e e e e e e e good morning good morning mayor good morning everyone it's 9:00 a.m. good morning this is a meeting of the El Paso city council for Tuesday March 26 2024 mayor liser is present and presiding in council chambers along with mayor protim Kennedy alternate mayor protim molinard representative salido representative Rivera representative Canales representative Hernandez is running a few minutes late this morning it is 9:03 a.m. now will everyone please silence their electronic devices as to not disturb the meeting and rise for the invocation delivered by aasa police senior chaplain David Mayfield good morning sir good morning mayor councel thank you again for this opportunity and I would invite all present who wish to to join me as I pray Creator God As We Gather in this chamber today let us take a moment to reflect on the profound privilege and respect responsibility entrusted To Us by the residents of our city in the spirit of servant leadership let us remember that our roles extend far beyond the confines of these walls we are called to listen attentively to empathize deeply and to act with humility and integrity in service to the common good as we deliberate on matters before us let us be guided by the principles of compassion fairness and accountability let us prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable Among Us recognizing that true leadership is measured not by the power we wield but by the impact we have on the lives of those we serve let us approach our duties with a spirit of collaboration and cooperation recognizing that the challenges facing our city are complex and multifaceted by working together in solidarity we can harness the collective wisdom and expertise of our diverse Community to address these challenges headon let us also remember that leadership is not defined by title or position but by action and example let us lead with Integrity humility and a steadfast commitment to the values that unite us as a community may our deliberations today be marked by courage and conviction as we strive to fulfill our duty to those who have placed their trust in us may we never forget the sacred trust bestowed upon us as Servants of the people and may we always Endeavor to lead with humility compassion and a steadfast dedication to the common good amen amen amen thank you sir for those words Miss York will you lead us in the pledge please thank you I pledge allegiance 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 thank you ma'am good morning everyone and um I want to welcome everyone here I see we got a lot of kids here and um how of parents and you know we we look around and and we always talk about the youth and um how we got to hug him and love them but it's also the the future of our city and our country and I look around and and I can see that U everyone out here I know that um our city and our country will continue to always be in great hands so thank you all for being here and again the kids I look forward are you all taking care of us so um thank you and may God bless everyone and if we can just have a moment of silence for what really comes to mind thank you may God bless El Paso and may God bless America thank you mayor and for the record representatives aavo ernandez and Fiero arrived at 906 this morning that brings us to the mayor's proclamations the first Proclamation is STI Awareness Month oh we do have the proclamations and they're coming I can see them walking in they're being guarded very closely as they walk in the door you know these were very important proclamations today so we want to make sure they we're protected thank you thank you ma'am m p they were very carefully escorted down the stairs yes sir this is STI awareness mon represento I'm I'm going to read the resolution or the proclamation I'm so sorry um Proclamation City Pasto Texas whereas each year the city of El Paso Department of Public Health observes April as sexually transmitted infection STI awareness month to raise awareness about what STI are and how they impact our sexual and reproductive Health lives and whereas more than 1 million sexually transmitted infections sis are acquired every day worldwide the majority of which are asymptomatic and whereas the World Health Organization or who estimates that in 2020 more than 1 million s were were acquired every day worldwide with some of those infections curable and others only controlled however most most can be prevented and whereas in Texas syphilis cases Rose about 22% from 2020 to 2022 and pregnant women with untreated syphilis may pass the infection to their unborn fetus resulting in stillborn or newborn dying soon after birth and four out of 10 babies infected and whereas in 2020 there were 2,148 cases of congenital syphilis reported in the US and Texas leading the number of congenital syphilis reports with 561 cases a 700% increase from 2016 and whereas in 20123 the Department of Public Health Sexual Health Clinic service 3,260 residents of the city and county of Al Paso and whereas in April 2024 the city of Al Paso Department of Public Health will be recognizing April as STI awareness month and now therefore be it proclaimed by the mayor and Council of the city El Paso that the month of April shall be known as STI Awareness Month um signed U mayor Oscar liser you good morning thank you and good morning city mayor Oscar liser and City Council Members thank you for inviting us this morning today as uh Dr asedo mentioned uh we marked the beginning of the STI awareness month which starts April 1st our vision is to build a healthier Community by raising awareness reducing transmission rates ensuring access and affordable health care services for all our mission is to prevent treatment excuse me to prevent treat and control the spread of HIV STDs and other communicable diseases to protect the health of the people in the city of El Paso and El Paso County sexually transmitted infections or STI affects Millions worldwide STI can lead to infertility chronic pain and even life-threatening conditions if left untreated they often uh leave these affected with stigma and shame preventing them from receiving timely and effective treat care we want to bring awareness to the people of op Paso and let them know there's a group of Highly dedicated nurses and staff at our Sexual Health Clinic ready to provide non-judgmental and Compassionate Care to All by educating and promoting regular testing we can Empower individuals to take control of their sexual health along with providing expedited partner therapy and referrals for medical mental and Social Services it is truly an honor to serve the community of Al Paso at the sexual health clinic one of the many Healthcare settings offered by the city of El Paso Department of public health and I would like to take the time to introduce our wonderful staff that uh is behind the scenes and everything at our Clinic here at the sexual health clinic I have our nurses Miss Jeanie Martinez Miss Claudia smeer Miss Alexis baltier our pcts and fres staff we have Miss Leah Nicholson Miss Amanda Cardona and Miss Mary Maria Terry Martinez and Susan coral and I have our nurse practitioner Miss Edith Gutierrez and myself and Gonzalez nurse practitioner and program manager thank you thank you I just want to um thank you all and I think when you were talking about it starts with dedication and I I really want to thank for being dedicated for what you do and you know making sure that um people are aware and making sure people have options and people learn about it is so important so I really want to thank you all and I mean it really when you talked about Dedication that said it all so thank you all for what you do and Dr urans I know you're back there in the background but thank you for what you do sir thank you all thank you and the next Proclamation is diabetes alert Day represent sh thank you mayor good morning Proclamation city of Paso Texas whereas National diabetes alert day it's observed annually on the 4th Tuesday of March as a wakeup call focusing on the seriousness of diabetes and the importance of understanding your risk and whereas diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects more than 97,000 opasan and more than 25,000 opasan have undiagnosed diabetes and which poses significant challenges in individual families and communities and whereas the risk of developing diabetes increases with the age and which other risk factors such as ethnicity gastrol and diagnosed while pregnant weight family history and high blood pressure and risk factors and whereas diabetes can lead to culations such as blindness kidney failure heart attack stroke and lower limb amputation and whereas the op Paso Center of diabetes and diabetes Alliance educates and supports individuals with diabetes in the Borderland promoting diabetes prevention and management and whereas the El Paso Center of diabetes and diabetes Alliance provides a center location of diabetes resources and educational opportunities for our youth adults and the elderly with diabetes and whereas the op Paso Community is encouraged to visit diabetes Now what website to take free diabetes risk test and spot diabetes early now therefore be proclaimed by the mayor and the city council of the city of El Paso that March 26 2024 shall be known as diabetes alert day signed by The Honorable mayor Oscar [Applause] liser good morning good morning mayor and city council today marks a crucial moment as We Gather to recognize diabetes alert day and honor our diabetes Alliance diabetes affects Millions worldwide and its prevalence continues to rise by acknowledging this day we affirm our commitment to raising awareness promoting early detection and supporting those affected by diabetes in our community together let us amplify our efforts to combat this pervasive health issue and work towards a healthier and more informed future for all we encourage everyone here today to take our online diabetes risk test by visiting www.diabetes.org thank you thank you thank you all for for being here and I think that uh you know when when we read the number of almost 100,000 people that are infected and you know we don't know how many more are have diabetes that aren't aware of it and that's the biggest thing that uh being aware and being tested because you can control it otherwise it uh it could become uh very um Health challenging if you don't so thank you all for being here and if this morning's honores will please remain in Chambers Council will have an opportunity to take photos with you once the ceremonial items have been completed the next Proclamation is El Paso science week I got it representative FAL thank you Mr Mayor it's an honor to read this Proclamation city of El Paso Texas whereas the city of El Paso recognizes that science and the essence of curiosity and the Cornerstone of humanity seamlessly interwin with daily lives from cosmic wonders to microscopic details fostering a love and understanding of Science in the youth is virtual and igniting curiosity promoting Innovation and securing a brighter future for our communities and whereas the inaugural of Paso Science Festival taking place April 6th through 7th 2024 a collaboration between El Paso Community Foundation UTP K through2 schools academic institutions and various Community Partners aim to spark a passion for Science and students encouraging them to explore potential careers in these essential fields and whereas El Paso is honored to announce that renowned astronaut Jose Hernandez will Grace El Paso Science Festival as a keynote speaker further inspiring the community and whereas we call upon all educators Community leaders business to support El Paso science week and encourage their students employees and families to participate in this unique learning experience together let us ignite a passion for science technology in El Paso and empower the Next Generation to shape a brighter tomorrow whereas we applaud the dedicated organizers volunteers and businesses um U who who have made this El Paso Science Festival reality their commitment to fostering a love of Science in the youth is an investment in the future of our community now therefore be it proclaimed by the mayor and Council on the city of El Paso that April 6th through April 13th 2024 be known as El Paso science week signed honorable Oscar liser good morning good morning ladies and gentlemen I I am Enrique Gomez founder and co-director of El Paso Festival Science Festival and today I stand before you with a heart fi of gratitude and excitement as we come together to recognize a momentous occasion for our beloved city of El Paso it is my privilege to extend heartfelt thanks to Mayor Oscar liser the team members of the city council and their dedicated staff for proclaiming April 6th through 13 as the op Paso science week this Proclamation marks a significant Milestone on our journey towards F fostering a culture of scientific curiosity and Innovation within our community with this declaration we affirm our commitment to nurturing the minds of our youth and inspiring the next generation of scientists and Engineers As We Gather here today I am thrilled to announce the upcoming Al Paso Science Festival which will take place on April 6th and 7th at the AL Paso Convention Center this event is not just a celebration of science but a Beacon of Hope for our City's Future IT places us among the ranks of illustrious cities like New York Philadelphia Washington DC San Francisco and others all of which host annual science festivals that ignite the imaginations of our residents this Festival is a result of the effort of a community of more than 50 organizations on both sides of the borders of the Border colleges and universities nonprofit government agencies and Co and corporations we thank our sponsors notably El Paso commit Foundation UTEP Microsoft and Marathon petroleum with overnight intera active exhibits and six stage science performances assigned to spark the Curiosity of our children and nine renowned speakers including the sculptor Sebastian whose scultpures like the white sex are inspired in mathematics and Astronaut Jose ernandes a young Farm worker who dared to dream big will make this large this the largest science Gathering ever in El Paso but El Paso Science Festival is more than a gathering it is a platform for Discovery exploration and collaboration it is an opportunity for a community to come together and showcase the incredible advancements in science technology engineering and Mathematics that are happening right here in our own backyard but beyond the excitement and festivities the AL Paso Science Festival holds a deeper significance it represents the invest our investment in the future our investment in human intelligence our investment in our children and the well-being of our planet in a in a world facing unprecedented challenges we need more than SC More scientists and engineers and innovators to lead the way to a brigher tomorrow and it starts right here in El Paso so let us seize the moment to inspire our children to ignite the passion for Discovery and to empower them to pursue careers in science and engineering together let us build a future where every child in El Paso has the opportunity to dream big and reach for the stars we invite you the families the children to join us on April 6th and 7th at the convention center you can find our program and the information you need at at our website which is easy El Paso science festival.org and once again I extend my heartfelt thanks to Mayor Oscar liser the members of city council and their dedicated staff for the wering support of a pasor science festival and our Collective vision for a brighter more prosperous future lastly I want to invite each one of you council members in mayor to our ribbon cutting ceremony on April 6th at 9:30 in the morning at the convention center we hope to see you there thank you very much thank you I'm Mike aosta and I'm on the committee for the Science Festival with Enrique and our friend Richard Martinez and romelia aosta mayor liser we totally agree with you the future of our region is our youth and we believe that science engineering technology is and should be a big part of the future and that's what the Science Festival is about those of us that are uh engineers and scientists our whole careers education and and professional and of us retired are committed to give back to our region and to our youth to promote this and to make our students and our parents and we're going to have both at the Science Festival aware of the tremendous opportunities in education and in professions for uh engineering science technology and math and that's what the festival is going to be about it's going to have some really exciting demonstrations speakers that we really think are going to really uh attract our students and parents and having the parents there is key so mayor liser city council we thank you very much like Enrique said we invite you to join Science Festival April 6th and 7th Convention Center here downtown thank you very much thank you thank you all for being here and the next Proclamation is autism acceptance month mayor um we have uh several organizations here uh who are representing the work for uh the autism awareness month and you mentioned earlier that you see a lot of um youth here in the room um one of the folks who who the folks who are about to come up um is part of the children's disability information Coalition they're part of the Civic engagement and Community Action Program and they're all the youth in purple and so for members of council these are youth with disabilities that are learning how to Champion and be their best advocate so that they can bring change to not only their lives but to their families so we want to thank them for being here and we'll ask them to say a couple words so the autism groups if they can come forward I'll read this uh Proclamation by the city of El Paso whereas one in 36 Americans are affected with autism a lifelong developmental disability which significantly impacts communication and social interactions which includes repetitive activities resist to change in environment and daily routines and a sensory hyper sensitivity and while there are is no known single cause it is well documented that if individuals with autism receive an early diagnosis intervention and appropriate education it is often possible for those individuals to transition to Greater Independence and Ras there are many organizations in op Paso who bring awareness to autism by providing support and dedication to the community and whereas the autism hope El Paso Inc Works to educate the public about autism and strengthen strengthen advocacy efforts by spreading reliable information understanding and acceptance for all autistic individuals and whereas Angels Mission Works for integration through inclusion providing resources and education that empowers the families of people with ID autism and other disabilities and whereas tundo is mimundo is a DED is dedicated to raising awareness promoting Solutions and supporting families and people on the autism spectrum and related conditions and Ras Beautiful Minds moli provides individuals and their family members with all abilities including those on autism spectrum with experiences in science engineering and art providing an inclusive