OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

El Paso Mass Transit Department Board Meeting - July 7, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, July 7, 2026
BodyEl Paso, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 30:07

Transcript — Verbatim
0:34

Good afternoon.

0:35

Good afternoon.

0:36

Good afternoon.

0:37

This is a meeting of the El Paso Mass Transit Department Board for Tuesday, July 7th.

0:42

It is now 1241 p.m.

0:46

And president presiding is Board Chair Johnson.

0:51

And also present in Council Chambers are board members Chavez, Acevedo, Maldonado Rocha, Boyartrejo, Niño, Fierro, Limon, and Canales.

1:02

We do have one member of the public signed up to speak, sir.

1:06

Okay.

1:08

And that would be Mr.

1:10

Kirin Quirino Villa.

1:14

Mr.

1:15

Villa, are you here?

1:17

Yes.

1:18

And his topic is change to the bus stops on Route 24 and 65.

1:26

Good afternoon.

1:27

Sir, you will have three minutes to address Mayor and Council.

1:31

I was gonna say good morning, but uh it's good afternoon.

1:33

Yeah, good afternoon.

1:34

Good afternoon, Mayor, good afternoon, council.

1:37

My name is Kirino Villa.

1:39

I'm here to speak on the Sun Metro Rising changes, and particularly the changes to the bus stop that affect Illos de Plata Senior Center in a negative way.

1:50

Before these changes, Sun Metro service was good, was good.

1:56

The bus stops were on Comanche running right beside the senior center.

2:01

The seniors would get off the bus almost in front of the center.

2:06

That was bus route 24.

2:08

Bus Route 24 would travel going east on Delta, turn on Tobin, then turn on Comanche.

2:15

Continue east where the bus stops are located.

2:25

Also, pictures 6 and 11 will show bus stops for passengers going west.

2:33

Also for bus stops going east and west are located in good areas with shade and a covered bus stop.

2:41

Comanche street is not a heavy car travel street.

2:45

Bus Route 24 has been canceled or eliminated.

2:49

The new bus route 65 places bus route 24.

2:56

Bus Route 65 does not turn on Delta and Tobin.

3:00

It bypasses the intersection and continues going east on Delta.

3:04

The bus stop that were the bus stops that were on Comanche are now located on Delta and Shelter Street.

3:11

Delta Street is a high volume car travel street.

3:14

Shelter Street has a caution sign for truck crossing.

3:19

Those new bus stops on Delta and Shelter Streets are hazardous to the seniors.

3:25

Now, when seniors get off the bus on Delta and are going to the center, they have to deal with crossing a street that has no crossing walk and have to walk a long distance to get to the center.

3:39

And these bus stops on Delta have no cover from the sun or from the weather.

3:46

You guys can see pictures from 7 to 11.

3:51

For the safety of the seniors and all passengers, I think it's reasonable to request that the bus stops on Comanche be placed back on Route Bus 65.

4:05

You know, uh the mayor, I know you've been there to Hilos de Plata and um other members of uh the council have been there when they were running for for elections.

4:15

I invite you to go out there and see for yourself the situation.

4:19

It's like you know, walking our shoes.

4:22

What we had before was good.

4:24

Everything was right there at the center.

4:27

Now they push this out to a street where it's very dangerous to cross.

4:31

And remember, seniors use walkers and canes to cross this street.

4:37

And like I was saying, this is a heavy travel car uh street, and there's a there's a caution sign for for trucks.

4:45

Thank you very much.

4:47

Thank you.

4:48

Thank you, Mr.

4:49

Villa.

4:50

All matters listed under the consent agenda will be considered by Mass Transit Department Board to be routine and will be enacted by one motion unless separate discussion is requested by board members.

5:01

Prior to the vote, members of the audience may ask questions regarding items on the consent agenda when the vote has been taken.

5:08

If an item has not been called out for separate discussion, the item has been approved.

5:14

The mass transit department board may, however, be considered any item at any time during the meeting.

5:19

We do have the approval of the minutes, item number one for the consent agenda.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Transit█████████████████████████████████████████████94%
Procedural███6%
Summary of Proceedings

El Paso Mass Transit Department Board Meeting - July 7, 2026

The El Paso Mass Transit Department Board met on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at 12:41 PM in Council Chambers, chaired by Board Chair Johnson. Board members present: Chavez, Acevedo, Maldonado, Rocha, Boyartrejo, Niño, Fierro, Limon, and Canales. One member of the public spoke. The meeting adjourned at 1:10 PM.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Kirin Quirino Villa spoke against the Sun Metro Rising changes, specifically the elimination of Bus Route 24 and its replacement by Route 65. He stated that new bus stops on Delta and Shelter Streets are hazardous for seniors at the Hilos de Plata Senior Center, citing high traffic volume, no crosswalk, no shade, and long walking distances for seniors using walkers and canes. He requested that the former bus stops on Comanche Street be restored on Route 65.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (Item 1): The board approved the minutes of a previous meeting unanimously on a motion by Board Member Fierro, seconded by Board Member Limon. No other consent items were listed.

