Commissioners Court - Regular Meeting

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up here.

Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a veterans resource fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Tornneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Tornneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Torneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a Torneo Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Torneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County neighborhood improvement grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estraa Park improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions,

and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Asa Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial

specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family's situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adal item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation

or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 915-2733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Ah,

hey. Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the

Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a veterans resource fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Tornneo, the local neighborhood association, Tornneo Independent School District, and Live from El Paso County, Texas, the Veterans Capital of the USA. From inside the Alicia Chicone Commissioner's Courtroom of the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse, you are watching the El Paso County Commissioner's Court Meeting. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today is Monday, May 11th, 2026. Commissioner's Court is meeting in regular open session. This morning we're joined by ASL interpreters Dario Garcia and Tamara Gastelum, excuse me, Tamara Marquez. Commissioner Alin, would you like to introduce this morning's pledge group?

Yes, thank you. Good morning everyone. So today we are joined by a very special group of parents and some of our own county employees who have committed themselves to learning, growth, and civic engagement. So they are part of the county's pathway to American citizenship for employees program where they are going to dedic they have dedicated their time to learning English, preparing for citizenship and becoming more engaged in their communities. Um so if y'all could start making your way up to the podium, those of you that are here, I think we also have some online. So these are participants in the county's PACE program from EPISD, YISD, SISD, um, uh, Fabins ISD, and of course some of our very own county employees who participated in this program and are on their way to becoming US citizens.

Welcome. Thank you. Welcome. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. Whenever I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Honor the Texas flag. I aliance to the Texas one state under God one and indivisible. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you all so much and congratulations.

Next, we'll receive an invocation from Eric McNab representing Join Us for Justice, the El Paso chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Good morning. Welcome.

Good morning. Wars are taking place all around us. Not just in faraway places like Iran. They're taking place in our country's capital over what legislation gets passed. And they're taking place in county commissioners courts across the state. These wars over policy and the decisions made during them determine the futures and well-being of El Paso County residents. Whether we proer pro prosper as much as we can or whether we live or die in many cases as individuals who will experience the consequences of the decisions made during these wars in Iran, Washington, and in this county commissioner's court. We can only hope decision makers value the humanity of each and every person their decisions will impact. We hope they value our lives as if we will exist for just one fleeting, precious moment in time that can easily be squandered or reduced by just one poor decision by them. El Paso County residents have elected you all to be the higher powers in our community and we hope that you all apply a respect for logic, data, science, compassion, the constitution and truth to all of the decisions that you make and the wars that you undertake on our behalf. Thank you all for taking on this sacred responsibility.

Thank you. Appreciate it.

Judge, do you have some opening remarks for us this morning? Yes. Thank you so much. So, on behalf of myself and the commissioners, we welcome you to Commissioner's Court. Uh we're always pretty excited that we have all these incredible uh individuals. uh we would love to recognize during our resolutions and a lot of the business that is very important for each and every one of you to sort of understand and and be able to you know go through the process along with us. Um we have some changes today. So Betsy I don't know if you want to talk a little bit about some of the changes that that we have uh our commissioner uh Stout will be here a little later so the resolutions will be afterwards but uh I don't know if some clarification Betsy please.

Yes sir. Um there was an agenda item that was added to the agenda under executive session item J that concerned um a project dry goods item. That item was a system error. It will not be heard today. It was actually u meant for the next week's agenda. So that item will not be heard today. And then we will be taking uh the two resolutions for Commissioner Stout um probably after the break once he arrives. And he has also requested that we take items 9A after he arrives. And I believe there's some additional items that he shared with uh the agenda team. Anything else that Commissioner Stout requested?

Yes. So, so well once again, thank you for being here and belated happy Mother's Day to to all of you. Uh I'm sure you cherished Sunday and here it is Monday so quickly. So uh uh but I think uh you know with our veterans we say every day is Veterans Day. I think we should say every day is Mother's Day here in in El Paso. So thank you very much each and every one of you and and God bless God bless you. Thank you. Back to you Caesar.

Thank you judge. Item number four is the consent agenda composed of items 4 A through 4 AC. We do have corrections to read in for a couple of items. First off, item 4 C should read approve approve the reappoint of County Judge Ricardo Sango's nominee Miguel Fernandez to the El Paso County Hospital District Board of Trustees for the three-year term ending March 31st, 2029. And for item number 4 Q of on behalf of county operations department, this item should read approve and authorize the county judge to sign the first extension to the consulting services agreement by and between the county of El Paso, Texas and Phillips Uristes Meechum Partners. The amendment keeps the contract pay rate for fiscal year 26 at $14,000 a month. Thereafter, pay rate resumes at $14,500 a month. Funding is available in general fund, general administrative, contract services, lobbyist, contract number 2026 0349. Are there any items that members of the quarter public would like to pull for individual discussion? Not uh I don't want to pull anything. I just want to highlight item I where we're renewing the agreement between um the county of El Paso, our promise program with CJC and El Paso's fighting hunger. They were one of the first to uh join on with the promise program and actually produce the first graduate from our promise program. So I just wanted to highlight that.

Well, thank you and great job working with all these different organizations on the promise program. So thank you judge. Uh anybody else? If not, I'm going to move to approve. Judge, we ask that items X and Y be pulled to be heard after executive session. Yes. So we'll have items X and Y for ex after executive. Okay.

I'll move to approve those C. Yes, sir. Okay. Okay, we have a motion from Judge Sango and a second from Commissioner Coronado. The voting is open. I Caesar, please. Thank you, sir. Um I as well, Caesar. Let me see.

Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Stout is absent. The motion carries. Item number 5A from resolutions, approve and adopt a resolution recognizing the month of May 2026 as National Treatment Court Month in El Paso County, Texas.

Do we have anybody? Reyes, Judge Reyes, I don't know if is there anybody for this particular Yeah.

Yeah. No, no. Go ahead and come up and we'll read the resolution. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning, judge. Let me I'll read the resolution and then we'll get comments afterwards. Okay.

So, just uh I'm very privileged because uh I I happen to believe that that the treatment courts uh have such an impact uh on people's lives and I'm not sure the community sort of captured this. So I'm always glad to be able to if you could talk a little bit about the you know the treatment courts the impact it has. I even take it even further. I think it impacts our you know our economy because of the people that would otherwise be in in very difficult situations and in jail and so forth are given an opportunity to to go back to society and and contribute. So uh I'll read the resolution but beforehand I I thank each and every one of you. Whereas according to all rights treatment courts are the most successful justice system intervention in our nation's history for reducing crime and leading individuals with substance use and mental health disorders out of the system and into lives of recovery, stability, and health. Whereas treatment courts save an average of more than 6,000 per individual served. And whereas the treatment courts improve education, employment, and housing while providing financial stability, promote family re reunification, lowers foster care expenses, and decrease costs related to victimization. And where treatment courts combine accountability with evidence-based treatment. where treatment courts annually refer more than 150,000 people to life-saving treatment and recovery support services. And where according to all rice, treatment courts significantly improve substance use and mental health disorder treatment outcomes and prevents fatal overdoses. Whereas treatment courts facilitate communitywide partnerships, bringing together public safety and public health. Whereas there are now more than 4,000 treatment courts

nationwide. And whereas this year marks the 37th anniversary of treatment courts, which are the cornerstone of justice reform sweeping the nation. Whereas treatment courts demonstrate that one person rises, we all rise. And whereas El Paso County is dedicated to reducing drug usage and crime with the following treatment courts in existence. the 384th Judicial District Re-entry Court, the El Paso DWI Intervention and Treatment Program and the Merit Program, the 65th Family Intervention and and Preservation Drug Court, the 65th Special Needs uh Diversionary Program, Project Hope Juvenile Mental Health Court, the 327th Juvenile Drug Treatment Court, the 205th Wellness Treatment Court, the 346th District Court, Veterans Treatment Court, the El Paso County Women's Addiction and Recovery, the 243rd Inspire Treatment Court, Adult Felony Mental Health Court, the Assisted Outpatient Therapy, El Paso County Statutory Probate Court number one. Now, therefore, it be resolved by the El Paso County Judge and Commissioner's Court that hereby recognize the month of May 2026 as National Treatment Court Month. signed this 11th day of May 2026.

We have a motion from Judge Sango, a second from Commissioner Oolin. The voting is open. I Caesar. Thank you, Judge. Commissioner Stout is absent. Motion carries. Thank you.

