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Record of Proceedings

El Paso City Council Regular Meeting - October 14, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, October 14, 2025
BodyEl Paso, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 14, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 5:17:13

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:15

And we're ready to go to work.

0:18

Thank you, Mayor.

0:20

Good morning, and welcome to the presentation of the mayor's proclamations.

0:26

This morning we began with a pledge of allegiance.

0:30

And to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, we have students from St.

0:34

Matthew Catholic School at the invitation of City Representative Alejandra Chavez.

0:39

We have Kevin Aguirre, Diana de la Garza, Joshua Dowling, Jaime Gonzalez, Darina Yu, Franco Fuentes, Carla Frias, Nicolas Angulancan, Evelyn Wheeland.

1:16

And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God and if it's goal with the justice for all.

1:25

God bless America.

2:03

Hey, this Spanish translation is really cool.

2:06

It's translating everything.

2:12

Yes, it's on the TV, but it can be on everything that Ms.

2:15

Prime is saying.

2:17

Oh, yeah, yeah, that's all right.

3:03

Oh, go for it.

3:09

And then it's five.

3:17

All right.

3:22

Oh, yeah.

3:25

All right.

3:25

And then we'll see a little bit back.

3:30

All right.

3:31

All right.

3:32

Ready, big mild.

3:33

Oh, just the right hand on the front.

3:35

A little bit more over?

3:36

Perfect.

3:37

All right.

3:38

And then yes, have you come over a little bit and we'll try to end just out a little bit for me?

3:42

Beautiful.

3:43

All right, ready, big smile.

3:45

One, two, three.

3:48

We've got a lot of fans also.

4:35

Sorry, guys.

4:37

See you later.

4:38

Thank you, guys.

4:41

Yeah.

4:42

Okay, Miss Prime.

4:43

Yes, sir.

4:44

And Council, there is a glitch with a YouTube link, but IT is troubleshooting at this moment.

4:49

So the YouTube link is down.

4:52

The live stream is down at this moment.

4:54

That brings us to the mayor's proclamations.

5:00

For those of you receiving your proclamation this morning, your group will have up to four minutes collectively to speak at the podium and receive the proclamation.

5:05

We began with the first proclamation, which is Raymond The Geste.

5:12

Good morning.

5:12

If you all would come here as well.

5:15

And it's it's great for her to come home.

5:17

She came with her son, Raymond.

5:20

Um we want to keep him here, but I think they need to go back to LA.

5:25

But she did tell me that Piña might hold her back.

5:31

So we're getting a search for those to give to her.

5:35

So this is a proclamation of the city of El Paso.

5:39

Whereas the League of United Latin American Citizens, Lulac was founded in 1929 to impact economic and social equity, educational opportunities, civil rights, and cultural appreciation.

5:53

And whereas in 1932, LULAC was organized in El Paso and has remained an active civic organization, providing an array of social service programs throughout El Paso.

6:07

And whereas the Lulac Legends program was established to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of El Pasoans who have dedicated their lives to the service of others.

6:18

And whereas Raymond Thayas was the first Mexican American to be elected mayor of a major American city and the first Mexican American to be appointed a US ambassador.

6:35

Whereas Raymond Thaez volunteered for military service and served during World War II and the Korean conflict, and retired as a turn as a colonel and was awarded the National Order of the Southern Cross of Brazil, the Mexican Legion of Merit, the Peruvian Flying Cross, and the Bronze Star from the United States Army.

6:57

And whereas upon his return to El Paso, he ran successfully for El Paso County Clerk and was re-elected four times.

7:06

And whereas he successfully ran for mayor and became the first Mexican American elected mayor of a major American city and was re-elected in 1959.

7:18

And I'm just gonna preface this by saying San Antonio, get the history right.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development████████████12%
Procedural████████8%
Public Service Board████████8%
Public Engagement███████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%
Public Safety█████5%
Zoning and Land Use█████5%
Downtown Revitalization█████5%
Environmental Protection████4%
Summary of Proceedings

El Paso City Council Regular Meeting - October 14, 2025

The El Paso City Council convened on October 14, 2025, at 9:00 AM in Council Chambers. The meeting included proclamations, consent agenda approval, public hearings, and action on multiple resolutions. Key topics included a shared-use path project, a partnership with UTEP for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, updates on 311 operations, and several economic development and infrastructure items. The meeting adjourned at 3:54 PM.

