February 1st 2026 move to approve second there is a motion made by alternate mayor po molinar second it by representative Fiero to approve item 27 on that motion call for the vote voting session is open pardon me the voting session is open and the voting session the motion passes 7 to1 representative vandees voting nay the remainder of council voting n the motion does carry item 28 is discussion and action to direct the city manager and City attorney with creating a comprehensive Street Maintenance impact fee and report back to the council in 6 months with a feasibility study proposed fee structure land use trip generation assumptions recommendations for organizational placement and a review of potential outside Consultants to assist in the development of a Street Maintenance impact Fe mayor i' like to move this to Executive second have to a motion in a second move to there's a motion in a second to return to Executive session all in favor anyone opposed and the city council of city of Al Paso May retir to Executive session pursuant to section 3.5a of the AL Paso City Charter and the Texas government code chapter 551 sub chapter D to discuss item number 28 under 551.071 consultation with attorney it is 10:29 a.m. to 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 do we have a motion to return move to reconvene there's a motion in a second to come out of executive session all in favor I anyone oppose and the meeting is back in session at 10:53 a.m. and we're on item number 28 thank you ma'am we do have representative at nandas followed by representative phell thank you mayor um yes ma'am I wanted to share with the public on the intention here and I'm going to be making a request to delete the item after consultation with um the team and the legal team um but what I wanted to share with the public is that there's other communities across Texas who are um implementing different type of renew renewable sources of revenue so that it could achieve um a more Equitable and fair and a and a very um scientific methodology approach on how we all have the shared responsibility to maintain our streets and so um the intention here is to share with the public that there are various options and there's great success stories across Texas and a Street Maintenance impact fee would generate revenues for cities but looking specifically on how certain properties and organizations and businesses and residents are generating the number of trips into their um establishments or into their to their properties and so in areas that generate more trips other cities are looking at that on how that impact would be to the street and then our overall responsibility to maintain it and so the state um allows for different conversations and um and one of these options is the Street Maintenance impact fee and I'm and I wanted to lend my support to our city management and to legal to start to explore how we could be better prepared to fix our roadways by looking at the type of impacts certain businesses and organizations are having to our streets and so I truly believe based on the initial conversations and looking at other cities that residents would be better off and would have lower cost to them by way of their utility bill and currently residents and and Commercial payers are are paying but it's just a flat fee across the board and so I want to make sure that we're looking at other options and so this is in preparation to have these options so that these take time it takes a couple months to get these models in place and so I want to make sure that our future leadership um and incoming leadership has all the tools necessary so that they can be better prepared to make these policy decisions however um there was some concerns and um I I do want to respect those concerns because ultimately my intention here is to have options that the taxpayer and our elected bodies can review and so um thank you to um City staff for addressing our concerns um but I think uh it would be in the best interest of the taxpayer the rayer to find a impact driven a trip generation and land assumptions driven methodology that would be fair and Equitable and make sure that we can keep the cost low but making sure that everybody's paying their fair share to drive on our roadways and so with that I will make a motion to delete thank thank you again for for those statements and I know the city's right now working on uh different Avenues so thank you for that and with that we have a motion and ass second to delete the item yes sir the motion was made by representative ernand second by representative salido and this is to delete item 28 on that motion call for the vote in the voting session and the motion passes unanimously that brings us to the first reading of ordinances these are items 29-32 motion to approve second there is a motion made by representative Riva seconded by representative Fierro to approve the introduction of ordinances items 29 to 32 on that motion call for the vote voting session is open and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously item number 33 is discussion and action on the award of solicitation 2024 d396 R solo photovoltaic array installation short-term parking lot a to GS solar LLC DBA big solar motion approved thank you there is a motion made by alternate mayor protim molinard seconded by representative Rea to approve item 33 on that motion call for the vote see you guys take care voting session is open and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously item 34 is discussion and action on the award of task order 12b-1 for solicitation 2021 d811 greater Al Paso landfill Wheel Wash to valise company LLC for a total estimated award of $656 3684 approve second there's a motion made by representative Fiero seconded by alternate mayor Pro Molin to approve item 34 on that motion call for the vote in the voting session and that motion passes unanimously item 35 is discussion and action on a