platform for them to embrace their talents and whereas the Autism Society of Texas El Paso offers resources for autism impacted indiv indviduals and families aiming for a society that values and appreciates their skills and talents andas Autism Awareness tells us about autism as a condition autism acceptance celebrates the strengthens and and contributions those on the autistic Spectrum contribute to society through understanding and advocacy together we make our community one where those with autism are able to not only live as they are but to flourish now therefore be a proclaimed by the mayor and Council of the city of El Paso that the month of April shall be known as autism acceptance month signed by honorable Oscar liser our mayor congratulations please morning good morning Mr liser and members of the council I am Diana Serano the community outreach specialist for children's disabilities information Coalition here our mission is to promote Partnerships between parents professionals and various agencies to work together to combine resources and to find solutions to problems within the community that are affecting children with disabilities I am also the project coordinator for the Civic engagement and Community Action Program which is a program where participants with disabilities engage in civil discourse and dialogue aimed at addressing issues important to their personal Independence and inclusion in the community the most important issue the group is currently trying to bring change to is increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities I have Mr Donovan Garcia who is one of our participants and he would like to share some thoughts good morning Mr leer and members of the council my name is Don ring Garcia I am 26 years old this is my first time attending a cancel meeting I am a prayer support special in a Civic engagement in a commun community action program I join this program because I am encountering the hardship of finding employment and want to bring a change I have only had two jobs of which both were part-time and temporary jobs the participants and I have a plan for increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities I am looking forward to meeting every member of the city council and hope you all can support us after reading your bios on the city website most of you want to improve your enhan or enhance your District better our City's future and accomplish great things but only one of you mentioned strengthening in the economic by having all work together with us to have better employment opportunities for people with disabilities within the city of AEP Paso you will be fulfilling a bit of everything you are are working to accomplish thank you for your time thank you very much for being here and mayor they do have the other organizations from the autism groups I see them coming up and then after that um we'll go ahead and take item 27 that kind of fits what we're doing right now instead of good morning may good morning how are you good morning city council my name is Rebecca sad I'm from the Autism Society of Al Paso and I am here with new board member Rogers and board secretary Lisas good morning um thank you so much for this Proclamation last year I thanked all our members all of these wonderful organizations behind me for making the hard work of changing it from autism acceptance I mean awareness to autism acceptance and today I wondered what would I say and I realized that I have something really important to say I have to explain to you what autism acceptance means and I'm a little nervous today so forgive me for that but this is highly important autism acceptance first and foremost means letting go of judgment when you look around you see all kinds of different people but that's not the only differences we're not just different in how we look or where we're from but also in how we communicate how we behave the things we do to calm ourselves the things we do to get through daily lives and those are the things that we need to have acceptance for we need to look at people who are different and understand that that's okay there's plenty that we can learn to look at and not judge and you may ask yourself why is that important why is it important that what I think up here why does it matter to the autism Community it matters because we want to be part of the community at large those on the Spectrum want to be part of things they want friends they want to socialize they want to contribute they want to be important members of our community and we can only do that through acceptance so I know all of you are asking asking okay well how does that happen how do we make acceptance happen we make acceptance happen by not staring by by offering help by not complaining when there's an accommodation to be made but seeing hey this this isn't a big deal we can make this accommodation and if it means more can participate that's better it's by saying instead of oh they're different or they're unique or special saying the most important thing you can say you're accepted here it's by saying oh we can't invite so and so or we can't have this activity for such people because you know they need all you know they can't hear the loud noise or they won't like the loud group or they it means making an accommodation saying you know what how can we make this so more people can participate how can we help and you'd be surprised at how how small and how little you have to offer to make things more welcoming and more acceptable to all of us so that we can participate and so we can be there so once again I thank you so much for this Proclamation but I ask all of you all of you out there who are listening to my words to please please not just in April but every month please practice acceptance let go of your judgment and look for ways to practice acceptance thank you so much for your time thank you you know um I I do want to say that um you know um a lot of people can say a lot of words but actions yes are very definitive of who we are and what we do and it's important to always treat people with respect and don't ever disrespect anyone but the number one thing I've always said and I've said this forever treat people the way you want to be treated you'll never be disappointed and I think that's so important and I thank you because those were strong words now they need to be actions thank you good morning honorable uh Representatives honorable uh mayor my name is bica Serena executive director of angels Mission organization founding four years ago as a nonprofit profet I have worked with families of people with disability including autism for 24 25 years 33 years ago I didn't understand what the world autism was I think very few people in our city knew the meaning resources were limited and no one provided adequate treatment or or therapy the few of us who dare to embark on this path dis so with the fears and ignorance that we were facing we started from un ning in a completely strange War today we stand before you the representatives for of our community a large group of families who despite uh who despite our fears have faced a diagnosis that has not only directly impact our families but an entire Society we are in front of you showing you the do showing you the result of our work of fing to raise awareness educate and inform about autism we are in front of you telling you that together we can achieve much more we are in front of you demonstrating that a diagnosis does not slow our children now limit them or exclude them there is still much to do there is still still a lot of struggles ahead but here are with we are in front of you and our Beloved Community in the city of AP Paso Texas saying to you thank you thank you for taking the first step towards full inclusion and integration with the families of people with Autism as the mother of a 33 year old son diagnosed with autism I have never been alone in my struggle as I have always been a companion with all these mothers and fathers who are here today looking out for our children looking out for the children of those who come after us I have been accompanied by friends professionals doctors teachers and everyone who without having somewhat with autism uh with autism uh diagnosis in their family have accompanied my son me and each of the families who today are representing the autism community in our city thank you so much thank you all hi my name is m I'm the founder of artism Hope El Inc and this is my son vent res elction I app appreciate elas mayor Oscar Lisa and City representative for making time and effort to Proclaim April is autism acceptance month autism spectrum disorder is a lifelong condition many cases proed with age and approprate services people can complete many different tasks and overcome obstacles in their lifetime unfortunately there is still a huge need for appropriate services and inclusion in the world with this Proclamation and your support we can brid the gap between awareness and acceptance I met young mother with a three year old son and half father at the local restaurant am man ago this young boy was non B and could only focus on his tablet I noticed that H son is Artistic so I started to talk to her she felt unwelcome everywhere she goes some people told her that she was spoiling her son I realized I had a similar experiences with my oldest son who had artism we still struggle and the meat obstacles after 24 years we will be ready for the next challenge can we change the minds and perceptions of the of those who would only see how different and not how wonderful the Le are I want to say thank you to the city of El Paso for showing your support for each Year's work towards complete artism awareness and inclusion we cannot do it without that cies support thank you so much good morning honorable mayor Oscar liser and representatives my name is camil Maldonado rera and I am the board of directors Vice chair for Beautiful Minds Mali I am here with our director Magda GSA uh our Treasurer Miss Michelle Lopez and our secretary Miss gracela Cora Beautiful Minds Mal is a nonprofit organization dedicated to Bringing opportunities to individuals with all abilities in the areas of Science and in and art we focus our effort on inclusivity bringing all types of opportunities to our community focusing on individuals with disabilities and their family members allows us to include include people with all abilities to grow together we understand that providing certain accommodations and modifications make it makes it easier for all kinds of people to be part of any activity we offer opportunities in science and engineering by guiding the participants in experiments and handson learning experiences that help them develop their curiosity and explore the possibilities of what is around them in the area of art we have a yearly art exhibition by individuals with different abilities and siblings and it is our biggest event we have partnered with the El Paso Museum of Art to provide this opportunity for our community the purpose of this exhibition is to include individuals with all abilities in a significant occasion that will showcase their strengths and skills sometimes the participants and their family members don't even know they have the skills a lot of times they learn to develop the skills through our teachings we provide materials art sessions accommodations a modification of the work for each one of the of them to learn methods or ways of creating an art piece at the end of the day each participant learns a skill and he or she creates the art piece with what was topped most of the art pieces are created on canvas with the use of acrylic paint alcohol ink or even washable paint some pieces are created on wood with the use of rocks resin paint and glitter materials like cardboard form board Fabric clister and lights are used to accentuate and make other details in the art every participant brings an idea and the Beautiful Mind Mal staff makes sure that those tool those they have the tools I apologize needed to to ex execute the idea as well as the appropriate accommodations for them to be a part of it we want them to express themselves and learn about all the possibilities that are to do so our exhibition is focus is a focus opportunity for individuals with disabilities and their siblings because as parents of an individual with a disability we know how difficult it is to find these opportunities for our kids I am the mom of a child that is on the autis spectrum and sometimes it is hard to think that we can be part of something that we've never even tried before and for persons with disabilities it is even scarier at some point opportunities like this are needed in the city of El Paso so they know that trying something new is a good thing and that they can Excel while doing it Beautiful Mind Mal will continue to work in providing this and other opportunities to the community so that the individuals that have never had the chance to be a part of something like this can do so we have a location at 7145 Industrial Avenue so that we can bring opportunities to everyone in our community including those on the autism spectrum we are very proud of our participants we want to continue encouraging families and the City's population to see the best in each of their members especially those with a disability like autism if opportunities like this continue to exist our community will grow in understanding and accepting and all the members of our Beau of our beautiful city of AP pasle will feelit included respected and loved so thank you for proclaiming autism April as autism acceptant months making visible to the community the importance of understanding and creating an inclusive environment for these individuals to grow and embrace their differences thank you thank you thank you all Mr Mayor um council members good morning good morning my name is Antonio Moreno the lady here is U arela Garcia she's the founder of uh dundo mimundo and um also the mother of a kid with a autism um at uh tundo mimundo we're dedicated to our raising awareness educating the community promoting Solutions and supporting for support for families with people with the autism spectrum disorder and as well as related conditions um we achieved this by carrying out awareness campaigns on social networks media social events uh participating with B business and interactions with the people around us in every day we are committed to increase and the understanding and accept of people acceptance of people with Autism we guante the access to information and services as well increase the Early Childhood uh diagnosis of of the condition um our activities include um summer camp uh my friends Club a picnic and PR and a magazine called wellness and um I thank you we thank you for uh for your time and um thank you for um being aware of autism thank you thank you you know I think it's um really important when you talk about children with autism has a parent or grandparent to see it and acknowledge it but then do something and I think that's one of the hardest things um I do have a grandson that's low on the Spectrum but it um sometimes you deny you're in denial of um as a parent in I think it's important that you get them help and because there's so much available to them and I thank you all for for being here and while yall were talking I I I looked up the picture of my grandson and put a smile on my face so thank you all we're going to go to item 27 that kind of fits with this so um Miss PR yes sir item number 27 is discussion and action to approve a resolution recognizing World Down syndrome and the work being done to facilitate a long and productive life for people with Down Syndrome this item was placed by mayor protm Kennedy good morning judge good morning the honorable Judge moody this is a change judge usually you're sitting up in front that's right on the other side I'm on the other side whereas Down syndrome day is being observed in the city of El Paso Texas on March 26 2024 to promote awareness of the many ways that we benefit by ensuring that persons with Down Syndrome are supported encouraged and included in our communities and whereas Down syndrome the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition occurs in individuals who have a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21 one of the 700 babies born in the United States each year is born with Down syndrome and whereas medical advances have sign significantly increased the life expectancy of people with Down Syndrome which is now approaching that of peers without the condition in addition to the advantages of modern medicine support groups and other resources are now available in nearly every community in the United States and whereas when provided with quality education programs a stimulating home environment good health care and support from family and friends people with Down Syndrome can lead fulfilling and productive lives much progress has been made through the vision and hard work of parents researchers medical professionals and other Advocates who have helped secure the rights of people with Down Syndrome to live at home attend schools access appropriate Health Care get married find work and contribute to society while research and early intervention have dramatically improved the lifespan and quality of persons with the condition more work remains to be done to fully comprehend the causes and to explore po IAL treatments and whereas in 2011 the United Nations General Assembly declared March 21st as World Down syndrome Day this year the city of El Paso Texas is joining with other cities and countries around the globe in recognition of this special event and all the citizens of the city of El Paso are encouraged to take part by helping build a culture of Greater respect and inclusion for those living with Down Syndrome let it be resolved that the mayor and City Council of El Paso recognizes March 26 2024 as World Down syndrome day in the city of El Paso and honors the accomplishments and contributions made by men and women with Down syndrome and it's going to be signed by the mayor of El Paso and I would make the mo motion to approve you want to or no okay judge please all right well first of all thank you mayor liser and mayor protm Kennedy distinguished members of the city representatives for the city of El Paso thank you for recognizing us once again we've been here many years uh you've always been very supportive and and uh for the community Down syndrome Community it was very nice that the it worked out that we got to share a platform uh with our brothers and sisters uh with autism who also share disabilities it's good to see them here today uh some of you you know the Gigi's Playhouse is a by its name it sounds like a really fun place and and it is uh many of you mayor liser uh mayor protim Kennedy uh representative FOH have have been to the playhouse and recognize what a joy it is but we do so many more things than just have fun uh it's a it's a place it's an achievement Center primarily uh for those of you that are not familiar with GG's Playhouse it is the only brick and mortar facility uh location here in El Paso that provides educational therapeutic and career development programs for people with Down Syndrome uh it it goes from people with all ages oh that mayor's waving it is his favorite there