Proclamations

  • Raymond Telles Day: Recognized the first Mexican American mayor of a major U.S. city; his daughter spoke.
  • Domestic Violence Awareness Month: The Center Against Sexual and Family Violence (CASFV) reported serving over 3,000 individuals in the past year; all services are free.
  • Tom Lea Celebration Month: Honored the El Paso artist with 20 events planned.
  • American Red Cross Sound the Alarm Day (Oct 18): Volunteers will install free smoke alarms in Northeast El Paso, aiming for 125 homes.
  • Environmental Services Department (ESD) Day: Recognized staff for community bonding, including a sanitation crew's relationship with a young resident.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved consent agenda with revisions: Item 9 moved to regular agenda; Item 11 corrected from reappointment to initial appointment; Item 34 to be heard at 11:00 AM. All other routine items approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Immigration Enforcement: Frank Leal urged stronger protections against ICE actions, citing risks to El Paso's majority-Mexican American population.
  • Abortion Opposition: Elizabeth Crawford argued abortion is captivity, citing biblical references.
  • Animal Services: Multiple speakers (Claudia Contreras Siller, Ron Como, Pamela de la Oya) criticized Animal Services, citing stolen pets, lack of enforcement, and called for a new director with law enforcement background.
  • Airport Hangar Lease: Wanda Helgeson (Border RAC) reported improper termination of their sublease; a JP judge denied eviction.
  • Ethics & Transparency: Patricia Osman claimed neighborhood association presidents receive special favors and that city processes strip citizen rights.
  • Climate Action: Ian Valdez encouraged council to prioritize the Climate Action Plan with external funding to avoid tax increases.
  • No Kings Protest: Luis Reese warned of potential violence at an upcoming protest, attributing radicalization to Antifa rhetoric.
  • Speaker on Item 15: Patricia Osman argued that stakeholder notification via a single letter to a neighborhood association president is inadequate.
  • Speaker on Item 23: Ms. Osman questioned the location of a trunk-or-treat and the funding source for District 2 events.
  • Speaker on Item 24: Ms. Osman criticized accepting a grant from Marathon Petroleum, citing environmental concerns.
  • Speaker on Item 25: Ms. Osman reported 311 inefficiencies, including lack of resolution and misrouting.
  • Speaker on Item 26: Ms. Osman alleged conflicts of interest between Jordan Foster Construction and a city employee.
  • Speaker on Items 29 & 30: Ms. Osman opposed use of TED funds for Schneider Electric and port feasibility, arguing funds should benefit broader community.
  • Speaker on Item 32: Ms. Osman cited previous capital improvement mismanagement, calling for broader audits.