resolution authorizing the city manager to sign a 2-year on call agreement for Professional Services to perform construction Management Services on a task by task basis buying between the city of Al Paso and each of the following five Consultants Johnson Miriam and Thomson Inc norami LLC garar LLC hu zers Inc and Moreno cardinas Inc motion to approve second there is a motion made by representative Riva second it by representative fto to approve item 35 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously item number 37 is a public hearing of an ordinance amending Title 9 health and safety chapter 9.04 Solid Waste Management collection providers addressing the need for disposal of solid vase Solid Waste at all commercial and mixed use Properties by adding Provisions to require notice and time to remedy violations and for the enforcement of this section move to approve mayor can we please take 38 and 39 together as well they're all related absolutely yes correct item 38 is a public hearing of an ordinance amending Title 9 chapter 9.04 Solid Waste Management location for collection to add alleys to approv the ex excluded collection location and establish alley collection service and procedures at designated locations and expand the requirements for Sight door collection represent he made motion I'll second thank you and this is for 39 Amendment on 37 yeah Nicholas with Environmental Services uh there's a floor Amendment for item 37 we're removing and recyclable because although we encourage commercial mix use properties to have recycling they're not required for the code so we stroke those words from uh item 37 thank you so is there a motion a second to approve with the amendment no yes 39 as well uhhuh okay item 39 is a public hearing of an ordinance amending title 12 chapter 12.44 stopping standing and parking generally where signs required to add Ali section 12.44 point8 traffic obstruction prohibited to add no parking signs section 12.44 one60 parking in alleys to add designation of authority of the AL Paso city code so mayor approach molard you made the motion and this is to approve 3738 and 39 that's correct thank you and representative F you second 3738 and 39 thank you on that motion call for the vote M Prim do we need to vote on the floor Amendment first which no he made the he made the floor Amendment into the record yes it was also read with the proposed revisions this morning voting session is open and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously that brings us to item number 40 and this is a public hearing of an ordinance of the city council of city of Al Paso Texas reaffirming the city's participation in the Texas Enterprise Zone Program pursuant to the Texas Enterprise Zone act chapter 2303 of the Texas government code motion to approve second there is a motion made by representative Ras second it by alternate mayor Pro molinard to approve item 40 we'd like to see a presentation on that please ma'am Karina brasca with economic and International Development um so this presentation will be for item 40 which is the ordinance and then I'll also go through the nominations which are the subsequent items so what you have before you today are five related items for the Texas Enterprise Zone Program um they can be voted on separately of course but we'll run through all of them and then open it up for questions so first a quick review of the the program the city's been participating in this program since 2009 um this is a program that is a competitive State program meant to assist economically distressed areas with job creation and investment the Enterprise zones are set at both the federal and state level so they already exist they're already in place over a large portion of El Paso and approved projects qualify for state sales and use tax refunds the refund participation is scaled based on the capital investment the jobs and the qualified business project there are 100 5 designations issued Statewide per buum so every 2-year cycle here's a quick review of the process so the municipality nominates the project we have nine nominations available every two years so you can imagine that if only 105 get awarded and multiple cities are participating it's quite competitive so nomination does not guarantee participation in the state program but it does allow those companies to go in and apply um the nomination is good for 3 years so they can apply within that threeyear period and then anything that they propose as part of the project must be done within 5 years so those jobs created the capital investment made State Awards the projects and then they qualify for that state sales and use tax refund so this is related to the ordinance so that's item 40 so the municipality must opt into the tez program we must also have local incentive programs the companies that we nominate do not need to have a local incentive agreement but we just must be a community that provides incentives generally in order to qualify for nomination the company must be nominated by us to be eligible for the state program but again nomination does not guarantee that they will be accepted into the program or granted an award and the nomination period is up to 5 years so again the employment and capital investment must be made and implemented within this time frame projects can be inside or outside of an Enterprise Zone you all can look at these I'm not going to read them all out but depending on their location um they have different levels of commitment and different level of refund available to them and then projects must meet or exceed County weekly wage averages to be eligible so you'll see that some of these projects have a slightly different number um tenant hospitals which we had before you all with an amendment a few weeks ago that was we typically use County median wage which is a little bit different averages are quite High um so the number of full-time employees will look smaller just because