Melissa everybody oh some of the others are here with us so it is a uh from prenatal diagnosis to our our even senior citizens uh we we have a a we we're a group that is has a lifelong commitment to all people with Down Syndrome my wife who who founded the organization here locally which is part of a National Organization uh we have many of our parents here and some of our other uh members here some of them in in some of our programs whether they're the uh fantastic friends or the the teen programs the children's programs like I said we we work very hard to educate Inspire and believe in all of the work that we do uh thank you so much I know my daughter probably be shorter than me in her comments but probably much [Applause] better good morninga how you doing good morning morning Melissa good morning Mala good morning ma'am good good morning Ma and City cancer thank you for helping me and my friends please come visit X's Playhouse soon have a great day hey Melissa Melissa Melissa I got a question for you the mayor was something I got a question for you can you see me up here right here I got a question for you I've known you a really really long time hi and um you know I love you she loves you too thank you m I hope I come out [Laughter] soon she she reminded me that uh come please come visit us uh if you have not already uh we're located at the shops at salano the former Sunland Park Mall and you can learn more about us at GG's playhouse.org so thank you we got a vote on it who need to vote there is a motion made by mayor protm Kennedy seconded by representative Salo to approve the resolution on that motion call for the vote you ready okay and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously we now move to item number 29 item 29 is discussion and action to approve a resolution recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention month and April 5th 2024 as goblue day in order to help raise awareness and create systems and programs that put Children and Families First and this item was submitted by representative Riva you yes resoltion are 4985 where there are there were 4,980 98 4,985 completed investigations and 1,662 confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect in the the no Paso area and fiscal year 2023 and whereas there were 1,869 youth served by dfps prevention programs in the El Paso area and in fiscal year 2023 whereas child abuse and neglect can be reduced by making sure each family has the support they need to raise their child's uh children safe nurturing and healthy environment and by informing families about Community Resources available where they could help prevent a family crisis help them overcome one whereas preventing child abuse and neglect is a community responsibility and finding Solutions is contingent upon involvement among people throughout the community and whereas our community has taken a proactive approach in the prevention of child abuse with the formation of Coalition of prevention of child abuse that is comprised of over 70 agencies organizations School daycare centers and businesses that are actively involved in preventing child abuse through the education and advocacy and now therefore be resolved by the city of Al Paso city council that the city of El Paso recognizes the importance of Child Abuse Prevention through education and advocacy to our community and the month of April shall be known as Child Abuse Prevention month and April 5th 2024 shall be known as go Blue day which will be signed by mayor Oscar liser uh I make the motion to approve second can we take the vote thank you good morning how are you thank you good morning I'm well my name is Victoria colon and I'm the community engagement specialist with the Department of Family and protective services on behalf of the Department of um Department of Family and protective services and all those in our community who work in child welfare dfps extends our most sincere gratitude to Mayor Lisa representative Retta and city council members in fiscal year 2023 there were 41,4 n youth served by dfps prevention programs 1,869 of those in the El Paso area dfps staff amongst other partnering partnering agencies collaborate daily to ensure the safety and provide resources to families in the El Paso Community collaborative collaboratively these agencies work day in and day out to ensure that children and families in the El Paso Community are provided the tools they need to promote strong families staff at dfps is dedicated to serving the community and strengthening families through prevention together the imposto community service serves as crucial pieces to the puzzle that promote strong healthy families and essentially change the lives of children dfps is forever grateful for the commitment and support of the El Paso Community thank you for declaring the month of April as Child Abuse Prevention month thank you m PR will go back to our last Proclamation and there is a motion made by representative seconded by representative F to approve the resolution on that motion call for the vote in the voting session and the motion passes unanimously alternate mayor protim mol not present you know um I just want to say one last thing in on the last resolution and um you know you can never protect a child enough and a child's mind is something that we need to continue to grow and um you know as you read that um I just thought of that you could never ever ever protect a child enough and um I think um we need to continue to protect our children love hug and kiss them thank you thank you mayor we now return to the proclamations the final Proclamation is greater Al Paso Association a realtor day see this is proof that children come at all [Laughter] ages right Scott children come at all ages I said they do I do need to thank you for not bringing Andrew Hagerty with you whereas today we stand in proud recognition of the greater El Paso Association of Realtors or Ghar and its governmental Affairs committee their unwavering dedication and passionate advocacy over the past year have not only set a high standard for civic engagement but have also brought distinguished honor to our beloved city of El Paso it is with immense Pride that we celebrate Gear's achievement of winning the prestigious 2024 Mark lhan local board governmental Affairs Achievement Award on an Accolade that speaks volumes of their commitment to our community and the real estate profession and whereas this year Ghar exceeded over 10 other associations from major Texas cities including Houston Dallas and San Antonio to clinch this esteemed award this Monumental Victory is a testament to the tireless efforts and Collective Spirit of all volunteer members of Ghar who have dedicated countless hours to advocating for property rights engaging in meaningful Community initiatives and ensuring that El Paso remains a wonderful place to live work and Thrive whereas the greater El Paso Association of Realtors achievements in governmental Affairs have not only enhanced the local real estate landscape but have also contributed significant to the significantly to the betterment of our community their successful campaigns including a remarkable Victory against prop K and the development of short-term rental Alliance exemplify their excellence in advocacy and their profound impact on the public policy and whereas the city of El Paso congratulates gbar for this well-deserved recognition your hard work passion for advocacy and dedication to improving our community have truly made a difference the 2024 Mark Leman local board governmental Affairs Achievement Award is not just a trophy to be displayed but a symbol of the remarkable contributions that you've made to our city and the standard of Excellence you've set for realtors across the state and whereas your dedication to El Paso and its residents shine as a beacon of community service and civic pride we look forward to witnessing and supporting your continued contributions and successes in the years to come now therefore be it proclaimed by the mayor and City Council of the city El Paso that March 26 2024 shall be known as greater El Paso Association of realtor's day in witness thereof is The Honorable mayor Oscar liser congratulations thank you uh my name is Scott ker I have the honor of serving governmental Fair chair for the gr Paso Association Realtors in 2024 I'd like to introduce some of the some of the leadership with me Jackie York is our Texas realtor issues policy member also tree pack trustee alumni Isabelle shakon political involvement committee general for V esus is a Texas realtor director DJ MOA Texas realtor RVP AE Tony Delgado Association Executive Tony Delgado and Ernesto Garcia I think the best Gad In the entire state of Texas and last but certainly not least our 2024 president Shad Rodriguez number one thank you for the pro Proclamation uh the mark Leman award is the most preig prestigious award in Texas for any local Association it's especially significant to me because I got to served with Mark for 15 years as a volunteer at Texas Realtors he truly made Texas Realtors the voice for real estate in Texas the award is a result of outstanding Volunteers in our association not only in governmental Affairs but in all aspects of our community I need to thank each representative and City staff for working with us in 2023 on on a number of issues together we work to make decisions that were in the best interest of home ownership private property rights and the city of El Paso there was not always agreement but there was always dialogue and respect for each person's position home ownership is the strength behind local communities and truly the American dream in El Paso in the last year over 2,000 2,000 veterans and their families bought and moved into the American dream in El Paso an additional 2400 families bought in our community using FHA financing that is exclusively for owner occupant with a majority being first-time home buyers greater El Paso Association of Realtors over 3,000 members will continue to help all home purchasers and sellers navigate the real estate transaction and represent their fiduciary interest 2024 will certainly bring challenges to all of us but but I say with confidence the greater Al Paso Association Realtors under the leadership of 2024 president Shad Rodriguez and with over 3,000 members these challenges will be met again thank you for the recognition but most of all thank you for working with us to make El Paso a great place to call home thank [Applause] you and I do want to thank Miss York she's been my my appointments to CAD for eight years now so thank you for serving yes ma'am did you want to continue with a consent agenda uh we need to we'll finish the last with cessor Chavis yes sir yes ma'am and then we'll go to that we now move to item number 28 item 28 is discussion and action to approve a resolution to recognize March 31st 2024 as Cesar E Chavez Day via Cesar Chavez as part of continued efforts to address systematic barriers to racism inclusiveness fair and higher wages celebrate and uplift communities of color this item was submitted by representative Riva thank you representative Rea thank you mayor thank you Mr Brian resolution whereas Cesar E Chavez was an American born on March 31st 19 19 27 to Mexican immigrants and proudly served in the United States Navy and whereas Cesar Chavez Cesar E Chavis was an American Farm worker labor leader and civil rights activist who with Dolores wherea co-founded the national Farm Workers Association that later became the United F workers union and whereas for 30 years Cesar E Chavis tenaciously devoted himself to the problems of the workers in America and for as the social movement Cesar E Chavis inspired succeeded in in raising salaries and improving working conditions for Farm Workers in California Texas Arizona and Florida and whereas on March 28th 2014 President Obama proclaimed March 31st as the national Cesar E Chavis day a day devoted to the promotion of service to the community in honor of his distinguished lifetime work and for what he he's taught us about making America a stronger more just and more prosperous nation and whereas on June 22nd 2022 the city of El Paso unanimously approved designating March 31st as a municipal holiday in honor of the late civil rights leader and activist Cesar a Chavez and whereas local organizations like service employees International Union honor Cesar E Chavez Legacy by standing in solidarity improving employees lives by addressing systematic barriers and racism improving employment conditions and fighting for equal and higher wages for union members and now therefore it be resolved by the mayor and Council of the city of El Paso that March 31st 2024 shall be known as Cesar Chavez Day vies Travis make a motion motion to approve second second a motion in a second and a couple people to speak welcome good morning mayor and honorable M of the city council on behalf of our healthcare workers union I stand before you with a heart filled with gratitude it is a profound honor to receive recognition on Cesar Chavez Day a day that celebrates the legacy of a true champion for social justice and workers rights the recognition bestowed upon us today serves as a reminder of the vital role that organizing labor plays in our community it reaffirms our commitment to advocating for fair wages safe working conditions and Equitable treatment for all healthcare workers as we celebrate Cesar Chavez Day let us draw inspiration from leg from his legacy and recommit ourselves to the ongoing struggle for social justice and workers rights together United in purpose and solidarity we can build a brighter future for all thank you city council for honoring our Union and Rec izing the invaluable contributions of our healthcare workers did Mr IA come with you today I'm sorry Mr IA I no he didn't okay thank [Applause] you we do have a motion in a second yes there was a motion made by representative Rea seconded by representative Salo to approve item 28 on that motion call for the vote representative Pedro thank you in the voting session and that motion passes unanimously want to take the consent agenda sir would you like to recess or take the consent the consent agenda real quick thank you that brings us to the consent agenda item four page five all matters listed consent agenda you got to go first will be considered by city council to be routined and will be enacted by one motion unless separate discussion is requested by council members prior to the vote members of the audience may ask questions regarding items on the consent agenda when the vote has been taken If an item has not been called out for separate discussion the item has been approved Council May however reconsider any item at any time during the meeting mayor Pro thanks I was anxious it's by following proper procedure uh page four item five postponed for two weeks per representative oo page six item 13 postponed for two weeks per representative Rivera page 14 item 38 Revis per purchasing and strategic sourcing and that revision is to include the funding source as Zoo operating fund account number 452-3400 d5214 5311 0-p 5242 and noting District as all I'm glad you read the hard part page 18 item 47 move to the Forefront of the regular agenda per representative Hernandez move to approve and Council there is public comment on item number 12 and this is a resolution to authorize a city manager or designate to sign the documents related to the Environmental Protection Agency climate pollution reduction Grant and we have Miss Miss Lisa Turner who signed up to speak M Turner good morning good morning mayor council for the sake of the public could you give us a short breakdown of your plans thank you mayor would you like to would you like to pull that item from consent to the regular agenda she's asking for a breakdown of the application for there's no motion there's no motion to pull it so we'll leave it on there thank you we'll leave it in there thank you representative um Retta I mean um I'm sorry FAL thank you Mr Mayor um I'd like to uh item number 47 postponed for two weeks please to add to the consent it's on consent but it was moved to front and I'm I'm making a motion to postpone it for two weeks thank you yeah 47 okay all right so m yes so there was a a the revisions and that's on page four item five postpone two weeks page six item 13 postpone two weeks page 14 item 38 Revis and page 18 item 47 postponed two weeks is there a second second thank you Motion in a second there is a motion made by mayor protim Kennedy seconded by represent pres ative erandis and this is to approve the consent agenda as revised on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously can we res out now please is there is there a second is there a second teresis second there's a motion in a second to reses as a city council meeting all in favor I anyone opposed and the meeting is in recess at 10:16 in order to take photos with this morning's honor e Council we have eight items that we are recognizing today we're going to start with the STI Awareness Month followed by the diabetes alert day followed by the Alp Paso science week and then we're going to do um the greater El Paso Association of Realtors the autism groups if you could pay attention to me for a quick second those of you who are part of the autism group there are so many of you we're going to go outside in the entrance of City Hall to take our photograph uh but please don't go outside just yet let's if you could stay here and wait till I give you a signal then after the Realtor Association uh realtor day we're going to do World Down syndrome day followed by sesar Chavez Day followed by Child Abuse Prevention month thank you I lose would you mind adding the date I left it there so you can add it yourself okay so if I could get the STI Awareness Month folks in the lobby please with the council members didn't okay really I've been working out but I've gain some paper cut I need to blow my nose if I could get the council members to join us out in the lobby thank you if I could get the council members to join us outside we're going to take a photograph with the STI Awareness Month folks e e if I could get the council members to join us in the lobby area please we are still needing to take the first photograph thank you we are just missing one more council member to join us e e okay we're going to do diabetes alert day for those individuals who are part of the diabetes alert day if you could join us over here in the lobby e e oh yeah e okay if we could get the El Paso science week folks El Paso science week if we could get the folks from El Paso science week out in the lobby please e all right if we could get the realtor of Association to join us Realtor Association to join us out in the lobby the realtors association if they could join us out in the lobby please e for e e may I get the world Down syndrome day folks if I could get the world Down syndrome day folks to join us in the lobby World Down syndrome day you're e if I could get quiet on the set for me please e e e e okay we're going to go ahead and do sesad Chavez Day sesad Chavez sa if I could get the folks from SAR Chavez to join us in the lobby e e can we get the Child Abuse Prevention month folks Child Abuse Prevention okay the last one we're going to do is autism