Welcome. I'm gonna I'm gonna let Judge Ando go first. Perfect timing. Just in time. Just in time, judge. Perfect timing, Judge Anchondo. It's a great entrance.

It's a um you know, sometimes they they tell me that I I make great entrances. Uh good morning uh judge and commissioners. Thank you uh always for giving us the opportunity to come before you on these moments when we are recognizing National Treatment Court Month. And a way to do that is to come and of course offer you what we are doing in our programs, but also to acknowledge the rest of this country and their programs. I got a a note the other day that there's now roughly about 4,500 of these courts nationwide. We're very proud of that uh before I started. And so these courts are making an impact in our criminal justice system that is helping people uh restore themselves. Uh but you know when I'm here I also want to congratulate not only our programs but the team members of these programs who dedicate day in and day out their time and passion to help these people really find themselves be productive and be outstanding members of our community so that they don't repeat the same behavior over and over again. And I think we're very proud of that. We come before you every year to to tell you that because I think we can all probably have that data and information that, you know, these people are not repeating. They're not coming back and they're reuniting with their families. Uh they're finding themselves. They're being employed. Whatever it may be, they're finding a way to get better. as your chair of this committee that uh council of judges has been graciously appointed me to to head up all the time and the people you see back here uh behind me that's the true effort you know I can't tell you enough that if we didn't have teams you know we couldn't

be able to function so when when I come here before you I come before you not only as as a chair or as a judge I come here because of the passion that these people have put into their their daily affairs of helping people and national treatment court month is a true way of recognizing and I want the members of the community of El Paso to know that I think they know that we've been able to help people restore them and uh not being a public safety committing offenses and doing better in life. So, it's it's always an honor to be here and thank you always for giving us the time to be able to showcase our work, the program's work, but more so the dedication of these folks who come in day in and day out, just putting themselves um to help these people get better. So, thank you so much for allowing us to be here. I'm not going to take the thunder of what they're going to say because that would that would just be I wouldn't even have enough to be able to take on that. So, thank you so much again.

Thank you. And and also thank you for your national recognitions that it really helps us understand. I think people recognize the the importance. So, I don't you want to go ahead or

Good morning again. Um Judge Baka was not able to be here today. She's stuck in court. I couldn't pull her out. So, I'm here in her behalf. I just wanted to let you know that we're very grateful for everything that you do for the veterans community and for the military overall. And a little recap of what we do. Uh the veterans treatment court assist veterans and service members who are part of the criminal justice system. We help them address their mental health and their substance use so they don't come back into the criminal uh system. We want them to give them the tools necessary so they can keep moving forward and avoid any flunk uh conflicts that may lead them to additional incarceration. The goal uh is to keep going with your support. Uh we fight the good fight and after all we are the veterans capital of the US. So thank you for your support and it is a great honor to be here amongst our um staff and all of the amazing colleagues that are behind me. And I want to call my staff so they can introduce theirelves. And my name is Ivan Whitaker. I'm the program director for the Veterans Treatment Court.

Thank you. Great job. Thank you. Go ahead and introduce yourself, please. Frank Chavez, and I'm the mental health counselor for the Veterans Court. Welcome. Thank you. Good morning, Judge Commissioner Sean. I'm a compliance officer with the Veterans Court. Thank you. Good morning, Judge. Officer De Laa, compliance officer. Thank you, Alexandra Alvarado. and I'm the probation officer for the veterans court. Thank you. Hey, special coran. Thank you. Anyone u chief you want to go ahead.

Hello. My name is Mario Skuo. I just want to thank everybody judge everybody who believes in us for um giving me the opportunity. I've been sober now 10 years. uh graduated from the program eight years ago and my life is carrying on and I'm trying to contribute to society but I wouldn't have had that opportunity if it wouldn't have been for the support. Thank you. Well, thank you and thank you for being here.

Good morning, Judge U Commissioners. Rosie Medina, chief juvenile probation officer and I also have the distinct honor as serving as the vice president of the Texas Association of Specialty Courts. So on behalf of not just JPD but the Texas Association, I'd like to thank you all for today's recognition of the amazing work our specialty courts do in our county. In particular, our juvenile drug court has been in operation for 22 years. First 18 years under the leadership of Judge Sam Madrono and currently under the leadership of Judge Vard Reyes. And our mental health court is led by the Honorable Judge Terry Lian. I'd like to share that over the last 5 years, we have served over 225 youth and families. And what makes our juvenile programs unique is that we don't just serve the client, the delinquent youth, we are serving the entire family unit. And that brings a lot of complexities um because a lot of times the young people are a symptom of a much larger problem. But we are very grateful for the support not only that Commissioner's Court and our county provides to us, but our stakeholders and our team members who dedicate endless hours, often working seven days a week until late hours of the night to not only ensure that the youth and the families are adhering to their case plans and their treatment plans, but are also following the laws of our state um and providing the support that's necessary to the families. I can't stress that enough because oftent times we're finding ourselves having to ask parents and or guardians to face their addiction issues and their mental health issues and our wonderful probation officers and case managers walk alongside them to assist them in accessing the services and the resources they need. With that, I'd like to have my team introduce themselves as well.

Thank you, Chief Medina. Thank you,

Rafael Ernnandez, a case manager for the Juvenile Drug Court. Thank you. Good morning. Maria Uri, case manager with the Juvenile Drug Treatment Court. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Denise Anderson and I'm one of the probation officers for Project Hope, our mental health court. Thank you. Good morning. I'm Nicholas Gallo, one of the probation officers for the Javono Drug Treatment Court. Thank you.

Good morning, commissioners. My name is Belinda Akuna, and I'm here in behalf of the 65th Family uh drug court. We work uh with the family intervention drug court and the family preservation drug court. We work specifically with parents who have active CPS cases and are at the risk of losing their children to the system. The intervention drug court is helping them prevent them going into the system and the preservation is helping prevent them even removing the children. And in my team, there's only two of us, Belinda Auna and then we have um she'll welcome Delgado, case manager for the Thank you.

Thank you. anyone else that uh I I think you know one of one of the things that you mentioned is family and uh I don't think there's anything more difficult than when someone in the family is is being challenged either through drugs or you know all the challenges that they they might be having the impact it has on the family is just incredible you know and always mentioned that I was a juvenile probation officer but I worked I worked in prisons Latuna and New Mexico and uh was a mental health therapist and uh just the family what it does to the family. So I I hope that that you do feel it in your heart that when you're taking care of that individual the whole family comes together again. And if you ever want to see that go to the graduations. Uh, I mean, it's probably the most moving situation that I've had being a county judge is going to the graduations and seeing the family finally coming back together, some of them for three, four years that they've been in in disrupted. And I remember one in particular, you know, Judge Anchondo's uh treatment court during the graduation that said, "We finally got our son back after three years. we finally got our son back. So, this impact that you have on families and like I said, I I hope sometimes you're the hardest to understand what you do, uh I don't I don't know if you get to feel that sense of of the impact that you have, but I hope you do today as we recognize that and that we recognize treatment courts and everything that they do for our community. So, uh, each and everyone I I I'll thank I thank you very much for what you're doing and uh some of the things you're going to be doing later on and I'm going to pass it on to my uh our justice

person here of um that understands what the the impact it has. So, Commissioner,

Judge Commissioners, thank you very much. You know, I just want to give a really a big thank you to all the treatment courts. I know, you know, the the great work that y'all do and and the reason for that is because the these treatment courts, judge and commissioners and and to the public at large, they're they're able to uh you know, uh put more time and dedication to some of these individuals that are in the justice system that need that uh because out in their regular probation and supervision, you know, we just don't have the personnel. They're supervised so many people that they just haven't had the time to do that. And these treatment courts actually let these courts focus on the those individuals that really need a lot of help that that you really don't get them through the regular probation or regular supervision. And and I also want to give a shout out to uh Judge Anchondo, Judge Garcia, who's you done the drug court here um at the district court level, judge in the past all the you know and and one big shout out to uh the veterans court for and judge uh Baka and her team that when the legislature was going to cut their funding, they went out and advocated as well as some of our team and they were able to get that funding back. So great kudos to you to the veterans record for for doing that. Um and and I I wish we had um you know the personnel that we dedicate to our treatment courts uh as an adjunct to our regular proh probation. Uh it just you know the need is so great that we just can't you know we just can't uh help everybody that's in the system. But we're we're working at it and uh I think these these courts are a way to make sure that we address that and get our get these people back uh rehabilitated and back to becoming productive members of society. And a special shout out now to the juvenile uh department because I know the stress they had. Those cases judge and commissioners are really those are both civil and criminal cases at the

same time. They're quasi, civil, judicial. And the reason for that is because as juveniles, they need to bring in the parents. And the parents get summoned to show up uh to make sure that they are paying attention to what's going on with their child, with their juvenile. And when a juvenile is in in the juvenile justice system, they're charged uh civily that they've committed a criminal offense. So, it's very very different than just having a a criminal action. And so, uh they really need to focus on the entire family. And so, that's really their focus. And so, uh just want to give out, you know, a big thanks to everybody involved in these treatment courts because I think that's part of the way forward to making sure that, uh, you know, we rehabilitate, uh, our people that are in this, uh, justice system, judge. So, thank thank you very, very much.