Discussion Items

  • Item 9 – Sunland Park Shared Use Path: Awarded professional services contract to WSP USA Inc. ($799,621.05) for a shared-use path from Mesa to Cadiz. Representative Chavez raised concerns about travel costs ($12,000) and local firm participation; Representative Rocha questioned stormwater scope. Approved 7-1 (Rocha dissenting).
  • Item 34 – UTEP Build Back Better Partnership: Approved partnership to jointly manage $10 million in federal funds for aerospace and defense manufacturing. UTEP will focus on technical expertise; city will handle administration. Unanimous vote.
  • Item 17 – Condition Release at 5662 N. Mesa: Approved release of outdated zoning conditions (from 1970s) for medical clinic property. Unanimous.
  • Items 18-20 – Zoning Code Amendments: Adopted three ordinances to comply with state laws (SB 1341, HB 24, HB 2464) regarding manufactured home definitions, home occupation uses, and protest procedures. Unanimous.
  • Item 21 – TML Board Appointment: Appointed Representative Lily Limón to Texas Municipal League Board. Unanimous.
  • Item 22 – Appraisal District Nomination: Nominated Jackie York for El Paso Appraisal District Board. Unanimous.
  • Item 23 & 24 – District 2 Events: Authorized $2,000 in discretionary funds and accepted $4,000 grant from Marathon Petroleum for fall festivals and trunk-or-treat. Unanimous.
  • Item 25 – 311 Operations Update: Cross-functional team presented improvements, including redesigned customer relations manager role, 45 call agents, and 11 KPIs met. AI pilot for after-hours calls reached 4,265 calls. Council requested better data, user-friendly app, and coordination with Monday.com.
  • Item 26 – Westside Medians Project: Awarded $9,297,781.75 to Jordan Foster Construction for lighting and landscape improvements on multiple corridors. Unanimous.
  • Item 27 – Chapter 380 with RFD Beaufort: Approved incentives up to $151,074 for defense/aerospace company creating 70 new jobs and retaining 140. Unanimous.
  • Item 28 – Downtown Management District Interlocal: Approved 5-year agreement with $310,000 starting annual cost for sanitation, event permitting, and grant programs, with 3% annual escalation. Unanimous.
  • Item 29 – Northwestern Drive Traffic Safety: Approved $100,000 from TED fund for improvements near Schneider Electric campus, following a pedestrian fatality. Unanimous.
  • Item 30 – Ysleta/Zaragoza Port Feasibility: Approved $5 million from TED fund for study to expand commercial lanes, in preparation for BOTA closure. Unanimous.
  • Item 31 – Paseo del Este MUD Bonds: Approved issuance of $1.4 million in bonds for water/wastewater facilities; not city debt. Unanimous.
  • Item 32 – On-Call Services Audit: Accepted audit with 4 findings; CID procedures updated. Unanimous.
  • Item 33 – Vehicle Allowance & Take-Home Cars Audit: Accepted audit; HR developing citywide take-home vehicle policy by Nov 15, 2025. Unanimous.
  • Item 35 – Desalination Plant Expansion: Authorized mayor to sign resolution for DEAAG grant application ($4 million) to expand Kay Bailey Hutchison plant from 27.5 to 33.5 MGD. Unanimous.

Key Outcomes

  • Votes: All items except item 9 passed unanimously. Item 9 passed 7-1 (Rep. Rocha opposed).
  • Consent Agenda: Approved with revisions (items 9, 11, 34).
  • Ordinances: First reading for zoning changes at South of Artcraft (item 15) and 4806 Atlas Ave (item 16) – public hearings set for Nov 4, 2025.
  • Grant Application: Council authorized application to Texas Military Preparedness Commission for $4 million for desalination expansion.
  • Policy Updates: HR to finalize take-home vehicle policy by Nov 15, 2025; 311 improvements to continue with council input.
  • Audit Follow-up: CID to implement audit recommendations; FOAC will monitor.
  • Public Input: Multiple public comments addressed animal services, immigration, and contract transparency; council noted concerns.

Meeting Adjourned: 3:54 PM.

Meeting Transcript

And we're ready to go to work. Thank you, Mayor. Good morning, and welcome to the presentation of the mayor's proclamations. This morning we began with a pledge of allegiance. And to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, we have students from St. Matthew Catholic School at the invitation of City Representative Alejandra Chavez. We have Kevin Aguirre, Diana de la Garza, Joshua Dowling, Jaime Gonzalez, Darina Yu, Franco Fuentes, Carla Frias, Nicolas Angulancan, Evelyn Wheeland. And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God and if it's goal with the justice for all. God bless America. Hey, this Spanish translation is really cool. It's translating everything. Yes, it's on the TV, but it can be on everything that Ms. Prime is saying. Oh, yeah, yeah, that's all right. Oh, go for it. And then it's five. All right. Oh, yeah. All right. And then we'll see a little bit back. All right. All right. Ready, big mild. Oh, just the right hand on the front. A little bit more over? Perfect. All right. And then yes, have you come over a little bit and we'll try to end just out a little bit for me? Beautiful. All right, ready, big smile. One, two, three. We've got a lot of fans also. Sorry, guys. See you later. Thank you, guys. Yeah. Okay, Miss Prime. Yes, sir. And Council, there is a glitch with a YouTube link, but IT is troubleshooting at this moment. So the YouTube link is down. The live stream is down at this moment. That brings us to the mayor's proclamations. For those of you receiving your proclamation this morning, your group will have up to four minutes collectively to speak at the podium and receive the proclamation. We began with the first proclamation, which is Raymond The Geste. Good morning. If you all would come here as well. And it's it's great for her to come home. She came with her son, Raymond. Um we want to keep him here, but I think they need to go back to LA. But she did tell me that Piña might hold her back.

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