of that requirement they also have a various uh they have a slightly different hour calculation um requirements on healthc care participation benefits that sort of thing here are the program incentives this is also available on the te website so you can just see depending on the level of the project the investment the jobs allocation um what type of refund they're permitted um we are doing Enterprise projects for the most part we've done a couple of half designations and then there are only a handful of double jumbo and triple jumbo projects throughout throughout the state for our last nomination cycle here were the nominations that we made um so Charter Communications delou Los palas and Phelps Dodge Refinery that reflects 50.9 million in total investment 959 jobs created and 2,283 jobs retained um and Charter Communications and I believe both of the healthc Care Systems did have incentive agreements through the city but this investment and jobs creation was outside of their commitments to the city um Phelps Dodge eligible for that state benefit again without any real local participation this is the proposed ordinance Amendment so the previous ordinance as I've said was adopted on May 26 2009 opting into the Texas Enterprise Zone Program we do not need to reaffirm participation this is in front of you all due to a rule change that is going into effect on September 1st um through the Texas Economic Development and Tourism office out of the office of the governor so now the TZ ordinance must state that the governing body is in full compliance with chapter 2303 Texas local government code prior to Nom any nominations obviously we have a standard disclaimer in most of our ordinances and you all are bound to state and federal law but they it needs to be an affirmative statement of compliance so that is the only change on the ordinance and then I'll go through the nominations for this next cycle um it's only four five of them so we'll still have nominations that can come forward in the coming years so first is Western Refinery company um District Two at 212 North Clark it is outside the Enterprise Zone so it'll be eligible for those lower level benefits they'll need to retain 500 plus ftes um it's actually a higher number than 500 but the nomination form cuts off at 500 and then $150 million investment on strategic capital projects to upgrade and refi modernize their Refinery and that's limited to their within so it's not going to T touch City infrastructure outside of the plant tenant hospitals they're East Campus so 3280 Joe Battle Boulevard in District 5 this is within an Enterprise Zone um they'll retain 376 and then create new nine new full-time employees again at that higher wage and hour threshold and it's a 9 million investment on the facility and medical equipment Sierra campus District 8 1625 Medical Center also within an Enterprise Zone retain 645 and create 15 new fulltime employees and it'll be a $6.5 million investment again in facility and Equipment upgrades same for their Trans Mountain campus in District 1 this one is outside the Enterprise Zone so again that lower participation threshold retain 376 and create nine full-time employees $ 11.61 million in investment to upgrade the facility and medical equipment again these employee metrics and this investment number is outside of the contractual investment requirements that they have with us that you saw in the agreement that came forward a few weeks ago so City staff does recommend approval of both the restated tez ordinance and we would also recommend approval of all four nominations for this cycle we would still have five um nominations slots open that we could use over the next year and a half or so um but this will again allow these companies to be eligible to submit for incentives at the state level in the next round of applications and with that I'll take any questions so this is item 40 41 42 43 and 44 yes so when we got the motion to approve were they included in there miss P or just 40 so can we um re rise you want to include 40 through 44 and Alternate mayor proit still second that motion yes thank you sir thank you and with that representative Canales followed by representative no thank y thank you mayor um thank you for the presentation um I think it's straightforward again this is just a compliance change essentially um we're already in compliance we just need to update with the statement that says we are in compliance yes okay and there's no functional change to our participation in the program no um the uh I I received a concern from a neighborhood association so I want to make sure that gets addressed um I don't think it's uh related but I I will ask the question anyway um they're concerned about potential uh housing incentives specifically deriving from the Texas Enterprise Zone program is that any part of the program that we currently participate in um it's not related to any of these nominations I believe that there are HUD and possibly State housing programs that also use the Enterprise Zone designation as like an eligibility area but this particular Enterprise in terms of this ordinance these are job creation capital investment within the zones this is an economic development uh which is not to say that housing isn't of course but no this particular program does not involve housing right it's specifically job creation and despite the similar eligibility zones it is not connected to the correct uh housing programs that use the zones for eligibility that would be correct sir okay I just wanted to make sure that was clear um uh again we've participated the city has participated in this program since I believe 2009 um so it's it's a long running program and we're not proposing any changes to our participation right okay thank you thank you repr I I had a few questions along the same line and I'm I'm looking at the backup on here and I'm looking at page three of the document attached not not the