Thank you, Commissioner Guranova. And uh I think we we we all emphasize the staff uh the incredible staff that each one of you have. I know some of them are not here today, but I I also hope that they understand that the recognition goes out to them as well. So if you would love to take a picture with all of you here. Thank you.

You already told them about public. Yes. Yes. We'll take the remaining resolutions at uh little later after Commissioner Stout uh is present. So we'll move on to item number six, public comment. Uh Commissioner Olgim.

Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Caesar. Um, so I just wanted to take a minute to invite the community, our county employees, all of our veterans groups to participate in a very special event that is happening this coming Saturday, May 16th, where we have the Freeway Lady Kegler's 10th International Friendship Tournament happening. And I know that Nancy Peters signed up to speak as well, and she'll speak right after I do, but I did want to take a moment to invite everyone to participate. So, this is a tournament um where they will be it's a bowling tournament where they will be honoring the brave men and women that have served and are still serving our country and uh very fittingly falls on armed services day and judge you'll be very happy to know that they have been doing an excellent job of promoting the veterans capital of the USA. You'll notice their beautiful shirts. Um so, we will actually be presenting an official resolution to the Freeway Lady Keglers on Monday. So, next Monday during our resolutions meeting, um, but I did want to take a moment to invite uh everyone in the community community to participate in this really great event that's for a wonderful cause. Um, so those are the comments that I wanted to make and I believe uh Michelle is Nancy up next for public comment. So, thank you to all of you all for being here and and really for the work that you're doing to support our veterans.

Welcome. Thank you for being here. Thank you. Good morning, Commissioner um Judge Lmango and commissioners of the court. Uh my name is Nancy Peters. I am an Army veteran and when we um were tasked with um hosting this international tournament and it rotates um our date fell right on armed forces day. So we felt well what better than to serve our our our our proud men and women have served our country. Um so on that day we are going to have many veteran service organizations at our our tournament um having tables with information for our public to learn more about the VSOs. Um we also have an active duty soldier going to be singing the national anthem. We also have an all female veteran color guard that'll be presenting the colors and we also have the American Legion from post um in Horizon City going to have the P MIA table set up. We want to provide education and information about about the many many things that our armed forces does and has been doing. Um so that our our tournament is not just about bowling and about camaraderie and and fellowship but it's about the about US capital the veteran capital of the USA and how we are proud to have served and are still serving. And so today with me I have the uh the center director and I'll let her speak. And then also I have a we have a special little treat that's gonna happen on on our tournament. I'll let our president talk about that.

Thank you.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I'm Michelle Johnson. I am the uh sales and marketing director for Oasis Lanes where the tournament is being hosted. Um we are we host all of the tournaments in the city for the most part. Um, and we just wanted to say we were really happy that it had came on Armed Forces Day as we support our military and our veterans. I'm 20 years as a military dependent myself. Um, and we find that Oasis brings um all of our veterans together with our bowling leagues and the different things we offer as it's the one thing that when you're stationed in different places, you always know your bowling community is there for you. So, we're excited to be having seeing all of you on Saturday.

Thank you. Welcome. My name's Gigi. I'm president of the Freight Lady Keglers. Um, we're honored to host this tournament on on Armed Forces Day and the 250th year of the United States. It's pretty exciting. Um, when when people come down, we are going to have a wall of honor where we are going to have many of our family and friends that have served in the military. We are going to have their pictures posted and it's going to be a pretty neat event and we'd love to see you all out there. Wow, that's exciting. Thank you. You go ahead. Introduce yourselves, please. I'm Tracy Gunther. Thank you.

Carmen Antuna's treasure. Hi. And I'm Melody Sanchez. Well, thank you. It was so exciting to see the logo on your shirts. Uh uh just asked Mike if it was okay if we used it. He said, "Yeah." Well, well, thank you very much for that and uh we really appreciate what you're doing. It's going to be great for El Paso and uh combining this idea of veterans and supporting them. Uh this is something we've been wanting to do at every every time we have the opportunity. So, Commissioner, thank you so much for having us and we'll see you on Saturday. Thank you.

We don't we don't normally take a picture with public comment, but I'd like to do it this time. We can. Yeah.

Right in the middle. Right in the middle. I'm gonna show off Thank you so much. As we continue public comment, I just wanted to remind everybody that public comment is limited to five minutes per speaker. Thank you. Our next speaker is Miss Elizabeth Crawford.

Good morning. Thank you. Good morning.

Thank you. This this month, as we have honored mothers, we as prolifers are celebrating a Supreme Court decision that recently came through affirming the privacy and thus the survival of pro-life pregnancy resource centers. We're told in God's word in Psalm 127, this verse describes children as a heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb as a reward, as a gift from God. In El Paso's backyard, the abortion industry is exploding just across the state border in New Mexico, specifically in Las Cruz's as well as Santa Teresa. Amy Hooer runs the First Choice Pregnancy Resource Center Network in New Jersey, located in some of the toughest inner city neighborhoods. They seek to help moms who are contemplating abortion and persuade them to choose life. Amy Hubert and First Choice were at risk of being damaged, potentially even shut down in a brazen, aggressive move by the radically pro-abortion New Jersey state government. Thank God the Supreme Court sided with the pro-life centers 9 to zero, which will also have effect for pregnancy resource centers across our nation. We work hard to get the message out to the public. There's always help out there for any lady facing a crisis pregnancy. Financial issues, housing issues, family issues. These are never reasons to abort. There are churches, family members, pregnancy resource centers, always ready and waiting to help. El Paso has one of the most active pro-life communities of almost any city in our nation. We are thankful for how the Supreme Court decision has helped protect not only New Jersey resource centers but also those in southern New Mexico, in Texas, in El Paso. We're told in Matthew chapter 18, and Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, "Who so

shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me?" The words of the Lord Jesus. The way that we treat the littlest of children is synonymous with the way that we treat the Lord Jesus Christ himself. The way we treat the vulnerable, God cares. Again, the words of Matthew 18. And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them and said, "Who so shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me?" The words of Christ. Thank you. Hope you have a good day. Thank you so much. Our next speaker is Mr. Brian Kennedy. I forgot how short this is. Good morning, judge and commissioners. My name is Brian Kennedy and I am a local attorney. I practice legislative campaign law, sports and entertainment law. I'm also a criminal defense attorney. Though I have a long history with the coliseum and the current manager, I must explain that I am solely here today exclusively as a representative of my private company named IMC. IMC I created in 2023 after I left the commission and I have an exclusivity agreement with them. Though we do not currently have a client in El Paso, my company is a registered vendor with the county of El Paso and already looking at one of the RFPs they have out. My company has an extreme concern that if there is an upcoming bid to manage the coliseum and do the sports tourism program that we feel that there is a a serious concern for us to get a fair and impartial review. The reports after Monday's meeting disturbed me. So I