Discussion Items

  • Presentation on El Paso Transportation Authority (ETA) Services (Item 3): Jerry DeMiros, Deputy Transit Officer for Sun Metro, introduced John Andau, Executive Director of the El Paso Transportation Authority (ETA). Andau presented an overview of ETA, a local government corporation formed in 2020 that provides transit services outside El Paso city limits. Key points:

    • ETA operates six fixed routes (ETA Paseo), paratransit (Access), microtransit (Undelay) in San Elazario/Clint, and a vanpool program (Vómanos) with 139 vans subsidized at $500/month per van.
    • All ETA services became fare-free in December 2025, resulting in a 46% increase in passenger trips; 3% of riders are new, while existing riders make more trips.
    • In fiscal year 2025, ETA provided 572,000 passenger trips; FY2026 is projected to exceed 600,000.
    • Approximately 47% of ETA riders transfer to Sun Metro routes at West Side, Mission Valley, and Upper East Side transit centers.
    • ETA is implementing capital projects: 155 bus stops with shelters/benches, a new operations and maintenance facility near Windermere Avenue, and purchase of electric vehicles.
    • ETA will become independent from El Paso County on October 1, 2026, governed by its board (EPATS).
    • Partnerships with Sun Metro include interlocal agreements for jury duty passes, schedule sharing, bus stop/transit center usage, CNG fueling, and paratransit coordination. ETA seeks a voting seat on the EPATS board for the City of El Paso.
    • Andau highlighted potential future coordination on corridors (Doniphan, Socorro Road, Montana Avenue) where ETA and Sun Metro services could combine to increase frequency.

  • Board member questions: Representative Niño asked about ridership increases and vanpool costs; Representative Limon commended the presentation and noted progress over 18 months; Representative Chavez requested more details on the Doniphan corridor service; Andau responded that Route 10 on Doniphan supplements Sun Metro Route 12 and could provide combined 30-minute headways.

  • No action was taken on Item 3.

  • Resolution to Amend Interlocal Agreement with Texas General Land Office (Item 4): Discussion and action on a resolution authorizing the mayor to sign an amendment extending the term of interlocal agreement 2023-0067 for natural gas purchase for two additional years, and authorizing the mayor to accept, reject, alter, amend, or terminate the agreement without further board action. Board Member Limon moved approval, seconded by Board Member Chavez.

Key Outcomes

  • Approval of Minutes (Item 1): Approved unanimously.
  • Approval of Resolution for Natural Gas Purchase Agreement (Item 4): Approved unanimously, with Board Member Rocha not present for the vote.
  • No Action on ETA Presentation: The board heard the presentation and held discussion but took no formal action.
  • Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 1:10 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. This is a meeting of the El Paso Mass Transit Department Board for Tuesday, July 7th. It is now 1241 p.m. And president presiding is Board Chair Johnson. And also present in Council Chambers are board members Chavez, Acevedo, Maldonado Rocha, Boyartrejo, Niño, Fierro, Limon, and Canales. We do have one member of the public signed up to speak, sir. Okay. And that would be Mr. Kirin Quirino Villa. Mr. Villa, are you here? Yes. And his topic is change to the bus stops on Route 24 and 65. Good afternoon. Sir, you will have three minutes to address Mayor and Council. I was gonna say good morning, but uh it's good afternoon. Yeah, good afternoon. Good afternoon, Mayor, good afternoon, council. My name is Kirino Villa. I'm here to speak on the Sun Metro Rising changes, and particularly the changes to the bus stop that affect Illos de Plata Senior Center in a negative way. Before these changes, Sun Metro service was good, was good. The bus stops were on Comanche running right beside the senior center. The seniors would get off the bus almost in front of the center. That was bus route 24. Bus Route 24 would travel going east on Delta, turn on Tobin, then turn on Comanche. Continue east where the bus stops are located. Also, pictures 6 and 11 will show bus stops for passengers going west. Also for bus stops going east and west are located in good areas with shade and a covered bus stop. Comanche street is not a heavy car travel street. Bus Route 24 has been canceled or eliminated. The new bus route 65 places bus route 24. Bus Route 65 does not turn on Delta and Tobin. It bypasses the intersection and continues going east on Delta. The bus stop that were the bus stops that were on Comanche are now located on Delta and Shelter Street. Delta Street is a high volume car travel street. Shelter Street has a caution sign for truck crossing. Those new bus stops on Delta and Shelter Streets are hazardous to the seniors. Now, when seniors get off the bus on Delta and are going to the center, they have to deal with crossing a street that has no crossing walk and have to walk a long distance to get to the center. And these bus stops on Delta have no cover from the sun or from the weather. You guys can see pictures from 7 to 11. For the safety of the seniors and all passengers, I think it's reasonable to request that the bus stops on Comanche be placed back on Route Bus 65. You know, uh the mayor, I know you've been there to Hilos de Plata and um other members of uh the council have been there when they were running for for elections. I invite you to go out there and see for yourself the situation. It's like you know, walking our shoes. What we had before was good. Everything was right there at the center. Now they push this out to a street where it's very dangerous to cross. And remember, seniors use walkers and canes to cross this street.

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