presentation it says the city May provide low-income loans for housing rehab or new construction and the City May transfer abandoned housing to individuals or Community groups and so I'm trying to understand that part because I I think that this this is a good thing overall right but some of the unintended consequences I'm I'm worried that that could lead to displacement of people that live around the areas that are taking advantage of this so that's going to be just your state code allows you to do these within it our tez policy and the participation that we're doing we're talking about jobs eligibility for the nominations for the projects at this time none of the projects proposed today and none of the projects I think that have been on our docket since 2009 have involved any of the housing transfers or any of that we have not taken advantage of that okay and then um on Slide Five it says that the company commits that at least 25% of their new employees will meet economically disadvantaged Enterprise Zone residence requirements so can you tell me more about that yep um I think pretty straightforward so when they're talking about these employees um those full-time employees so that's addition to those wage averages a couple of other criteria like I said on benefits and um PTO and that sort of thing the requirements for those new employees they need to be in the Enterprise Zone to be eligible so this is a little bit similar to um we had the F Distributors the group of buar agreement where we said you need to hire from a specific census tract so this program is saying that the employees that you're committing under the state program need to be hired from the Enterprise Zone again it's meant to reinvest in an economically disadvantaged area as designated by the state um and so those employees when you're seeing those numbers and I'm clicking through in the slides those are all people that need to be from within that Enterprise Zone they have to live within there basically and that's the percentage and and so this allows for maybe kind of mitigating people coming in and and taking those people that live in that area out and displacing them do or I mean I I couldn't say I think the intention of the program and the way that we've seen this is especially with the nominations we have Western refining is a large employer already our healthcare partners are large employers already the intent of this program is to hire people from economically disadvantaged areas into projects that are in those areas okay yeah okay so then you you know you you feel good about the guard rails that are in place it you don't think it'll affect housing it don't it won't displace people I it has based on these specific companies I mean I wouldn't I don't want to give you a 100% because obviously there could be things that are outside of my knowledge base but again the four nominations we have before you today are all groups that have shown a strong commitment to employing from within El Paso they need to have people that meet the residency requirements they already need to be in that zone um so it's not a case of I can just move my nurses into this apartment complex and now it qualifies um these need to be people that are currently residing in that Enterprise Zone and have and then have then been hired by the company to work at this project um since we have a long history with both this program and these particular nominated companies and projects I don't have those concerns at this time okay thank you thank you and I know we we mentioned this yesterday just repeat myself on it m these are good for 5 years and yes so and with that Mr PR yes mayor there was a motion made by representative Riva seconded by alternate mayor po molinard to approve item 40 which is an ordinance of the city council of city of Al Paso reaffirming the city's participation in the Texas Enterprise Zone Program item 41 is a resolution nominating Western refining company as a Texas State Enterprise Zone project item 42 is a resolution nominating tenant hospitals limited Sierra campus as a Texas State Enterprise Zone project item 43 is a resolution nominating tenant hospitals limited East Campus as a Texas State Enterprise Zone project and item 44 is a resolution nominating tenant hospitals limited Transmountain campus has a Texas State Enterprise Zone project on that motion call for the vote in the voting session and the motion passes unanimously that brings us to item 45 and this is discussion and action on a resolution that the city reviewed and approves the issuance of unlimited tax bond series 2024 by pasel leste Municipal utility district 6 with the acknowledgement that the issuance of such bonds does not constitute debt issuance by the city of Al Paso move to approve second Miss PR there is a motion made by alternate mayor protol second by representative Federal to approve item 45 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously item 46 is discussion and action on a resolution supporting an application by the medical center of the America's Foundation to the US Environmental Protection Agency fiscal year FY 2024 Community change grant program requesting funds in the amount of 16 million $13,200 for the MCA campus green Redevelopment program and authorizing City participation in the application and submission of a sub awward up to $ 5,833 20000 with no match required from the city for projects related to Mobility improvements that include Street scaping and solar lighting move to approve second have Motion in a second there is a motion made by representative aavo seconded by alternate mayor Pro molinar to approve item 46 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously move to retire into executive session on ex1 second second there's a motion and a second to return to Executive session all in favor anyone opposed and the city council of city of Al Paso May retire into executive session puring to section 3.5a of the AL