Municue

City Council · 9:00 AM · Council Chambers, City Hall, 300 N. Campbell And Virtually

The August 18 agenda carried 43 substantive items, anchored by the City's annual fiscal package — adoption of the FY 2026-2027 Proposed Budget as amended, ratification of the property tax increase reflected in it, and the tax levy ordinance — alongside revenue-side code amendments on hotel occupancy tax and international bridge tolls. Around that core sat a heavy load of governance housekeeping (eight board and commission appointments, disclosure filings) and two externally driven policy letters, on refinery emissions and on state data center directives. No approving outcome is confirmed in the available record for any dollar-denominated item on the agenda.
72 items5 mattersView official source →

Matters

Site-specific scope

Case File 26-0893

2 hearings since Aug 2026·Last: Aug 18, 2026·Corridor·Notable

Showing all 2 actions. Filter by: , .

Attorney

Pull special events permit insurance ordinance text now

Why now: The item was read a second time on both 2026-08-04 and 2026-08-18 amending Title 13, Chapter 13.38, Section 13.38.40(E), with the penalty provided in Section 13.38.110.

What to do: Obtain the full ordinance text from the August 4 and August 18 second readings and compare them line by line to confirm the amendment to Section 13.38.40 subsection E is limited to renaming the reviewing office and does not alter insurance limits, indemnification language, or the penalty cross-reference to Section 13.38.110. If your clients hold or are seeking special event permits, confirm whose signature and certificate-holder designation the city will accept once the renamed Enterprise Risk and Safety Office is the named entity.

Act before: After the next material record update

Source: Item #24 ↓
Journalist

Ask why special events insurance ordinance stalled twice

Why now: The identical second-reading item appears twice in the record, on 2026-08-04 and again on 2026-08-18, with no stated reason for the repeat.

What to do: Ask the City Clerk for the disposition of the August 4 agenda item — whether it was postponed, tabled, or failed — since an ordinance that only swaps "Risk Management Office" for "Enterprise Risk and Safety Office" reappeared for second reading again on August 18. Also ask how many other City Code chapters carry the old office name and whether a broader departmental reorganization is being processed piecemeal.

Act before: After the requested records are produced

Source: Item #24 ↓

Case File 26-0892

2 hearings since Aug 2026·Last: Aug 18, 2026·Budget·Notable

Showing all 3 actions. Filter by: , , .

Attorney

Check naming and section mismatches in risk management ordinance

Why now: The official item text for both the August 4 and August 18 second readings uses two different names for the new office and ties a Human Resources change to a section captioned as the Office of Management and Budget function.

What to do: Obtain the engrossed ordinance and compare the caption against the enacting text: the caption amends section 2.111.040 while labeling it the 'Office of Management and Budget function' yet removes Human Resources language, and it creates section 2.110.090 titled 'Enterprise Risk and Safety Office' while describing 'the department of Risk Management.' Ask the City Attorney whether the caption fairly describes the enactment before final passage, because correcting a codification or caption defect after adoption requires a new ordinance cycle.

Act before: After the next material record update

Source: Item #23 ↓
Contractor

Confirm where to file city insurance certificates and claims

Applies if: You hold or are bidding on a City of El Paso contract with insurance or claim-notice requirements

Why now: The ordinance heard on both August 4 and August 18 removes the Risk Management function from under the Department of Human Resources and stands it up as a separate office under City Code Chapter 2.110.

What to do: If your city contracts route certificates of insurance, indemnity notices, or injury and property-damage claims through Human Resources Risk Management, confirm with the contracting department where those filings go once Risk Management becomes its own office. Notices sent to a dissolved reporting line can be treated as untimely under contract notice provisions.

Act before: After the next material record update

Source: Item #23 ↓
Journalist

Ask why risk management reorganization needed two second readings

Why now: The same ordinance text appears as a City Council 'Second Reading' item on both 2026-08-04 and 2026-08-18 with no recorded disposition in between.