acceptance month and we're going to do several group shots in here actually in the lobby because we're going to do we're going to separate them a little bit the folks in purple shirts the folks in purple shirts first what is it the CD children's disabilities information organization coalition e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e for e e e e e e e e EX Miss PR I think we almost got a quorum yes mayor we need one more council member representative nness is right there can we have a motion to return motion return there's Motion in a second to reconvene the city council meeting all in favor anyone opposed and the meeting is back in session at 1055 a.m. the next item on the agenda is item number 30 and this is discussion and action on directing the City attorney to prepare a resolution amending the city council Rules of Order specifically section 13 right of citizens to be heard to specify that public comment received in writing or letters submitted to become part of the record in accordance with the already established procedure shall upon the request of the submitter be read into the record by the city clerk or staff designate and that the duration of the reading of each submitted letter shall be limited to 3 minutes after which point the reading will be truncated by but the entirety of the text will still be included as part of the record and that the reading of such letters will occur during the public comment period but after all speakers participating either in person or remotely telephonically have had the opportunity to address the city council and this item was placed by repres restive Canalis motion to delete second a motion in a second to delete the item Miss PR we shall I have a motion in a second to delete the item there is a motion by mayor protim Kennedy second it by alternate mayor protim molard to delete mayor I have a point of clarification if if representative Canales was first to speak doesn't he give the opportunity to make the first motion but once we get a motion to delete stops all conversation doesn't one have to hold the floor to make a motion theoretically uh we haven't been doing that uh this would be a a new thing since everybody just seems to make a motion in a second so we have a motion in a second to delete the item yes there is a motion and a second to delete item number 30 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and the motion passes 523 Representatives Kennedy molinar salcio Fierro Rivera voting I Representatives ACO ernandez Canales voting naate the motion to delete does carry that brings us to item number 31 item 31 is discussion of the progress toward implementation of the targeted code assessment adopted by resolution by the city council on October 10th 2023 to include current status total funds expended progress toward final review adoption which is targeted for February March 2024 in the council approved timeline and plan for completion and this item was submitted by representative Canales Canales thank you mayor um yes this is uh this is an item that I wanted to bring forward because uh the council uh in a meeting on October 10th of last year adopted a resolution uh to formally adopt the infill and Redevelopment uh policy uh targeted code assessments that were proposed uh last year uh this was a sizable project uh the city hired an outside consultant um to uh help us develop these recommendations um and again last year in October the council uh formally adopted a resolution that directed the city manager and staff to implement uh the targeted code assessment in a manner generally consistent with the recommended strategies and policies contained within the plan and generally consist uh consistent with the recommend recommended implementation phases um I have that uh timeline here in front of me and it shows uh fall of last year winter 2023 uh a public draft release mid November public Outreach beginning in early January of 2024 and a final review uh presented to the council for adoption in february/march of 2024 uh that hasn't come back to us yet uh I am not aware of any public Outreach that's happened uh and again this is a a council adopted plan with the council adopted timeline uh the council adopted it unanimously uh by by a vote of the council in October of last year um and so I'm I'm seeking an update on where we are on this project um again I know we've expended a significant amount of funds it was I believe a budgeted at $350,000 um and a lot of that has been expended already on the the work of the consultant um and so uh I'm I'm seeking an update yes good morning uh mayy and Council Sam Rodriguez chief operations officer so we did receive a draft document uh late January uh early February uh for a review we've been vetting it internally uh with staff and so we're developing a plan that uh reviews the proposes changes as well as uh understand what it means from a comprehensive uh update for the whole Title 20 as well and what future updates may be required so that it can be more implemented um more comprehensively as well uh we're developing that plan we'll be running it uh by the city manager with an updated uh timeline and we'll be bringing back to to council uh likely through a work session so that we can uh get Council um to review it and then begin the public Outreach again on the full plan by the full plan you mean the targeted code assessments that were adopted in October it's the code am the code the code amendments um that have been proposed that were submitted in late January um but we want to make sure that we look at it comprehensively uh so we've been working with plan inspection staff uh to understand the whole impact of what that means again from Title 18 as well we just kicked off the comp plan as well so we want to make sure that we understand how that fits while the puzzle pieces uh put the plan together and then bring forward any code amendments that were presented but also present the to city council what additional amendments may be required comprehensively for Title 20 as a whole so Mr Rodriguez with respect there there were two uh segments of of code amendments that were proposed that the council adopted back not the the Amendments weren't adopted but the plan to implement them was adopted back in October um um the the first set was labeled quick fixes um these were code amendments that did not have to be done together with a comprehensive Plan update that didn't have to be done with a comprehensive rewrite of of Title 18 or Title 20 uh these were supposed to be Standalone quick wins they're labeled in staff's presentation as quick fixes that could be implemented quickly there's another segment called longer term efforts and it details that uh public Outreach happening this summer and uh adoption of those into the future uh but those are very clearly segmented in the the rollout plan for this um again we we were expecting and you know I I've presented to many of my neighborhood associations about this they were very involved in the process of developing this they work together with the Consultants on onward alamaa and the downtown Uptown and surrounding neighborhoods plan and directly uh with the consultant claron on this particular project um so they've they've put put in a lot of time and effort into this as well um and frankly we we were all expecting for that to return to us for adoption by I mean today is the last meeting of of March it says February March 2024 um again with respect I I don't think that this has to be tied into an update of the comprehensive plan or an update of Title 20 that's that's more comprehensive these are specific Standalone code amendments that the council directed staff to prepare and present present To Us by today's meeting understood representative um again uh we received a document uh late January early February so it's been through internal review we'll be developing the plan uh running that through the city manager through our strategic res Business Review spr process uh and bringing that forth to council but again I think from uh an implementation standpoint as well plan inspections needs to be involved through that process so we want to make sure that we get them online so these code amendments can be implemented and that's that's part of the process that we're going through right now we'll be bring in a again like you through a work session an updated plan with an updated timeline we'll be happy to meet with you to share with you what what has been submitted in draft form so you can see what those quick fixes are and see what's coming and give you a preview of that but we want to make sure that we went through our process and that we present a plan that can be implemented and and sustained we we received the the draft back and after having some discussions with both planning and inspections in the Capital Improvements Department felt like we needed do to do a little bit more with that before we would bring that forward to the city council so we'll make sure that you see how we're progressing with that this I don't anticipate that taking too long before we're able to bring that back to the city council we're certainly within the the time frame we had initially talked about you're you're correct so we bring it back by the last meeting I I would ask that we'd have just a little bit more time to get that so that it's uh a much more comprehensive uh look at at these um at the targeted uh code amendments before we bring that forward to you all yeah again I I think it's fair if if staff needs more time but again because it's a council adopted timeline I would just ask that in the future you bring something to the council and say we need a we need more time to look at this we received the the the draft amendments back late something like that um because frankly we we haven't heard anything about this and and the public draft release was supposed to happen mid November I understand we didn't have it in mid November because it didn't come back from the consultant no we didn't didn't get the draft back until a little bit later as well from the consultant so so I agree uh giving you an update on where we are with it to make sure that we're within the the time frames appropriate and we'll make sure we do that do do we have an anticipated time when the public Outreach can begin That was supposed to start early January that's what I told to my constituents to expect early January yeah we we need to develop that plan again we we were working on it I need to run it by the city manager um through our internal process and we'll be happy to share that with Council again through uh via email and then formally do a work session item to present that to you okay uh that's all my questions for now thank you represent caneles uh representa fedal thank you mayor pushing the wrong button sorry thank you um first you know these Amendment changes changes to the to the um uh code Amendments have such far you know repercussions it and so I for one um thank you for not bringing this to us earlier or Half Baked um we've had uh examples of that in the past like the short-term rental um issues that we went through early on uh I I would I would encourage um the city manager to continue to um not bring things to the council half-baked and and so Mr Rodriguez please continue to to do your work and and U keep us informed and and help us to keep our constituents safe and happy thank you mayor thank you sir representative nandes U no I just wanted to reiterate that I agree with representative Canales um every time that we bring forward a resolution it's it's not been um addressed timely and so what I would recommend U because there are timelines that we've put forward uh similarly to this that have not come forward and so as it relates to the code amendments this is a big investment that the city of Al Paso has made with these Consultants um in addition to that the time and effort of staff and the public vetting and so these plans aren't just plans as other folks have said here just so that you can shove them these are plans that are going to improve neighborhoods and that they're going to help with uh completing neighborhoods and they're going to be appropriately Set uh the standards for neighborhoods so that we're not having to pay for them 20 30 years down the road and so I do want to reemphasize that this is a priority for my district as well it should be for the entire City I agree don't bring something forward to us that's not complete but please educate us who are very interested in making sure that our policies are sound they're improved they're being inclusive they're complete neighborhoods that we are holding the developers accountable so that they finish the neighborhoods appropriately so that we're not having to do the work behind the scenes to put speed cushions to put better sidewalks to put trees to put anything that a neighborhood needs that they wave bike Lanes so right now your code allows for you to do all of those administrative amendments we just wave all of our uh needs for our neighborhood we're just waving them administratively I disagree with that we need to have these uh this plan forward we need to take it seriously because my assumption here is that we're just shelving this aside after we've made this incredible investment we owe it to the taxpayer to make sure that this comes to frish um in addition to that what I would like to see and this might be a practice during your spr is go back over the year look at all the resolutions and all the timelines that we have put together because I can name a few but I've already asked for updates from the city manager because I'm having to seek those updates because no one on your city management team is coming to us proactively to keep on with these timelines if you can't achieve them just communicate that but there's got to be some kind of project management organization with all of these requests because I'm not seeing it on my end my hope is that you have it on your end it's just not being communicated to us but going back to this particular um work mixed use development rein reinvestment into neighborhoods you're having um a lot of development in the Northeast east side and west side where we're already experiencing long um periods of traffic uh we need to like I'm saying we need to get serious about this I I just want to reemphasize that if you're not taking it seriously please do so thanks if I can respond mayor um that's the reason why we're doing the comprehensive review because the quick fixes that were ipated to come before Council we're focused on the Uptown downtown court area and so really understanding what that means from a Citywide standpoint and how we can roast some of those changes beyond that and what other changes may be required to address the issues that representative randz was bringing forth is the reason why we're taking this time but we understand the timing component representative NZ and we'll be looking those resolutions as well thank you well you know and I would I want to respond to that um because I I I don't think it's uh it's fair to say that we're not taking it seriously we we are we have done the uh work with the consultant you don't have to look at staff you can look to me you know I know the draft is supposed to be done um in this time frame it's my responsibility to make sure I communicate that to you if that's not the case I'll take the hit on this being pushed further but I'm I am not allowing our staff to bring It Forward if I don't believe that the draft work that's been done is comprehensive enough so so I'm responsible for that and I'll make sure that we bring that forward thank you sir mayor protm that you take yourself off or were you're next go ahead you're no I just pushed the wrong button um have you been asked for updates on this issue previously to this uh not since the the Council made the approval of the uh adopted the timeline no I I have not oh thank you Ober Canales thank you mayor um I just I'm G to emphasize one more time because I've heard a few times that the the targeted Amendments have been held back because of a need to look at Citywide comprehensive amendments I want to I'm looking at slide 17 from the presentation that was given to the council in October it it lists the tier one targeted code amendments and then it says in quotes quick fixes it says that they will address commonly cited issues that are expected to have broad support quick fixes can be used to test New Concepts or enhance tools and that is an advance of tier two the new tools which is a more complex uh code update and other changes that weren't more in-depth discussion Citywide and so again we we very deliberately and when I say we I don't mean the council the council adopted this but this was something that staff developed uh developed this two-tier structure where the first tier would be implemented in the focused area being only at uh you know it's it's it's the overlap of certain plan areas the downtown and Uptown uh and surrounding neighborhoods plan the uh the top incentive areas in the core of the city uh the onward alamaa corridor plan it's uh I would say 90% of the area is contained entirely within District 8 uh with small areas looking like they Branch into maybe District Two and District three um but the bulk of this is within District 8 uh because these were supposed to be done as a test before the comprehensive uh rewrite and and so I I just want to emphasize one more time I I don't think it's appropriate for these to be held back because they need to be incorporated into the Citywide uh uh code rewrite effort the whole point of these was to be done as a test before that um and that's what staff presented to the council and that's what the resolution that the council adopted uh emphasized and and and affirmed um so again uh you know we we've gone through the process over several years years now where the city has adopted the complete streets policy that plays into this the Tod incentive policy that I know is being looked at but that plays into this onward alamaa downtown Uptown surrounding neighborhoods plan the infill and Redevelopment policy which was refreshed uh in the last couple of years um this is the implementation strategy for for the the findings of all of those those plans and you know we do face criticism all the time that the city pays for plans and then they sit on the Shelf I've been assuring people that that's not the case anymore we have robust implementation planned I've shown them this presentation from October uh you know to try to put them at ease that we're we're yes we're spending all this money and you're you know we're asking them to invest all this time with the Consultants but this will be implemented and here's the timeline for it and that that's why uh I'm bringing this forward like I I just I can't stress enough that I you know we we are promising this publicly and then I I'm I'm wary of us not delivering on it and losing the trust that we have tried to build recently um and and again that's that's my motivation for bringing this forward today thank you mayor thank you sir thank you representative mayor poam yeah I I mean I understand and I if it if it should have come back with an update I understand that um I get concerned where we're not going to ask you any questions we're just going