e e e e e e e e e e e good morning good morning I'm sorry you were so busy on your phone well good morning everyone we are going to get started good morning El Paso good morning city council it's time to go to work Miss Prime yes sir good morning this is a meeting of the El Paso city council for Tuesday March 4th 2025 Mayor Johnson is present in presiding in council chambers along with mayor protm Chavez representative ASO representative Malon Roa representative boo representative noo alternate mayor poo representative Imon and representative Canales it is 901 will everyone please silence their electronic devices so as not to disturb the meeting and rise for the invocation delivered by El Pasa police chaplain and S Valley Baptist pastor Dennis Kaufman who's joining us virtually Pastor Kaufman we're unable to hear you sir we still can't hear you Pastor you're on mute star 6 please or unmute your your microphone good morning it we can't hear in Chambers in council chambers phone good morning good morning I'm sorry I can't get it unmuted we can hear you now Pastor good morning good morning can you hear me now ma'am I'm sorry yes sir okay thank you let's pray father we thank you for this time that we can come before you in prayer and and father I thank you for these men and women who have this desire to to seek you and the decisions and the things that they make for this city and I pray that you would give them your wisdom and your guidance father that they seek to do your will and and father they uh go through this meeting time remembering father that you're truly in control of all things father I pray that you'd keep all those that are safe keep those safe that are out today in this weather because we know that you're in control of it as well but be with those that have to travel out that you would keep them safe from the from the dust and the wind we father we thank you that you love us we thank you that you've given us your peace and your grace and your mercy through Jes Jesus Christ your son and we just pray for your guidance and your wisdom and all things that we might glorify you in Jesus name amen and to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance this morning we have students from Eastwood Middle School at the invitation of City representative Diana Malon Roa joining us are Abigail adaris Michaela tabuyo Noah L Kylie Vega Lucas Edens Gerson mayen Jackson McKinny Sophia Gallardo Isabella Carmona and Elijah Roa and to the stands indivisible andice for [Applause] pi perect all you guys Miss Brian we have proclamations yes sir that brings us to the mayor proclamations the first Proclamation this morning is National Association of women in construction and it reads whereas the El Paso chapter number 248 of the National Association of women in construction has for over 40 years distinguished itself as a voice of women in construction in Al Paso and whereas the chapter has donated labor materials and equipment in support of the caas the child crisis center the Ronald McDonald House lamula children's home and a host of other community entities throughout its history and whereas a chapter has supported local college students with scholarships totaling over $45,000 since 1978 and whereas the El Paso chapter of nawi is the oldest continuous construction industry industry association with a chapter in El Paso and whereas El Paso chapter number 248 and its many dedicated members is recognized for its steadfast work on behalf and in support of women women in construction encouraging our citizens to congratulate the organization on its many accomplishments and now therefore be a proclaimed by the mayor and Council of city of Al Paso that the week of March 2nd through March 8th 2025 shall be known as women in construction week signed by our honorable mayor Renard Johnson thank you thank you good morning good morning Mr Mayor city council members and everyone in attendance here today thank you for recognizing the importance of Wick week or women in construction week and for acknowledging encouraging and empowering local women with this Proclamation here today it means a lot to recognize the importance of women in our city doing extraordinary things in their normal everyday careers in the community we are awick chapter 248 proudly representing women in construction uh throughout the city we are celebrating Wick week this week with some activities uh networking and giving back to the community you can see all of those activities listed on our website at newick ELP paso. org if you are a woman in any way connected to the construction industry you should be part of newick come to our meetings the first Tuesday of every month come and meet people from all walks of the industry to connect Network and Empower each other thank you for your time and thank you for the proclamation it means a lot very good who who's who's with you so we have Maria robbles with grv we have Karen Edmundston she is one of the longest standing members with newick area iron area iron steel we have Helen Garcia with El Paso Electric and we have Mary Olin with Will Scott um re formerly Mobile Mini and we have Miss Celia Vos with job concrete thank you all well thank you guys for everything that you do in in construction and congratulations and all the great work that you guys are doing thank you so much thank you have a good day e and for those of you receiving a proclamation this morning your group will have up to 6 minutes collectively to receive the proclamation at the podium that brings us to the next Proclamation what they the next Proclamation is boot capital of Texas representative fto thank you mayor well you got one of my favorite songs yeah you you got walk up music I like that good morning mayor thank you very much for allowing me to read this Proclamation today you know when you talk about El Paso El Paso is such a special place uh you talk about the great people that live here the wonderful food there just so many things that El Paso is known for and famous for and some people that I didn't realize until last night or yesterday when we were doing some research President Clinton uh John Wayne chaboi it took me all night to practice that Helen Hunt Oprah Winfrey um U just a name a few are people who came to El Paso just to purchase boots Mr Garcia thank you so much for bringing this idea to us let me read the proclamation now whereas El Paso has long been known for its Rich cultural heritage a dynamic economy distinctive Traditions that shape the identity of the region and whereas El Paso has earned a reputation as a hub for the art of boot making with a history spanning over A Century of craft craftsmanship dedication to production worldclass boots whereas the city is home to iconic boot making companies such as liesi Rocket Buster caboots Tony llama other renowned local artists have contributed to El Paso its growing influence in craftsmanship and attraction of visitors tourism from around the world whereas El Paso's dedication to the preservation and promotion of boot making art has led to thriving boot culture which celebrated in both local events Global Marketing and creating a unique identity that stands out in the state of Texas and Beyond whereas recognizing El Paso as the official boot capital of Texas would honor the city's contribution to the legacy of Texas craftsmanship strengthening its reputation as a cultural destination and highlighting its uh role this important part of Texas history now therefore be it proclaimed by The Honorable mayor Renard Johnson and city council that the city of El Paso shall be known as the boot capital of Texas Mr gcia congratulations good morning mayor city council good morning city manager Dion uh what a what a great day um and first uh rapf thank you for agreeing to sponsor uh this uh Proclamation um I'd like to introduce uh Jessica Michael Renee Wong our director of marketing Jasmine and Mariana uh we do have a a gift to kind of commemorate uh today um you know I'm one of El Paso's newest sons and uh my very first uh legislative session in Austin you know I was hearing Dripping Springs was the Texas state capital of kiav and and Great Vine was the Christmas capital of Texas and I was like how did that happen you know was it self-proclaimed and I learned that you could get a you could get legislation a resolution passed through the state legislature and so as I I I learned more and more about El Paso and our boot culture I was like El Paso needs to be the boot capital of Texas um and so uh we started of the ball rolling uh I want to acknowledge Jasmine behind um behind me that uh she's the one that's taken the lead um also special special thanks to Senator uh Blanco's office and representative uh Gonzalez's office that are actually doing the official paperwork work in Austin and we will have a date here shortly for the official resolution um and so uh with that uh let's go ahead and give them the this little uh token to commemorate this um and uh Mariana maroin right here is the artist um she's the tall one on the team um so she's the she is the artist it's an incredible uh piece she's very very very talented um and so we'll we'll have this uh we'll have this in uh we're already putting it out in uh in our advertisements so uh again thank you so much this is an exciting day uh and it'll even be more exciting when uh the state legislature makes it official W that is absolutely beautiful yes you're welcome thank you all thank you thank you guys for for doing this and uh this is an easy thing for us as a pass ones to get behind the boot capital of Texas so we're super excited and one of the stories that I want to share quickly is um uh representative Fiero mentioned lucazi boots and I toured their Factory and I found out that it's going to it's not going to be everyone's favorite team but the Dallas Cowboys the uh the cheerleaders all their boots come from El Paso so we are certainly the boot capital of Texas for sure but thank you guys for what you're doing this is Absol absolutely beautiful thank you congratulations our pleasure it's a labor of love I'll be above so if you guys want to come into the middle and the back that'll be fine yes they're bringing me a ladder if you'd like to yeah you could hold we'll do a couple different ones up and probably yeah let's do that all right okay so let's have you guys all come a little bit this way for me please Perfect all right and then council members in the back we'll have you do one up bunch of ring girls over here great Stephanie hans's here so that