reached out to the investigator from my law firm to find out exactly what was going on. And so I have some things I know and some things I suspect. But I will say that beginning last September, there was meetings, lunches, and substantive agreements about handing the coliseum over to UTEP with an interlocal agreement that would not require a bid. I know these discussions included a member of the county administrator's office and Jorge Vasquez from UTIP. I also know there have been direct communications with Omar Ramirez, who sports tourism from destination El Paso, and the county administrators. We're still investigating if there was other conversations going on or not, but I will guarantee you that we will find out. When these contracts were split into two a couple of years ago, there was the rumor and just a rumor that not to worry about it when it came up to bid, the sports portion would be farmed out to the city's vendor. The county administrator's office has talked to one vendor about taking the building over and another potential vendor about the subject matter of that contract. We found out the same person that's having those conversations wrote the specifications for the bid. So you have that person who wrote the bid will an help analyze the bids, the recommendation of the bids, the negotiation of the contract, and the oversight of the contract. And all I'm going to say is anybody catching that Houston, we have a problem. People that scream transparency have become not exactly a beacon of transparency. And my question was, what's going on here? This is what we fear daily. I fought against it as an elected official. I know many of you have fought against it also as elected officials. I'm going to continue this fight in this town that I love. And I disagree with the county attorney last week who said, "If there's no bid, there's no procurement problem." There is a problem in policy, procedure, and state and federal law. When someone is fooling around with bids and attempting to potentially skew a bid for a single

vendor or a chosen vendor, if you have any questions about pre-bid manipulation, you should look up H bill 2, HB 2001, which was entered last year, which makes it a thirdderee felony. I found it fascinating that in the last meeting we heard from the county administrator that you can't talk publicly about it because it would expose what you're looking for. Well, I've got news. I know two people that know what you're looking for because they've been spoken to already. This is not all the names and interactions that I've gathered information about. My time today is limited and I'm committed to exposing all of it eventually. I'm sure that when the c the county will act, whether the county will act on last week's proposal that I saw, and I would strongly say that if it's rejected and the bid is put out, my private management company feels that in the current atmosphere, there is virtually no way to get a fair and impartial evaluation of our bid, my company's bid. The question must be asked, who's in charge here? I would urge this commissioner's court to seize the reigns of control of this county back. We elected you to be in charge. You've been doing great jobs on so many things. Take back control of this issue. I know that I would hope that you would take strong and decisive action against any more actions that I consider backdoor. And I hope that anyone with previous contract with the county administrator about these issues would be disqualified as a potential offender. I think it is imperative that the administrator and any of the personnel there be barred from future input or influence on this issue. And I would strongly urge in any contract negotiations on this issue that at least one member of commissioner's court be a part of it to keep the communication truthful and honest. And I will tell you as a participant in a previous negotiation on this issue, it has not always been so.

30 seconds. If a bid is put out private management, we additionally will be a bidder. We want a fair shot at the contract. IMC wants to bid on this contract. That is my company. It's not the current manager. All I'll say, and I'll leave you with this. This is what I heard over the past week. I heard it everywhere I went. Someone got caught. Thank you. Our next speaker is Dora Banea.

Good morning, Judge Sango and commissioners. I'm here hearing Mr. Kennedy and I'm here for the same problem. I came to ask uh Judge Sango if he could explain to me what is going on because the people from the community Valver neighborhood association are calling with questions and they're all making suppositions. Oh, they're going to throw it down and make a hotel and no, we can't let them do that. Judge, we need if that's the case, we need protection. I'm here to ask you to protect us because we've been fighting for that uh coliseum. It's in our area. The last time we had to go, we fought for it and we thought we were okay now. But hearing all this from UT and that other company bids are coming up. I said, "When did this all this happen? I haven't heard anything about it." And then I heard you on TV saying that you still don't know nothing about it. So I said, "Maybe today, Judge. will explain to me that now he knows a little bit. What can I tell my people because they're already No, we got to fight it. We got to fight it. We can't let this happen. Dora, I said, well, let me go see. Let me go see what's going on. And now hearing uh Mr. Brian, I hear a little bit, but I'm I still need to understand more. So, I'm going to be asking more questions. And then I'm calling my friends that help us every time. And but I wanted straight from you judge that you will explain it to me and what it is that's really happening because at this time the people there are all confused and like they say we've been bombarded with so many things here at this area. Dora right now we're we're uh fixing the Modesto park. We had a hard time doing that but thank you to Mayor Liser. He helped us out and he

gave us the money to fix it up. And we thank him every day because the park is looking beautiful. The people are walking. The people are going to play there. We got trees donated and now they got the leaves coming out. So you see those are the things that we want in our community to just because we're poor people. Our parents were the ones who were building everything there. The coliseum, our parents used to work there. They used to work the refinery. They used to work all those places. And now what's happening? They're seeing that everything that was built is going to come down. We don't want that. We're still here. They're kids. And let me tell you, I'm one of their kids, 76 years old, and we have a lady that's 120 there. She said, "We can't let this happen, Dora. We need to find out what's going on. Ask uh Judge San Diego. I'm sure he'll tell you." So that's why I'm here today, judge. And also, this is my coming from me. I'm asking you that we need your protection because you're the one in charge of the coliseum, all of the commissioners, and we need your help to keep our coliseum. We don't want nothing and nobody to come and try and take it away from us. We don't want UT to come and say, "Get rid of this management, and we're bringing new management." Look at what happened with the BTS. All the hotels were complaining. We don't have rooms. They were upset. And then the people were saying, "We were parking in front of the people that houses that live there. They were calling the tow trucks, taking our cars away. We we didn't like that." There was a lot of problems with the BTS program there. And we don't want that to happen over there either. you know maybe they should have done like I said they should have done one day for one uh event and

then another month another event but both in two days was too much even the hotel started to complain and that's what I say we don't need to go through that and now why take what we have for our children over here and I want to read to you what Anna Dominguez said can you please read this to Judge Sango She used to work with one of the judges and she said just tell him this. The county coliseum is a jewel for our com community, the Valve community. Okay. Still, it has a home for events that benefit the community and the children and the elderly. 30 seconds.

Okay. From December 207 to 2014, over 5,000 children from public housing throughout the county and nursing home and assisted living residents from throughout the county participated in the annual Christmas stocking project at the Coliseum. This was a beautiful experience for all of them, the children and the elders. The church, we work with them. They always ask us, can we do something at the coliseum? Well, let's find out. You know, the community wants to keep working there. We want to keep it the way we have it. Thank you, judge. Okay. So, please, I ask again, protect us. Thank you.

Okay. That we don't have to go through so many other people. Okay. Thank you, Dora. Thank you. Thank you. All right.

Our next speaker is Nicole Gonzalez. Welcome, Nicole. Hello.

Good morning, judge. Good morning, commissioners. My name is Nikki Gonzalez. I'm the executive director of Kaleidoscope Art Market, also known as CAM. Um, we've been operating community events at the Pal County Coliseum for the past three and a half years. Um, I wanted to speak today because hearing about the possibility of operational changes at the Coliseum on the news was honestly concerning to me. Over the last years, uh, I've personally witnessed the growth and positive changes that have happened at the Coliseum during the El Paso Sports Commission. Um, since since they've been involved, the Coliseum previously was not being utilized anywhere near its full potential for communitydriven events. With the current management, we've seen tremendous growth, not just with CAM, but with local local events, artists, musicians, food vendors, small businesses, and organizations who now view the coliseum as a true community space. Camelone has brought thousands of attendees through the coliseum doors while creating opportunities for hundreds of local vendors, artists, performers, and entrepreneurs. For many of them, the coliseum gave them access to a large-scale venue that otherwise would not have been they would not have had. A huge reason for the success has been the staff and leadership currently involved with the coliseum operations. Janet and Tony and the entire staff have been incredibly accommodating and easy to work with. In my experience, they have always approached events with a mindset of collaboration and support instead of barriers. Tony has been my main point of contact uh throughout the years and I honestly cannot say enough good things about working with him. No matter what time of day, whether he's with his family or out of town or whatever it is he's doing, he always has time to answer. Um there is literally no no is not in his vocabulary at all. Um it's always like yes, yes, of course, or yes, let's make it happen. Um that's a a a big thing for our community. That kind of support matters

when you are trying to build community events from the ground up. Had it not been for Tony's support and the support of the current team, I truly do not believe CAM would have the platform or the home that it has today at the Coliseum. What has made the coliseum successful over the last few few years is that it has become accessible to the community again. It has become active, collaborative, welcoming, and community centered. My concern with transferring operations to UTIP is not personal towards UTIP itself, but concerning over the preservation of what has already been built and what is currently working. The Coliseum is not more than is more than just a venue. It has become a home for local culture, local business, grassroot entertainment, artists, musicians, and family events. That momentum and trust took years to build. Continu continuity, sorry, matters. Uh relationships matters. community and trust matter. As someone who actively works in that space year round, I truly believe the current direction has helped revitalize the coliseum in a meaningful way and I hope the the county seriously considers the value of continuing with the management structure that has already shown real results and strong community impact. Thank you.

