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Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee approves April minutes, rules on member attendance and schedules local events
Summary
At its May 15 meeting the Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee approved minutes from April 17, voted on excused/unexcused absences for members, canceled the June meeting for Juneteenth, and discussed upcoming veteran events and canned-goods drives.
The Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee for El Paso City approved its minutes from the April 17 meeting and handled routine committee business at its May 15 session.
A committee member moved to approve the April 17 minutes; the motion carried with an affirmative voice vote and no nays recorded. The meeting record shows the committee then considered requests to excuse absences from prior meetings. The committee voted to excuse Melissa Harcourt after a motion and carried voice vote. The committee also voted to mark Donald (Dylan) Brown unexcused after a motion and a second; members discussed his prior attendance history during the exchange.
Committee staff confirmed that if a member misses three meetings, an automatic notification letter is generated; members discussed follow-up and outreach to absent members. The committee also confirmed that the June meeting would be canceled because June 19 falls on Juneteenth; members noted the next activities and encouraged participation in events during June.
During the meeting staff and members announced a range of upcoming veteran events in El Paso, including:
- Memorial Day ceremony at Concordia cemetery on May 26 at 10 a.m.; - The VA 2Ks Walk and Roll to support homeless veterans on May 21 at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center track, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.; - Multiple women veterans events in June (recognition ceremonies, a boutique and related activities); and - Ongoing collection of canned goods and other donations to support a September homeless-veterans stand down; staff emphasized donating pull-top canned items and plastic utensils for field distribution.
The committee also introduced new representatives and staff updates: James Green was announced as a new representative for District 4 and Shannon Kirkwood reintroduced herself as the city's SkillsBridge intern; Luther Jones provided updates on the city's participation in a national suicide-prevention coalition and on plans to assist the VA with a point-in-time homeless-veteran count.
The meeting adjourned by voice vote after a motion to adjourn.
Ending
The committee recorded no contested policy votes at this meeting. Members focused on outreach, member attendance rules and event coordination; several announcements will be shared with the committee by staff in follow-up materials.
