Well, good morning, everyone.

We're going to get started with our special meeting.

Ms.

Prime.

Good morning, Mayor, and good morning.

This is a special meeting of the El Paso City Council for Monday, August 18th, 2025.

It is 9.02 a.m.

Mayor Johnson is present and presiding in Council Chambers along with Mayor Pro Tem Chavez, Representative Acevedo, Representative Maldonado Rocha, Representative Boyar Trejo, Representative Nino, Alternate Mayor Pro Tempiero, and Representative Limone.

Mayor, we have a quorum.

Okay, Miss Bryan.

Yes, sir.

That brings us to item one on the agenda, and this is a public hearing and action on the proposed budget as amended for the city of El Paso, followed by the city manager with the city clerk on July 18th, 2025, which begins at September 1st, 2025 and ends on October 31st, 2026.

We have an echo when you're talking.

Do you hear that?

I did not, sir, but I'll let IT know.

Okay.

And it is 9 03 a.m.

And this is a public hearing.

Good morning, Robert.

Mayor here is a minute.

Good morning.

Mayor City Council Robert Sylvia.

This item is the only item on the special council agenda.

So we have a public hearing.

I believe we have one individual signed up to speak on this item.

Um additionally, we have the mass transit.

We're also required to do that public hearing as well.

Um the action that we will be requesting at the end of the special council meeting will be to postpone the vote until tomorrow.

So the state requires that the council take some form of action at the end of the public hearing.

So that action again will be to postpone the vote until tomorrow's adoption of the budget and the tax rate.

Okay.

So I would be happy to go through the presentation, or if you would like to do the public comment.

Again, this is just a public hearing for the public to be able to speak on uh the proposed budget for next year.

All right, but before we take public comment, Representative Chavez.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, and thank you, Robert.

Um, I actually have a motion for the proposed budget.

There is an echo, Ms.

Prime.

Yes, ma'am.

In fact, um try it without the mic.

Go ahead.

Go ahead.

Okay.

Um thank you, Mayor.

And I'm gonna send it to you, Ms.

Prime, and I have a copy for each of my uh council members.

This is um something that I've been in discussion with both uh Robert Corchinas and uh Ms.

Mack about uh for several months, actually.

So uh this is my motion, and I'll go ahead and if you can pass it down so everybody has a copy.

Thank you, Representative Acevedo.

Uh I make a motion to amend the proposed budget to allocate from the city's already established general fund six thousand dollars for each district office.

These funds are to be used exclusively for travel in our official capacity that supports the advancement of the cities of El Paso strategic plan.

Any portion of these allocated funds not used by a council member shall revert to the general fund travel budget at the end of the fiscal year.

This policy aligns with all the city strategic goals and as outlined in the city charter, the mayor and council may act to accomplish any lawful per purpose for the advancement of the interest welfare, health, morals, comfort, safety, and convenience of its city and its inhabitants.

Um when we oh thank you, Representative Boyartejo.

Uh when I uh when I took office in January, Mayor and Council, um one of the first votes that we took was on January the 15th, and that was an approval unanimously for uh six thousand dollars for one single trip uh for El Paso days in Austin.

And uh that showed that we recognize the value of travel when it directly benefits our community.

This allocation of six thousand dollars is not for one single trip, it's for an entire year worth of representation and advocacy for our community.

Like I mentioned just previously, I have been in communication with uh Robert Gortinez and our uh city manager Dion Mack, and uh we will continue having those conversations to identify where us in our official capacity as elected officials can best represent and advocate for our city of El Paso in collaboration with city staff.

Our responsibility to our community is not only uh in you know on this dais or in this building, but it belongs in many different places and in many different circumstances.

Many times it's here in El Paso, but other times it could be in other cities with other representatives and people that will establish themselves here through economic development or internationally, you know, in Mexico to uh advancing our our our what we've already adopted our international economic development policy.

Uh this fund could potentially fund you know three critical trips that could really um uh push forward our strategic plan as a city.