Paso City Charter and the Texas government code chapter 551 sub chapter D to discuss executive session item 1 city manager contract HQ number 3112 under 551.071 consultation with attorney it is 11:19 a.m. for 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 it's about time Mr f all right do we um can we have a motion to return motion there's a motion and a second to come out of executive session all in favor anyone opposed and the meeting is back in session at 11:49 a.m. we're on ex1 motion is made seconded and carried that the mayor is authorized to execute the employment agreement between the city of El Paso and city manager Dion Mac in the form approved by the city manager and the City attorney or their designes with the following terms the city manager's employment shall commence on September 3rd 2024 with a base salary of $350,000 beginning in September of 2025 the city manager is entitled to the same increases in pay that other employees receive which shall include service time increases the city manager's base salary shall not be decreased unless the parties mutually agree to such a decrease the city manager based salary is not subject to any cap and two the term of the city manager's employment shall be for three and A2 years from September 3rd 2024 through March 2nd 2028 unless terminated earlier by one of the parties in accordance with the terms of the agreement if either party does not desire to extend the agreement the party who does not desire to extend the agreement must provide written notice to the other party 6 months in advance advance of the expiration honor before the September 2nd 2027 if neither party has provided such notice the agreement shall automatically extend for one year through March 2nd 2029 and three the city manager shall shall receive a written performance evaluation from the city council annually by August 31st of each year which shall incorporate input from the mayor and all council members by February 28th 2025 the parties shall work together to develop goals for the fiscal year 2025 and approve a form evaluation for the city manager's annual performance evaluation the city manager shall not receive an increase in base salary based on the performance evaluation and four the city manager shall receive the same insurance and health benefits that are available to all executive non-union or non-uniform employees including but not limited to Vision life insurance Health dental and HSA contributions and five the city manager shall acrw vacation and sick leave in accordance with the city policies and as provided in the agreement and shall retain all acred vacation and sick leave to date a holidays as provided to all employees B acral of up to six months of vacation and C acral of unlimited sick leave and six at separation from employment whether initiated by city manager or the city with or without cause or if the agreement is not extended the city manager shall be eligible to receive up to 6 months of paid acred vacation and up to six months of paid acred sick leave the sick leave may be used for pension purposes as time served instead of paid at the city manager's election additionally any acred sick leave exceeding 6 months may be used by the city manager for pension purposes as time served and seven the city manager shall receive a vehicle allowance the greater of the amount included in the job posting of $500 a month or the amount allowed per City policy for executives once such policy is adopted and eight the city shall contribute 10% of the city manager based salary on her behalf to her 401a account beginning January 25th and she'll contribute onethird of such amount to her 401a account honor before October 3rd 2024 based on the base salary provided for her as city manager and nine if the city terminates the agreement without cause honor before March 31st 2026 the city manager is entitled to a severance of 18 months of base salary if the city terminates the agreement without cause after March 31st 2026 the city manager is entitled to a severance of 12 months of base salary if the city terminates the agreement for cause the city manager is not entitled to Severance and 10 if the city manager terminates the agreement the city manager agrees to provide 45 days notice to the city of her resignation the city manager is not eligible for severance if she resigns her employment and 11 in the event that the severance provisions of the employment agreement are triggered the parties agree to enter into a mutually acceptable separation agreement that includes a full release by each party of the other party and other standard provisions and finally 12 the city manager shall be entitled to be reimbursed for business and travel expenses occurred in her role as city manager in accordance with City policies second M Prime have a motion in a second yes mayor the motion was made by mayor protim Kennedy and read into the record seconded by alternate mayor protim molinard for ex1 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and the motion passes [Applause] unanimously congratulations M Mack you know and um of all the things um as um mayor poam was reading if you saw something that was real consistent you want to be just like the team you're leading you want to be part of of the team you're leading you don't want additional bonuses you don't want additional Insurance you don't want additional Insurance you want what your team gets and that's a great team leader and I think that's important as people look at the the agreement it's an agreement that had your best interest but also the city and you turned it even greater and made sure that all the team members that you represent which is a lot are treated equally just like you are so thank you and I look forward to working with you for the next four months and then in a couple months um after that I look forward to watching the great work you'll do from far away not real far away but uh anyway congratulations