What to do: The identical ordinance splitting Risk Management out of Human Resources was posted for second reading twice, on August 4 and again on August 18 — pull the August 4 minutes and vote tally to determine whether council postponed, tabled, failed to reach a vote, or lacked a quorum, and who moved the delay. Without that, the record shows no explanation for a two-week repeat of a final-reading item.

Act before: After the requested records are produced

Source: Item #23 ↓

Case File 26-0881

2 hearings since Aug 2026·Last: Aug 18, 2026

Showing all 3 actions. Filter by: , , .

Attorney

Confirm second reading vote on Ysleta Grant land sale

Why now: E2 documents the motion by Representative Limón, seconded by Representative Niño, carrying on first reading 2026-08-04, while E1 shows the same ordinance at second reading 2026-08-18 with no vote result recorded.

What to do: The record shows a recorded motion and passing vote on first reading but no vote outcome captured for the August 18 second reading — obtain the signed ordinance and the certified minutes before relying on the conveyance for title, escrow, or closing. Ask counsel for the deed itself to confirm whether any reverter, use restriction, or reconveyance condition attaches to the tract.

Act before: After the signed ordinance and certified minutes are obtained

Source: Item #22 ↓
Developer

Check city surplus land list for other Ysleta Grant tracts

Why now: The ordinance conveying Tract 16C, Block 36, Ysleta Grant for $18,228 moved from first reading on 2026-08-04 to second reading on 2026-08-18, so the transaction is at its final step.

What to do: The $18,228 price for Tract 16C, Block 36 signals a small or remnant city-held parcel in the Ysleta Grant being moved at appraised or nominal value; pull the plat and the city's surplus/excess property inventory to see which adjacent tracts in Block 36 remain in city hands and whether they are buildable or conveyable only to abutting owners. Waiting until after closing means the assemblage opportunity passes to the new owner.

Act before: After the deed for Tract 16C is recorded

Source: Item #22 ↓
Journalist

Ask how $18,228 price on city land was set

Why now: The identical $18,228 figure and single named purchaser appear at both the 2026-08-04 first reading and the 2026-08-18 second reading with no valuation basis stated in either entry.

What to do: Request the appraisal, the staff memorandum, and any bid or offer solicitation behind the conveyance of Tract 16C, Block 36, Ysleta Grant — the record names a single named buyer and an exact price but never explains whether the parcel was publicly marketed or sold directly to an abutting owner. File now while the transaction file is still open; once the deed records, staff routinely closes the working file.

Act before: After the requested records are produced

Source: Item #22 ↓

Case File 26-0891

2 hearings since Aug 2026·Last: Aug 18, 2026

Showing all 3 actions. Filter by: , , .

Attorney

Confirm whether insurance code amendment actually cleared second reading

Why now: Case File 26-0891 shows the identical Second Reading item on both 2026-08-04 and 2026-08-18 with status active and no recorded vote or adoption in the file.

What to do: Pull the adopted ordinance text, the clerk's action record for both the August 4 and August 18 agenda items, and any effective-date language, because the same item carried a Second Reading designation twice and the record here does not show a recorded adoption. Until you confirm which body of text is operative, treat contract templates and agreements that name the Risk Management Division as the insurance-approving entity under Section 15.24.010(D) as an open question rather than assuming the new office name controls.

Act before: After the adopted ordinance and clerk's action record are produced

Source: Item #25 ↓
Developer

Redirect city property insurance certificates to new risk office

Why now: The ordinance before Council on August 4 and again on August 18, 2026 amends Title 15, Chapter 15.24, Section 15.24.010, Subsection D (Insurance) solely to replace references to the Risk Management Division with the Enterprise Risk and Safety Office.

What to do: If you hold or are negotiating a lease, license, concession, or purchase involving City of El Paso property, check which office your certificates of insurance and coverage approvals are routed to — the code subsection governing insurance for acquisition, use, and disposition of city property is being retitled from the Risk Management Division to the Enterprise Risk and Safety Office. Submitting to the wrong office after adoption can stall a closing or occupancy approval while paperwork is re-issued.