So again, in collaboration with our city manager, uh we'd like to stretch the dollars that we already have in place um to uh push forward our strategic and legislative affairs um purpose.

I would like to say that um every department has determined travel is essential.

That's why the city already has a travel fund for the different departments in their different capacities.

So this is something that as a city we've already deemed important.

Um without such a fund, you know, uh we would not be able to to basically advocate, like I just mentioned, for our constituency.

Uh this this advocacy can come in different forms, and like I said, in different cities and different places.

Um I want to specifically address the fact that sometimes people think that council travels to party.

And I want to say that I find that deeply offensive.

Um I do not need uh city funds to to party or to do any uh thing of that sort.

I am deeply committed to my position as a city representative and in pushing uh our strategic plan forward and in uh advocating for my constituents and building a better future for our community.

And many times, like I just mentioned, that's beyond the city of El Paso.

Uh so with that um I I open it up to comment and I appreciate all of your help, Mr.

Cortinez and Ms.

Mack in you know, just helping me and guiding me in putting this motion together.

Thank you.

So we have a motion and a second, we have some discussion, Representative Bierrell.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um Ms.

Mack, I guess.

A couple questions is where are we gonna get this money from?

Number one.

Uh number two, what is the policy for the public on travel for council now?

And and lastly, where do those those funds come from?

Okay.

So um if the motion is passed today, I will go back and take a look at existing funding categories.

You know, as the representative said, um, we're really looking at this as an opportunity to help bring council along on existing initiatives.

Um I certainly can um reduce some funding lines and looking at across the board, um, city manager's office and others to be able to make that shift.

Um we also will be looking at um any other savings we might have on the general fund side of the house without um having an impact on service.

Um and currently the travel policy council do not individually have travel lines.

I believe the mayor's office has only been the only one with a travel line in general fund, but that is completely possible to establish to allow um for this type of travel to happen and have it be through the general fund.

Um so policy in place right now is that if you're using discretionary, then that's usually placed on the agenda, and that's brought forward for a full council approval.

Thank you.

Okay, representative Trail.

Thank you, Mayor.

And uh thank you, Dion, for working with us to get this this done.

Uh you know, as representative uh uh Chavez mentioned, this this can potentially fund two to three critical trips collaborating with the city manager.

With that comes trainings when we attend conferences, trainings through the Texas Municipal League, the National League of Cities, and this is gonna help us prepare better prepare to represent our our community.

Uh we and also with that, you know, advocating, advocating for for our city uh for economic development nationally.

And so I support this.

Uh I'm I'm glad that we're uh bringing this forth again, and I hope that my my colleagues will will vote yes for this.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um and thank you, um Mayor Protam Chavez for bringing this to um this motion for us to consider today.

Um I think this has been a long time coming and I'm very supportive of the measure.

I I think that for me, you know, as we're seeing every other year we're getting the legislative session in Austin is is really affecting our cities and the the county has the ability to be able to go testify from one day to the next.

We don't have that ability as council members, and I think this travel fund would allow us to do something like that.

So we could go advocate in front of state lawmakers for our constituents.

And so I I see this as a big win for our constituents.

And then of course, um everything that was mentioned in terms of other advocacy like the action that we all um supported in I think January to do Washington DC days and model it after Austin days.

So I I think that's that's a good thing.

Um Robert, I did have a question in terms of what does the travel fund look like for um I want to say the city manager's office or just for staff in general.

I know that our legislative affairs team has been traveling back and forth.

So how much is is that every year?

Uh I don't have it in front of me, but we sent that as one of the documents that we sent out last week.

There was uh a document that was with the travel funds and it listed by department uh annual budget for each of those departments.

A lot of the departments are typically used for training for continued education.

Um there are some obviously with the strategic and legislative affairs more focused on trips to Austin and to DC.

Um so it really does vary by department, but you do all do have access to that document.

Okay.

And and I think the the other thing that uh has been frustrating as I've been at the city is our our discretionary fund is is something that I I really hold high in terms of how I use it and if we could use that fund for more things in our district rather than spending it on travel when we need to go advocate for our district as well and our constituents.