works all right ready one two three and then we'll just have you bring them down right in front of you perfect all right ready one two three can you take one yes absolutely go ahead first all right ready one two three yeah absolutely thankk you my pleasure all ready one two three thank you all know [Applause] and the final Proclamation this morning is Stephanie Hond Miss Chavez [Music] good morning good morning Stephanie good morning champ good morning good morning I'm so glad to be here today so thank you guys thank you yes it's a it's a true honor to have you here um Stephanie is uh my constituent I met her at her front door when I was campaigning and we became friends we texted and I am just so honored to have you here at Chambers today and your your whole family I want to recognize that your father is also here with us today yes my dad is here my older sister Jennifer Han and my brother Abraham is also here and then this is a friend Luis trino so yes welcome and Heather is coming my twin I just we're looking outside cuz she just parked so we're wondering if she's bringing her kids and if she's bringing her kids she might not make it but she's here outside yes well congratulations to you we are so proud of you um we know you're a true Fighter for our community both in inside and outside of the ring so thank you thank you so the proclamation reads whereas the city of El Paso proudly recognizes outstanding individuals who bring honor and recognition to our community through their exceptional achievements and whereas Stephanie Han a native of Al Paso has demonstrated extraordinary dedication discipline and perseverance in the sport of boxing and as an El Paso police officer serving as an inspiration to aspiring athletes in our community and Beyond and whereas on February 22nd 2025 Stephanie Han claimed victory in a remarkable display of skill and determination securing the prestigious WBA lightweight championship title with a knockout with a knockout which I know at least three of us in Council witnessed with a knockout completed in less than two minutes further cementing her undefeated record of 10 and whereas her unwavering commitment to Excellence both inside and outside the ring embodies the spirit and resilience of the El Paso Community making her a role model and an ambassador for the sport of boxing and whereas the city of El Paso commends Stephanie Han for her hard work tenacity and historic accomplishment recognizing her as a true champion who represents the very best of our city now therefore be it proclaimed by the mayor and Council of the city of El Paso in honor of her remarkable achievement and contributions to our community that February 22nd 2025 shall be known as Stephanie Hyundai [Applause] congratulations um this is truly a tremendous honor so thank you thank you Alejandra Chavez for nominating me for this Proclamation thank you the mayor I know you helped me out and you promote Ed my fight before and I know several of you guys did um support me and actually went to my fight so it truly means to have TR truly means so much to have your support and for you guys to actually show up to support me so thank you guys thank you El Paso thank you city council thank you mayor um I I've said this many times I'm so proud to represent El Paso I'm born and raised in El Paso and um to work for the city of El Paso as a police officer and then to become a world champion boxer here El Paso it just truly means a lot I'm proud to represent the city um I would not be able to do what I do now without the support of my family my dad is here my sister Jennifer she was Al pasa's first world champion my brother my brother he's amazing he's always been supportive and tree he does so much for boxing in El Paso so thank you to my family to my team thank you for the city for coming out and supporting me for um filling up those seats it truly means so much to me and all the all the local Fighters so I'm going to say this again thank thank you thank you thank you and I hope you continue following my journey cuz I do want to continue being the world champion and then the future Undisputed Champion so thank you [Applause] guys and and Stephanie we are so so proud of you as a community and we are just so honored to call you champ and um when I first met you I I knew you were something special and and you are truly uh something special for our community and we're going to be rooting for you as you continue along your your professional career but you've put us on the map and you will continue to do that and we are honored to call you champ thank you thank you so much mayor thank you got [Applause] it I'm going to take some pictures I'm looking to see if my sister's here hold on is she no not yet can we take a picture is that okay does your father want to say a few words there she is she is there she is she made it so this is my twin sister um Jenny or AB do you want to say sure Mr nard it's a pleasure to finally see you in person I've never met you in person so thank you for supporting my sister for everybody that supported Stephanie like um she's so deserving of this my sister works harder than anybody I know and people only see the end results I see what happens behind the scenes I see all the sacrifice all the dedication all the hard work that she's put into it you know she's not only a police officer she's a mother of two she has a special needs daughter um and she does all this along with training sparring with some amazing Fighters taking a physical um to become a world champion it's more than just um just training once once in a while you have to sacrifice and dedicate all your time and energy your body your mind your spirit and and Stephanie not only has a talent but she has a dedication and the will to be not just the world champion to be the best so thank you guys so much she's very very deserving of this and I'm I'm appreciative that you guys recognize her thank you thank you tree good morning good morning everybody I'm going to hear to say that uh this fight could have gone to San Antonio Las Vegas we kept here now it's time to defend the title and I just want to let you guys know that we're going to defend it in July here in op Paso okay thank you I've been put on a spot here um but I am the third best fighter I guess in the family I was top 10 in the world did a lot and I thought man I did amazing fighting on HBO Showtime he me was like man I did it all I'm the best in the family oh my God the girls just outshining me and amazing and um I think uh you know I'm so blessed you know not many people have two world champions in their family and I I've just been so blessed my dad has gone through so much and and really we're we're very blessed for the city because everything that you guys have done to support even when we're were kids and we're moving up I mean that passle times everything that we did um it seemed like the city was always on our side and always pushed us and motivated us uh to do something special and Stephanie was telling me that she wants to unify the belts she wants all four belts to be the greatest lightweight champion in the world and what really pushes her is just a city she's like wow you know she's a police officer um she sees the support from everyone and she she wants to be a good role model she wants to motivate these kids especially the young ones and U there's a boxing fight I think I went like last week I have never seen so many women in boxing now and I think that's due to my sisters and I remember when they were fighting and we did you know a lot of unsanctioned fights in like New Mexico and stuff and there was no women and times have changed but I want you guys to know something they fought men they would fight men and all the way up to like 13 14 years old they're fighting men because there's no women so you fight or not fight and they would fight men and so that I'm so thankful because now it's more fair women only fight women thank God but uh it's been such a a turnaround um how much I think this city has grown in in the boxing realm and I guarantee you there's going to be some more future world champions from the city and I'm so blessed that I have two world champions in my family that have kind of set that that path and for greatness so I want to thank you guys all for supporting us and and hopefully we'll keep making you guys proud absolutely thank you and my twin sister this is Stephanie's um twin sister the one she's done everything with and she she wants to share a few words with you [Laughter] guys I am the fifth best boxer in the family will there be three three world champions probably not but they they have the best cheerleader and I always support my family thank you thank you we're going to take a picture and and I noticed there's a lot of men and women in uniform that are here there's some Chiefs here I would like to ask everyone that uh is in uniform to come up and take the picture with us too do I fit do I fit I appreciate [Music] we're down here okay I'm going to give it to you of course absolutely I have one hidden face can I get you to move just a little this way for me not you guys I'm so sorry just you there you go all right good good good okay ready big smiles ready one two three I have a lot more one two three one two three one two three abolutely my pleasure one two three over here thank you one two three and Stephanie has a really cool fighter pose can we all do that on count of on the count of three ready one you got it you got it there you go all right ready one two three perect good thank you [Applause] all right uh Mayor Johnson I respectfully asked for a 15minute recess to meet the Von family in the lobby of the council for a personal and reflective moment to honor her son Cody Von okay we have a motion in a second to recess for 15 minutes uh Miss Prime would you call for that vote Yes sir there's a motion in a second to recess all in favor I anyone opposed and the regular city council meeting is in recess At 9:34 a.m. for 15 minutes thank you ready e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e okay M bran let's call us back to order yes there is a motion to reconvene motion to Second there's a motion and a second to reconvene the city council meeting all in favor I anyone opposed and the city council meeting is back in in session at 9:46 a.m. that brings us to the consent agenda all matters listed under the consent agenda will be considered by city council to be routined and will be enacted by one motion unless separate discussion is requested by