to wait and trot it out in a council meeting and then ask for an update and I I just think it's bad policy to do that thank you and um again um there's no one else on here I want to thank you and and I I think you all see the importance of us and I think Council would rather see it complete and ready to go instead of bringing something I think as representative F said Half Baked um but uh we would like and I think you said you would do some updates coming up uh so I appreciate that and and I think everybody up here that spoke um got their point across but we do appreciate that you did bring it you're willing to bring it back when ready thank you for that thank you mayor thank you Miss PR item 32 yes sir item 32 is discussion and action to direct the city manager to facilitate the hosting of no less than three public Community meetings with hybrid virtual participation options on the proposed amendment adjustments to impact fees to include presentations from the city planning and inspections department and Al Paso water on the existing impact fee structure for water and wastewater Services the proposal to amend land use assumptions that Capital Improvements plan the calculated proposed impact fees and the financial impact to rate payers and that such meeting shall be held before the scheduled public hearing on April 23rd 2024 this item was placed by representatives ernandez and Canales move to approve there's a motion and a second to approve Renee can I ask you a question sir and then we have questions too and then you're you'll be yes ma'am I was just going to make a statement but I'm happy okay if you would like to use your priv speak just want to ask a question I know that uh we're looking at New Impact fees and kind of calculating and see whether we change will not change so let's say I have a large development in part of town and I've built 200 homes and I still have 2,000 or 3,000 but I haven't brought the meters to this point because it's a planned Community if Council adopts a higher rate will that developer have to pay the higher rate uh good morning mayor uh Rene Leon legislative Leon with pass a water if the developer is not applied for a permit uh for those remaining Lots he would have to pay the higher rate at the time whatever it may be adopted whenever after after whatever Council does the new rates would be in effect at the time that he pulls those permits so any developer that has lots but they have not applied yet would be subject to any changes whether it's a planned community of thousands of homes or somebody that has subdivided thousands of lots they will be subject to the higher pay yes sir if if they are in an impact fee Zone yes sir yes sir thanks for that I appreciate that yes sir representative erandis well I just thank you mayor I just wanted to make sure that um the council is aware that this item is just to ask for public Community meetings that we're not asking for public hearings because that triggers other things here at city council uh the language is very specific just to talk about public Community meetings and so um had a conversation with City management um as well with El Pasa water um the reason why uh there is a an appetite for this is because we're hearing from members of the community that they'd like to hear more directly from um our land assumption models and including El Pasa water um the type of meetings um I think we could you know set that discretion to whatever works best for Pasa water um we're very uh very appreciative that you're willing to um continue the conversation with the public uh with open dialogue and transparency um you know I think what's been a great model that's worked in the past for Community meetings is um open houses uh so that because this is very technical that I think it would allow for that one-on-one with uh you know different residents who have specific questions especially if they live in a impact area and how they could be potentially impacted of course if they're planning to move to an area because this is all new development area um and so the again the purpose is just to seek a meeting um so that we can share the information about the process land use assumptions and the proposed rates of by um the consultant of Al Pasa water and then um after those meetings are concluded uh during our discussions at the time of public hearing would I would ask you know how did what kind of feedback you got from from those meetings both from our planning department as well as El Pasa water but uh would would love to continue the dialogue with the public this is a very important issue and and we know the public could um benefit from hearing more directly from Al Pasa water and our planning department so thank you for that cooperation Rene of course uh and just for everyone's benefit um I think representative randis captured it perfectly uh we're planning three Community meetings uh one near each impact fee zone so that would be West uh Northeast Central and East uh we'll do it ahead of the April 23rd public hearing uh and we'll just try to bring as many people into the into the fold as possible to share information thank you sir representative um Canales thank you mayor and thank you for being here Renee um I just want to be extra clear here too you know you're you're not our staff yes we we're not directing you to do this uh I appreciate that El Pasa water is is willing to do this um you know the the direction was to our staff to help facilitate meetings and uh you know we're grateful that you're willing to to help present and and take care of those meetings um I think they're important because you know we've gotten a lot of questions from the public about what does this even mean what is an impact fee uh it's something that doesn't come up very often you know it's every every uh few years and uh it's it's also very highly technical so I think it's it's just a subject that a lot of people don't know a whole lot about um and this will help people to get their questions answered to understand uh the decision that the council is going to have to make um and to just understand development a little bit better and and what it you know what the impact of impact fees yeah thank you councilman uh thank you we're already in coordination with planning to try to get the information distilled as easily as possible so that the public can hear it can understand it and can be informed when it comes time for the public hearing uh so so we're working with Kevin Smith with Philip Pou staff and we'll make sure that everything's easily understandable a truncated version of the hour and a half presentations that we've given here before thank you excellent I appreciate it thank you very much represent furo uh thank you mayor it's no secret that I'm a I'm personally opposed to enhancing the county and Horizon City's tax base by having the homes move on into those areas at the expense of city um um taxpayers uh would you mind though Mr um lyan sharing the whatever presentation you plan on on showing the public uh with us the council before before the presentation yes sir once we put it together uh we should have it complete by next week and I'll send that to everyone thank you so much thank you may thank you thank you sir uh representa molard thank you mayor um Mr Leon thank you very much for being here and I just wanted to know who is going to actually take the lead in these presentations uh I'll pass the water I'll take the lead you it's our study so it's our information that we want to present uh so we'll go ahead and take the lead but we are going to work in close coordination with City staff okay so you have already identified three different sites specifically you already have a site for the Northeast you mentioned Central Northeast we haven't booked any venues pending today's vote um but preliminarily we're looking at uh the Don Haskin Center on the west uh probably the Veterans Park Recreation Center in the Northeast and the uh Far East uh Regional Park on the east said okay and do you know the format of that meetings uh we're going to do an open house style format so we're going to have stations uh with boards and information and staff ready to answer questions and attendees can go from Station to Station get information get their questions answered uh and it'll be a it'll be a very very easy to manage format rather than sitting down and presenting information for an hour and a half well I respectfully disagree I uh heard many times from different constituents whether they go to let's just say open house whether it's tex. and I'm not putting them down or any other city meetings where they're open house style if you will and you're just free to roam and ask questions and you see diagrams they also ask you to hey put a sticker here if you accept this put a blue sticker put a green sticker If you don't like this put a red sticker you know to me that's not necessarily the best the feedback that we receive it doesn't work people are reluctant to participate well first of all they're reluctant to attend and second they're reluctant to even participate in that manner so I would like to see if possible you know with you the Mr Balo and your team and your effort to go back to open house or excuse me a a you know where you sit down there's a PowerPoint presentation it's English and Spanish there's question and answer period and people get to understand maybe even passing passing out uh some literature of some sort so that when people leave they have something to home to take home if they have any questions they have a format that hey I can call this person I can respond uh by sending an email something like that I I think we can we can pick the best of both formats for this uh the trouble we've had with sit down formal presentations is someone can walk in late misinformation it's a lot of information especially on this topic to take in which is why we feel the openhouse staff to attendee format is better uh we can provide some sort of fact sheet so that people can walk away with the the key facts on the issue um and another benefit of the open house is people can walk in whenever they want and start the process uh rather than having to walk in at the beginning and stay through the end um but what our staff can do to make sure that everyone feels as informed as possible is give a presentation on that station rather than just sit there and wait for questions to be asked they can go through the information make sure everyone understands it answer questions on the spot and if someone needs a little more time staff is there to talk to them a little longer and I know it's probably too early but do you have a day of the week uh no sir we don't yet okay as it would be possible if you could come back to us as City Representatives here at a future city council meeting during that same time period to get the the announcement out to get more feedback more input from the community as well sure we can work with uh with your office or with representative hernandz or Canal's office to get on the agenda uh but even before it makes it onto agenda we can send the information directly to you and your staff and if you want to publicize it that that way that'll help us get a there and Mr Leon I'd personally like to be briefed uh by El Pasa water before you start the meetings thank you we can get that arrange thank you good morning mayor and city council Kevin Smith with plan inspections good morning sir so we'll work with um El housea water staff um and our Pio office to uh arrange those meetings and and uh determine that and as well as work with the representative offices as well in case uh like to Pigg back off of those meetings as well thank you for that sir thank you with that M PR yes sir there's a motion made by representative ernandez seconded by representative Gales to approve item 32 on that motion call for the vote in the voting session and the motion passes unanimously thank you for being here thank you both that brings us to item 33 and this is discussion an action to authorize the expenditure of District 5 discretionary funds in an amount not to exceed $5,000 for the office of District 5 to attend and participate at the 2024 National Association of Latino elected and appointed an officials 41st conference serving Municipal Purpose By enhancing education and government participation covering our Municipal vision and strategic goals this item was placed by representative salido motion to approve there is a motion made by representative Sal second by representative F to approve item 33 on that motion call for the vote item 33 I'm sorry ma'am I don't I don't have you on on the list what' you say public comment Miss Turner would like to speak on this item mayor I'm sorry Mar I wasn't going to try to get up until I knew I was going to be able to speak I'm not picking on District 5 but in September of last year there was $44,000 to go to uh tml conference now there's $5,000 going to this conference uh if these trips serve the city then I think it's best that my Council put a line item in the budget for this and not come from discretionary funds that's my suggestion thank you thank you m Turner there's a motion in a second yes mayor the voting session is open Council and the voting session and the motion passes unanimously that brings us to page number 11 to items 34 and 35 these These are the introduction of ordinances first reading first reading there's a motion made by representative Riva second by representative Fiero and this is to approve the first reading of ordinances items 34 and 35 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously the next item is number 38 and this is discussion and action on the award of solicitation 20243 n to meridor Enterprises Inc the project will consist of a partial demolition of the adjacent lion tail man exhibition and rebuilding of foundation for relocated enclosure reconnecting the public path between exhibitions and maintaining accessibility standards provide two viewing shelters adjacent to public path with control temperature to host two Komodo dragons exterior habitat and back of house improvements this is 36 sir you're up good afternoon dere Russ with purchasing sourcing department so the Strategic goal for this item is goal number four linked to subsection 4.1 uh this was a competitive sale proposal for 2024 0039 Koto Dragon exhibits there were 18 views online three bids were received all coming from local suppliers and no protest were received for this requirement and we are recommending award as indicated to miror Enterprises Inc the highest ranked offer based on the evaluation factors for this solicitation I believe they have a presentation that move to approve you want to see a presentation there's a motion in a second I got a go ahead representative molard how many times has this vendor done business with the city specifically at the zoo specifically at the zoo none as of yet they only have two other projects one was the MSE fitness center and then the other project they awarded was the Sun Metro dire Brio mini station sir thank you for that information pardon there is a motion made by representative Canales seconded by representative Fedor to approve item 36 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously that brings us to item 37 and this is discussion and action on the award of solicitation 2024-25 barricade services to contractors barricade Service Inc DBA Apache barric barricade and sign this contract will provide the city of Al Paso Parks and Recreation Department traffic control equipment and Zone protection for City events move to approve second there is a motion made by alternate mayor protim molar second by representative Canales to approve item 37 on that motion call for the vote voting session is open and the voting session and the motion passes unanimously the next item is number 38 item 38 is discussion and action that the managing director of purchasing and strategic sourcing be authorized to issue purchase orders for solicitation 2024-the do have public comment go ahead we have Frank nent Frank nent he's not in the queue ma'am I don't see him in the queue what's did you did you want to go ahead and yes ma'am proceed yes ma'am thank you the motion was made by representative Fierro seconded by alternate mayor Pro Molin to approve item 38 on that motion call for the vote in the voting session and the motion passes 6 to2 Representatives ernandez molinar salido Rivera Canales voting I Representatives Kennedy ACO voting a the motion does carry that brings us to item 39 and this is discussion and action on the award of solicitation 2024-25 Security Services for city parks to Night Eyes Protective Services motion to approve second there's a motion made by representative Rea seconded by representative Fiero to approve item 39 on that motion call for the vote in the voting session and the motion passes unanimously item number 40 is a public hearing on an ordinance changing the zoning from piip plan industrial to C3 commercial and imposing conditions at 1150 Vista that auto drive representative um Lea U Mr Garcia was there any opposition to this uh good morning mayor councel there was no opposition to this sorry no opposition rece and I'm not drinking coffee okay and so but support for this thing yes sir okay if you're not what are you drinking thank you yeah I know motion to approve second represent on on this I I was looking through the backup and um can you give me more of a description on what charter school is going to be built we we don't we as staff don't have that deted information we just know it's a charter school that's that's what's been I'm sorry that we just know that it's a charter school correct um that's one of the uses that would be permitted um in this proposed C3 zoning that would just be one use of all other uses that would be submitted in C3 that would be allowed in C3 yeah and and I talked to representative tret about this I I just fundamentally I I don't think that we should be approving Charter Schools I I think that um a lot of these networks are um not really having great oversight and I have a lot of concerns with that so I'm I'm not going to approve it and I I think that dist uh just to provide some clarity um schools these particular schools would be permitted in all districts but your comments no no I get it and that's why I I said the comment to Mr rera because 99.9% of the time I would be like yes it's it's your district and I I wanted to respectfully let him know that that's why was doing that um and just wanted to put that out there so sorry I respected that tell you I respected that sure thank you thank you there's a motion and a second yes sir there's a motion made by representative Riva seconded by representative Fiero to approve the ordinance excuse me on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and the motion passes 6 to1 alternate mayor pool not present and representative the voting n the next item is 41 and this is a public hearing on an ordinance changing the zoning from R4 residential to A2 apartment and opposing a condition at 4707 Atlas Avenue El chur uh move to approve second and we do have public comments from Mr Ray monetta good morning Mr monetta you have three minutes good morning mayor city council I'm raymonda and in accordance with the lobby ordinance I represent uh