El Paso City Council to discuss I-10 Deck Plaza funding, grocery affordability plan
The city of El Paso is once again on the hunt for money to fund the ambitious Downtown I-10 Deck Plaza project.
During its meeting Tuesday, April 15, the El Paso City Council will hear a report from City Manager Dionne Mack on potential federal, state and local funding sources for the design and construction of the Deck Plaza.
The search for funding comes as the city lost out on two potential grants that the City Council agreed to spend $750,000 to apply for.
Additionally, the City Council will "request a formally adopted position statement from the (Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone) #5 board about potential boundary expansion and the use of TIRZ #5 funds for Deck Plaza design and/or construction activities," according to documents accompanying Tuesday's agenda.
While city leaders have insisted that the Deck Plaza will not be put on the back of El Paso taxpayers, it's unclear how the city — already more than $30 million short of what's needed to address city roads — will come up with the hundreds of millions of dollars that will be required for the project.
"The Deck Plaza is expected to require a combination of local, state and federal resources for design, construction and operations," the agenda document stated. "The ratios of funding will be significantly impacted by the current timeline for I-10 Downtown reconstruction, which is expected to begin in 2026."
The City Council will also hear a plan to increase the threshold for placing budget transfers, contracts, bids, requests for proposals or qualifications on the City Council agenda.
In 2004, the City Council approved placing such items on the regular agenda if the funds involved topped $500,000 —under the latest proposal, that number would be increased to $1.5 million.
"About 54% of purchasing items fall under this threshold," a document attached to the agenda item states, "if this threshold increase is approved, it will save staff time when attending City Council meetings."
The move comes after the City Council rejected a plan to extend bond oversight. Approval of the item would mean over half of city purchasing items are never included on a City Council agenda and therefore more difficult for the public to view.
The City Council will also hear a plan from West-Central city Rep. Josh Acevedo to make discount pricing at El Paso grocery stores accessible to all customers.
Acevedo's item calls for the city manager and city attorney to draft and present an ordinance within 120 days to require retail grocery stores "to offer fair access to discount pricing to all consumers, regardless of their access to or familiarity with digital technology."
The proposal would require grocery stores in El Paso that offer digital coupons or discounts online, via text message or through digital applications to make such discounts available to all customers in the form of physical coupons.
"My office has spoken to community members who maintain that a digital divide negatively impacts a significant portion of El Paso residents with regard to food discounts and access to healthy food options," Acevedo wrote in the agenda document.
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso City Council to mull Deck Plaza funds, grocery prices
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Times
44 minutes ago
- New York Times
City Council Asks Watchdog to Investigate N.Y.P.D's Cooperation With ICE
The City Council requested on Tuesday that the city watchdog open an inquiry into how the Police Department under Mayor Eric Adams is sharing information with federal authorities amid President Trump's immigration crackdown. In a letter, the City Council cited news reports of cases that the Council said raised concerns about whether the police, intentionally or not, had violated New York City's sanctuary laws by sharing information with federal authorities that was used in civil cases regarding immigration enforcement. The letter to the New York City Department of Investigation was the latest escalation by the City Council as it scrutinizes the mayor's immigration policies and his support of some of the Trump administration's deportation efforts. Under the City Charter, the Department of Investigation is required to carry out reviews requested by the City Council. New York City's sanctuary laws limit cooperation between the city and the federal government on most immigration issues, which are largely civil matters. But the Police Department often assists federal law enforcement authorities with criminal cases, typically in joint investigations into sex trafficking, drug dealing and terrorism. In one case that drew scrutiny, the police provided federal investigators with information about Leqaa Kordia, 32, who had been arrested during a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia University. Ms. Kordia, who is Palestinian, was not a Columbia student; federal agents told the police they were investigating her for money laundering after they detained her for overstaying her visa. 'New Yorkers must trust that their own city government will not participate in their civil rights being violated, and these recent episodes raise serious doubts that should be urgently addressed,' the letter from the City Council said. 'It is therefore imperative that any potential breaches by Mayor Eric Adams's administration and the N.Y.P.D. be investigated objectively and transparently.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Homeless people could be arrested after refusing three offers of shelter in Silicon Valley city