counc 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 proen I make a motion to approve the consent agenda with the following revision page four item six delete per Airport is that the only change yep represent Canalis thank you mayor I'd ask that we also uh add to the revisions uh moving item 25 to the Forefront uh page nine okay there there's a member of the public here to speak who has to leave okay let's do it so item 25 we're going to yes sir move item 25 to the Forefront is there a second second all those U Miss Prime call for the vote Yes sir the motion was made by mayor protim Chavez seconded by representative Malon Roa to approve the consent agenda as revised on that motion call for the vote in the voting session and that motion passes unanimously may or may we take the item that was moved to the Forefront yep item number 25 yes yes sir item 25 is a public hearing of an ordinance authorizing the city manager to sign a purchase and sale agreement a deed and other documents necessary to convey approximately 2.112 acres of land at the property of 210 North Le Street I represent Canalis thank you mayor um move to approve okay there there's a motion in a second any discuss question on this item we do have public comment when you're ready mayor we're ready okay sir we have Blake Barrow good morning sir you have three minutes good good good morning Council and and thank you the the move was for my convenience I've got to go get on an airplane so I appreciate your accommodation um I I saw the the packet that you had I know the contract is in there so I don't want to waste your time with information that you already have what I do want to do is give you the background information that you may not be aware of so this transaction is made possible by a grant through the county of El Paso and the grant serves two purposes one is to increase surge capacity for um nonprofit homeless shelters in El Paso so every shelter that we have is operated by a nonprofit and none of us have excess capacity so then when there is a sudden surge in the homeless population for whatever reason it creates a problem um recently in the midst of covid uh because of the overcrowding its shelters the city opened its own shelter at the Delta Recreation Center that shelter stayed open for 13 months at a cost to the city of $10 million so if we had this facility at that time the rescue mission could have performed the service at a fraction of the cost another thing that that it's doing the county about two years ago began a program they call the re-entry program and of of course they operate the jail and previously if a person got out on bond or if their time was up they'd simply release them to the street well now what the county is doing is they take time to interview the person see if they have an appropriate place to go to when they are released and if not rather than releasing to the street the sheriff Drive D them directly to the rescue mission where they're given housing uh food clothing and assistance in finding a job the result has been a dramatic decrease in the recidivism rate so we're reducing the crime rate we're helping the people get back on their feet so that's what we're doing it's a win-win any questions I represent Canalis thank you mayor I think just to add a tiny bit more history you know Mr Barrow and the the entire team at the rescue mission has done a wonderful job um they've used this property uh under lease uh in the past uh and it has now been declared an expedient to the the water system and so um they have the opportunity to purchase it and I think it'll be a great benefit to our communities that that they're able to continue their their activities there so thank you Mr barl thank you for all the great work that you guys are doing we we really appreciate that thank you very much and just as an as side where are you flying today um my wife is is a breast cancer survivor um last year's been kind of rough and we're flying back to Houston for a routine checkup everything's good we're blessed thank congratulations thank you all right there's a motion in a second to approve this item yes sir the motion was made by representative Gales seconded by representative leemon to adopt the ordinance on that motion call for the vote in the voting session and that motion passes unanimously we now turn to page six the next item is number 18 item 18 is discussion and action to authorize the expenditure of District 4 discretionary funds in an amount not to exceed $5,500 for the purchase and installation of a park bench at Joy barasa Andino Memorial Park to honor the memory of Cody elvon and it serves the municipal purpose of enhancing the quality of life of citizens of Al Pasto by improving the park and fostering Community Pride and encouraging Civic engagement this item was placed by representative Boer tro represent TR thank you mayor so this this was a community request uh from the passing of a Community member that was in an auto accident the community uh came forward asking for a way to honor Cody and this initiative is a direct response to their outcry it's an opportunity to honor him but also as we place this park bench in in the um at Joey basan Vino Memorial Park it will it will be a reflection and a remembrance in his honor but it also will align with the goal of improving recreational spaces and fostering Community Connection thank you very good is there a motion to approve item 18 I I motioned okay second there's a motion to any discussion on this one miss priman yes sir the motion was made by representative thre seconded by representative Roa to approve item 18 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously I think we have a hot mic please make sure you're on mute if you're in teams thank you Miss PR can we move item number 29 to the Forefront please item 29 yes yes sir item 29 is discussion and action on a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a chapter 380 economic development program agreement between the city of Al Paso and Schneider Electric USA Inc for the expansion of its operations within the city limits of the city of Al Paso representative Chavez you want say I think are we going to have a presentation first did you want to speak on it first and then is that okay thank you thank you mayor all right good morning morning mayor council how are you this morning good good bill Allen with economic and International Development um today's discussion and action is about a possible chapter 380 incentive agreement for expansion uh between the city and Schneider Electric USA you forward the slides please so a little bit about um the background of this project so from a policy perspective it aligns perfectly with what we have in intended to do with our 380 policy that includes the capital investment amount the quality job creation and retention it is in one of our Target Industries and it also impacts the supply chain after incentives that we're going to propose and the cost of government services uh this project will be of a net Financial benefit to the city it's our recommendation we want to move forward with this next slide please about the company uh they manufacture electronic switch gear to support electronic infrastructure and support the demand of data centers data center Solutions and you know with all the proliferation of AI going this is a real really really hot item right here in fiscal year 2023 uh they had 47.8 billion in global Revenue last year they announced additional expansion in the US $140 million and 85 of that was is already planned in Tennessee there are currently multiple locations here in El Paso and Schneider's looking to expand again little background on our history with Schneider so if you include what we're going to talk about today over the last 10 years they will have invested almost $78 million and created almost 2,000 jobs you can see how this works out from 2014 uh the first uh agreement we got in with them $7 million and3 new jobs they retained 250 jobs that were already in place then we moved to 2022 uh another $15 million of investment for 368 new jobs and retained 1130 jobs and then what we're talking about today it's a $50 million expansion 500 new jobs and they'll retain 1498 jobs this shows the lo location of the project corner of wrestler and Northern Pass a little bit more about the project itself 50,3 33,000 capital investment that's broken down between the building itself of 2,733 th000 and then personal property of $24,600 th000 um in terms of and I've already mentioned this 1498 retain jobs 500 new jobs over the first three years of the agreement that will represent $20 million of new annual payroll and the average annual salary is $39,000 which is above the County's median wage proposed uh incentive that we have so uh from a property tax perspective we are recommending 10 years at 75% which is consistent it matches the other two agreements that would generate $1.9 million of property tax revenue over the contract there'll be a onetime 1% sales tax rebate of 128,648 $100,000 that generates 2,177 5,000 or 775 of uh rebates to Schneider in addition the county is participating in this also at 10 years and 75% so in total the proposed local incentive is just a little bit over $3 million which represents 5.9% of their investment community tax benefit net so that's after the incentives we just talked about over a 10-year period can see how that shakes out uh $1.49 7 million to the city and a total for our all taxing entities of 5 milon 577 231 we would recommend moving forward with the 380 agreement and helping support uh Schneider in their expansion any questions representative Chavez thank you thank you for that presentation and I know that this expansion is going to be taking place in District 1 I'm very proud to be a part of this I want to congratulate you and and your team um Karina as well for bringing this uh to our community economic development is at the Forefront of of our agenda we've spoken about this so many times before in terms of you know creating a a more Equitable tax base for our community and and this is just a piece of the puzzle to to get us in the right direction to do that to accomplish that I know Schneider has been a great partner for our community a uh a great responsible corporate citizen for Al Paso creating jobs uh contributing to our tax base but everybody wins here the school districts win the city wins the people of El Paso win because of the the the payroll contributions that they're going to be contributing really elevating