City Council members map out goals for their respective districts

The El Paso City Council held a special meeting Thursday morning to discuss the priorities and goals council members have for the city.

District representatives presented five projects, or areas of concern, they would like to see the city address to Mayor Dee Margo and city staff.

Mayor Margo said the discussion was an idea he heard other cities were trying out and he wanted to do something similar in El Paso.

“Our typical council meeting is a preset agenda item with reports from staff,” said Margo.”I wanted to have something where staff can turn around and listen to the ideas and thoughts of all the creative people that we’ve elected as council members.”

Some of the items the representatives proposed aren’t new such as Cohen Stadium, Rio Bosque and the Quality of Life Bond.

City Council members presented, organized by the district they represent.

District 1

Integrate local culture and artists Link Quality of Life Bond projects to trail system El Paso’s branding system: public relations Develop transportation geared toward economic opportunities for El Paso-Juarez community Cultivate binational, regional relations

Rep. Peter Svarzbein said he sees the future of El Paso’s sister city, Juarez, as becoming stronger in the future. “Our destiny has always been tied together,” he said.

District 2

Corridor reconstruction Northeast community center Lower Beaumont Implement Resiliency study City bike Plan

Rep. Alexsandra Annello compared Lower Beaumont, the complex of old wooden buildings in Fort Bliss, to Cohen Stadium and mentioned it also needed to be redeveloped.

District 3

Legislative review committees Quality of life 2012 Human capital Diversity of businesses Police subset for low-priority calls

Rep. Cassandra Hernandez-Brown mentioned the lack of diversity of businesses in parts of her district, focusing on Alameda, and the abundance of car dealerships.

“Not only are the patrons of the car lots driving those cars in neighborhood, but there’s nothing else for residents,” said Hernandez-Brown.

She also mentioned that constituents are concerned about police response times. Hernandez-Brown said police were tending to many “low-priority” calls related to traffic, and suggested the police come up with a way to free up officers so they can focus on more serious calls.

District 4

Cohesive team Open spaces Public Safety Cohen redevelopment Northeast roads

Rep. Sam Morgan also mentioned police. He said there is a “huge deficit” in recruiting and retaining officers.

Morgan also said “emotionally, spiritually, physically,” there is a disconnect with residents in the northeast.

District 5

Secure leadership Asset replacement Rio Bosque open spaces Population Growth Flat Field completion

The first to take the stage, Rep. Michiel Noe, who spoke about secure leadership, and the effective leadership of current City Manager Tommy Gonzalez. Noe said his remaining time in office is limited, but he has confidence in Gonzalez’s leadership.

District 6

Neighborhood incentive program Hike/bike trail connecting to missions in Mission Valley Beautify El Paso’s major corridors Develop plan to examine economic incentive policy Family-friendly initiatives

Rep. Claudia Ordaz reflected on El Paso’s past, saying her peers used to call the city ‘Hell Paso’ because of the lack of entertainment and opportunities.

She said, there’s been a huge turnaround with the growth the city has seen.

“You’re seeing more and more people wanting to move back,” said Ordaz.

She proposed a neighborhood incentive program, in which districts would choose a neighborhood that used to be lively and offer tax incentives to revive the area.

District 7 Representative Henry Rivera was absent.

District 8

Make El Paso a business, tourist destination Establish law school Keep El Paso safest city Make El Paso top-rated convention for region, Texas Boost major utility relations

Rep. Cissy Lizarraga outlined her five points, setting a timeline of five years for many of the plans she proposed.

She mentioned the many professional schools that call El Paso home, and advocated for a law school to stay up to par with “all of the major cities in Texas and the United States.”