Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

El Paso City Council Work Session – April 14, 2025

City Council — Monday, April 14, 2025

BodyEl Paso, Texas

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, April 14, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:38:30

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

And uh here at 926 a.m.

0:12

Mayor, would you like to convene the work session?

0:14

Yep.

0:15

Sure would and I believe you're up.

0:17

Thank you, sir.

0:18

Good morning.

0:18

This is a work session of the El Paso City Council for Monday, April 14th, 2025.

0:22

It is 9.26 a.m.

0:24

Mayor Johnson is present in presiding along with Mayor Pro Tem Chavez, Representative Acevedo, Representative Maldonado Rocha, Representative Boyatreco, Representative Nino, Alternate Mayor Pro Tempiero, Representative Limon, and Representative Canales.

0:40

The first item on the agenda is presentation and discussion on Robert's rules of order.

0:46

Council Laura Prine City Clerk as per your direction on March 18th, 2025 to return within 30 days with a presentation on Robert's rules of order.

0:57

I'm happy to introduce today's speaker.

1:01

Her name is Miss Marilyn Strata.

1:04

She was appointed by City Secretary of the City of Bryan by the Bryan City Council in 1990, has over 44 years of experience in local government administration.

1:13

She is a graduate of the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program and ministered through the University of North Texas, holding the designation of Texas Registered Municipal Clerk.

1:24

Mrs.

1:24

Strata was awarded the certified municipal clerk designation by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, IAMC in 1996, and was certified as a master municipal clerk by IAMC in 2004.

1:38

Following a 34-year career as Bryant's longest serving city secretary, Miss Strider retired from the City of Bryan in September 2024.

1:47

And in recognition of her outstanding service to the city, the Bryan City Council named her City Secretary Emeritus.

1:54

She continues to consult for the city relative to state legislative issues and recently provided this training, a similar training to TML.

2:04

With that, Miss Trata, good morning and thank you for joining us today.

2:12

You're on mute, Miss Trada.

2:17

Good morning, Miss Strata.

2:21

We can't hear.

2:22

You're still on mute, Miss Trata.

2:24

I'm working on it.

2:25

Okay, we can hear you.

2:26

Can you hear me?

2:27

Yes, ma'am.

2:27

Now we can hear you.

2:28

Good morning.

2:29

Excellent.

2:30

Good morning.

2:31

Good morning, Mayor Johnson and Council members.

2:34

First, let me ask uh Laura, can you see the PowerPoint?

2:38

Yes, we can.

2:39

Very good.

2:40

Let me just move.

2:42

Can did it move with you?

2:43

Yes, it did.

2:44

Okay, very good.

2:46

Well, I'm so excited to be doing this for the city of El Paso.

2:49

It's one of my favorite places.

2:51

My sister lived there for quite some time when her husband was in the army, and I used to love to go out there and spend time with her.

2:59

It's such a beautiful city.

3:01

So much to do and see, so much to learn.

3:04

Um just love the way that you embrace diversity in El Paso, and I will say the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen anywhere in the world.

3:14

So we're going to we have about an hour, so I'm gonna move fairly quickly.

3:18

I was interested to hear your discussion on postponement because we're gonna talk about postponement here in a little bit.

3:24

I would like to encourage you all to if you have any questions to be sure you jot them down and we will try to get to them.

3:31

Also, uh Laura provided you with a copy of I believe yours is on blue paper.

3:38

It is called basic information on motions, and we will be using this a lot today.

3:44

So if you will make sure you have that in front of you so that we can uh refer to this.

3:49

This is this one sheet of paper is all that you need to really run a very efficient council meeting.

3:55

So we will get there.

3:57

All right.

3:58

Kicking off, um, just what is parliamentary procedure?

4:03

And I'm happy to know that y'all do use Robert's rules of order, but it's it's basically um a set of guidelines that helps make sure that everyone that is participating in a meeting that their rights are respected, and it and if applied appropriately, it will make your meetings more efficient and streamlined.

4:24

It's very organized and it's very logical.

4:27

So if you if you follow them through the decision making process, it will facilitate your meetings and again protect the rights of everyone involved.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural███████████████████████████████████████████43%

Federal Government Relations██████████████14%

International Bridges████████8%

Budget Equity Analysis████████8%

Public Engagement██████6%

Economic Development████4%

Public Comment████4%

Public Utilities████4%

Intergovernmental Cooperation███3%

Summary of Proceedings

El Paso City Council Work Session – April 14, 2025

The El Paso City Council held a work session on Monday, April 14, 2025, at 9:26 AM. The meeting included presentations and discussions on Robert's Rules of Order, the City's International Policy Agenda, 2026 El Paso Days in DC, and the second quarter financial report. Following open session, the Council entered executive session to discuss four items related to El Paso Electric Company rate changes and real property. Key actions included approval of the international policy agenda, approval of a time-varying rate pilot program, denial of a military resiliency tariff, and postponement of a decision on the public safety complex relocation.