the client we concur with staff comment City CPC and the plan Department thank you so much you and that we have a motion in a second yes sir the motion was made by representative ASO seconded by representative fero and this is to approve item 41 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously item 42 is a public hearing on an ordinance changing the zoning from RF branch and farm and R4 residential to AO apartment office and this is at 1165 Ranger Street Mo motion to approve second there's a motion made by representative Riva seconded by representative salido to approve item 42 there is no public comment on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously item 43 is a public hearing on an ordinance amending title 15 Section 15.08 one60 mobile Billboards ending the mobile billboard pilot program and allowing mobile billboard permits to be issued on a yearly basis and we do have public comment M Turner yes question one how much are we charging question two can we put a requirement that the vehicle is used for these mobile Billboards be licensed in the county of El Paso Texas and not have an out ofate license is that possible plan inspections again in terms of the fee there is a $1,500 uh yearly fee that's assessed and I'm sorry m'am if you can repeat your other questions the other question is I've see a lot of out of state license plates used by businesses in El Paso so can we make an amendment to this that if you're going to have this that you have to license your vehicle within this County so they'll be paying the road taxes and such since they'll be driving up and down all our roads makes sense now can we can we um actually I don't think we can actually restrict somebody to register their vehicle if they're not residents of this of the city of El Paso I mean if they're residents of New Mexico and we're telling them they have to I don't think that's uh within our jurisdiction to make somebody register a vehicle within a county you're I believe you're correct sir um we just to provide additional information uh provision of insurance is is definitely a requirement that is written into the the ordinance as well um other um a list of other mitigation measures requirements that are written into the ordinance as well yes sir to uh provide U allow us to oversight and uh keep an eye on these and insurance and things like that yes sir agree can we at least get a road use fee then no I look I mean look I have to pay for your garbage trucks franchise fee maybe I have to pay for your garbage trucks on the roads talking about franchise fee I she say franch Gage I have a private pickup right but I still have to pay for your garbage trucks on my water bill so I you know a road use fee to me is fair if you're going to be driving up and down in the traffic polluting our air I think this would be a small fee I think that's the permit fee that they're going to pay it's you can call it whatever that's just so they can drive up and down I'm asking for some additional income we're always looking for additional income and this is a way to get it yeah they'll have to pay for the permit representative um I'm going to go with representative Canales thank you mayor um I I understand uh there are only two license holders currently who are operating theot progam yes um I did a just a cursory search online yesterday and I found let me see one 2 3 four 5 6 Seven 8 nine 10 companies that advertise mobile billboard services in El Paso that's El Pas uh can you tell me the two current license holders believe it's Al pasel Billboards and Lone Wolf Trucking okay Lone Wolf is not one of the ones I found so that's an 11th um but I found El Paso billboard trucks Sun City Billboards Texas mobile advertising American Mobile ads indicum Display Network Blue Line media rolling box media Mig advertising and mobile Billboards EP LED mobile billboard trucks and Do It Outdoors Media who the last one actually has an active job listing for a driver in El Paso right now um what are we what actions have we taken to enforce uh you know unlicensed companies operating during the pilot period so there have there have been Cote enforcement uh actions procedures that have been performed in the past and we we that's something that we can definitely continue to uh um um get these these businesses to come in and comply do you know how many uh citations we've issued to unlic or to businesses for operating without the proper license off the top of my head that'd be difficult but I know there's there's multiple there's more than one definitely um okay is there any enforcement mechanism that's built into the code in terms of the in in the what's currently the pilot and is being proposed to flip yeah I mean ultimately the permit can be revoked at the discretion of the city if there's any type of non-compliance in terms of overall the businesses you mentioned there has been uh the code enforcement established process would would kick in and right but I'm not asking about revocation of the permit for permit holders I'm talking about enforcement of non-permit holders operating without the license what is the mechanism that we have it be our quote enforcement process that U May ultimately end up in in front of a court in front of a judge uh it's is that it's a nuisance violation or uh zoning code or this this case a code viol title 15 violation and that's is it a that's a misdemeanor I'm sorry is it a misdemeanor to operate without the license um just a citation it's a Class C um and what is the fine for the class I believe that's at the discretion of of the judge if I'm not mistaken a maximum five 500 maximum traditionally most um of our violations are $500 I don't know the specifics for this one and then there's higher but I don't think this one falls under the higher okay um I want to point out too uh currently uh and this is as far as I understand there may be one one other outlier there out there that I wasn't able to find but as far as I understand uh During the period of the the pilot program El Paso uh the city of El Paso is the only uh municipality or County or state in the United States that allows mobile Billboards on our RightWay um and has a program that licenses them uh Clark County Nevada which is where the Las Vegas Strip is located uh had a limited run pilot program on the Strip only um and they terminated that pilot program because it was found to be too dangerous they were seeing too many distracted driving incidents um there is not a single other municipality in the United States that allows this um I I I find it uh I find it difficult to believe the the justification that you know we we've had no complaints and so uh it's not a problem I think people aren't calling in to complain that they were dist that they were distracted while they were driving by a billboard truck that's not who would they even call that's not something that people typically call in um I don't think people are even aware that these are not pro that these are prohibited in most of the United States um you know I I I've uh personally have seen them while driving um I think I've seen some of the unlicensed ones while driving they're not the two companies that you mentioned um and I I personally find them incredibly distracting uh at a time when we are taking efforts to uh pass like complete streets policies and uh you know working with Partners like teot to reduce uh traffic fatalities I think this brings us entirely in the opposite direction it's adding distractions to the road um you know fixed Billboards are they're fine they're they're distracting enough they um for that reason are are very strictly licensed by the state especially on on uh State highways and other Highway rideway um you know they they're very specifically Limited in number and spacing uh to ensure that they're not causing undue uh distraction to drivers I think allowing Billboards to be mobile and uh not just Mobile in terms of repositioning them but actively mobile driving on the streets with vehicles uh is a real threat for distracted driving and will lead to incidents uh into the future even if uh it hasn't during the the course of the pilot period so uh for that reason I I don't think I'm able to support this today and um you know I feel for The Operators who have moved into the city during the pilot but it's a pilot program for a reason um and I'm just not convinced by the success of of it convinced of the success of it during the pilot period yes sir no and thank you for your comments just just to add just a little bit more cont that's why you see um all the provisions and restrictions and requirements in this ordinance taking into account what's happening Clark County and other places okay are you aware of during the pilot period any other cities who have enacted anything similar to what we're proposed we didn't look closely at that no no sir okay thank you mayor thank you sir represento thank you mayor um thank you R for this presentation quick questions I know this was a pilot Garcia Mr Garcia did you have a can you give us some findings of the pilot program anything that was notable what they they do good what did they do wrong or wasn't appropriate how many citations did we get I mean I want to know a little bit more about right I mean we really didn't encounter too many issues again we uh the opportunity is there for three permits of those three only two have been claimed each permit allows three trucks uh of the permits that have been issued um neither one of them have the three trucks one of them has two one of them has one so we've really has haven't seen any issues in terms of of the people coming in to to apply for these permits and we still have that one available permit that's open I guess giving a little glipse into the the demand for for this type of business great and then um I know that during the pilot we only allowed two operators now that if you know if it does pass and it's not a pilot anymore it opens the the um it opens to everybody to come in so the the cap for three operators will remain yes ma'am and I think my last question also is in regard to enforcement um as representative Canal has mentioned uh it's it's a little concerning to see that there is other companies advertising right and so as this pilot program is already commencing and let's say it goes in effect um I want to make sure we're we're collecting right that people are performing business here in Al P Paso that the city is getting its fair share um I know that you mentioned enforcement um on what procedures you all are doing in order to to um combat those bad op no I don't want to combat operators just operators that are not complying with the city of op Paso what are you all doing so we can definitely look look at these these advertisements obviously we can't control what other businesses with people advertise put out there but we can definitely take a look and follow up with with within our guidelines of our court enforcement process and and I guess I if I could suggest and I don't know how we are doing it currently I know that since it's a very small group you're saying three three operators right and they're going to have an a list of who their um customers are and I know that it will help us as cold enforcement is seeing these Billboards right we'll know who they're customers and if we do see a billboard that does not have a customer that's on on the roster it can help I think correct um I don't know if that's a way that we could definitely look at finding out how we can enforce this just so we can not allow that to happen and I think second to that would be uh the it's a class misdemeanor right which is I think 500 um a fine maximum and I I I wanted to see if that's something we can definitely look at um when it comes to business I've also learned that that cost comes as a cost of business to some businesses meaning they'll they'll perform with illegal illegally because they just consider this to be a cost of uh for them to do business so we want to make sure that that fee has a little bit more teeth so discourage um vendors that we have not uh been part of this this process and it's not they're not a part of our Network that should not be performing business in the city of Al Paso so those are just some suggestions I think we need to look at the fee we need it needs to always have more teeth I think it really does uh invite um you know operators that are not in our Network to to operate so just just some suggestions and uh thank you so much for for sharing repres I couldn't agree with you Mo on that it's just built in everyday cost absolutely with that we do have a motion though yes a motion was made by representative Riva seconded by representative Fierro to approve item 43 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session Council please refrain from site conversations on that in the voting session and the motion passes 6 to1 representative Canales voting nay and representative n this not present that brings us to item 44 and this is a public hearing on an ordinance granting a special privileged license to cro the Sal famar laf Inc to allow the surface encroachment of an existing back flow preventor over City RightWay located in the alley behind the property located at 700 South Ooa Street move to approve second there is a motion made by representative Canales seconded by representative salido to approve item 44 there's no public comment how are you on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously representative ernandez not present the next item is 45 and this is discussion and action on a resolution authorizing the the city manager to sign a chapter 380 economic development program agreement between the city of Al Paso and Eaton Corporation in support of a development project located at one Helen of Troy in El Paso Texas 79912 second good morning philli thank you for joining us sir there's a motion in a second yes sir there is a motion made by representative Fiero seconded by alternate mayor Pro molinard to approve item 45 on that motion mayor had requested to speak yes sir go ahead sir thank you um I I would like to see the presentation I think uh when again I'm I'm am supportive of this uh I think it's a great thing that we're bringing in uh Eaton and that they're taking over at the property where they are it makes a lot of sense but I think when it's when we're talking about a an economic development incentive of this size it's beneficial for the public to hear more about it I think you're right when we see it we'll see we very impressive in being the hell inventory location and all that that uh it's kind of been a a staple property in our community so I agree with go ahead ma'am you got it Karina brasgalla economic and International Development um as stated on the agenda this is the approval of a chapter 380 agreement for eaten Corporation this is a Expansion Project in Northwest El Paso as mentioned at the Helen of Troy building um the term sheet for this was approved in September of last year so all of the agreement terms have already been cleared by Council and the agreement is in court is in alignment with that so project aligns with the city's 380 incentive policy uh targeting our capital investment quality job creation retention Target industry and Supply Chain Services um the project aligns with the Texas Economic Development Fund policy which is where we will be funding the training and property tax rebates and then the incentive value and cost of services the expansion provides a net benefit to the city that is always one of our criteria when we are looking at incentive agreements and that is no different with this one so right up front staff's recommendation is for approval of the chapter 380 agreement as it aligns with the term sheet already approved Eaton Corporation uh this particular expansion so Eaton has an active 380 executed in November of 2018 they are in compliance with that agreement they've got a team of over 85,000 professionals worldwide and 200 current employees in El Paso um they're a major employer in our region and they have some recent changes in power Delivery Systems which is part of their operations that has driven a substantial manufacturing expansion so in addition to maintaining their existing facility um they will be acquiring have acquired the Helen of Troy complex um that is Class A office space warehousing and 50 plus acres of land including 10 acres of undeveloped land which could be used for future expansions um this expansion makes it the company's largest footprint in North America um joining Schneider Electric and a few others where we are the largest footprint for those companies project metrics for the expansion minimum capital investment of $29 million um creating 575 full-time employees 75 of those will be salaried 500 of those are manufacturing jobs and an average salary of 43,000 Plus benefits um so meeting and exceeding our median County wage uh minimum metric Workforce training will be an investment of $2.3 million to both attract you know potentially workers from outside the region but also upskill and train the workers that we already have here in El Paso for those manufacturing jobs and then at their current operation and at the expansion they will retain those 300 FTE um at at least median area County wage a little bit more about eaten Corp um they are a power management company they do business in more than 75 countries they have Energy Efficiency products and services so they manage electrical hydraulic and mechanical Power um their focus is really on safety sustainability and giving people the tools to use power more efficiently they work in different segments of uh across Industries looking at Electrical Products electrical systems um Aerospace defense vehicles and then recently e-mobility um companies are often IT services Aviation and electrical and electronic manufactur facturing make up the bulk of their clients they've also had a recent partnership with Microsoft um so Eaton is outfitting all of Microsoft's data centers with grid interactive UPS which is a way to Monitor and react in real time to grid uh electric grid changes and help balance services on utilities so the current facility is at 78 ,000 Trade Center expansion facility one Helen of Troy um anticipated investment $70 million the building acquisition is part of that um capital investment 29 million and of course district one um they are also a publicly traded Fortune 500 company again Global a strong presence already in El Paso andad so we're excited to continue uh being a supportive partner to them here's an overview of the total City incentives uh it's just around $3.4 million and we are being matched by the county so incremental property tax rebate 15 years at 80% um Construction materials and permit fee rebates during that construction period as they do tenant improvements to the existing building and then a Workforce training rebate um during that re that ramp up period again investing in our Workforce training and upskilling folks for those jobs um and also training existing employees County matching us and then there's a skills training Grant in the county portion as well uh total local incentive around 4.5 million about 6.4% of company investment and uh on the city Side those incentives will be sort from the Texas Economic Development Fund here's