Mayor Pro Tem Chavez presided over the El Paso City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The meeting included an invocation by Police Senior Chaplain David Mayfield, a consent agenda, a public hearing on the FY2025-2026 tax rate, and a discussion and action item regarding parking at Lincoln Park during cultural events. Public comment was heard on two topics before the consent agenda and two speakers testified during the tax rate hearing.
So please join us in the Pledge of Allegiance. And Council, we don't have any proclamations this morning, so we'll remain on pause until 10 o'clock, at which time roll call will begin. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Prime. Mayor Pro Tim. I think we have a quorum and we can start the meeting now. Yes, ma'am. Good morning. This is a meeting of the El Paso City Council for Tuesday, August 12th, 2025. Mayor Pro Tem Chavez is present in presiding along with Representative Acevedo, Representative Malonado Rocha, Representative Boyatrejo, Representative Nino, Representative Canales is joining us virtually. Representative Canales, can you hear us, sir? Yes, I can. Can you hear me? Yes, sir. Thank you. It is 10 o'clock a.m. And we begin the meeting with the invocation delivered by El Paso Police Senior Chaplain, David Mayfield. I'd like to thank the council for once again giving me the opportunity to come and pray for the council and our city. It's always a privilege. And now I invite those present to pray in their tradition as I will pray in mine. As this council comes together, we ask for clarity and thought, humility and heart, and unity in purpose. Bless the city of El Paso, its families, its neighborhoods, and all who labor each day to make it a better place. May the decisions made in this chamber be guided by justice, tempered by mercy, and shaped by the voices of those we serve. Grant strength to those who protect and provide, peace to those who struggle, and inspiration to those who dream. Help us to listen well, speak kindly, and act boldly for the common good. In this time of deliberation, let us remember that true leadership is service and true service is love in action. Amen. Thank you, Chaplin. That brings us to the public comment portion of the meeting. This morning for call to the public. We have two members that signed up to speak. The first person is Elizabeth Crawford. For the record, Representative Limon is also present, and alternate mayor Protenfiero is also approaching the day the dais at 1002 a.m. Ms. Crawford signed up to speak on abortion and research. Good morning, Miss Crawford. You have three minutes. Good morning and thank you. One of my favorite statements in the Word of God is talking false epistles for the Roman. Or in another translation, it's rendered, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar. I love this verse because as we see hypocrisy all around us, and yes, if we're honest even in ourselves, the hypocrisy of man does not affect the truth of God. Let God be true by every man a liar. As we know in the logic of argumentation, there's a category called at hominem argument. At hominem is this person I made statement A. Person A has bad character. Because person I made statement A, statement A must be wrong. At hominem is a logical fallacy. At hominem reasoning might say, look who got enraged. Some crazy issue is it.