I think that is also a win for each of our individual districts.

So thank you.

Representative uh Piero.

Thank you, Mayor.

My question would be if this passes today, will we have some sort of uh formal training?

Representative Acevedo brought something up, you know, could could we go if we went to testify?

Could it be from one day to the next?

Um what will be the the we'll have some training I'm assuming on what we can and can't do.

Absolutely, because I think we want to outline and make sure it's very clear for council and maybe in writing what we consider emergency travel, because we do have the ability within policy right now to do emergency travel.

Um, but it's pretty well defined for us what emergency is, it's something that's unavoidable.

So we really want to make sure that that's clarified so there's no questions of your actions as well.

And we would also love to come back with some suggestions on things that would support the strategic plan.

You know, we know what next year will look like.

We're beginning to sort of map out some of those things with opportunities as you heard the strategic and legislative affairs team talked about the need for the work that's going to be happening at various levels, and so we might actually come back with some things that we think uh would benefit from your presence at at those functions too.

All right, Representative Canales.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um yeah, I think just it's important for the public to know too.

There is an existing travel policy in place.

Uh before travel, there you have to do a pretty robust submission uh that needs approval.

You it's not a process that happens willy-nilly.

Um I will say, uh kind of like I said last time this was discussed.

We also already have funds available for travel in the form of discretionary funds.

If we have a specific $6,000 line item in the budget for travel funds, like I I anticipate that would go unused for me.

I would much rather have six thousand additional dollars in my discretionary funds that I could use to spend on travel or on something in my district for my constituents.

Um I I like the process by which if something goes on the agenda, I think it's good for transparency.

Uh it's good for the public to see uh in advance where the council will be traveling.

Uh and I think it's uh uh a good oversight mechanism by which the council also has to approve those those travel expenditures.

Um and so I'm not supportive of specifically uh a line item for travel in our in our general fund budget.

Um I'd much rather continue the process of of using discretionary funds, excuse me, discretionary funds, and if these want to make these funds available, I think discretionary funds is the place to uh for them to go.

I I don't know that that makes sense either.

We we have uh you know fairly robust allocation in discretionary funds, and um I believe we've already uh directed uh an amendment to the uh to the budget to allow us to roll over funds in in discretionary funds, and so uh I think that provides us plenty of funding for something like travel.

Thank you, Mayor.

Representative.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

First of all, no matter what our beliefs might be, I can assure you that constituents truly believe that travel is simply to party.

That's a given.

I mean just got off the campaign.

That's a big issue.

Why are we spending money on something like this?

When you look at the agenda, uh going to Austin, which I've done in the past, chose not to do this year.

It's a breakfast session, it's a lunch session, it's an afternoon session, reception, reception, reception, reception.

That is the bulk of the day.

We may have a couple of meetings, maybe three at best, and it's not necessarily with top level people.

I can't help but feel that if we really wanted to speak to someone in a seat of power that we could do it, that we don't have to travel like this.

I can tell you that I have taken two trips this year.

I went with destination El Paso de Queretaro and Tequisquiapan, and both on that one trip, I paid for all of my fees, my airfare, my hotel, and my meals.

I also attended the COG, the Council of Government meeting in Martha, and I was able to ride with Commissioner Olguine, so no cost was incurred, and I have turned down the per diem allocation.

I cannot believe we haven't even approved the budget, and we're already making some changes to it.

And for such for such um inconsiderate activity, this sounds it's about me versus this is about the city.

So with all due respect to all of you that have already discussed this item, I will go on record as fully in I am not supporting this.

I think it's a big mistake, and I don't think we should be doing this kind of action at this time.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, representative um Vierral.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um I'd like to make an amendment um if this passes that the money not roll over.

If we vote and we approve the six thousand dollars, it's for the fiscal year, and it if we don't use it in the fiscal year, then we it doesn't roll over.

So next year we don't have 10.

It doesn't roll over.

So that is that a second to my motion?