Act before: After the next material record update

Source: Item #25 ↓
Journalist

Ask why a name-change insurance ordinance needed two second readings

Why now: The identical Second Reading item on Chapter 15.24, Section 15.24.010, Subsection D appears twice in the record — 2026-08-04 and 2026-08-18 — with no disposition noted for the first appearance.

What to do: Request the clerk's disposition for the August 4 item and ask the City Attorney's office and Enterprise Risk and Safety Office whether the item was postponed, failed, re-noticed, or re-published with altered text — a purely nomenclature amendment repeating at second reading two weeks apart is unusual. The same request should ask how many other Title 15 sections still reference the Risk Management Division, which reveals whether this is a one-off or part of a larger unfinished renaming cleanup.

Act before: After the requested records are produced

Source: Item #25 ↓

Case File 26-0905

2 hearings since Aug 2026·Last: Aug 18, 2026

Showing all 3 actions. Filter by: , , .

Attorney

Obtain adopted bridge toll ordinance text and effective date

Why now: The item ran as Second Reading on both August 4 and August 18, 2026, and the caption expressly incorporates the penalty provided in Section 12.84.010 of the El Paso City Code.

What to do: Pull the signed ordinance and the certified vote record for the August 18 reading, and confirm whether the August 4 posting was postponed, tabled, or substituted — the caption references the penalty in Section 12.84.010, so clients operating commercial or pickup-truck crossings need the exact enforcement language and effective date. Without the adopted text you cannot advise on when the new toll and pickup-truck collection rules bind.

Act before: After the next material record update

Source: Item #26 ↓
Journalist

Ask why bridge toll ordinance got two second readings

Why now: The identical bridge toll ordinance item was posted as a Second Reading twice — August 4 and August 18, 2026 — with no first reading or disposition in the record.

What to do: Request the City Council minutes and any postponement motion from the August 4 meeting and compare the posted ordinance drafts from both dates to see whether the toll figures in Section 12.78.010 changed between the two identical second-reading postings. An unexplained repeat second reading usually means a substitute version, a failed motion, or a postponement that never got a public explanation.

Act before: After the requested records are produced

Source: Item #26 ↓
Resident

Check how pickup truck bridge tolls will change

Why now: The August 18, 2026 Council item amends both Section 12.78.010 (tolls for international bridges) and Section 12.78.020 (toll collection for pickup trucks or any other vehicle).

What to do: If you cross an El Paso international bridge in a pickup truck, look up the amended Section 12.78.020 language — the Council is amending pickup-truck toll collection separately from the general passenger toll table, which can mean a different rate or classification than what you pay today. Frequent-crossing households should confirm the new figure before it takes effect rather than discovering it at the toll booth.

Act before: After the next material record update

Source: Item #26 ↓

Analysis

Financial Highlights

The agenda paired the City's annual fiscal package — adoption of the FY 2026-2027 Proposed Budget as amended, ratification of the property tax reflected in that budget, and an ordinance levying FY 2026-2027 taxes — with revenue-side code amendments on hotel occupancy tax and international bridge tolls.[#4][#5][#15][#18][#21][#27][#28][#29][#26][#31][#32]

Contracts & Procurement

Purchasing & Strategic Sourcing brought a resolution to terminate the City's title services contract for default and to bar the contractor from City contracting for three years, an unusual enforcement action that had already been postponed once.[#4][#5][#18]

Zoning

Two entitlement ordinances advanced on second reading: a special permit allowing a helistop at 12230 Pine Springs Drive with the City of El Paso itself as applicant, and the vacation of a ten-foot utility easement on a residential lot in Paseos del Sol.[#19][#20]

Development & Land Use

Council took up a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott seeking clarification on his directives regarding data center development statewide, an issue that bears directly on where and how such facilities may be sited locally.[#22][#24][#34]

Transportation

The City Council took up second reading of ordinances amending the El Paso City Code provisions that set international bridge tolls and govern toll collection for pickup trucks and other vehicles.[#26]