We appreciate your time. Our next speaker is Miss Debo Wakefield.

Good morning, judge. Good morning, commissioners. I'm Dau Wakefield. I just came because um I don't want anybody to ever think that I take anything for granted. Um it has been an honor working for Commissioner Coronado um for precinct 4. It has been an honor working for the VAB Veterans Advisory Board. It's been a little difficult working for you, Judge. I'm just got to say, okay, and quit trying to have an office so that I stay longer. But in all honesty, I appreciate being reelected and uh revoted and and um just wanted to say thank you and it is my duty and honor to serve El Paso veteran of the year, veteran period, veteran families and the community. So, thank you all again.

We're very privileged to have you. The only thing I don't like is how come he appointed you and I that's the the only issue I have right now. But uh great choice, Commissioner and Dau, thank you for your constant. I don't think I've ever been anywhere that you're not there. And when I'm not there, you sort of fill in for me most of the time. So we thank you for your commitment and uh we are the veterans capital of the USA in large manner really because of everything you've done to get us to that point. So we thank you as well. Well, thank all of you for the opportunity. God bless you.

Thank you, Dubo. Is there anybody else in the audience that would like to speak in public comment? Hearing none, we'll continue with the agenda. Item number 7A, purchasing. Approve and authorize the single source purchase of four 2025 Ram ProMaster electric vans for the El Paso County Transit Department to RORO Bus Sales of Las Vegas, Nevada for a total amount of 1,43,15.72. Bunds are available in G533 9D25C cap vehicles. Pursuant to Texas Local Government Code section 262.024C as single source item, it is exempt from the provisions of the County Purchasing Act.

Hi Karen, welcome.

Good morning judge. Good morning commissioners. Karen Davidson, your county purchasing agent, and we are granting a single source approval for these four specific buses. Um, what makes them unique is these are lowf flooror battery electric buses that are used in the transit operation and based on the current market availability and applicable federal requirements. The operational needs have been identified that by the ETA and their board and Sunset Van Rams ProMaster 159 low floor battery electric battery battery electric vans is the only current vendor that can meet these required specifications. If any additional vans are purchased, we will revisit the single source at that time and I can answer any questions you might have in this procurement. We have a motion to approve from Judge Sango, a second from Commissioner Gin. The voting is open.

Commissioner Stout is absent. Motion carries. Thank you, Cord. Thank you, Karen. Have a wonderful day. Item number eight, auditor. And we'd like to start with item 8B. Pursuant to the Texas Local Government Code section 114.025, received the fiscal year 25 annual comprehensive financial report.

Good morning, judge, commissioners. Barbara Parker, your county auditor. Um before I introduce our external auditor, I would like to just mention that our financial reporting staff put in a lot of long hours and dedication and loyalty to get this report done. We have a few of them in the courtroom today. We have uh Donna Teague. She's our director of financial officer. We have April Lzaldi Craik. Did I say that right? Close enough. and Alan Reyes. Um, there are other members of the financial reporting team that were not able to be with us in the courtroom today, but I thank them for their work too, as well as those in the department who contribute every day on an ongoing basis to make sure we account for things correctly. So, at this time, I would like to introduce Chris Garner. He is a partner and CPA with uh Patillo Hill and Brown, our new county um external auditors. Chris.

Thank you, judge and commissioners. What I have here is a presentation of um audit standards that requires auditors to make certain communication to those that are charged with governance. And so all of pretty much this entire presentation is that communication um that we are required to make. So the the first thing I want to go over is the standards we have to follow in completing your audit. You know, the the term audit is thrown out there so many times incorrectly, and so the standards want us to really communicate what exactly we do. The top two boxes are regular US auditing standards. The bottom two boxes are government auditing standards, and I'll talk about those um in a moment, why we even have to do those. But under regular auditing standards, what we were hired to do, as you can see on that left top box, is express an opinion on your financial statement. So your team is responsible for coming up with the numbers. We as auditors come in and we make sure that those are what we call materially correct. If you look to the right top box, what that materially correct means is we give what's called reasonable assurance. Um there's no way we could look at every transaction. Um so what we have to do is statistical samples. We look at internal controls, but we're definitely not testing every transaction. So there could be errors in the audit report but those errors are not going to be big enough for the users of the financial statements to have a different opinion. Example I always give is if you were to give that audit to a banker those errors are not going to change the banker's opinion on the financial status of the county. When it comes to internal controls those top two boxes US auditing standards technically all we have to test is one transaction from each significant accounting cycle. When a a significant accounting cycle is things like cash dispersements, payroll, cash receipts, we only again have to test one. When we do an audit over your federal grant programs, because the county spends more than a million

dollars of federal funds, we have a what we call a single audit. Well, that single audit wants us actually testing internal controls. That's why we have that bottom slide there or the bottom two boxes is we have to do that yellowbook audit. It's more commonly referred to um I'm sorry, government auditing standards audit, but it's more commonly referred to as a yellowbook audit. In those yellowbook audits, as you'll see on the bottom left, we actually have to pick samples over those significant cycles and test internal controls. What happens though is we're not giving opinion on internal controls when we're doing that testing. What we're just doing is we're spelling out in that report how we test above what auditing standards require. And then to the right, we have to communicate significant matters. And so those are the two standards that we followed in completing this year's audit. Under both those standards I just talked about, they actually each have separate independence laws. We go through probably about a 10-page document uh checklist ensuring our independence. We've gone through that and we confirm that we are independent with in accordance with the audit that we performed. Additionally, with independence, um the yellow book itself has some really standards that talk about when auditors draft financial statements. Your county actually personnel participated a lot going back and forth with us issuing the financial statements and us drafting them, but we did assist in that. And because of that, the yellow book requires that we jump through additional hoops to make sure our independence is not impaired by us drafting the audit report. One of the things that we do is we have what we call a concur reviewer. Somebody who's not a part of the engagement team has to look at that audit to make sure that we meet the standards and that we're doing everything and that did happen in accordance with the audit that we performed. This next slide is talking about risk that we identified at the planning stage of the audit. The management override of controls is something that we always test every year. It's something that

you're going to see um as part of our significant risk. The other significant risk we had is compensated absences was a new standard that had to be um implemented this year. So we tailored our procedures to get through those and make sure that it was you know properly implemented. And we'll talk a little bit more about the implementation of that new standard in a few slides. The next slide is is what's the results of the audit? We issued what we call an unmodified opinion exactly the type of report that the county wants to receive. So this is a good thing. This is the highest level of assurance that auditors can give. So our report states that your financial statements are fairly presented in accordance with the standards that we have to follow. The next one is is there's two other reports in the audit that are ours. That one on that left is that yellowbook report that I talked about a moment ago. We did not have any exceptions. We tested internal controls. So we did not have any findings related to that. The report on the right is that federal grants audit that we had to do. Since you spend more than the million dollars, we have to go through and ensure um that you're following the federal guidelines. We did have one finding um that related and we'll talk about it actually at the very end of this presentation, but that finding was not significant for us to change our opinion. So, our opinion here again is an unmodified opinion. So, both reports that we issued are exactly the type of reports that the county wants to receive. And again, it's the highest level of assurance that we can as auditors can give. We did have a couple of new um standards that we had to implement. The first one is that compensated absences and again we're going to talk about it in a few more slides. The second one is Gazsby 102 related to certain risk disclosure which really did not have an impact on the county's financial statements, but there were two new standards that had to be implemented this year. The next required communication is talking about accounting policies and unusual transactions. Well, there really was nothing that met the definition of

an unusual transaction. So, there's nothing to talk about there. But, as far as accounting policies, in the first couple of footnotes to your financial statements, there's a lot of significant policies that have been adopted by the county over the years. We as auditors are responsible for making sure that those do meet the standards. And we believe, you can see on the bottom right, we believe that those policies do meet the standards. and we did not have any exceptions as we um audited those judgments and estimates. Um there's three pages in your audit report and I actually have a a snippet of one a couple of pages that really this affects most of your day-to-day operations. Honestly, these judgments and estimates don't affect but we have what we call full acral. It's three pages of financial statements that are included in your audit. There are some very significant estimates that are included in those. One of them is going to be pension and we'll talk about that in a moment. So there are a few significant estimates where there are lots of estimates made by management. We as auditors come in, we say do those seem reasonable. There's no way we can prove them exactly and we'll talk about that in a moment. But we just have to go through and make sure that they're reasonable and based upon our testing we had no issues with management's estimates. So on this next page um this is the balance sheet that's on the full acrruel and you'll see that there's different colors for some of those different estimates. Um the very first one is relating to pension. So with a pension plan you know there's guess on how much interest is going to be made on the investments that you have. You know how many people are going to fully vest and retire. So there's lots of significant guesses. you have an actuarial firm that comes in and does a does a study and that's where that number is based on but again there are lots of estimates embedded in that number. The next group is your um long-term assets capital assets those are depreciated over again estimated useful lives. We go through and