the you know the the lifestyle that we have um for our citizens and I am just so proud of of being uh a representative for that District where they're going to be located and and I uh commend you for for your you know everything that you've done to get to this point but also just um just in support of of Schneider and what's to come thank you this is just the beginning so thank you I think this project is really what economic development is all about exactly thank you representative Canales thank you mayor um I wanted to run a few numbers by you Bill just to make sure these are correct uh we're looking at a $2.1 million uh total package from the city close to another million from the county um so around 3 million total um and a net tax net tax benefit to the community of 5.57 million over 10 years is that that all sounds right that puts an Roi of like one 1.8 times pretty nice isn't it it sounds very nice um I I want the community to understand uh you know these aren't uh things that we do without a ton of consideration of what the benefit is to the community um and again a a return of uh that magnitude is is something that and in in a short relatively short amount of time of 10 years I think is a is a huge benefit to the community not to mention the the $20 million annual payroll that uh you know or wages that will be paid into our community yes and I think the other thing to consider is typically we talk about the the incentive term But after those 10 years then the property tax revenue without an incentive all comes back to all the taxing entities city and county especially absolutely yeah the the benefit only grows over time um especially after the term of the agreement and yes sir the the payroll doesn't stop either and so uh you know the idea is that that will continue to grow into the future and people will have employment I think that's uh that's the goal ultimately of of these is is uh making sure that we have uh good jobs for El pasoans options for people to work here in the community and and the tax benefit so I see all of that in this deal I'm happy to support thank you thank you fantastic any more discussion motion to approve mayor second there's a motion and a second Miss Brian call for the vote Yes sir the motion was made by mayor protim Chavez seconded by representative Fiero to approve on that motion call for the vote in the voting session and that motion passes unanimously yeah I just I just want to say that this is a a perfect example of what a 380 agreement should be doing and some of the numbers were already mentioned but for $50 million capital investment in into our community you know you you had 1498 jobs I believe I'm going to round that up to, 1500 jobs and $20 million an annual payroll that that's significant so uh we appreciate all the the the work that you guys have done in your department to get us get us to this point but we certainly want to thank Snyder for their commitment to our community and the growth that they've had over the the number of years so uh good job and this is a Model A model uh 380 agreement thank you sir mayor would you like to recess for mass transit at this time yes please thank you is there a motion to recess there's a motion in a second to recess a regular city council meeting all in favor anyone opposed and the regular city council meeting is in recess at 10:05 a.m. in order to convene the mass transit Department board good morning this is the op Paso mass transit Department board meeting today is Tuesday March 4th 2025 it is now 10:05 a.m. present and presiding is board chair Mr Johnson also presentent council chambers or board members Miss Chavez Miss roacha misso Miss lion Mr ACO Mr Nino Mr Fierro and Mr Canales all matters listed under under the consent agenda including those on the addition to the agenda will be considered by mass transit Department board to be routine and will be enacted by one motion unless separate discussion is requested by board 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 the mass transit Department board May however reconsider any it item at any time during the meeting first item on the consent agenda is the approval of minutes is there a motion to approve the the okay there's a motion made by represent Leon and a second by I didn't get the second Miss by Miss Chavez M I Believe Miss Chavez Miss Chavez oh miss Chavez yeah any discussion on the minutes all right Miss Brian yes sir the motion was made by board member leemon seconded by board member Chavez to approve the consent agenda on that motion call for the vote Mr chair yes thank you in the voting session and that motion passes unanimously on the regular agenda discussion and action on the award of solicitation 202454 Sun Metro Electric Paratransit vehicle charging station to triaa General Contractors LLC for the total estimated Award of $2 million this project will consist of the reconfiguration of the Sun Metro lift facility parking lot at 5081 Fred Wilson Avenue El Paso Texas to accommodate 25 dual level two electric vehicle Chargers and 45 electric vehicles including trans excavation electrical and communication upgrades payment repair restriping and installation of bards panel boards Transformers and it infrastructure good morning there's a motion to approve it there's a motion in a second any discussion on this item representative U aavo thank you mayor I just wanted to clarify this is in District Two District Four I believe yeah that's where I I know it's close to the Border of District 2 and three I just wanted to verify get that inform okay thank you any other discussion on this item it's in District three just check yes sorry any other discussion there was a motion and second Miss prye yes there was a motion made by Mr Fiero seconded by Mr Canales I second it second it by Miss okay motion made by investor Canales seconded by call for the vote and that passes unanimously okay that brings us to the end of the agenda is there a motion to adour to second okay so motion to adjourn by board member noo seconded by Mr Canales all those in favor I anyone oppose and the MRA said meeting adance at 1010 a.m. m r think can we pick up on 19 now yes sir is there a motion to reconvene the regular city council meeting there's a motion second and a second to reconvene the regular city council meeting all in favor I anyone opposed and the regular city council meeting is back in session at 1010 a.m. we are on page number seven item number 19 and this is discussion and action to authorize the expenditure of District 1 discretionary funds in an amount not to exceed $10,000 for the installation of two solar street lights unit cost $5,000 each for a total cost of $10,000 to improve visibility for Park users at West Green Park and it serves a municipal purpose of enhancing and sustaining the community safety and quality of life within the city this is Mayor protm Chavez's item representative Chavez thank you mayor if I could get Richard Bristol and Pablo to to speak on I know they're listed separately but he'll just speak on all three of them I think 2021 and 22 I'd be Ed to Richard Bristol the city manager's office and do we have a presentation for this item will you be taking 1920 and 21 together okay I'll read item 20 into the record this is discussion and action to authorize the expenditure of District 1 discretionary funds and an amount not to exceed $24,000 for the installation of two solar street lights unit cost to 5,000 each for a total cost of $10,000 to improve visibility at the intersection of Upper Valley and Gomez Road and two solar speed feedback signs unit cost of $7,000 each for a total cost of $144,000 in opposing directions at the intersection of Upper Valley and Gomez road and it serves the municipal purpose of enhancing and sustaining the community safety and quality of life within the city item 21 is discussion and action to authorize the expenditure of District 1 discretionary funds and an amount not to exceed $14,000 for the installation of two solar speed feedback signs unit cost of $7,000 each total cost of $14,000 and opposing directions on highr drive and it also serves a municipal purpose of enhancing and sustaining the community's safety and quality of life within the city in the event that there's not a presentation I'll go ahead and explain this so the first one on west green we have a park there and a group had approached district one repres representation and let them know that they're playing basketball in the dark and they asked us to help with a Safety and Security enhancement for the park we were able to come up with this uh lighting scheme and there will be two um solar powered street lights 180 lumens each so they put out a lot of light we can even tone them down if we need to so that will keep that Lit during the dark periods and then that's for West Green Park and then over at um Gomez Road and Upper Valley Road is a really important one on Upper Valley Road about a year ago we were able to lower the speed limit from 45 to 35 there's a Bend right where you go to Gomez road to go into uh Mary keying Park and there's been a lot of uh it's just very the traffic has been moving very fast and was not illuminated so now we've put in a multiway stop at this intersection and there's been a photometric study so there's going to be lighting catac cor on other sides caty corner to each other so the entire intersection will be illuminated in the dark and in addition to that on the approaches we're going to put in at locations designated by the traffic Engineering Group we're going to put in the speed feedback signs to give advanced warning as they're coming up towards that intersection so this is going to make that intersection significantly safer than it was a year ago and then the final one is on High Ridge um this stretch of High Ridge is mostly it doesn't have a lot of Frontage it's got a lot of double fronts and it also even has um an a Royo on one side so there's a lot of it's a wide Street and people tend to drive faster on wide streets um it's a 35 mph Zone uh we're very confident that putting feedback signs is going to make a it's going to make an improvement for the speeding in that area um it is not necessarily A a problematic area but anywhere you have a collector Road um where it's wide and there's not a lot of obstructions people tend to drive fast in the intent here to calm that traffic down on Highridge so those are the safety items that we were able to work with the the district on representative Chavez thank you mayor and thank you Richard