Infrastructure & Facilities

Council handled a mix of utility and solid waste items, including approval of Solid Waste liens, a second-reading ordinance vacating a utility easement in the Paseos del Sol subdivision, and a proposal to add utility affordability advocacy to the city's State and Federal Legislative Agendas.[#3][#20][#30]

Public Safety

Two public safety items were before Council: a mayoral appointment of Chief Peter Pacillas to the El Paso County 911 District Board of Managers, and a proposed $88,010 contract award to update the city's Multi Hazard Mitigation Plan.[#18][#12]

Environment

Council considered a formal request to state and federal environmental regulators over emissions events at the Marathon Petroleum Corporation El Paso Refinery on August 4 and 5, 2026, in which TCEQ reported releases of 1,3 butadiene, propylene, and sulfur oxide.[#33]

Governance & Oversight

The council agenda was dominated by governance housekeeping: eight individual board and commission appointments, mandatory disclosure filings for P-Card and campaign contributions, and a second reading of an ordinance extending hotel occupancy tax collection to short-term rentals.[#4][#7][#8][#9][#11][#13][#15][#21][#30][#6][#27][#28][#29][#68][#14][#12][#25][#23][#24][#26][#10][#16][#17][#34]

Housing

Property and neighborhood-related items included a second reading of an ordinance selling a City-owned Ysleta Grant tract to a private buyer for $18,228, a batch of Solid Waste liens filed against properties, and an appointment to the Fair Housing Task Force.[#3][#13][#22]

Personnel & Labor

Human Resources brought forward an interlocal agreement with the Texas Municipal League Joint Self-Insurance Fund so the City can offer employees group critical illness coverage, a benefit newly required by state law.[#5]

Community Impact

Council took up two district discretionary fund allocations totaling $12,000 for neighborhood recreation assets, plus a formal request to state and federal environmental regulators over emissions events at the Marathon Petroleum El Paso Refinery.[#2][#4][#16][#31][#32][#33]

Insights by Role

Journalist

HighHigh significance — major decision, large financial impact, or broad community effectThe strongest unanswered questions come from item #4, where Purchasing proposes not just termination for default but a three-year bar on a title services contractor after an earlier postponement, and from item #33, where Council formally asks TCEQ and EPA about Marathon refinery emissions events. A second thread worth tracking: none of the six dollar-denominated agenda items shows a confirmed approving outcome in the record.

Resident

HighHigh significance — major decision, large financial impact, or broad community effectTwo items touch neighborhoods directly: Council's request that TCEQ and EPA hold a public community meeting in El Paso within 30 days about the August 4-5 Marathon refinery emissions (#33), and a second-reading special permit for a helistop at 12230 Pine Springs Drive (#19). Residents near the refinery or that address have a short window to weigh in.

Contractor

MediumMedium significance — notable action worth trackingThree contracting items shape the near-term vendor landscape: a proposed three-year disqualification from City contracting tied to a title services default termination (#4), the Multi Hazard Mitigation Plan Update award to H2O Partners, Inc. (#18), and an interlocal insurance pooling agreement (#5). Firms holding City work should read the debarment resolution as the enforcement benchmark and confirm cure and performance documentation is current.

Developer

MediumMedium significance — notable action worth trackingItem #34, a Council letter to Governor Greg Abbott seeking clarification on his directives regarding data center development statewide, is the item with the largest forward effect on siting decisions in El Paso. Anyone with a data center, large-load industrial, or high-power-demand project in the pipeline should treat local siting rules as unsettled until the state guidance is clarified.

Lobbyist

MediumMedium significance — notable action worth trackingTwo items open advocacy windows: a proposal to add utility affordability advocacy to the City's State and Federal Legislative Agendas (#30) and the letter to Governor Abbott on data center directives (#34). Legislative agenda amendments are the cheapest point of entry for shaping the City's posture in future utility rate proceedings — engage before the agenda language is finalized.

Charts & Data

43 items(29 procedural hidden)

The official vote outcome for each item
(e.g., Approved, Denied, Held)
The procedural action taken on the item
(e.g., Hearing Closed, Corrected, Referred)

AI-generated summaries. Click to expand for original text.