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Homeless people who reject three offers of shelter could be arrested under a controversial proposal before the city council of the most populous city in California's Silicon Valley on Tuesday. The proposal being pushed by San Jose Mayor Matt Mahon is eye-opening because it comes from a liberal city headed by a Democrat in the left-leaning San Francisco Bay Area. It is among the stricter anti-encampment deterrents proposed by elected officials since the Supreme Court in 2023 made it easier to ban homeless people from camping on public property. And it's another sign of just how frustrated people have become with squalid tents lining sidewalks and riverbanks, and erratic behavior of those using drugs or in distress in a state with an estimated 187,000 homeless people. California is home to roughly a quarter of all homeless people in the country. Mahan says most people do accept offers of shelter. But he wants to make clear to the small percentage of people who refuse, that as the city builds more shelter and interim housing, they have a responsibility to move indoors. 'I think we need a cultural change, a culture of accountability for everyone involved,' said Mahan. 'I don't want to use the criminal justice system to make vulnerable people's lives harder. I want to use it as a last resort.' California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and former mayor of San Francisco, has repeatedly urged cities to ban encampments. Arrests for illegal lodging have soared in San Francisco, and its current mayor, Daniel Lurie, has reiterated that it is not appropriate for people to live outdoors. Advocates for homeless people say cracking down on encampments is traumatizing and even counterproductive. Forcing a person to clear out sets them back in their search for stability as they could lose important documents needed to apply for work and housing, they said. 'Pushing people with mental health needs or drug addiction into incarceration — without any crime committed — is both inhumane and ineffective,' said Otto Lee, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, in a written statement emailed Monday to The Associated Press. Lee and other county leaders are opposed to the mayor's proposal. They say they need more housing, beds and services, and not punishment. The 'responsibility to shelter' proposal does not mandate an arrest after three rejected offers. After talking with the city attorney's office and police, Mahan said it made more sense to give front-line outreach workers and police officers discretion to decide when to escalate or prioritize a situation. The city will set up a new six-officer quality of life unit within the police department. 'We don't want to overly tie their hands and tell them this is the only way to do it,' the mayor said. People who repeatedly violate the city's encampment code of conduct — which also includes keeping tents free of trash and not blocking the public right of way — could be sent to a recovery center for detox or petitioned for court-mandated treatment to mental health and substance use disorder care, Mahan said. San Jose has nearly 1,400 shelter spots and hopes to add another 800 by the end of the year. Officials are aware they do not have enough beds, and Mahan said that people will not be punished if beds are unavailable or the only options are unsuitable.

Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Frederick hires designer for West Side Park community center
Frederick took another step toward a West Side Regional Park community center after the City Council approved a $620,000 contract with a designer. The community center is set to include community gathering spaces, a Frederick Department of Housing and Human Services health center, aquatic facilities, sports facilities, senior living facilities and more, according to the city's capital improvement plan. It also could have shared community office spaces, early childhood programming spaces and classrooms, according to city documents. The council put $7.5 million toward the community center in 2022. The budget that the City Council passed on Thursday included another $2.5 million for the community center. The contract for designing the community center, also approved Thursday, includes approximately $620,000 for Boyds-based Knu Design. The contract calls for 'construction of a single-story community center of up to 24,000 [square feet], and adjacent pads for picnic pavilions, and a walking path,' according to an agreement between the city and Knu Design. Council Member Ben MacShane (D) said in a June 2 interview that he is pleased with the recent progress. 'I'm really excited to be moving forward into the next phase of that project,' he said. 'We've spent a lot of time on the community center.' The community center will be placed on the 135-acre property where West Side Regional Park is set to be. The city bought the property for the park in 2009 for $18 million. The park is in the southwest of the city, on Butterfly Lane near Butterfly Ridge Elementary School. The city adopted a master plan for the park in January 2017, but plans stalled and changed. In 2024, the city decided to move forward with an action plan for the park, which focused on the construction of the community center. So far, the city has constructed additional road and sidewalk infrastructure, installed a playground and added parking in the park.