a quick overview of economic impact besides all of the kind of uh qualitative the investment in the area continuing to have that presence um the work that they do in the supply chain sector there's also a direct and indirect impact from your jobs your salaries right as people are employed where they spend that money um so we wanted to highlight that as well that underere expanded current and then expanded operation so total operation will have 875 direct jobs um you'd expect some spin-off of that and then the salaries have a spin-off so $1.3 million back to the economy over a 15-year incentive term in terms of direct benefits uh we always show this slide so the community net tax benefit so this is after incentives to local taxing entities the city will still expect to see a little under 1.4 million um and then of course Sun Metro via sales tax $84,000 the county UMC EPCC and then episd collecting about 1.4 million um net tax benefit over the incentive term 6 million to all local taxing entities and that concludes my presentation again we're recommending approval this is very exciting they've been working uh diligently with us uh since the approval of the term sheet again they're in compliance with their existing agreement um a wonderful company really supportive of a lot of our work in this sector um um and as mentioned by the mayor um good use of that existing building thank you for the presentation I know it's all in our backup but I do thank you for the presentation and they got we got a motion in a second yes mayor the motion was made by representative F second by alternate mayor Pro molard to approve on that motion call for the vote and the vote session and the motion passes unanimously representative ernandez not present mayor it is noon may we move to call to the public absolutely thank you sir the El Paso city council is a local government charge with serving the citizens of the city 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 and decorum that is respectful to other persons without the use of insulting profane threatening or abusive language public comment will not be used for personal attacks against the person or group's character or Integrity which are not pertinent to City business nor May any member of the public use this forum 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 seven members of the public that signed up to speak the first person is Elizabeth Crawford Miss Crawford's topic is abortionist disc discrimination against females and the disabled good afternoon Miss Crawford you have three minutes good afternoon and thank you good afternoon good after John good afternoon sir we're told in John chapter 1 of the Lord Jesus that all things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made in him was life and the life was the light of men God is the creator March is designated as developmental disabilities Awareness Month March is also designated as women's history month does having a disability make a person Unworthy of living does being female make a person Unworthy of living statistically an enormous percentage of babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome are aborted in our nation it's possibly well over 50% some nations in Western Europe Denmark Ireland is between 98 and 100% I spoke recently with a young lady from India who told me that one of her siblings was aborted simply for being female in Asia it's very common for couples and and here in our land also um people from different ethnic backgrounds to abort someone simply because their female the largest number of femicides around the world are not those committed in horz horrific as that may be the largest number is the slaughter of baby girls in the womb it's time for us as people to stop playing God to stop saying who deserves to live and who doesn't we're told in Revelation 4:11 you are worthy oh Lord to receive glory and honor of power for you have created all things and for your pleasure they are and created thank you so much hope you have a good day thank you thank you the next speaker is stepen Strummer I don't see him I don't see him either we'll move on to Patricia Osman Miss osman's topic is ethics violations mismanagement self-dealing and misappropriation by individuals paid by tax dollars good afternoon Miss Osman to refrain from personal attacks and you'll have three minutes good afternoon ladies and gentlemen so uh last city council meeting we did a little uh follow the bouncing ball with documents I gave all of you this table had them as well and that and they were not uh attacks what they were were um proof that the city's management teams are not actually doing their job of managing because what you are supposed to do is ensure that those under you are abiding by the rules of whether it's a corporation or the city of Al Paso those are ethics rules uh you can't steal something no misappropriation of funds you know there certain rules all of us should be living by in regards to just you know the reason why we have loss but unfortunately it's very evident that certain purchasing departments they don't check whether employees are receiving bids even from their own departments uh direct supervisors doing that directors not checking Deputy city managers not checking hence why we need to make sure that there's a an extensive search and a good one for the person that's going to replace Mr Weston as the interim okay I gave you all other documents in regards to the MPC and the plan that was put out by Capital Improvement which shows a RightWay over here at the union Plaza we've got the federal government that wants to invest in our community wants to add two lines from Al Paso to Albuquerque which New Mexico's been trying to do the railroad down here for years but the federal government wants to do it and then a direct line from Al PAs to Dallas Fort Worth great Economic Development I don't know she's talking but instead you know what they gave you all a plan that didn't even check with the Railroad Commission so I don't see what those employees are doing or the management above them checking that it came to you all properly but instead y'all are just rubber stamping solicitations okay from whatever department and I wonder if talking about Bible verses let's go with Matthew 19:24 it is easier for a Cel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God so maybe we should wonder why people are getting all these solicitations because quite frankly there's some people that aren't going to end up in the Kingdom since we're really good about praying and I I love Miss Crawford's you know constant thank you Miss husman thank you ma'am the next speaker is Lisa Turner Miss Turner's topic is handicap parking around City Hall enforcement she will be followed by Ron Kom good afternoon again miss Turner good afternoon good afternoon mayor council let's talk parking uh how many of your employees use the parking around city hall on Tuesday so they don't have to pay somewhere else and who are all the the people who park over in the area that you set aside for people who are doing business with the city I mean the cars are there all day who are they do they work for you are they working somewhere else because if they're working for you if they're working somewhere else they don't belong in that lot that's not a parking lot for employees it's not a parking lot for other businesses it's a parking lot for those who come down here to do business with you now I get upset about this because you know I'll be driving around at Sam's waiting for somebody to pull out the disabled parking lot so I can get in safely you know get my scooter down get it off get it Insight same thing for uh if I go up to Albertson's and the funny thing is I'll see all the carts for those who are disabled but I won't see other disabled people in there using them so my question is is who are these people parking in disabled spots who apparently quote my observation don't meet the requirements to have that tag in the first place uh why are they parking there I mean it's it's difficult I hear back I hear a lot of noise pardon me it's difficult trying to find a place to park when you go you see people walking around in Sams they're on their feet for over an hour they're self-checking out they're pushing that big load out and they're putting everything in their car and they're in the handicap spot excuse me but if you're handicapped you're not going to be able to do that I mean if you have problems with breathing you're going to be sucking a lot of air or or you'll be on oxygen if you're on oxygen it's easy to see because you got the thing up there in your nose you know it's difficult sometimes I have to get further down in a parking lot and not take one space but I have to take up several spaces simply for me to be able to get to my car get my groceries in and get my scooter on the lift safely and while we're talking about this downtown is not handicap accessible if you're in a wheelchair or if you're using the scooter thank it's not that good thank you the next speaker is Ron Kom Mr kom's topic is Animal Services he will be followed by Barbara Valencia and Mark Fierro good afternoon Mr Kom you have three minut minutes sir good afternoon I know you missed me last week last couple thank you for the candy though you're welcome it's good stuff you know I I I came back and I was delivering that stuff and I and I ran into a a i i considered a problem I was talking to a gentleman and I asked him about the uh list I gave you of the hos programs that are still in place at our shelter um that was asked which ones the first one to come to mind is the disastrous finder to Foster that were having all these missing Strays running around the conversation went let's see what was it now we cannot pick up all the Strays I believe they were told there was an open shelter the next thing that happened was I was told that it doesn't go against the no kill plants well if you look at the one that they say they're on it is an open admission shelter not a limited intake and he's already admitted that that's a way to limit intake two strikes we uh had a short conversation and then the comment was made because I I I made the comment about the 46,000 Strays that weren't picked up over the period of four years if you want to narrow it down with just the present director if you narrow if you round it off for 22 and 23 in the part of 22 was 20,000 Strays that were left unaccounted for on the streets whatever you want to call it they're Strays they're not they're not owned they're not unowned they're Strays okay I was astounded at the fact that he said he didn't know where I got the numbers well ladies and gentlemen I think I've said several times that these numbers that were given you come directly from the El Paso Animal Services shelter reports so I'm going to explain it out a little further we take 2019 the 12 months live intake we add it up we do the same thing with 2020 subtract to see what the difference is 21 22 and 23 it's not that hard but you have to look at shelter reports the other thing is I wasn't here for the new gentleman that was here I I understand stand he worked for the SPCA in in Houston um SPCA is totally different than a city shelter we've already agreed we had no issues in 171 18 and 19 and we need to go back to that plan and put it in place I'm honestly really not interested in plans from the city of Houston which has the worst stray problem in Texas we have a plan that works we need to put it completely back in place and stop the messing around it's time please thank you Mr kuu thank you sir the next speaker is Barbara Valencia Miss Valencia's topic is Animal Services negative outcome good afternoon Miss Valencia please refrain from personal attacks and you'll have three minutes good afternoon good afternoon ma'am tonight we're having beans for dinner everybody so if you want to come be my guest okay when you add up all the lost animals in the animal services director's audit there were upwards of 800 lost animals represented here I couldn't bring 800 animals in here it wouldn't fit but this is to give you an idea those are the missing animals in the foster care program but we are not done yet now we need to add the 841 animals missing from the last two years that are not included in his audit all these animals gone animals never to be seen again and the director of Animal Services has the audacity to attempt to minimize his responsibility by claiming the shelter didn't euthanize these animals there is no difference if Animal Services stuck these animals with the death juice or not they are permanently gone technically they are all dead because they are dead because of this director's irresponsibility that's why it's called a negative outcome nothing about what has happened to these animals is positive the director failed to do his due diligence to ensure the animals and animal services shelter system are being cared for he has known for two years the foster care program was failing animal slipping through the cracks yet he did nothing for two years the director's bogus letter to the community in no way absolves him from failing to do his job he can try to pass the buck by blaming Co in a national vet shortage neither of those has anything to do with the director's responsibility to regularly follow up on the animals in the foster care and shelter system the bottom line is its director failed to do his job failed the community and most of all failed the animals he is responsible for the bigger question is why the director hasn't been removed as director of El Paso Animal Services these animals were given that much needed second chance at life until this director consciously and purposely took that away from them my hope is all of you look at these bags look at all of these beings that represent an animal they're representing dead animals the innocent victims needlessly gone as a direct result of the director I I hope you come up with some answers do some deep soul searching and self-reflection and answer as to why you allow this to happen on your watch the simplest answer is he needs to be removed as director of El Paso Animal Services these animals deserved your three minutes thank you the next speaker is Mark Fel Mr F's topic is Animal Services good afternoon Mr fedro you have three minutes good afternoon good afternoon good afternoon everyone thank you for your time it's always good to see you so recently we received um the city that is received a um a letter from the director of Animal Services addressing the community about an issue that back in February 173 animals were euthanized 29 died in our care 532 animals were processed and as an outcome they were lost in our care this 532 animals for that month lost in care were part of an ongoing Foster audit data uh I'm sorry F Foster daa data audit a number that has accumulated since 2021 and as a transparent organization what this means for our live release rate is that we complete this Foster data audit we'll see a temporary negative impact on overall lives saved what this really means is we haven't done anything about that for two years can you imagine a a department failing to address something that is on every single report that they make and not look what what's really going on there how can that be these people are being paid to do that job I would think that they would show up and do it I noticed also that in this there were concerns that were brought to the man management regarding loss of contact with many Fosters over the past few years they've been continuing to work through the challenges of covid now uh Nationwide Veterinary shortage and overall staff shortage why did this take two years to raise a finger to do anything what we really need is more compassion people who understand people who are experienced apparently we're changing policies and to quote to include more rigorous counseling for Fosters in dedicating more staff to the program this should be more Compassionate Care for foster families asking them what they need how can we help you is your dog or cat spay or neutered the one that we provided you to care and you are providing the care for them you should also read that we are providing more rigorous training for the staff not for the counseling of our foster families thank you thank you sir mayor and Council that concludes call to the public thank you ma'am can go back to item 46 yes sir item 46 is discussion and action on a resolution authorizing the submission of a Grant application which requires no match from the city to the US economic development Administration FY 2023 distrressed area recompete pilot program Phase 2 motion approve second there is a motion made by representative Salo second by representative Riva to approve item 46 before we uh vote um I have representative Canalis but I do want to thank you all I know you this is pH two and you've done a lot of hard work on it and we're one of 22 finalist out of 565 help me finish 565 so great work and and I know that uh you you guys uh worked really really hard to to get us here and um I know that a dead me will'll get $50 million but uh I we're hoping that uh we do get the 50 million but we could get any from between there so I want to thank uh Omar you and your and you for the hard work and um look forward to you guys telling us uh how much you all um end up getting for us because I know you worked really hard to earn the the belief of the federal government that what we do here is very important and it really is so U and you have to tell them they don't know that so you have to actually have to go out there and tell them and and explain to them what it means for our community to get $50 million and where what it'll do to our citizens how it will impact our community and how it'll help us move forward so again I want to thank you all and your team for um getting us to the top 22 and I look forward for youall coming in with a bigger smile and Reporting how much money we got so thank you for that represent Canales thank you mayor yeah again this is it's a an excellent uh application and really an excellent use of of uh grant funding for Workforce training job placement Business Development um just all different services to uh local Workers local businesses local employers um I don't think you have to go through the entire presentation but if if if you don't mind I think it'd be a good benefit for for members of the public to understand what we're looking to fund here maybe we can you can pick it up from like slide 12 to the end it's just a three slides oh certainly if that's okay yes of course essentially just showing what the projects are that we're looking to fund and and the how we're we're leveraging resources yes absolutely and thank you very much we're we're very optimistic and we we hope to make our community proud in bringing These funds here um my name is AD pesio I'm with the economic development and I guess we're picking up from slide 12 can I okay sorry all right so it with the recompete H pilot program we have these three buckets that we're looking here in the slide so these are going to be uh three main areas that we're going to be looking to fund through this initiative so we've got one here for training that we're hoping to bring some opportunity to our community we're looking primarily at a prime age workers