The Socorro City Council voted Dec. 12 to authorize a $5,000 marketing and advertising sponsorship for El Paso Days in Austin and to permit council members to attend the event.

Staff explained sponsorship tiers offered by the El Paso Chamber, including a $10,000 welcome-gift sponsor and legislative-partner options; staff recommended a lower-tier marketing sponsorship. The chamber’s sponsorships include promotional materials, logo placement and a limited number of event tickets. Staff also noted in-kind sponsorship (providing staff to assist at the event) was an option.

Council discussed the value of one-on-one meetings with state delegation members during the event and whether sponsorship money would secure arranged meeting times. Mayor and staff said sponsorship can be used for marketing and securing scheduled meetings; staff also said the deadline for marketing materials was Dec. 16 but attendance confirmations could be extended to the new year if needed. Council amended a prior motion and approved advertising at $5,000 and allowed any council member to attend; staff will finalize the number of attendees and logistics before the event.