for for your help um two weeks ago I received a little over $77,000 back to the discretionary funds of District 1 and I have received um multiple emails and phone calls from my constituents regard regarding safety concerns and quality of life concerns within the district as well as my close relationships with uh neighborhood association presidents and their Communications and efforts to really um improve these areas of our district I firmly believe that this is what discretionary funds should be used for in terms of uh enhancing quality of life and improving the safety of our constituents but I want to thank Richard Pablo Evette Hernandez um the city manager Dion Mack for helping identify these these areas that needed help and making sure that we are you know providing just the utmost level of service to our constituents because at the end of the day you know this is what we're here for we're here to serve them and I am just very very happy to have this opportunity to be doing these types of things for for my constituents so I I applaud you and in all of your work that you've done and I really thank you for that and um I I'm just very happy to be able to be doing this for my district thank you so miss Chavez are you making a motion for 192 to approve yes mayor thank you there's a motion in a second any further discussion on this item Miss Brian yes there's a motion made by mayor proam Chavez seconded by representative Nino and this is to approve items 19 20 and 21 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously that brings us to item 22 and this is presentation and discussion providing updates on the department of Information Technology and security Assurance program functions and budget needs mayor if I may um you will be receiving several presentations in preparation for our plan March 20th of retreat so so far you've gotten the order one report and we gave you some updates on how we got to the place we were without our budget last time we did um Staffing and so our larger departments will be coming in so you will have had an opportunity to understand not only what those departments do in terms of operation but their budgetary needs as we're going into that Retreat thank you thank you good morning uh good morning mayor council I apologies for my voice uh the dust is really affecting me uh Ernie arola I'm the Chief Information Security Officer for the the C Al Paso and uh key takeaways for this presentation is you know provide you an overview of it technology uh equipment that you know it and security needs and of course uh budget requirements this is our current organizational chart um the operational budget is a little bit over $3 million salaries a little bit over $8 million schu e $14 million uh Schedule E if you're not aware this is a budget instrument used by the IT department to manage uh licenses subscriptions software uh maintenance agreements and it's it it's part of the uh annual budget process and it does get reviewed by city council capital budget is zero and we have currently have 92 full-time employees I pass it on to Miss Carolyn Patrick good morning good morning carollyn Patrick with the IT department all right so with this slide list is just a few ways in which it impacts the organization um employees residents and business uh we can start with websites that provide uh information to Residents and businesses um we have online systems that provide access to city and business services uh we have free Wi-Fi and quality of life facilities um for residents and visitors um today people are able to view and participate in this meeting with the techn technology that supports Council meetings and other board meeting types without um people having to be here at City 1 and giving them an opportunity to participate um it supports departments in many many ways many aspects when it comes to technology um there are always ongoing efforts to modernize technology and of course um technology helps to protect these cities digital assets and data security so the next three slides um are going to show you just how expansive technology is within and throughout the city I'm not going to touch on every single item in the next three slides I'll just touch on some things so the department is responsible for deploying over 7200 computers Citywide at over 180 uh City facilities this includes over 200 computers at quality of life facil facilities that are available for public use the city is uh the department is also responsible responsible for deploying over 1,800 mobile devices this includes uh phones hotspots and tablets these are really important for our um Workforce that works uh delivers services in the field and needs such type of devices to do so um uh in uh our I'm sorry our Network includes internal and public Wi-Fi again at um Quality of Life facilities and uh provides the ability for our employee Workforce to access uh City resources remotely uh we're going to touch a little bit more on cyber security in just a few minutes here I'll just point out again other types of equipment and services that are um backed by technology surveillance cameras and recording servers throughout the city um building access control again at the over 180 City facilities and we have other types of uh equipment communication systems again uh technology that allows um video conferencing and virtual meetings to take place and the support of call centers so this page highlights the over 300 applications electronic forms Integrations that are supported by technology and the department uh service Delivery Systems would include um those systems such as the permitting and Licensing online system that allows a business to be conducted online uh this includes uh Library systems it includes uh membership and uh uh payment systems online systems for the community to leverage it also includes those uh applications that support the city business functions such as HR uh budget and finance it includes work order systems numerous work order systems that are used by Service delivery departments such as streets um um code enforcement Environmental Services facilities it includes record management systems utilized by the public safety departments and the health department it includes service request systems used internally by it HR facilities and very importantly uh the system used by our 311 call center to accept service requests it also includes uh systems for Workforce use such as the time management system learning management system and various collaboration tools I would really like to give a a shout out to the IT department we have a team of about 80 technicians who are boots on the ground that support everything that I have just mentioned and listed and even more okay so a good portion of the funding that we ask for is for infrastructure and security needs so cyber security protections are embedded throughout the it infrastructure and systems and I'd like to give a little bit of an explanation of what we mean by layered security so um think of protecting the network as being like safeguarding a building so you approach building and you're going to notice outside surveillance systems maybe a patrol um that is in place outside of a facility to Monitor and be on the lookout for things that might be um endanger uh potential intrusion or danger uh you'll notice fences and locked doors this is to establish that perimeter outside the building and to prevent intrusion likewise we use equipment and software to protect our Network um so you approach the door to this bu building and you'll meet up uh with a security guard the security guard is going to ask you for your ID ensure that you have business in the building and possibly even log your entry in what you're what you're there to do business for again likewise we have equipment and software doing the same thing for our Network once you enter the building you will possibly be uh see scanners and health security officers they're there to ensure that um folks coming in are healthy and an not um scanning devices and such to ensure that um dangerous items potentially dangerous items are not being brought into the facility we do the same thing with the network um once you're in the building you'll see locked doors badge scanners these are there to control access within the building I.E in our case within the network they allow entry to specific areas of the building and prohibit entry into areas of the building and likewise we do the same our Network and finally you'll notice cameras and fire alarms throughout the building we continue monitoring and have the ability to send alerts should something out of the norm surface so this description is offered to you as an explanation how some of the it funding is put to work to protect the city's digital assets and network I'm going to turn it over to Ernesto to talk a little bit more about security um so some of the Serv services that security Assurance provides is email security that that's probably I put that at the top because uh we have a lot of robust systems but the end user is always the last critical chain uh you know we we shared with your staff about the fish alert but in submitting them it's a it's a community uh effort to submit to us any any items that you feel are suspicious and then with that we can go ahead and you know block things across the organization we do Cloud security we do Network Internet Security as well uh we do incend response risk management for cyber security and of course the the infamous uh security awareness training uh just a reminder you know deadlines are coming up make sure you complete your trainings um compliance we work with multiple departments uh police department airport uh to meet compliance needs and requirements uh we do uh technology purchase request reviews and that's our opportunity to really uh apply security for any systems that are being requested by departments and then of course Audits and risk assessments uh just a little bit of my team I have a staff of five people uh we monitor three cloud services uh 8,000 plus uh systems um 8,000 plus accounts and of course 7,000 users uh security training on the security training we do have field staff so we also provide opportunities for inperson training for those people can't get online um this is one of our latest reports this is just you know the results of of the security Assurance program um this is a security posture report from bitsight uh at the high end it would be 820 we're currently 760 which is above uh the industry average so I my opinion I think