so between 2 4 and 55 that are either a underemployed or unemployed so just an opportunity to bring everyone back to our economy and be able to prepare our community for a lot of the opportunities that we've been seeing and a lot of the trends that we see in our regional economy so we're working very closely with Workforce Solutions bplex and leading that Outreach and that recruitment of our population and make and finding opportunities to connect with Private Industry H with UTP fabl laab and Microsoft bringing those digital skills and being able to have like just in time care curriculum for Aerospace and defense Advanced manufacturing intelligent infrastructure and some work that we're doing in healthcare and for our second project component we're looking at job placement and business development services that we're teaming up with a lot of Community Partners this is a part that's being spearheaded by the city of elb Paso and being able to Future proof our small business and being able to bring a lot of those components that are necessary for growth and for development of a our our region here it is worth noting that we do have portion here in budget that will not have any kind of I guess burden on the city when it comes to managing These funds and managing this a grant that will last for up to 50 years for five years I wish it were 50 but no it is five so that is something that we're hoping H we're going to cover here and really make the best of this opportunity for our region and for our third project component we're looking at wraparound Services again working closely with Workforce Solutions borderplex to make sure that we have a good comprehensive ecosystem for our community that we can relieve a lot of the pressure and a lot of the boundaries that our community experiences when they're looking into training and looking into upscaling and advancing so hopefully we'll be able to have all of that support and really be there with our community from the first day of training it into their new job placement and making sure that all of those needs are met move on to within the budget we do have some set asides we have 5 million that are dedicated at for our transitioning military members for our veterans for their families and for survivors this is going to go very much in line with what we're seeing with other initiatives and UMC so we we're hoping to see that that impact increase to about 600 participants we're putting aside 4 million for intelligent infrastructure training and we're hoping this will impact about 150 participants and have all of this infrastructure stay in the region so we can um be able to participate in a lot of trends that we're seeing and a lot of funding that we're receiving that will I'll mention shortly and we have got a 500,000 that we're working with underserved communities Foundation to make sure that we have a really Equitable approach and that we can give everyone their best opportunity to participate and upscale and and see Improvement for their lives and for their families and another set aside of 500,000 that we're working with the hunt Institute for Global competitiveness and data collection tracking and reporting to make sure that we can really capture the impact of these funds and make sure that we can relay that information and see that impact in our community growth these are some of the local resources that we're going to be leveraging with recompete so this really ties all of these initiatives together and it makes a more comprehensive system that we can Implement so um with Rec compete with all of of these training programs we're going to be preparing our community to take on a lot of the jobs and a lot of the growth that we're seeing from investments in like build back better the NSF Innovation grants engine a lot of what we're doing with intelligent infrastructure we're going to see reflected in the 15 million that we received for EV charging stations Grant and Pathways for Heroes that are going to be augmented being able to affect more of our community and we expect to be able to have more I guess complimentary uh training and devel velopment for those that are in The Innovation Factory strengthen our Advanced manufacturing district and be able to really use a lot of the allocations and um a lot of the resources that we have like with the business One-Stop shop and uh a lot of the facilities that we have locally to really make sure that we have that access for everyone so that's in in a in a quick nutshell those last three slides sir thank you yeah I think it's it's very helpful to hear that um we as the mayor said are finalist top 22 out of 565 uh folks who applied for this grant funding from the the federal government uh the economic development Administration and they I understand will select four to eight finalists in the summer okay I think we've put together uh I shouldn't say we I take no credit you all have put together an excellent uh application uh I'm confident that that we have a good chance to be uh selected and I think it'll be incredibly helpful to El Paso uh business across the scale small business to large business um employers and employees for us to receive this uh so thank you for all the hard work you've done on it thank you sir we wholeheartedly agree thank you and after looking at your presentation if anyone wants the rest of it of course it is on the backup but one of the things that we are leveraging is the greatest resource we do have and that's our people and when we go out to the federal government as a community of over 85% Hispanic minority Community we do re we can really leverage the needs of our community and are you know in over 50,000 veterans in our community so what you're leveraging and you say there is no match there a big match our people so thank you again for that thank you sir and with that we have a motion and second yes sir the motion was made by representative salido seconded by representative Riva to approve item 46 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and the motion passes unanimously representative ernand is not present that brings us to item 48 and this is discussion and action that the city manager or design be authorized to effectuate the listed budget transfer attached to the resolution has exhibit a for the police department there is a motion made by representative Riva seconded by alternate mayor Pro molinar to approve item 48 can we hold the vote till Frankie walks all the way up to the podium and then vote for it who's there okay thank you that's all I wanted on that motion call for the vote You Know Chief you're a chief now you don't have to smile at him anymore thank you sir congratulations on your appointment thank you sir thank you in the voting session and the motion passes unanimously representative ernandez not present item 49 is discussion and action on the award of task order 2 under solicitation 20230 397 in support of the Wayne w Park Phase 2 project to Keystone GC LLC motion approve second we do have public comment from Miss Turner I have a question having grown up on the playground with Miro rounds swings monkey bars all those fun things you know seeing how far you can jump when you come out of a of a swing and now swings are considered extremely dangerous as a play for playground equipment I have to ask a question zipline what kind of liability does that present to the city is there any liability concerns with a zip line I mean if swings are dangerous that zip line has to be too good afternoon v um to respond to that the zip line does have uh engineered um wood fill for the fall protection um and so we've seen this um within different uh public parks um and so it is a trend that a lot of the parks are going towards so we have absolutely zero liability concerns with this is that what I'm hearing we don't based on the the protections we're putting in place no different than other playground equipment so it's been evaluated in terms of uh usage and protection for kids okay thank you have Motion in a second yes sir there's a motion made by representative salido seconded by alternate mayor protim molinard to approve item 49 on that motion call for the [Applause] vote and the voting session and the motion passes unanimously representative ernand is not present the final item is discussion and action to approve the appropriation of $3 million from the coronav virus state and local fiscal recovery funds portion of the grant funds motion approve second it's a motion second and I know we do have some public comment yes sir we do have public comment we have John Martin I don't see Mr Martin in the que Mr Martin is not in the queue and he's not present in Chambers Lisa Turner and Miss Turner is waving thank you and Angelica Mata Lindstrom so we have represent Canales mayor I think someone else was called up to provide com I think someone else was called I'm sorry I didn't see that look at my sheet I only have two people on my sheet good afternoon you have three minutes good afternoon good afternoon um my name is anel matal linstrom I am the senior director of community resiliency with United Way of Al Paso County so United Way has been a very strong collaborator with the city when it comes to supporting a high quality of life and a place for our community and we currently are a collaborator of the AL of the city's Al Paso helps initiative right so we're actively working to address the homelessness and support individuals in crisis so through the collaborative we have been able to make a direct impact and success of the collaborative is evident through our intentional focus of homelessness prevention we've been able to achieve great great results we've extended over 23,000 nights of individuals remain house so we eliminated their eviction and kept them housed which was really important for us we are able to also apply savings that we were able to achieve for participants within our program and apply them to help address their food insecurity and last the platform it's created a direct access for community members to to speak and work directly with the agency collaborators right on Solutions helping to address their needs so if we think of the the need even though we have made positive strides we still face challenges right when it comes to homelessness as well as food insecurity if we look at numbers mid 2022 to the late 2023 a program that we oversaw received over 2700 applications for rental assistance and this resulted in a request of over12 million unfortunately demand exceeded the resources available and we were able only to support I believe an average of 25% right um inflation increase in monthly rental payments and um for housing instability has continued to exist and has been exasperated and we know there's been studies conducted by UTP which identified an average of 35% of of Al pans face food insecurity but within those 35% 22% worry about making their monthly rental payments um or their mortgage payments with the results of becoming unhoused so even though we've made positive strides demand is evident right and through dedicated resources and programming and Key Community stakeholders really working against a common goal we able to make these posi positive strides in fostering the stability for our community members thank you thank you mayor and Mr Martin is in the queue thank you ma'am Mr Martin star six please to unmute your telephone please good afternoon you have three minutes I apologize I'm here yes sir go ahead we can hear you you have three minutes good afternoon sir good day and I apologize for not being there in person but my name is John Martin I'm the deputy director with the Opportunity Center for the homeless and I wanted to speak in favor of agenda item number 50 I just heard a portion of on hel's presentation with United Way and I do want to Echo what she has indicated but in addition to that in looking at the vulnerability and the homeless needs within our community it needs to be recognized that we are seeing significant increases in the number of individuals being served I just recently looked at about four months worth of data and we've seen over 2,000 Unique Individuals just within the past five months if you contrast that to four or five years ago that's twice and we're not even through this the year at this point but one of the blessings that has come out of covid and the work that we've done with the migrant influx is the value of working together and I'm specifically referencing the initiative through the community and human development department that is entitled El Paso Health where you have entities that are working together with a common goal not only to prevent homelessness but to make homelessness rare and brief so I do want to speak in favor of the proposal as reflected in item agenda number 50 and I'll close with that thank you mayor that includes public comment on this item and we do have representative Canales thank you mayor um yeah Al Paso helps has been really a a transformational effort I think in in terms of bringing all of these Services together they are all services that existed before but maybe that's not true most of them are services that existed before but bringing them all together into one program so that people can uh receive uh services from one uh location at one time uh I I would like to see the presentation on this I think it's a an excellent thing that the public should be aware of that we're investing our arpa funds in 100% Iran MZ with the Department of Community human development if it can share the presentation so I'm here to provide to you all today an update in terms of the appropriation for the $3 million for the arpa funds that were designated towards Community human development I'm G to go through this in in in short order representative uh as you know we do have the Department of Community human development which we are tasked with those four pillars uh I think that one of the things we like to say is those are some of the most important challenges our community are facing nowadays when you look at climate you look at uh affordable housing and then obviously homelessness so to your point we're always trying to look at how we can best leverage each pillar to ensure that we uh maximize the uh benefits to the community we know very well and is I think that was said by Miss Mata there's not enough funding to to cover every single need and so what we're doing is we're implementing business like practices to make sure we maximize the use of those uh funds just a real quick overview and and I'll just like to add that it's been a resounding successful pass of helps I mean we're so happy and pleased with the uh agencies that we decided to partner that is the United Way project Amistad the Opportunity Center and um and we also have Endeavors helping us provide those basic valuable services and something that never been done before in the city matter of fact one of the things that we're hearing from other communities is they want to copy or model right there are uh similar services but nothing exactly quite like this where you can be in a in a in a big significant crisis that are point life access that portal you just need access to a a smartphone and basically be able to identify shelter identify uh uh housing get connected with one of the wonderful uh uh coordinators from the United Way to assist you further you know your kids need a meal like all those particulars are covered so we really started with the basic services and we make sure that it's something that we want to continue and so you know really deployed uh almost two years ago at this point resounding success one of the things I want to remind to you all this to this Council particularly is when we get a street Outreach request to our office we utilize your passor helps so all we do is we take that information we go to the portal we then send a very quick Street outage team that tries to assist those folks tries to give them you know when the last time you had a meal you know uh uh do you need any medicine you know and so that is been um an essential piece of addressing the the homeless challenges we're seeing in our community right we're also thinking about how we can improve those Services right and so that's just something to consider so I'm not going to go through each of the services at some point we will be bringing back to the council updates see how we can make this bigger better see we can other services we can connect our folks but again just wanted to share that uh do do you have those details you can share with us do you have that can you share those with us please yes May yes thank you so uh next slide we just look at the actual um funding deployment for the services again we want to make sure we're covering the emergency shelter uh uh component with the Welcome Center and the Opportunity Center we also want to have available housing options for our folks in need with Endeavors and also um Amistad finally we have Street average as I just described it with Amistad and then we have research navigation um and and also the integration of a of of uh the diversity Equity inclusion piece with the United Way so that's basically uh our approach to completely deplete our AR allocation we think it's an excellent uh uh uh allocation and we're excited to continue to work forward thank you yeah again um I would say the majority of the the shelter operations are uh you know operated by the the various different partners are located within my district um and many if not most of the uh of the partners are as well um so the transformation that this has on District 8 and I think on the whole city is is immense um you mentioned it can be accessed uh online via even a smartphone right I just wanted to emphasize too there is an in-person location for the portal as well correct at the uh Center for civic engagement yes so the center for civic empowerment which sorry you know 17 the blue flame we have uh a kiosk there yes absolutely you could access El Paso helps through so anyone who needs these services but doesn't have digal access of their own they can they can go there and uh access these Services just the same yes sir 100% excellent thank you I appreciate all the work you've done on this I was there at the unveiling of this about a year ago and it's great to see how far it's come so thank you m Prim yes so there was a motion made by representative Salo seconded by representative F to approve item 15 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and the motion passes unanimously Representatives ernandez Fierro not present you know Miss P I did see Mr Steven Strummer sitting in the back just now but I guess he left because I was going to allow him to come and do a public comment but he's he might have left I think he mayor so before we leave though um I want everyone to really um clear your throat really really good because we're all going to sing representative uh rivetta happy birthday so and turn your mics on okay we want to make sure you can hear it ready happy birthday to you birthday to you happy birthday thank you happy birthday Shar second there's a motion in a second to adjourn the city council meeting all in favor anyone opposed I and the city council meeting for Tuesday March 26 2024 is adjourned at 12:47 p.m. thank you Council I everyone to clear the throat first