management has given those lives we go through and make sure that they seem reasonable and we had no issues. The next one is um OPED which is very similar to the pension. So, it's other p um pension ex wait I'm going blank. It's it's other p or other retirement besides the pension that most of it's going to be retirey healthcare that you you pay for. Again, it's the same thing as the pensions. There's lots of guesses as to what kind of interest you're going to earn and those different types of things. Then you'll see on the next page we have the compensated absences. That's that new standard. So the standard used to be if it if we were going to pay out amounts, if the county was going to pay out amounts, we would record a liability. So a big thing was is PTO and vacation time. I'm sorry, um sick time. And so in most cases, sick time in the past wasn't paid out upon termination or you had maybe a small percentage and so it was a much smaller liability in the past overall. So, we had to go through and what the new standard says is that is it more likely than not that somebody's going to use that vacation and is somebody going to use that sick time? So, more likely than not has kind of been loosely defined. Is there a 50% chance that somebody's going to use it? So, this is a different concept than what was done in the past. It's actually it's it's somewhat of a big guess. Truth of the matter is when it comes to like sick time, you're going to have you're going to pay pay uh somebody's payroll and you're not going to write out a separate check. And so what's going to happen is is somebody just doesn't show up for work and they're going to use up their sick time. So it's not really a liability that you're going to be writing a check for, but it is with the new standards. It has to be recorded in these particular financial statements. This next slide, the whole reason for this is just to give the court a feel of

how are your financial records being maintained. If auditors come in and we have a hard time getting documentation, we have a hard time getting support, we would have to communicate that to you. Every time you switch auditors, it's hard. It's a first year audit is very hard. I bet if you asked your staff, you know, it was a little trying on them to get through this first year process because we're kind of understanding your processes. they're understanding our questions. So, that was a little bit difficult, but that's normal. That's stuff we expect. And really, again, the whole communication here is to give the court, how are your financial records being maintained? As you can see on the right, we had no difficulties as we asked for supporting documents. It was given to us timely. It was given to us in good order. So, there was nothing that caused us any problems or any concern. So, the takeaway here is that your financial records are being wellmaintained. Significant audit adjustments. This is a really important communication because if auditors coming in and changing the numbers significantly, then you might need to be a little bit leerary as you make financial decisions throughout the year. But as you can see here, we did not have a single audit adjustment that um we came up with during the our auditing procedures. We did have a couple of small items that actually management brought to our attention, but they weren't big enough to go ahead and post. So I talked about that materiality concept. Those amounts were were not significant enough. They were small. So therefore, we passed we made a decision to pass on a couple of small journal entries, but overall those were also provided by management. We did not come up with a single adjustment as we performed our auditing procedures. The next slide is if we had disagreements with management, I'd have to let you know and I'm happy to say that we didn't. And this is very similar. If management consulted with other auditors because we had a disagreement or for whatever reason, we have to communicate that to you and that did not happen again. I call this opinion chopping. So if your team was trying to get a different opinion than us, we'd have to let you know and again that did not happen.

This next slide is talking about your financial statements. um we are supposed to talk about the fact that in our opinion you have you guys go for the GFOA award and so there's a lot of extra information that technically the county doesn't have to do but you go after the prestigious award you get that award and there's additional information we as auditors are not responsible for auditing that but we have what's called an in relation to so what we do is we look at that information compare it to the numbers we've audited to ensure that that those numbers seem reasonable and based upon our testing we did not note anything that did not seem reasonable. The last thing is we had one finding that I mentioned earlier that was related to the single audit during our testing of federal reports um that were supposed to be submitted um I think I don't remember actually the due date but it was like 10 days late and since it was 10 day 10 days late it was picked in our sample we have to include it as a finding this is the lowest level of finding to be honest that we have it's just other compliance issue when I talked about that yellowbook report and that significant thresh threshold. This doesn't match that, but it did come up in our testing and so it does have to be reported as a finding. That is all the required communications. I just have a few fly uh slides with the um graphs of the general fund which is the operating fund for the county. At the end of the year, you ended up with 171 million in assets, 66 million in liabilities with net assets of 105 million. Net assets in essence are the equity of the county in the general fund. The general fund's assets were comprised mostly of cash of 86 million, 30 million in investments, receivables of 53 million, and then 2 million and other. And so the assets, as we saw on the previous slide, have increased approximately 12 million. The primary reason for the increase relates to

accounts receivables going up. We're going to see um the opposite effect in the liabilities. um the accounts receivable for taxes, grants, and inmate billings increased. On this next slide, we have 66 million of liabilities in the general fund. There's 14 million in accounts payable, 16 million of acrrues, and then there's 33 million of unavailable property tax and then there's other liabilities of 3 million. The biggest um increase here is that unavailable property tax. So what happens is is auditing standards a few years ago made us record property tax as a receivable for all outstanding property taxes that you owe. So you have an asset. However, you you show really a net asset by recording a liability of um any amounts that are not collected within 60 days because in your general fund your assets really are only those taxes that are collected soon enough after year end that you could spend them. So what happens is we have an asset and I think that asset was like 14 15 million then we have this unavailable liability so that when you put it together you net out to what you collect within 60 days and so that is an accounting standard that has been around for a few years that we're required to do. The last um slide is the statement of revenues and expenditures over the general fund. As you can see here there's been a little bit of increase in both revenues and expenditures. revenues increased about 14 million whereas the expenditures only increased about $3 million. The primary reason for the increase is taxes um of $15 million and that was substantially the reason for the increase in revenues. The decreases um I'm sorry the expenditures there were transfer outs decreased about 10 million but your public safety expenditures increased about 15 million. So the net

of those two is the effect of what happened in the general fund. With that, I'll open up to any questions. Thank you. Betsy, you have a front row seat. Any anything that you want to address or

No, I really appreciate the the overview and the breakdown, the details. Very helpful, I thought. Um, and of course, our our internal team works really hard. Um, and they work hard with all departments to like get reports, get information. Barbara's always telling us, "Please respond. We're trying to we're on a tight timeline for this external audit. And so, um, just kudos to the team and and I do really appreciate the the breakdown and the overview of the the standards and how it's applied. Very helpful. Thank you, Betsy. Barbara, any additional comments from you?

Been a pleasure working with Batillaa Brown and Chris particularly. He's out of the Albuquerque office, but they also had people from the Waco office working on this audit. They started late because of our contracting process. So, we're very happy that they were able to get it to us now. And next year, we're hoping that it will be done before March 31st because they'll have a chance to start on time. So, we do appreciate working with them. Thank you for the collaboration. We appreciate that. And I didn't mention earlier when I mentioned staff, Michael Llamas is in the in the court audience with us, too. He was also one who worked very hard on this report. Thank you. Thank you.

I I I just have a question is what was the issue related to the late report to the federal government on um when staff prepared the report and it was under review. There were corrections that needed to be made and the corrections were not made on time and so once we had the corrections we filed it. staff also pointed out that that was during the time frame that um the government had shut down last year in October and so that really didn't have anything to do with it. We should still have had it filed on time. Okay. And did that affect us in any way with related to the finances between the federal government and us and their reporting?

No, sir. And I I will say that this audit is much cleaner than the last two years audits that we had on the single audit. Okay, that's all I have, judge. Yeah. No, Barbara, thank you and your team. Miguel, thank you. Thank you. Great collaboration with us. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Item number 8A, pursuant to Texas Local Government Code section 114.023 114.024 114.026. Receive the attached presentation and the interim financial report for the month ended March 2026.