we're we're doing fairly well key challenges for not only security insurance but the IT department is annual funding for Tech investment uh technology is very Dynamic it changes uh we have systems that are coming into life and you know we we really want to have that push to to fund these things uh proactive system life cycle planning that's a challenge because vendors don't always have road maps of things that are happening and then we have to be dynamic and pivot in order to you know uh maintain those systems uh Technology Innovation not budgeted uh Innovation you know really comes about uh cross functional teams we have a lot of efforts within the city system where departments work together and there's these initiatives that come up and those are not funded um and I I think it's something that we need to address uh and of course competitive it Talent recruitment the city has done a lot um but in the it uh industry there's a lot of uh demand and competitiveness with is within the the region you know private sector not and public as well uh County AP water we we all fight for the same uh staff and I pass it over to miss Patrick thanks Ernie all right I'll talk a little bit about some uh current initiatives that we have underway um first the big one is artificial intelligence AI you hear it every day and that's due to the real potential that it has to improve Service delivery information delivery and Workforce efficiencies um so Workforce efficiency Improvement in that area can be really a double win um not only has the potential to improve employee productivity but that can lead to improved Service delivery so um really important area to focus on right now we are closely we're planning for I shouldn't say just looking we're planning for a co-pilot implementation that is an AI assistant um very powerful um has the ability to help um um improve automate tasks improve task management automate uh the content uh content delivery uh development uh what's especially important about co-pilot for the city is that this AI tool lives within the city environment and so things that are being fed into this AI assistant don't go outside of the city environment which is a really big risk with um public AI tools so we're extremely interested in this uh again we're already planning we're looking at use cases we're looking at um education resources education planning uh the one hiccup that we see here is funding we don't know how widely we're going to be able to deploy this very valuable potentially valuable tool due to funding U because we're also looking at licensing costs um as well uh we um look a lot at uh migration to cloud services uh Cloud Solutions uh provide accessibility reliability and um really secure environments they typically position us to be on the most current versions of software which is really important in terms of security again uh enterprise Enterprise application upgrades we are currently working on we are working on or about to start working on several um enterprise-wide such as our time management system and we have a few uh projects in progress are about to kick off for the health department Parks and Recreation and PD and um a project that uh I know at least some of you have been briefed on that we're very very excited about is the deployment of the uh redone redesigned EP 311 um service request system very excited about that so proposed initiatives um data governance and data uh management big initiative within the city so uh the city is committed to data datadriven decision making and data analytics uh to be really effective in this area we need to address data silos we need to address data Integrity we need to be able to analyze large amounts of data to identify potential problems potential uh opportunities and solutions um it also requires good data all of this needs technology and we need data management tools to help ensure data Integrity uh C ization of data um enhanced data analysis and data security so um this is a very big Initiative for the city but it must be backed with technology um additionally we really would like to expand the scope of our artificial intelligence deployments um this really ties in uh this is one aspect of new and modern software Solutions um which provide upto-date upto-date plat platforms for us so security is addressed but as well they always apply new features that really help to improve Workforce tasks simplify work force tasks and really uh present usable City interfaces uh for our residents and customers we want easy to use systems for our residents and businesses to use the goal really with all of these three uh with all of these these three areas is to optimize Service delivery and improve the customer EXP experience so here is a a table outlining funding needs for the next few years including this year um so right now our needs for fy2 far surpass the funding that has been firmly established for it uh I'll speak on the next slide about our computer deployment plan for fy2 I'll mention right now we've already had to scale back on what our what our ideal would be due to limited funding um you'll notice for FY 28 there are some tbds um we cannot even project um accurately what costs will look like for FY 28 because at this point vendors are unable or unwilling to commit to pricing and this is for a number of factors this is for due to federal and state um executive orders that are shifting things this is due to um supply chain issues uh already today with this just going into effect today we're already seeing the impact of the tariffs imposed on um pricing that we had already obtained so as of today moving forward we expect to see big changes there in the cost to the city for some of this technology um this also includes um enterprise software upgrades and Replacements so this ties into proactive life cycle planning and just make a note that some of these deployments and implementations can be 6 to 12 months um um uh in terms of implementation and they require expert vendor uh support for these initiatives so I'll finish on this Slide by saying that as we enter into the budget planning season season that we ask for your consideration to establish an annual budget for it to meet some of the needs that we've been talking about really important otherwise we are really chasing year-to Year trying to identify what are we going to be able to do what are we not going to be able to do what what must we give up I said it would talk about um the computer ref refresh plan for this year computer life cycle is 5 years so we have an annual replacement goal of 20% this year right now as of today our goal is to replace 1,000 computers I can't say with absolute certainty based on our funding that we're going to be able to meet that uh we're working with departments as well departments who simply cannot wait um another year on some of their computer replacement to identify funding we had to forego we've already determined that we're going to have to forego replacing 2900 monitors may not sound like a tremend like a big deal but at some point we're going to have to make up for not being able to replace that this year um typically we would also um purchase services to help help with deployment that helps us to get equipment out much more quickly to our Workforce our team can handle it um we've foregone services but it's going to take us a little bit longer now to get all this equipment out um I want to mention also that in October the department sent out a survey survey to all city employees asking about Services equipment top most concern was the equipment computers are old computers are old uh slow we need new equipment we heard that loud and clear I'm going to turn back over to Ernesto Save The Best For Last so impact of not funding um of course cyber security risk uh we we have uh you know as you may or may not know Windows 10 is going into of life in October uh that's a potential risk for the city um cyber security attacks with with vulnerable equipment uh maintenance status quoes you know com uh serving the community uh things might start breaking or there might be issues and there's challenges uh that could be expected uh and how have we done it in the past in the past we we've received Capital uh through bonds and you know it was a onetime payment that that it used to fund some of these you know refreshes and and and software um and and options available would be capital or maybe a general fund allocation uh and of course the last is the it recruitment challenges U you know it's very competitive in in in the area private and public uh sector organizations uh lacked of specialized skills uh we do have Partnerships with UTEP and EPCC we do have a a a paid internship that's offered by the IT department and those are opportunities to help develop some of those students you know and and and have them get those skills but it's still a challenge to fill some of these higher level positions um um and of course challenges with competitive salary offerings um you know it is a very competitive field and uh there's challenges in that as well and that concludes our presentation and we thank you very good presentation and thank you guys for putting that together for us uh represent leemon thank you mayor thank you Miss Patrick and Mr Ariola um excellent presentation and really makes us realize how the impact of what's happening elsewhere certainly strikes us right deep in the heart um as we are challenged today when I first arrived to uh city council um you were the first people that I met Mr arola and your team and I I have to commend you because you made my life so much easier um if it wasn't for representative G Gales I still would know what my password is quite frankly sometimes but all of the password not my password but how to do this almost all the password but your entire department um as they I have this fabulous view out into the hallway and so whenever one of the IT people walk by they'll wave and sometimes we just ask them a quick question and they're able to help us out which is we really appreciate that support that we're getting and so miss Patrick you said that uh goal is to optimize delivery and improve customer service well as far as district 7 I would give you a 10 you met every um object that you all have set forth and I commend you for your work and thank you very very much and thank you Miss Mack for this leadership that you have represent asto thank you mayor I appreciate all the information I had few questions um I don't know if you're ready to give us a small preview of