El Paso City Council Work Session: November 3, 2025
El Paso City Council Work Session: November 3, 2025
The El Paso City Council convened a work session on Monday, November 3, 2025, at 9:00 AM to review the City's FY 2025 capital program performance and approve a memorandum of understanding to pursue UNICEF's "Child Friendly Cities" designation. Mayor Johnson presided over the meeting, with Mayor Pro Tem Chaplin, Representatives Acevedo, Marinada Rocha, Boya Treco, Nino, and Fier present. Representatives Limon, Canales, and alternate Mayor Potem Piero also joined the session.
Consent Calendar
- No specific items were listed on the Consent Calendar in this transcript.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments or testimony were recorded in this transcript.
Discussion Items
FY 2025 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Review
- Job Guerrero (City Staff) presented a year-in-review update on the CIP, stating that the city has encumbered over $112 million (slightly above the average) and paid $108 million in expenditures since FY 2018 to FY 2025, totaling over $930 million in cumulative spending. Guerrero highlighted that these projects supported over 3,800 local jobs in 2025 and over 55,000 jobs since 2011.
- Representative Boya Treco inquired if the city typically completes 45 to 50 projects annually. Guerrero confirmed the average is about 50 projects per year ranging from design to construction.
- Representative Acevedo requested a follow-up presentation on the Neighborhood Investment Plan (NIP) and the quarterly financial reports regarding capital funds, which staff confirmed will be provided soon.
UNICEF Child Friendly Cities Designation
- Richard Bristol (City Manager's Office) presented the proposal to enter a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the El Paso Community Foundation and UNICEF USA to pursue "Child Friendly City" designation. Bristol noted the initiative began in 1996, and El Paso aims to become the first international community with this designation.
- Representative Acevedo expressed strong support for the partnership, highlighting the significant time dedicated by his office, the Baranino steering committee, and the community foundation. He emphasized the importance of economic development and ensuring youth voices are integrated into governance.
- Representative Acevedo offered to provide contact information and collaboration for two national UNICEF ambassadors currently students in Socorro and Coronado districts, as well as the student-led group El Paso Roots led by Andre Miranda.
- Representative Trahall asked for clarification on the scope. Staff confirmed the program targets youth up to age 24 (though UNICEF often cites 16-24, staff noted a range of 14 to 24). Representative Trahall noted that while Mayors in cities like Minneapolis have strong influence, El Paso's city manager form of government may provide stability for the 3-year process against political changes.
- Representative Fier added that Minneapolis serves as an inspiration, having seen improved parks and lakes after designation. He mentioned the presence of UNICEF clubs at high schools like Loreto and expressed confidence that the city could meet the criteria in 2 to 3 years. He noted the city's demographic advantage, with approximately 25 percent of the population under 18.
- Representative Acevedo acknowledged the 24-month potential timeline and thanked the community foundation and all departments involved.
Key Outcomes
- Vote on UNICEF MOU: The motion to approve the resolution entering the Memorandum of Understanding between the City of El Paso, the El Paso Community Foundation, and the United States Fund for UNICEF was made by Representative Acevedo, seconded by Representative Nino, and passed unanimously.
- Executive Session: The council voted to retire to executive session at 9:29 AM to discuss economic development opportunities in downtown El Paso (HQ #25-4395 and HQ #25-5376) regarding negotiations. No actions were taken or reported from the two executive session discussions upon reconvening at 10:42 AM.
- Adjournment: The work session was adjourned at 10:43 AM.
- Next Steps: A large-scale launch event for the Child Friendly Cities program is scheduled for November 12th and 13th at the Arts Plaza, featuring UNICEF USA representatives.
Meeting Transcript
Well, good morning, everyone. We are going to call our work session to order, and I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Miss Prime, we're ready to go. Yes, sir. Good morning. This is a work session of the El Paso City Council for Monday, November 3rd, 2025. It is nine o'clock AM. Mayor Johnson is present and presiding in Council Chambers along with Mayor Pro Tem Chaplin. Representative Acevedo, Representative Marinada Rocha, Representative Boya Treco, Representative Nino, and alternate Mayor Potem Piero. Representative Fier, would you leave us in the pledge? Thank you, Mayor. Ms. Prime. That brings us to item number one, and this is a presentation and discussion on an update of the FY twenty twenty-five year-in review report, quality of life, public safety and community progress funds, capital programs, and overview of the priorities of the city's capital improvement program. And for the record, representatives Limon and Canales joined the meeting at nine oh one. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning, Mary Council. How are you today? How are you this morning? Good. Trying to adjust to that time change. We're here. We're here. Hope everybody woke up on time. Uh Job Guerrero with Capital Improvements. I'll be providing you the CIP uh year end report. Uh IT, can you please bring up the presentation, please. So we'll go over the twenty twenty-five results, uh some of our accomplishments, and then we'll cover a little bit of all the programs that we're working on right now. So this is the twenty twenty-five FY results. Uh as you can see we have encumbered um over a hundred and twelve million dollars, which are a little bit over our average, so we're doing very well. This is a money that's already set aside for projects to uh our PO's ready, ready to go, uh start designing construction. Um as you can see, every year we're you know, doing a little bit some are a little bit higher, some a little bit lower, but overall our average is about a hundred and and ten million dollars a year. As far as the expenditures, um our payments so far, a hundred and eight million dollars. This is all the work that's had been completed on all of our projects from the design for equipment for uh construction. Um since FY eighteen to twenty-five, we have spent over nine hundred and thirty million dollars. And the impact that's this has a hundred and now we're gonna round it up to a hundred and nine million dollars. It's about fifty-four million dollars in labor cost. This is the labor cost of all this this workers that work on all the projects, the designers, architects, engineers. So you can see it we do have a big impact on the community, uh, from all the money that we're spending on city projects. As far as uh 2025, we have supported over 3800 jobs locally. And since uh 20 2011, over 55,000 jobs locally that we have supported through our CID projects. And some of our accomplishments and highlights. Um so far, 43 projects we completed in uh FY 2024, which is again we're about average from what we're splitting projects, which is about 50. Some there's a little bit more, some less. This uh FY, 43 projects completed citywide. And here's uh the map um of all the projects we have completed since FY 2015 to now, over 600 projects, and as you can see, projects uh all over uh the city and every district of the city. We have a short video that we like to show. It's truly a gift from the citizens. I think it's a great core.
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