Good morning again, commissioners. Michael Lama's first assistant county auditor. Uh this is the today's presentation is on the March 2026 interim financial report. First off we have the executive summary which shows information about revenues and expenses for the current year. Please note that throughout the presentation amounts have been rounded to thousands or millions wherever necessary. This is our condensed financial report for the month of March 2026. And as every month, this was published in our local Sunday newspaper. Beginning with our revenue section, this slide presents all revenue collected by the found by the county by fund type. The focus throughout the presentation will emphasize the general fund, which again is the main operating fund of the county. During the current month, the general fund collected approximately 18.2 2 million and year to date we're at 33 331.9 million. On this slide you can see total year-to- date property taxes collected uh which increased by 39.5 million compared to FY2025. Year-to-day general fund revenues compared to the same period last fiscal year are shown on this table. Total revenue collections have increased compared to the same period uh this time prior year. Our top areas of increasing collections are property taxes as explained earlier. Charges for service which increased 5.1 million and this is primarily due to federal prisoners. We also have increases in county tax fees, policy and food concessions and county sheriff fees. For intergovernmental, we saw an increase of $1.1 million. And this is primarily due to OS

reimbursements uh for $695,000 and an additional state reimbursement for juvenile justice for $452,000. Our top decreasing areas are sales and use tax, which again, as in prior months, this is primarily due to a change in accounting period. uh interest which decreased $1.3 million due to lower balances and lower rates and other financing sources and this is mainly due to a decrease in excess grant match. This next slide shows an overview of actual revenue compared to budget. As of March 2026, we're halfway through the fiscal year. So far this year, general fund has collected 79.9% of the total budgeted revenues. Our largest revenues collections by percentage of budget include property taxes which have collected 96.8% of the budget, sales and use tax which have collected 37.5%. Charges for services which have collected 71.4, interest which have collected 42.3 and intergovernmental which have collected 59.3% of their budget. This chart that you see here or this graph that you see here shows year-to- date uh revenue by source with taxes comprising 92.3% of revenues received and property taxes comprising 83%. This next slide illustrates trends in total revenues and the county's two largest revenue sources, property tax and sales tax. The bar groupings display actual versus amounts remaining to be collected for property and sales tax by year. As a percentage of budget, the current year's general fund total

revenue collections increased by 9%. For comparison, FY2024, as of this time, we were at 78.7%. FY25, we're we were at 79.2% and currently we're at 79.9%. So, we're right online. This next slide shows you total sales and use tax collections by month, as well as the month-to-month percent change. On April 10th, 2026, the county of El Paso received their fifth sales and use tax payment for fiscal year 2026 related to February 2026 for a total of $6.5 million, an increase of $1 million or 18.3% when compared to last year. And you can see right now we show that 18.3% on that col on that blue line. This next slide highlights the top four industry categories contributing to our sales and tax revenues. First off, we have real re retail trade, which has collections of $2.8 million, an increase of $3.45% when compared to last year. Next up, we have accommodation and food services, which collected $927,000, an increase of 9.69%. Next up, we have Wholesale Trade, which collected $560,000, an increase of 12.41%. And this is one of our highest percentage gains across all industries. And lastly, we have manufacturing, which increased $337,000 or 2.98%. Do we have any questions for revenue? Not I will continue to expenditures.

This slide shows all expenditures for the county by fund type. For the month of March, general fund recorded total expenditures of $32.4 million and year-to- date uh expenditures of $186.5 million. The next slides will give you a detail on that u on those expenditures. This graph provides an overview of the county's general fund budget, breaking expenditures down by function of government. 40.9% of the budget has been expended and of that public safety accounted for 42%. General government 29% admin of justice 22% and all other functions make up that remaining 6%. Total general fund expenditures by function are shown on this slide. The percentage of the year expired is 50% as previously mentioned and the percentage of budget so far expended is 40.9%. For general government we've expended 36%. Admin of justice 43% public safety 46% and all all other functions 32%. Okay. General fund expenditures as of March increased in comparison to prior year by 4.5% as shown on this table. Personnel operating and transfers out increased while capital outlay showed a decrease. For personnel we increased by $4.1 million primarily due to public safety which increased $3.9 million and this again was primarily due to overtime. For operating we show an increase of $1.2 2 million and this is primarily due to elections and uh legal settlements. For public safety, we show it uh however for public safety, we did show a

decrease of $2.4 million and this was mainly due to medical uh services at the jails. And for transfers out, we showed an increase of $2.8 million. And capital outlays, we showed that decrease of $102,000. This next slide shows us general fund changes by government function in comparison with the same period last year. Again, our top areas of changes are general government, admin of justice, and public safety. Do we have any questions on expenditures? No.

No. Thank you, Miguel.

Thank you. So then lastly, we have our fund balance for FY25. Projections continue to be updated as we finish out our year-end close. And you just saw our audit report. We're done with our year-end close. Current estimates of revenues are at 405.5 million and expenditures of 402.1 million, resulting a projected fund balance of 99.6, which again, this is outdated information, are are real fund balances, a little bit higher. the uh but at 99.6 we have a fund balance of 12.43%. For FY26 projected fund balances based on projected revenues of $432.8 million and projected expenditures of $431.8 million. Combined with our previously stated fund balance, we have an approximate fund balance for FY26 of $100.6 6 million for federal prisoner revenue projections are currently $16.4 million based on actuals and an average of 350 for the remaining months. However, I would like to let you know that we've seen a slight decrease on those numbers. So, we've brought down future projections to 300 for the remaining months and you'll see that in next uh month's presentation

from 350 to 300.

Mhm. Revenues increased by $2.4 $4 million from last month due to an additional $1.8 million of revenue for federal prisoner uh based on actuals, 340,000 for interest revenue based on trends and 195,000 for coliseum concessions. Expenditures are projected at 431.8 based on trends and expenditure and with adjustments recommended by budget and finance. Years after FY26 are based on a 2% increase in property values and expense increases of 5%. But again, given the uncertainty of future variables, it is not prudent to place significant reliance on financial trends beyond FY26. So at this time, do you have any other questions for fund balance?

Thank you. This is our table of contents for our full report available online and questions but I heard none. Thank you. Thank you Miguel. I'd like to skip ahead to item number 10A from human resources. Approve and authorize the revision and retitling of the El Paso County Pilot Paid Internship Program Policy and Procedures to the Carl Melhaney paid internship program policy and procedures. Hello, welcome.

Good morning, judge commissioners. Valeria Fernandez with the human resources department. The purpose of today's agenda item is to seek commissioner's court approval for the revision and retitling of El Paso County pilot paid intern program policy and procedures to the Carl Molaney paid internship program policy and procedures. As part of the continuation of strategic plan 7.3, the human resources department is bringing forward this title change to honor the late Carl Malini, an employee of commissioner precinct number one, whose kindness, dedication, and unwavering commitment to public service made a lasting impact on our community. The policy also includes minor amendments to remove the pilot program language as the program has continued to be funded through FY26. I'd now like to introduce Joselyn Favlla from our talent management section to share more about the program.

Thank you.

Good morning, Judge um and commissioners just Pavlla with the human resources department. We'd like to take this opportunity of the policy revision to provide a brief update on the program and its progress. El Paso County continues to strongly believe that paid internships are an important tool for recruiting and developing for future public servants while introducing innovative individuals to careers in public service. This program not only helps build the county's future workforce, it cultivates a commitment to public service and provides pathways for local students to gain meaningful experience. We are pleased to share that since its inception, 40 interns have been onboarded into the program. The program initially launched as a 2-year pilot with a limited scope serving six offices. Commissioner Precincts 1 through 4, the county judges office, the county administration office, and the human resources department. This slide shows the number of interns that have been onboarded each fiscal year. In the current fiscal year 2026, four interns have been brought on board year-to- date. During fiscal year 2025, we saw the highest participation with 18 interns. A key indicator of success is that 15% of program participants have been hired into full-time positions with El Pazo County. Additionally, we have seen a 16% increase in overall program participation, and we anticipate continued growth and success. We look forward to continuing to strengthen this program as a pathway into public service.

This concludes our presentation. Does the court have any comments or questions that they would like to make at this time? Yes, Commissioner Butler.

