El Paso City Council Work Session - February 2, 2026
El Paso City Council Work Session - February 2, 2026
The El Paso City Council held a work session on Monday, February 2, 2026, from 9:05 AM to 11:08 AM. Mayor Johnson presided with a quorum present (Representative Boyatrejo excused). The session featured presentations from Project Arriba and the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA), followed by an executive session and subsequent votes.
Project Arriba Annual Report
Roman Ortiz, CEO of Project Arriba, presented the FY2024–2025 annual report. Key highlights: 500 individuals served in years one and two (ahead of schedule), 88% persistence rate, 168 job placements with average wages of $29/hour (over $60,000/year). Participants entered the program earning about $7,500 and graduated in roughly 2.5 years. The City invested $350,000, matched with $1.3 million from state, federal, and private funds. An economic impact study by the Hunt Institute found a $1.17 billion return to the local economy over 25 years (28:1 ROI). Council members (e.g., Representative Limon, Mayor Pro Tem Chavez) expressed strong support, calling it the best economic development program in El Paso.
Medical Center of the Americas Annual Report
Carlos Ortega, President and CEO of MCA, introduced three participants: Dr. David Sistola (founder of T2 Your Health), Callie Martinez (clinical research training graduate), and Edward Dunn (STEM program participant). Dr. Sistola described MCA as a "lifeline" for his startup, providing lab space, business mentoring, and clinical trial coordination. Callie Martinez completed a clinical research coordinator training and internship, securing a full-time position at El Paso iSurgeons. Edward Dunn shared how MCA STEM camps foster curiosity and real-world skills. Michaela Johnson reported that clinical trials grew 548% over the past decade, now running 438 trials annually across 77 sites, generating 196 high-wage jobs and an estimated $131 million in annual revenue. Council members (e.g., Representative Maldonado Rocha) commended the free training and economic impact.
Executive Session and Actions
The Council voted unanimously to delete Executive Session Item 6 before entering executive session. They then retired to executive session (9:36 AM to 11:07 AM) to discuss items EX1–5 and EX7 under Texas Government Code sections 551.071 and 551.072. Upon return, the Council took the following action on EX1: a motion (by Mayor Pro Tem Chavez, seconded by Representative Limon) to deny the plaintiff's settlement demand in Timothy Palmer v. City of El Paso, authorize retaining outside counsel, and take all necessary steps. The motion passed unanimously. No action was taken on EX2, EX3, EX4, EX5, and EX7.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous deletion of Executive Session Item 6.
- Unanimous approval of action on Executive Session Item 1 (deny settlement demand, retain outside counsel).
- No action on remaining executive session items.
The work session adjourned at 11:08 AM.
Meeting Transcript
Well, good morning, everyone. We are ready to get started. Ms. Prime. Good morning, Mayor, and good morning, everyone. This is a work session of the El Paso City Council for Monday, February 2nd, 2026. It is 9 05 a.m. Mayor Johnson is present and presiding in Council Chambers along with Mayor Potem Chavez. Representative Acevedo. Representative Madonado Rocha. Representative Nino. Alternate Mayor Pro Tem Piero. Representative Limon. Representative Canales. And Representative Boyatrejo has requested to be excused from today's meeting. Mayor, we have a quorum. Okay. Representative Limon, would you lead us in the Representative LeMont? Would you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. Thank you. Okay, Ms. Fry. That brings us to item number one, and this is a presentation and update by Project Arriva on the organization's FY2024-2025 annual report, including a status update on activities during FY2024-2025. Use of grant funds and progress toward performance measures identified by the Chapter 380 agreement executed on August 29, 2023 between the City of El Paso and Project Arriba. Good morning. Good morning, Mayor and Councilman. I'm Andrea Solis, the analyst for economic and international development. Project Arriba's program focuses on creating a permanent and sustainable source of local health care professionals, teachers, and other demand careers to address the severe need in the El Paso, Texas region. I would now like to introduce Mr. Roman Ortiz, CEO for Project Arriba, who will be delivering the annual report. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning, Roman. Hello, good morning, Mayor and uh City Council, City Manager. Um my ears are stuffed up. I don't know if anybody else has been experiencing weather issues with uh sickness and things, but if you hear me yelling, it's because my ears are stuffy. No worries. But thank you very much for having me this morning. It's always an honor and a pleasure to present to you the great partnership that we have with the City of El Paso and Project Arriba. Um I'll get started here very quickly. As as uh they mentioned, um, this is our second year of our five-year agreement with the city. We're doing fantastic ahead of schedule from what we thought we would be doing. Um I will be presenting over the course of September 2023 to August of 2024. We're currently in year three right now. Uh you'll see some of the pictures from our fundraiser that we had last year. We celebrated our 25th anniversary, so we're very happy about that. Uh for years one and two, we have served 500 individuals. This is ahead of schedule of where we wanted to be.
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