what you're doing with 311 oh my gosh um I'm so sorry I was not prepared for that today I it's just something that is really just top of mine right now cuz it it's been a lot um I've had a lot of conversations with the city manager about it so when I saw it here I kind of jumped out excitement um if our team has not already met with you uh we can certainly make arrangements I know we've been making attempts to meet with everyone because as I said we're we are and we know you are very excited about this um deployment yeah I think that would be a great idea absolutely we can schedule a one-on-one and anyone else that we have not had the opportunity to meet with we can do so as well uh we'll be deploying next week okay we're going we're launching next week yes okay great it's a great presentation I want to make sure you see it and you can see the next steps because we've been talking about the CRM and what we might do to improve the office flow as well it's all included okay thank you that's that's exciting and on AI am excited to see it here and I understand kind of the limitations funding wise and the unknowns of what can happen in a few years but you know I I've just been very energized since going to the AI conference that we had here a few weeks ago and I think there's a lot of potential there I think there's a lot of local groups that are doing a lot with AI and I feel in terms of productivity that can be brought to the city I think that could be a good place to start or at least you know talk to them and engage them and see what they're doing here locally to really um pick up on our local talent here and I think that's really important when we're we're thinking about anything at the city I feel like a lot of my colleagues are always asking did did you get somebody local or we couldn't get somebody local because they didn't have the skill set and I feel that the skill set is really being nurtured here when it comes to Ai and I think we need to really consider that absolutely lots of potential in that area thank you so much thank you representative tro thank you for that presentation uh I too have had a great experience with your team uh they've been very attentive you know we're new and I'm very technology uh challenged so they've been very good in in helping me as well uh I am excited about the 311 app uh we've had a community meeting and we shared that with the community uh they did a trial on it and they're really excited about it as well I have a question uh regarding the equipment the old equipment that you're looking to replace yes do you all donate that or what do you do with the old laptops and desktops it's not donated there is a process a city process established for that so it goes to our property control and the property control team uh handles the uh disposition thank you okay so they're disposed you don't clean them out and and donate or anything well we definitely scrub anything before it goes to property control so what we say has been completely scrubbed um any data is removed um but there are purchasing opportunities for that equipment got it okay thank you any other discussions on this I guess you're going to hear it all around it is doing a good job I mean um we you know we all came into the office and you were the first ones to to greet us with laptops phones and and desktops and everything is working really good and we certainly understand the challenges that you're face with with um the budgets and and it recruitment you know because everyone's recruiting it people you know you mentioned the word cyber you know Private Industry is trying to hire them as as quickly as we can um and again you know I applaud you for looking at Ai and co-pilot and the things that you guys are going to start implementing because I think that will be a game Cher for the IT department going forward but I mean to Echo um Miss Lon you guys get you know an A and maybe even an A+ so good job thank you guys thank you thank you m pran yes sir that brings us to item number 23 and this is the introduction of an ordinance make a motion to approve okay okay there's a motion second there's a Motion in a second any discussion on this item Miss Brian there's a motion made by representative leemon seconded by representative Gales to approve the introduction of the ordinance on item 23 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously item 24 is discussion and action on a resolution solution authorizing the city manager to sign an agreement for Professional Services between the city of Al Paso and conso Engineers LLC for a project known as civil engineering Professional Services for the Vista LOL Drive resurfacing reconstruction project for an amount not to exceed $72,000 39 $ 72,3 19490 all right is there a motion to approve this item motion approve second there's a motion and a second any discussion Miss Prime call for the vote Yes sir the motion was made by alternate mayor proen FAL seconded by representative Leon to approve item 24 on that motion call for the vote voting session is open thank you and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously item number 26 is a public hearing of an ordinance authorizing the city manager to sign a purchase and sale agreement AED and any other documents necessary to convey approximately 20,9 48 acres of land known as The Wild Horse Ranch in curon County Texas all is there a motion to approve this item approve there's a motion in a second any uh representative uh Canalis thank you mayor only wanted to speak to say Alex I'm sorry I should have moved this one up with the other one we could have let you go earlier but thank you for staying around all right we have a motion and a second any further discussion Miss Brian yes sir the motion was made by uh representative Canalis seconded by representative leemon to approve item 26 there's no public comment on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously that brings us to item 26 7 and this is a public hearing of an ordinance amending title 12 vehicles and traffic chapter 12.88 section 12.88 150 schedules speed limits subsection F 35 milph to add item 110 Justice Street from Montana Avenue to north city limits to delete item 47 Justice Street from edmir Boulevard to the South City Limits motion to approve second there's a motion and a second any discussion on this item hearing none Miss Bryan yes sir the motion was made by representative Nel seconded by alternate mayor proen feral to adopt the ordinance on item 27 there's no public comment on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously the final item is item 28 and this is a public hearing of an ordinance amending title 12 vehicles and traffic chapter 12.88 section 12.88 one80 no stopping or standing Tollway Zone to add item 120 po street from Hayes Avenue to Truman Avenue East Side and to add item 121 Truman Avenue from po Street to a point 420 ft East North site is there a motion to approve move to approve second there's a motion and a second to approve any discussion hearing none Miss PR yes sir the motion was made by representative oo seconded by mayor protim Chavez to approve item 28 this is to adopt the ordinance on item 28 on that motion call for the vote and the voting session and that motion passes unanimously Council would you like to recess until noon for call to the public motion to recess to second there's a motion in a second to recess a city council meeting all in favor I anyone opposed and the city council meeting is in recess at 10:48 a.m. and will reconvene at noon for call to the public thank you guys e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e looking for e every want good afternoon Miss Prime can we call the um call to the public to order yes sir council is there a motion to reconvene toon there's a motion in a second to reconvene the regular city council meeting all in favor I anyone opposed and the meeting is back in session at 12: noon that brings us to call to the public the AL Paso city council is a local government body charged with serving the citizens and the meetings must be focused on the meeting at charge the city Council 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 attendants are expected to display civility in decorum that is respectful to other persons without the use of insulting profane threatening or abusive language public comment will not be used for personal attacks against a person or group's character or Integrity which are not pertinent to City business nor May any me member of the public uses form for political statements or campaigning please note that during call to the public the city council may not deliberate or decide any subject that is not on the agenda however Council May propose that a topic brought forth be posted on a future agenda this afternoon we have five members of the public that signed up to speak the first person is Elizabeth Crawford good afternoon Miss Crawford star 6 please to unmute your telephone and you have three minutes good afternoon in light of goodno events in our good afternoon in light of current events in our nation and specifically relating to the current events of the gold statue in Gaza I would like to read a passage from the Bible from the Book of Daniel King Nebuchadnezzar he went through a time of seem seven years of insanity God's holy word tells us of the Hebrew youth Daniel who feared and served the god of Heaven as he lived a life of Integrity before the Pagan Kings while he was a captive in the land of Babylon when the king of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar constructed a golden image and commanded all his subjects to Bow the three Hebrew youth Shadrach mesach and abedo Daniel's friends refused and were thrown into the fiery furnace God miraculously delivered them but that was not the end of Nebuchadnezzar's pride in the Book of Daniel we read of the following incident all this Came Upon King Nebuchadnezzar at the end of 12 months he walked in the Palace of the king Kingdom of Babylon the king spoke and said is not this great B babyon that I have built for the house of the Kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of my Majesty while the word within the king's mouth there fell a voice from Heaven saying oh King Nebuchadnezzar to thee it is spoken the kingdom is departed from thee and they shall Drive thee from men and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field they shall make thee eat grass as oxen and seven times shall pass over thee until so you know that the most high rules in the Kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he will he passed through a period of seven years of insanity and then we read these words at the and at the end of days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up my eyes unto heaven and my understanding returned unto me and I bless the most high and I praise and honored hand that lives forever whose Dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom is from generation to generation and all the inhabitants of the Earth are reputed as nothing and he does according to his will in the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say to him what doest thou at the same time I reason returned unto me and for the glory of my kingdom my honor and brightness returned to me and my counselors and my lords saw unto me and I was established in my kingdom and excellent Majesty was added to me now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the king of Heaven all whose works are truth and his ways judgment and those that walk in Pride he is able to obate this is a war warning and a lesson to all of us even the most powerful leaders on this Earth the most powerful leaders in our nation are still ultimately Under The Sovereign control of the almighty God thank you so much hope you have a very good day thank you thank you the next speaker is Barbara Valencia Miss Valencia's topic is Animal Services Insanity continues good afternoon you have three minutes thank you good afternoon good afternoon everybody first off wishing everybody a happy Fat Tuesday okay I'm Barbara Valencia with Huckleberry Hound Dog Rescue the current state with animal services can only be described as insane animals continue to fall through the cracks of a failed system and no one is being held accountable take a look at the Caps AKA Community Sheltering program the public finds a stray and files a found report online with animal services in order to find an owner thus getting the animal back home the director claims the program has close to 100% success rate for the years 2022 2023 and 2024 a grant total of 7,319 found animals were reported and filed online with animal services 1,668 an of these animals have been returned to their owners and the remaining 5,651 animals are missing and unaccounted for their whereabouts are unknown with 5,600 of the 7,000 animals missing this program is nowhere near being 100% successful as a shelter director would have you believe numbers don't lie and the city is responsible for all these missing animals most not spayed or neutered and purposely left out in our community by animal services with no follow-up being done and no care or regard for these animals welfare one of the biggest complaints from the community is is the backyard breeders we all know breeding whether for profit or by accident is out of control yet there is little to no enforcement being done by animal services for the calendar year 2024 a total of 27 citations were issued for no litter permit violations one would think issuing only 27 citations for the entire year people are abiding by the law and obtaining the required litter permit but that is not the case in 2024 there are total of 10 litter permits issued for the entire year just 10 the backyard breeders know the director is not enforcing the litter permit law and they breed and sell puppies with impunity the failure of this department under this current director continues unchecked thousands of animals are missing and unaccounted for the dangerous and aggressive dogs being left out in the community to endanger our safety our family safety and even our own pet safety and a total disregard when it comes to enforcing title 7 animal ordinance as taxpayers we have the right to see how our money is being used to ensure there is no misappropriation of tax dollars that this department is operating effectively and to have a director that is qualified and has the ability to perform at the level needed for this position Mayor Johnson and city council it's time to stop the insanity at El Paso Animal Services thank you thank you the next speaker is Ron Kom Mr kom's topic is exercising his constitutional rights to rescue 1983 Animal Services good afternoon good afternoon good afternoon hi everybody we had a conversation two a week ago about things that were being done and that I could prove them so just for public knowledge I sent your Chief of Staff the copy of uh Colonel lon's text message to me telling the the shelter to intake live in open intake and to tell everybody in the shelter they needed open intake this was done after the state law was given to Colonel Weston and he confirmed it that we cannot legally do managed intake in El Paso um I sent the the picture of the state law to her too I also sent a screenshot of the El Paso Animal Services shelter reports showing that he still has not put all of the shelter reports in place like he's required to do every month however we always we all understand that he doesn't do anything he's told to do you've got three people here that can tell you what Oscar told him to do that he refused the intake in the west side and the shelter would be it would be a shelter on the west side and yet nothing gets done if this was a private business would he still be working for you he sure wouldn't be working for me I'd his but a long time ago people don't do what I tell you to do if I'm your boss you don't stay so why is he still here now something came up in my Facebook well actually I was looking for it and something I'd like to do so that everybody's aware of how the community feels I think what we need to do is let's do some Community meet Community meetings with Terry dealing with the community let's see what the community has to say with what's happening to the shelter if you want to know go to my Facebook page I posted one of Joe mullinar we need to solve this problem tomorrow yesterday not in meser we need to get this fixed what are you going to do people are getting injured dogs are getting killed and if you don't take pictures and videos while they're being mauled animal services does nothing but ask for pictures and videos is that what you want your community to go through when their dog gets killed have somebody tell them I want pictures I want videos so I can do something you represent us he gets paid by us 2019 the budget was $8.8 Million 6,000 pets 2023 12,000 less pets 12,000 12 million budget thank you Mr Kom the next figure that one out is Megan sesker Miss sesker star six please to unmute your telephone good afternoon good afternoon and her topic is Animal Services good afternoon you have three minutes good afternoon my name is Megan sesker and I'm a volunteer at Animal Services I've been volunteering for about a year and a half and to give you an idea of what I kind of do I walk about two to three times at the Westside facility I participate in most of the rescue runs and adoption events and I've been fostering for the past 10 months um of those 10 months the last four months I've been highly involved in resue transport where along some extremely dedicated volunteers and amazing staff we have driven over 150 dogs to out of state rescue partners that either already have adopters or doctors are there waiting within a week or two for them to arrive all told I've had around 200 dogs come through my house on their way to better life and essentially I am at the shelter almost every day whether I'm walking dogs picking dogs up dropping dogs off getting shots or meeting with medical staff I'm there and I see what staff deals with on a consistent basis I can tell you I would not do what I do without seeing the care and dedication of animal services staff who work extremely hard they as many animals as possible El Paso has an overpopulation crisis the challenges staff faces on a daily basis can only be described as daunting and unrelenting I commend them for their efforts in dealing with tremendously difficult tasks and at sometimes tremendously difficult people I'm encouraged to see so many volunteers staff and rescue organizations coming together to work towards common goals some of the efforts may not be realized by those who do not have boots on the ground but ever are being made challenges are being addressed and progress is really underway one of the most critical concerns being addressed right now is access to lowcost spay and neuter a free public spayathon is happening this weekend where around 350 Community pets will be spayed and neutered saving the community thousands of unwanted pets in the system it has been discussed that these events will occur accordly as long as fundraising efforts can support it and I do believe that everyone in the rescue world can agree that lowcost spay mutter is critical to managing animal animal population and I believe that fundraising efforts will be met to continue this program I just want to publicly thank Terry and his staff for their dedication to this Mission and for all that they do without very many thanks along the way so thank you I look forward to being part of continued efforts to address animal welfare and saving more lives along the way I know that there are challenges that need to be met and I do feel like those challenges are being addressed um consistently and in a very positive light and I am proud to be part of that group that is trying to move Animal Welfare forward and not backward so I want to thank you for your time and hearing what I have to say um and I look forward to to the space on this weekend and I know it's going to be a tremendous success thank you thank you the next speaker is elisia Lopez I don't see Miss Lopez in the audience this concludes call to the public mayor thank you very much um just before we um adjourn um I think it's important to recognize that three City people were recognized this past weekend at the inaugural um black American African-American Community leaders mayor you were one of them and so was uh Miss Dion Mack as as well as Zenia Silva and I think that in this crumbling world of Dei it is excellent and an outstanding thing that leaders in our community will re recognize this past week and it it certainly makes us very proud and thank you for your service thank you Miss lont thank you thank you thank you for those comments uh I'm really really appreciate it like to make a to adjourn our meeting there's a motion in a second to adjourn the regular city council meeting all in favor I I anyone opposed and the regular city council meeting for Tuesday March 4th 2025 is adjourned at 12:15 p.m. thank you Council