Thank you.

Thank you.

There's no the they answered my question.

Okay, perfect.

Uh Representative uh Chavez.

Thank you, Mayor.

And um again, just to reiterate and be clear.

In the packets that I um gave to all my fellow council members, and you know, in in the backups that uh Robert Cortinez has provided to the city that anybody can look up.

Um there are about 21, 22 departments that have a travel budget.

There's a 10 percent increase from fiscal year 25 to 26 for the city's travel budget, in addition to some non-general fund money that is available for um different departments to travel.

The city has deemed important and I agree that travel is important for different reasons at different times and for different departments.

We are a part of the city.

We um deliberately chose to run for office to represent our community.

And in my conversations with Ms.

Mack and others, we I have determined that it is important that all of us in our official capacity for different reasons and at different times need to support the city in these initiatives that many times go beyond the city of El Paso in other cities and other places.

And I believe that we bring a lot to the table.

And I I really am appreciative of Ms.

Mack for being open to the idea of having these conversations and saying this is where we need to strategically be for these reasons, and then use our capacity as elected officials to put to push our strategic plan forward and to discuss important issues in other places.

So this is what this is for.

It is up to all of us to be held accountable to how we use these funds.

That is why everything should be transparent, and it is up to all of us to make our city proud.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Representative Nino.

Thank you, Mayor.

Mr.

Cortinez, what is the difference between the non-general fund and general fund travel budget?

How is that determined in regards to the funding that's allocated for that?

So the non-general fund would be the enterprise departments, any grants.

I know police department uses a lot of their uh grants.

They do a lot of traveling related to police cases and such that they need to take advantage of.

Um again, non-general fund restricted for specific purposes.

So again, um airport, for example, utilizing airport revenue to fund all of the airport expenditures.

So they're using airport funds for their travel.

The general fund again, primarily funded by property tax and sales tax and some other fees, but primarily supported by property tax and sales tax.

Non-general fund is supported by other revenue sources again, uh restricted funding.

Okay, no further questions.

I just wanted to get that clarity because um I'm looking at all the documents that were provided.

There's the general fund, non-general fund.

And I also do see how uh there was a proposed travel budget under mayor and council, but you guys were saying that that's specifically just for the mayor currently.

Correct.

That's just the mayor's office is right now the only one allocated travel dollars.

Okay.

No further questions.

Thank you.

All right.

Um, Ms.

Prime, before we call for the vote on this, can we take the public comment?

Yes, Mayor, and this is a public hearing.

The first person that signed up is Michael Clark.

Mayor, just a quick point of clarification.

Is we have the amendment on the floor, correct?

We have a motion to amend the budget resolution.

Yeah.

And that's Piero's amendment.

No, no, no.

No, his own.

He didn't, he didn't do one.

Thank you.

Good morning, Mr.

Clark.

You have three minutes.

Good morning.

Good morning.

My name is Michael Clark.

I am a citizen, and that's the capacity I'm speaking in at the moment of El Paso.

Um the upcoming public hearing on the proposed budget for the City of El Paso raises important questions that go beyond simple approval or rejection for me.

Well, the budget lays out spending priorities for the year beginning September 1st, 2025, I believe all the way to August 31st, 2026.

My concern is focused on two critical areas.

Auditing and revenue.

Uh first, the auditing process must be thorough and transparent.

Taxpayers deserve to know not only how funds are allocated, but also whether they are being managed effectively throughout the year without clear and consistent auditing confidence in the budget's execution with without this it weakens.

Second, the lack of strong income streams remains a pressing issue.

For example, revenue sources such as the hotel occupancy tax has not been produced to the levels that we believe in, and not only that hasn't been collected.

I don't know where we're at with the collection piece of the hotel tax.

Um also this gap.

This is not a position for or against the proposed budget.

It is simply a call for stronger oversight and more realistic assessment of the city's income before we move forward.

So ultimately, my main concern is just making sure that we're auditing, we're making sure that we're following up and making sure that everybody's acting accordingly with the funds.