#1Teleconference phone number: 1-915-213-4096 Toll free number: 1-833-664-9267 Conference ID: 449-061-928#

#2Notice is hereby given that a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of El Paso will be conducted on August 18, 2026, at 9:00 A.M. Members of the public may view the meeting via the following

#3Attention: The Council will take a lunch break at approximately 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. unless otherwise decided by the Council.

#4In compliance with the requirement that the City provide two-way communication for members of the public, members of the public may communicate with Council during public comment, and regarding agenda

#5At the prompt, please enter Conference ID: 449-061-928# The public may sign up to speak on items on this agenda before the 9:00 AM deadline on the meeting day at the following links: For Call to the P

#7Young Women's Leadership Academy and Eastwood High School at the Invitation of City Representative Lily Limón Natali Martinez Midori Moreno Lucia Nguyen Jaelyn Sierra Ryan Torres

#9Rawlings - Tooth Fairy Day American Heritage Girls Troop TX0415 Day Honoring Fort Bliss National Texas Night Out Benjamin Alire Sáenz Day

#16Call to the Public will begin at 10:00 a.m. Requests to speak must be received by 9:00 a.m. on the date of the meeting. Sixty minutes in total will be devoted for Call to the Public. This time is rese

#3Resolution approving Solid Waste liens listed on the attachment posted with the agenda (Attachment A).

#4Resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing & Strategic Sourcing to terminate Contract 2024-0095R for Title Services with WestStar Title for default due to violation of laws and regulations, effective August 18, 2026, and to disqualify the firm from City contracts for three years. Postponed from 08-18-2026.

#5Resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign an interlocal agreement with the Texas Municipal League Joint Self-Insurance Fund so the City can become an Electing Pool Member and access MetLife Group Critical Illness Coverage as required by House Bill 4144 of the 89th Texas Legislative Session.

#6Resolution approving three recommended nominees — James Feagin, Brent D. Harris, and Christopher Charron — for appointment to the Board of Directors of the City of El Paso Municipal Management District No. 1, each for a four-year term expiring June 2030. Item was postponed from August 18, 2026.

#7Re-appointment of Angelica Rodriguez to the City Accessibility Advisory Committee by Representative Ivan Niño, District 5.

#8Re-appointment of Francie McIntosh to the City Accessibility Advisory Committee, nominated by District 1 Representative Alejandra Chávez.

#9Re-appointment of Cynthia Alarcon Retana to the Women's Rights Commission, nominated by Representative Ivan Niño of District 5.

#10Re-appointment of Diana Ramirez to the Women's Rights Commission, nominated by Representative Josh Acevedo of District 2.

#11Re-appointment of Jennifer González to the Greater El Paso Civic, Convention and Tourism Advisory Board, nominated by Representative Alejandra Chávez of District 1.

#12Re-appointment of Chief Peter Pacillas to the El Paso County 911 District Board of Managers, nominated by Mayor Renard U. Johnson.

#13Appointment of Michael J. Clark III to the Fair Housing Task Force, nominated by Representative Ivan Niño of District 5.

#14Appointment of Vikki Jayne Acosta to the AmeriCorps Senior Advisory Council, nominated by Representative Cynthia Boyar Trejo of District 4.

#15For notation only, a report of P-Card transactions for the period of June 23, 2026 to July 20, 2026, along with Special Projects and Discretionary fund expenditures for the Mayor, City Council Representatives, City Attorney's Office, City Manager's Office, and staff.

#16Notice of receipt of campaign contributions by Representative Alejandra Chávez, including $1,000.00 from Ann Morgan Lilly and $2,500.00 from the IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund.

$3K

#17Notice of receipt of campaign contributions by Representative Art Fierro, including $2,500 from Woody L. Hunt and $500 from Donald R Margo II and Adair W Margo.