Public Comments & Testimony

Item 1 (Robert's Rules): Ms. Osman commented on the inability for the public to sign up to speak on executive session items via the online form, requesting IT verification.
Item 2 (International Policy): Ms. Osman expressed concerns about the city's portrayal worldwide and questioned the use of taxpayer funds for travel, urging caution given federal funding uncertainties.
Item 3 (El Paso Days in DC): Ms. Osman criticized the proposal as wasteful, noting that discretionary funds are available for council travel and that federal meetings often only involve staff.
Item 4 (Financial Report): Ms. Osman highlighted that projections do not account for potential federal grant cuts and criticized the imbalance between residential and commercial property tax burdens.
Executive Session Items (EX1–EX4): Ms. Osman spoke against variable rate pilot programs, referencing the 2021 winter storm crisis and arguing the program would harm low-income residents. She also expressed concern about a data center's electricity demands.

Discussion Items

Item 1: Presentation on Robert's Rules of Order – Marilyn Strata provided training on parliamentary procedure, including motion precedence, debate rules, and common mistakes. Council asked about nominations vs. appointments.
Item 2: Economic & International Development International Program and Policy Agenda – Adriana Pulecio presented the first international policy agenda with goals to strengthen ties with Mexican government levels, improve border infrastructure, and boost trade. Council discussion included support for the program, concerns about the Saragosa bridge pedestrian conditions, and a proposal by Rep. Acevedo to include an active role for City Council. After a point of order, the amendment was withdrawn by unanimous consent, and the main motion passed unanimously.
Item 3: Presentation on 2026 El Paso Days in DC – Omar Martinez proposed combining advocacy with the National League of Cities conference to reduce costs. Estimated cost per person is $4,417; a $120,000 minimum budget was recommended. Council expressed interest in NLC training opportunities via the city's existing membership and emphasized controlling the national narrative about El Paso.
Item 4: Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Second Quarter Financial Report – Robert Cortinas reported general fund revenues up 3.6% (driven by property and sales tax) and expenses up 10.5% (mainly due to payroll timing). The city projects breaking even with only $2.4 million fund balance use instead of budgeted $7.2 million. Pre-preliminary property valuations increased 11.3%; FY2026 growth projected at 6.1%. Council discussed stadium finances, with Rep. Boyar Trejo requesting detailed revenue/expense data.

Key Outcomes

Item 2: Motion to approve the 2025 International Policy Agenda (moved by Rep. Boyar Trejo, seconded by Rep. Nino) passed unanimously (7-0, with Reps. Maldonado-Rocha and Fierro absent).
EX2: Motion to authorize settlement agreement for El Paso Electric's time-varying rate pilot program (Texas PUC Docket 56658) passed unanimously. The pilot is voluntary, limited to about 1,800 participants, and guarantees that any bill increase will be refunded.
EX3: Motion to deny El Paso Electric's application for a military resiliency services tariff (Texas PUC Docket Utility-52) passed unanimously.
EX4: Motion to postpone discussion on relocating the public safety complex from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Global Reach Drive for four weeks (to the May 12, 2025 work session) passed 7-1 (Rep. Canales voting nay).
No action taken on Items 1, 3, 4, and EX1.

Meeting Transcript

And uh here at 926 a.m. Mayor, would you like to convene the work session? Yep. Sure would and I believe you're up. Thank you, sir. Good morning. This is a work session of the El Paso City Council for Monday, April 14th, 2025. It is 9.26 a.m. Mayor Johnson is present in presiding along with Mayor Pro Tem Chavez, Representative Acevedo, Representative Maldonado Rocha, Representative Boyatreco, Representative Nino, Alternate Mayor Pro Tempiero, Representative Limon, and Representative Canales. The first item on the agenda is presentation and discussion on Robert's rules of order. Council Laura Prine City Clerk as per your direction on March 18th, 2025 to return within 30 days with a presentation on Robert's rules of order. I'm happy to introduce today's speaker. Her name is Miss Marilyn Strata. She was appointed by City Secretary of the City of Bryan by the Bryan City Council in 1990, has over 44 years of experience in local government administration. She is a graduate of the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program and ministered through the University of North Texas, holding the designation of Texas Registered Municipal Clerk. Mrs. Strata was awarded the certified municipal clerk designation by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, IAMC in 1996, and was certified as a master municipal clerk by IAMC in 2004. Following a 34-year career as Bryant's longest serving city secretary, Miss Strider retired from the City of Bryan in September 2024. And in recognition of her outstanding service to the city, the Bryan City Council named her City Secretary Emeritus. She continues to consult for the city relative to state legislative issues and recently provided this training, a similar training to TML. With that, Miss Trata, good morning and thank you for joining us today. You're on mute, Miss Trada. Good morning, Miss Strata. We can't hear. You're still on mute, Miss Trata. I'm working on it. Okay, we can hear you. Can you hear me? Yes, ma'am. Now we can hear you. Good morning. Excellent. Good morning. Good morning, Mayor Johnson and Council members. First, let me ask uh Laura, can you see the PowerPoint? Yes, we can. Very good. Let me just move. Can did it move with you? Yes, it did. Okay, very good. Well, I'm so excited to be doing this for the city of El Paso. It's one of my favorite places. My sister lived there for quite some time when her husband was in the army, and I used to love to go out there and spend time with her. It's such a beautiful city. So much to do and see, so much to learn. Um just love the way that you embrace diversity in El Paso, and I will say the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen anywhere in the world. So we're going to we have about an hour, so I'm gonna move fairly quickly. I was interested to hear your discussion on postponement because we're gonna talk about postponement here in a little bit. I would like to encourage you all to if you have any questions to be sure you jot them down and we will try to get to them.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com