ma'am and with that we'll have call to the public in five minutes so we'll just sit here and uh take a deep breath and allow Ron to kind of gather his thoughts congratulations Ma [Music] would you like to say something Miss Mack I want to again thank you all for the opportunity and for the opportunity to lead such a fantastic team you know as you said this during this process it's really important for me to make sure I continue to execute on the things that you have done to show your investment in our Workforce and as we continue to do that I feel that any time that I have success it is because of a wonderful team and that we should be celebrating those successes together whether it's through our compensation that we're able to give or anything else for the city um so I do want the city staff to know the things they that they asked me the hard questions during this interview process about what I was planning to do to help them to be able to lift I hope this is a demonstration of my commitment because I certainly won't be taking credit for the things that they're doing without them getting the fair compensation that each one of them deserve thank you so much for this process and thank you for the confidence moving forward thank you and you and I just had a conversation and and I was talking to you a little bit about the process that we went through and the process that started you know March of 2023 but how we involved the community how we had the community uh involvement where we went around the whole city and you and all the other um candidates which were great candidates uh had the opportunity to speak to the public and then the public turned in their report card and then we had the citizens group and they turned in their report card and um we listened to the public the public uh really was very impressed with what you had to say and how you uh handled yourself and and um we listened to the public and the public came back and said this is in our opinion this is the best candidate to lead the city forward and um when we asked the public to be part of it we listen to the public I I read a um an artic well I didn't read an article but I did see that the headlines so let me clarify that where it said that we had hired a a female minority no we hired the best candidate that's who we hired that's right thank you and we got your thoughts almost gathered sir's got your thoughts gathered r on home no I got them all you've been texting them to me if you need to borrow him I got him we got one minute e e it is noon yes sir that brings us to call to the public the AL Paso city council is a local government body charged with serving all of the citizens and the meetings must be focused on the meeting at charge the City Council meetings are public meetings under the Texas open meetings ACT public comment is an accommodation and not a requirement of city council all persons in attendance are expected to display civility in theorum 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 use this form for political statements or campaigning please note that during call to the public the city council may not deliberate or decide any subject that is not on the agenda however Council May propose that a topic brought forth be posted on a future agenda this afternoon we have four members of the public that signed up to speak we begin with Elizabeth Crawford Miss Crawford's topic is DNC Chicago and abortion and Miss Crawford I'll remind you again that this is not a form for political statements or campaigning you have 3 minutes good afternoon thank you so much um I want to speak briefly about what we've been seeing um some of the crazy statements coming from both sides of the political aisle recently um Miss Crawford again this is not the forum for political statements please okay all right I'll jump right to the text then Matthew 24:12 and because many shall wax C we're called in the Holy scriptures I want to quote um from a man who was recently on trial for participating in um an abortion rescue quote we find ourselves in a nation that has lost its way a nation that defends and protects murder of its own children by Wicked LS we've become a people repulsive in the sight of God a people who shakes their puny Fists in the face of a holy and righteous God while imagining that they have any degree of moral authority to do so we pray that our nation will once again return to sanity and protect the least of these image bearers of God by law if someone has a heartbeat they are obviously alive this is self-evident we refuse to prop up the Sheree that killing one's child is a civil are human rights men are appointed by God to be Protectors of the innocent and vulnerable a government that sanctions the murder of the weakest and most vulnerable of its members is a government that has abdicated its responsibility to protect its people and this nation will answer to God for this neglect um that was Dennis Green in recently in in trial when he was on the words of the Lord to Israel through the prophet Ezekiel quot say to them as I live say the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live turn ye turn you from your evil ways for why will you die oh House of Israel there The Cry of Ezekiel the prophet the Lord's cry to the nation of Israel and by application in the age of Grace to people across our nation is a nation to repent from where we have turned but we are praying for this nation we were praying for mercy and that people would see the error of their ways and turn back to Christ thank you so much thank you ma'am thank you the next speaker is Ron KO unknown participant is now exiting Mr kom's topic is constitutional rights to the rescue 1983 Animal Services good afternoon sir you have three minutes okay so let's get to the point um our shelter went through three managed intake plans we had uh Community int Community Sheltering we had managed intake and now capacity of care all three of these