The El Paso City Council met on June 10, 2025, from approximately 9:00 AM to 5:35 PM, with breaks for a mass transit board recess (11:31-11:35 AM), lunch recess (12:05-1:22 PM), and executive session (1:24-5:30 PM). The meeting featured four proclamations, public comment from six speakers, approval of a consent agenda with revisions, discussion of historic preservation code amendments, and votes on multiple resolutions, including a $25 million grant application for an I-10 deck plaza and a $6 million Solar for All program for 440 low-income households. The council also took action on three executive session items.
I don't think it's gonna be it. No, it's not such a big enough group. I can't see Raptors. You guys did a good job. All right, Miss Prime, we're gonna get started with our proclamations, but before that, I want to recognize Chris Hernandez uh with the Yeslet Independent School District who's here with us today too. Good to see her. That brings us to the mayor's proclamations. For those of you receiving a proclamation, your group will have up to six minutes collectively to speak at the podium. The first proclamation today is Pride Month. Thank you, Mayor. I'll wait a little bit to get everybody up here. Good morning. It's good to see familiar faces here. I'll read the proclamation. Proclamation City of El Paso, Texas, whereas every June communities across the nation celebrate LGBTQIA plus Pride Month, honoring the history, resilience, and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual to spirit, and allied individuals. And whereas Pride Month began in remembrance of the Stonewall Uprising of June nineteen sixty-nine, a pital pivotal moment of resistance led by trans women of color, including Marcia P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. That ignited the mo modern LGBTQIA plus rights movement. Shaping a borderline that is more inclusive, compassionate, and vibrant. And whereas despite decades of progress, LGBTQIA plus individuals, especially black, indigenous and Latinx transgender people continue to face systemic discrimination, violence, any race and health care, education, housing, and public policy. And whereas Opasso recognizes the urgent need to confront these injustices and remains committed to cultivating a community where every person, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression can live safely, authentically, and with dignity. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the mayor and council of the city of El Paso, urging all to reflect on the ongoing struggle for LGBTQIA plus rights and to celebrate the spirit of love, authenticity, and collective liberation that defines pride. June 2025 shall be known as Pride Month. Signed the Honorable Mayor Renard Johnson. Good morning. Good morning, Mayor, Council, and happy Pride. Yeah. First of all, I would like to thank you all for this resolution's proclamation. The importance of uh visibility is uh uh I mean incredibly important in these times. Uh it is an incredibly interesting time, a tumultuous time if one would say. But when we have a city that catches us, when we have a city that sits there and says, we don't care what's going on outside, we're gonna take care of you here. It's like it makes all the difference in the world. I was like, El Paso is one of the leaders in our states and in the south with all of the work that we do with all of the amazing people who live here and who continue to c come to the city due to issue things like this, this resolution, these proclamations show that it is important for diversity, right? And it shows that you can come here and you can be safe, that you can come and build a family, and it doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter what you are, it doesn't matter what you believe, this is your home. Um it is incredibly important in these moments for us to remember that we are one community and to also center, of course, our trans community who is under attack. And it's like so this month, as you celebrate all the very different iterations of the way that we celebrate pride from Pride Night at La Nube on the 18th, uh to community night on the 14th to Pride itself, uh the Pride Parade on the 21st. As you're celebrating, remember those who came before that allowed these things to happen, and remember that when they fought, they didn't just fight for the queer community, they fought for every single one of our rights. So again, thank you so much, and there will be more people speaking behind me. Good morning. Good morning. I just wanted to say thank you and remind you our theme this year for Pride is not all heroes wear capes. And here in front of us, we have many heroes not wearing capes, wearing suits. We appreciate you, and thank you for everything you're doing to keep supporting pride and everything it stands for. All right, thank you. And that was Rachel McReynolds, our secretary for El Paso Sun City Pride. And my name's Chris, um Christopher Eck, um, president for El Paso Sun City Pride. Um, on behalf of El Paso Sun City Pride, we want to thank every single one of you, mayor and council members, um, for this amazing proclamation to continue to show our LGBTQI youth and community that we are seen, that we are visible, especially during these dark times in this nation where we're trying to be erased, history is trying to be erased, but El Paso stands strong and showing that we can light the star rainbow and that can show the kids in this community acceptance that we can low decrease the amount of kids taking their own lives because they're being bullied at school because they're doing um you know just all the hate that's out there. So El Paso shines love and thank you for that, and thank you for the continued support. You got it. Thank you.