$3K

#18Award of Solicitation 2026-0229R for a Multi Hazard Mitigation Plan Update to H2O Partners, Inc. dba H2O Partners for a one-year term at an estimated $88,010.00, funded through Texas Department of Emergency Management/FEMA for the Fire Department.

$88K

#47INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES PURSUANT TO SECTION 3.9 OF THE EL PASO CITY CHARTER: Public comment typically is not taken during the first reading of ordinances. Public comments are invited at the date of

#19An ordinance granting Special Permit No. PZST25-00021 to allow a helistop at 12230 Pine Springs Drive (Lots 24-28, Block 1, Vista Commercial Park), applied for by the City of El Paso.

Second Reading

#20An ordinance vacating a ten-foot utility easement (0.012 acres) within Lot 10, Block 22, Paseos del Sol Unit Two Amending Subdivision at 12462 Paseo Lago Dr., requested by applicant Maria Nohemi Bujanda (Case SUET26-00001).

Second Reading

#21An ordinance amending Title 3, Chapter 3.12 (Hotel Room Tax) of the El Paso City Code, sections 3.12.010, 3.12.030 and 3.12.031, to add short-term rental language enabling proper collection of hotel occupancy taxes generated by STRs.

Second Reading

#22An Ordinance authorizing the conveyance of City-owned real property, described as Tract 16C, Block 36, Ysleta Grant, to Dolores H. Garcia de Silva for a purchase price of $18,228.

Second Reading$18KCase File 26-0881

#23An ordinance amending City Code Title 2 to remove the Risk Management function from the Department of Human Resources and create a new Enterprise Risk and Safety Office within the City's organizational structure.

Second ReadingCase File 26-0892

#24An ordinance amending City Code Title 13, Chapter 13.38 (Special Events) permit application requirements to replace references to the Risk Management Office with the Enterprise Risk and Safety Office.

Second ReadingCase File 26-0893

#25An ordinance amending El Paso City Code Title 15, Chapter 15.24, Section 15.24.010, Subsection D (Insurance) to replace references to the Risk Management Division with the Enterprise Risk and Safety Office.

Second ReadingCase File 26-0891

#26Ordinances amending Title 12, Chapter 12.78 of the El Paso City Code to amend provisions on tolls for international bridges and toll collection for pickup trucks and other vehicles.

Second ReadingCase File 26-0905

#27Resolution to approve and adopt the amended Proposed Budget filed by the City Manager on July 17, 2026 as the City of El Paso's Annual Budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 (September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027).

#28Discussion and action to ratify the property tax revenue reflected in the City of El Paso's Annual Budget for FY 2026-2027.

#29Discussion and action on an ordinance levying taxes for fiscal year 2026-2027.

#30Discussion and action directing the City Manager to amend the City's State and Federal Legislative Agendas to include advocacy for utility affordability policies, consumer protections, rate-setting transparency, and household assistance programs.

#31Resolution authorizing the use of $10,000 in District 1 Discretionary Funds for the Borderland Mountain Bike Association's Lost Dog Trailhead Renovation Fund.

$10K

#32City Council to declare the expenditure of up to $2,000.00 in District 8 discretionary funds to purchase computers for the Chihuahuita Recreation Center for community benefit.

$2K

#33City Council resolution formally requesting that TCEQ and EPA convene a joint public community meeting with Marathon Petroleum regarding August 2026 emissions events at the El Paso Refinery, evaluate fence-line and continuous air monitoring, and improve community notification procedures. Council would also adopt a letter memorializing these requests.

#34The City Council considers approving and adopting a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott seeking clarification on his directives regarding data center development across Texas.

#68The City Council of the City of El Paso may retire into EXECUTIVE SESSION pursuant to Section 3.5A of the El Paso City Charter and the Texas Government Code, Chapter 551, Subchapter D, to discuss any

#69Section 551.071 CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY Section 551.072 DELIBERATION REGARDING REAL PROPERTY Section 551.073 DELIBERATION REGARDING PROSPECTIVE GIFTS Section 551.074 PERSONNEL MATTERS Section 551.0

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