Um I guess it goes a little bit with what you guys are speaking of today.

You know, most of the people that I speak with on a daily basis, they're just concerned overall that their tax money is being spent a certain way.

However, um I haven't seen that from this um committee.

I haven't seen this from you guys specifically.

I just want to make sure that what I'm saying is being heard as well as other constituents in the city of El Paso.

All right, thank you.

Thank you.

And this is a public hearing.

If there's anyone else that would like to speak on the budget, you may come forward now.

Mayor, I don't see anyone else coming forward.

All right, so we have a motion and a second to amend the budget resolution to add this item.

Would you read that back to us, Ms.

Prime?

Yes, Mayor.

And the motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem Chavez, seconded by Representative Boyetrejo, and this is to amend the proposed budget to allocate from the city's already established general fund, six thousand dollars for each district office.

These funds are to be used exclusively for travel in their official capacity that supports the advancement of the city of Al Paso strategic plan.

Any portion of these allocated funds not used by a council member shall revert to the general fund travel budget at the end of the fiscal year.

This policy aligns with the city's strategic goals and as outlined in the city charter, the mayor and council may act to accomplish any lawful purpose for the advancement of the interest, welfare, health, morals, comfort, safety, and convenience of its city and its inhabitants.

Okay.

Any further discussion on this?

All right, hearing.

I'll just make a real quick comment, Mayor's.

So based on that motion, we will have to amend the budget results.

If you all recall that action that we took a few weeks ago, that general fund dollars will roll over into the discretionary at the end of the year if they're not spent.

So we'll just put an exclusion there that excludes that travel.

Okay.

Ms.

Brian, call for the vote on this one.

Yes, sir.

On that motion, call for the vote.

Ms.

Brand, I'll need to do a verbal thought.

Okay.

Representative Rocha?

Aye.

Thank you.

Representative Gonales.

No.

Thank you.

In the voting session.

And that motion passes 622.

Representatives Limona and Canales voting nay.

The remainder of council voting aye.

The motion passes.

Okay.

Representative Lima.

Thank you, Mayor.

I'm not sure what the procedure will be on this, Robert.

But if you could please not make an allocation to District 7 on this travel funding, I really would appreciate it.

It should stay right where it belongs in the general fund.

Please let me know what I need to do to make sure that happens.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Lamont.

And Robert, we have another item we need to take up.

So on this item, I'm more than happy to do the presentation, or we can do it tomorrow again.

This is just a public hearing the opportunity for anybody to speak on the item.

Um at the close of this public hearing, we do need a motion again that we are postponing the vote on the budget until tomorrow at 9 a.m.

here at City Council Chambers.

Second.

Okay.

There's a motion and a second.

Any discussion on postponing this item?

All right, hearing none, seeing none, Ms.

Prime, call for this vote.

Yes, Mayor.

So the motion was made by Representative Maldonado Rocha, seconded by Representative.

Yes.

It was seconded by Representative Nino.

And this motion is to postpone the vote on the proposed budget until tomorrow, August 19th, 2025 at 9 o'clock a.m.

The public hearing is closed this morning at 9:30.

Okay.

On that motion, call for the vote.

Representative Gonales.

Aye.

Thank you.

And the voting session, and that motion passes unanimously.

That brings us to the end of the agenda.

Is there a motion to adjourn?

So move.

Second.

There's a motion and a second to adjourn the special meeting.

All in favor?

Aye.

Anyone opposed?

And the special meeting for Monday, August 18th, 2025 is adjourned at 9.31 a.m.

And the proposed budget will be adopted tomorrow, August 19, 2025.

Mayor, would you like to convene the special mass transit meeting?

Yes, please.

Thank you.

Good morning.

This is the agenda for the special mass transit department board meeting.

Today is August 18, 2025.

The time is 9:31 a.m.

President Council Chambers is Chair Mr.

Johnson.

Sorry about that.

Ms.

Chavez, Mr.

Acevedo, Miss Rocha, Ms.

Rejo.