items were put out and pushed by best friends and as they failed like Community Sheltering it became managed intake as that failed it became capacity of care the only problem was it's the same failed program with a different name well now we've discussed uh finder to Foster failure and how bad that's been well across the country we're running into the same issues so now finder to Foster is now known as friendly Foster although it's the same exact failed program great second thing we discussed the uh qualified people trying to apply for the position of director back when this director was hired um SD Molina she was the second at Animal Services applied for the position she'd been at the shelter for years good times and bad she had a good working relationship with rescues community and employees at the shelter we hired somebody with none of the above the friends and family hiring processes for Animal Services need to come to a screeching halt because they're failing period they're failing the other thing is I stood up here one day and said The only person that I knew of that wasn't upset with the shelter was a gentleman that that was on 54 in Trans Mountain well a dog came up to him SI Siberian hus or a husky had been bit it couldn't eat it couldn't drink its face was swollen five phone calls to animal services and they didn't come pick it up I know 54 and 375 is hard to find but somebody had to give him a ride to the shelter and I'll save you time I know you can't find the calls that is a standard excuse from the shelter ladies and gentlemen you got four months are you going to walk away from the city in the disastrous position it's in uh and I'm glad you think that's nice I love when people pay attention um we got four months are we going to fix this problem once and for all are we are are we going to get the fire department out of our shelter where it doesn't belong and our we going to give Barbara Valencia the right to speak again up here she's still being blocked she hasn't done anything that will violate it no no she's not blocked yes she is she tried to get on for the find out okay again thank you everybody I know I'm pain in the butt but I'm going to be that way until we get this fixed right now it's my life goal thank you Mr Como I got nothing else thank you sir thank you I don't think so the next speaker is Lance Davis I don't see Mr Davis in the queue we'll move on to Jonathan munis B and his topic is Public Safety budget and departments good afternoon sir you have three minutes yep good morning city council hope all is well prior to posing questions I'd like to contextualize the situation for the viewers I apologize for not being able to have an accompanying presentation as I didn't make the deadline however these statistics and figures can also be reviewed in the email provided earlier this month more than 50% of the city's budget is locked out by Public Safety H Paso's fire department responds to 40 times more medical emergencies and fires more than 90% of medical emergencies are without an injury at all the fire department continues to experience commodious budget increases while contributing less and less to the general funds pool just 3% of op passes work Force receives over of El Paso Fire's Workforce receives over 4 million in salary which is just under half of the library's entire operating budget what exactly is the city funding and what is its return on investment many may say safer streets but how exactly especially when these departments have no consistently reported metrics or annual reports if at all it's a great campaign slogan and it evokes positive emotions from taxpayers but taxpayers also aren't cognizant of the full picture just like how the contribution ceiling is now the floor can Council say it has been provided age adjusted or even just population standardized rates to assess the severity of DWI in the city County Council say it has received a debrief on how funds have improved the fire department's response times is Council actually aware of the emergency response breakdowns for the fire department if at all can Council confidently say in great detail how and where fires and crime are evolving within our community more concerningly can any data or M Matrix coming out of the fire be trusted given it its track record in the way it handled covid-19 and the subsequent covid-19 dashboard what's spoken is that the fire department is short staffed and that's because they're single-handedly attempting to solve the issue of access to care which is solely not a fire department issue at all and their humility in recognizing that will alleviate pressure on the taxpayers wallet additionally short staffing is because the fire department now needs to outfit many of these firehouses that their false projections led many to believe we were facing a fire every minute so in short no annual reports no performance updates ever rather only inventory briefings when more items are needed High likelihood of cherry-pick data to falsely assuage concerns retention issues and aging Workforce insistence on retaining market share to justify costs and existence resistive tendency to operate outside of the Department's scope and jurisdiction and City officials in ability to take collective bargaining negotiators head-on questions like these should not lead to one's reprobation questions like these are not morally reprehensible appreciation accountability and optimation and optimization are not mutually exclusive what's needed is the establishment of a watchdog entity to address the politician revolving to address the politician revolving door which engenders shortsighted and costly predicaments thank you sir mayor that concludes call to the public second there's a motion and a second to adjourn the regular city council meeting all in favor anyone opposed and the regular city council meeting for Tuesday August 27th 2024 is adjourned at 12:10 p.m. thank you councel thank you m br