Yes, Judge and Commissioners. Thank you very much. Um, I'm going to try not to get emotional. Uh but I I first want to thank the court for um your openness and willingness to rename this program after um our dear Carl Mhaney who um who served many years here at the county uh under various offices but um was uh in our in our office when I first took office as a as my senior policy adviser. Um Carl was much more than that. He was a beloved mentor and friend to many people who work in public policy in El Paso County. Um and spent uh most of his career as a public servant um and as a policy adviser to um a long list of accomplished elected officials um uh starting with um Congressman Sylvester Reyes uh who he served for 16 years. Um he was an inspiration and a friend uh and a mentor of mine and to many other um uh public servants in El Paso who have gone on to be elected officials. And so we thought it was fitting um uh my team and in the office of precinct one um to request that our policy internship be renamed after Carl. I think it's a fitting legacy um for him and uh will serve to remind us why we're trying to educate our youth um and bring them into public service in our offices. And I I understand um you know we're we're moving beyond the pilot of this of this program, the pilot phase of this program. Um and that our budgets may fluctuate year-over-year. we may not uh be able to to fully fund this program or have it um

be as large as we would like or as we have now over the years. Uh but this is extremely meaningful to be able to move beyond the pilot program to say that this is something that is of high value to us. I know that that the interns in our office um are a are a key part of our office and our daily operations and interact with our community on a daily basis. Um, and I know that that all of you feel that same way about your interns. And so I um am very glad to see this. I think uh again it's a fitting legacy for somebody who dedicated his life to public service and to public policy um and to investing in our youth. And so I thank you very much for this again. Thank you.

Thank you. Well, you know, we're all very fond. I very sorely miss him. Um, obviously you know the interaction that you always had with the interns, my interns in my office was exceptional. Uh, I'm so happy that we do have that intern. I mean, I'm telling you, there's been things and people having to leave, but they've covered uh the uh my office exceptionally well. So, the program itself is incredible. and then being able to name it based on someone with compassion and a lot of a lot of heart and you know he loved the county and he loved his work and so I I think it's exceptional what you're doing here. So,

Commissioner Gordon, Judge, I I agree with everything that's been said about Carl and and and in fact and in the program itself. Uh, you know, I couldn't tell you how beneficial these interns have been providing not just the fresh approach, but with our outreach to the community. They've really stepped it up for us. And so, you know, that's one great thing that I think is happening with this program. Plus, it allows them, like they mentioned, to get, you know, into county government and maybe proceed and with a way up. um into our county family uh and it just benefits us to have that background that they have and being able to participate. So,

thank you. As a matter of fact, that I think this week uh will now be a permanent employee starting as an an intern and now having a position and obviously he's an gentleman who now understands and he falls right in very quickly, hits a road running. Uh so very very proud of him and but very proud of the program. So judge commissioners um at this time we respectfully request a favorable approval of the policy revision and retitling to the Carl Malini paid internship program policy and procedures. I'll make a motion to approve.

We have a motion from Commissioner Butler, a second from Judge Sango. The voting is open. Commissioner Stout, are you online? Commissioner Stout is absent. Motion carries. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Butler. Thank you. Great initiative. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Sam. Thank you, Sam.

Item number 11A, budget and finance. Approve budget amendment number 25A to the El Paso County's 2025 2026 operating budget. This budgetary amendment is to transfer appropriations in the amount of $77,080 with the capital projects fund to co to cover the cost of the initiation of engineering site survey of the HVAC and smoke extraction system at the downtown detention facility. This budgetary amendment will not increase or decrease the county of El Paso's 2025 2026 overall operating budget of 661,291,196.3.

Carmen, welcome.

Thank you. U Judge Samo, members of the commissioner's court. Uh Carmen Adelaia, budget and finance director. This is a budget amendment that we separated as it was related to the sheriff's department. Uh but it's actually a um a budget amendment that comes from uh the capital projects area. This is a a a budget amendment that will transfer monies from a renovations account to specific purpose for the detention facility, specifically a engineering site survey of the HVAC and smoke extraction center uh system at the downtown um detention facility. Uh this budget amendment will not increase or decrease the county's overall budget. Um, and with that, are there any questions with regards to this particular amendment?

No. Thank you. We have a motion to approve from Commissioner Coronado, a second from County Judge Sango. The voting is open. Commissioner Stout is absent. Motion carries. Uh before we go into executive session, uh there's a few items that we'd like to read in uh for the county attorney's office. Uh first off, we'd like to uh delete the following items. Item 12E uh which is to discuss intervention by the El Paso County in the application of El Paso Electric Company for authority to change rates. S SH docket number 4732511219 PU docket number 57568 county attorney's file number 001725A pursuant to Texas government code section 551.071 071. We'd also like to delete item number 12G and corresponding regular session item 13D uh which is discussed the pending claim submitted by Leopold Aguilar County Attorney's file number 01925LC pursuant to Texas government code section 551.071. Uh just one moment

and the corresponding regular session item will be 13D.

13D. Yes, that one is discuss and take action on the pending claim of Leopoldo Aguilar County Attorney file number 019125 LC and We have a motion from Judge Sango, a second from Commissioner Oolin to delete the items. The voting is open. Uh, Commissioner Stout is absent. Motion carries. And I'd also like to read in item number 12B which is pursuant to Texas government code section 551.0725 discuss contract negotiations regarding USDA's reconnect grant agreement for implementation of the Cotton Valley connect project.

Judge commissioners Eric Rosales Nagleion assistant county attorney for this item we're asking that it be taken into executive session pursuant to Texas government code section 551.0725 0725. We're currently, the county is currently in negotiations with Insight Public Sector, Inc. for a potential amendment to the agreement between the county and Insight relating to the Cotton Valley Connect broadband project. The information to be discussed includes involves business and financial information related to the contract negotiations that would be potentially detrimental to the county if discussed in regular session. Therefore, assistant county attorney uh assistant county attorney Diana Shear has determined that deliberations in an open meeting could be detrime detrimental. We're requesting that the court unanimously vote that deliberations in an open would have that detr detrimental effect. All said, discussions would be take place in close session. We'd ask that the court direct county administration commissioners court reporters to ensure that all proceedings in close session be recorded. A copy of the legal memo has been provided to the county administration commissioner's court reporters to be made part of the official court records. So if the court agrees, we would need that motion and a second recorded vote at this time. Please.

We have a motion to approve by commission or excuse me by county judge Sango, a second from commissioner Coronado. The voting is open. Commissioner Stout is absent. Motion carries. Commissioner's Court will now recess into executive session to discuss items uh 12A through 12 I pursuant to Texas Government Code section 551.071, 551.0725 and 551.087. Commissioner's Court will reconvene to take official action. It is 11:28 am.

Heat. Hey, heat. Hey, heat. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso

County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a veterans resource fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Tornneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Tornneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Torneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing tornado area veterans who served. The site will also include a Torneo Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Torneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County Neighborhood Improvement Grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estrea Park Improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Asa Park project is one of 19 park

projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. behoo Hey, hey, hey.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers,

financial specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adal item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation

or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 915-2733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Heat up here. Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County, and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Torneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Tornneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque

listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a tornado veterans memorial dedication monument. This community-driven project requested by the Torneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County neighborhood improvement grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Eststera Park improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Esa Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. Hey,

hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child

support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family's situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and

visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adel item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation or divorce. Topics include parent children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution, and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 9152733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to

effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Ah, hey. Heat. Heat.

Okay. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Torneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Tornneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a Torneo Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Toronto Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County Neighborhood Improvement Grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estraa Park Improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions,

and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Esta Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. He a m a Hey,

hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County civil court system, we strive to provide support during ch.

Go ahead. Commissioner's Court has reconvened into regular open session. It is 12:05 p.m. Judge, would you like to take the afternoon recess, please? Okay. Commissioner's Court will recess for 1 hour. It is 12:06 p.m.

Okay, thank you. in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or

guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adel item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 915-2733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform

your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Wow. Hey. Hey. Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Olas. So, April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County, and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a veterans resource fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Torneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Tornneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a Toro Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Tornneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County Neighborhood Improvement Grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estrea Park Improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions,

and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Esa Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial

specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adel item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation

or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution, and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 915-2733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Heat. Heat.

Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. Hey. Heat. Hey, heat. Hey, heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a veterans resource fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial

honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso Countyy's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Tornneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Torneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a torneo veterans memorial dedication monument. This community-driven project requested by the Torneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County neighborhood improvement grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estraa Park Improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Asa Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a

total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. He ah hey a m a e a. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify

orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adal item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 915-2733533

or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Ah, hey. Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey.

Heat. Hey, heat. Hey, heat. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso

County, and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood association, Tornneo Independent School District, and Tornneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Tornneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a tornado veterans memorial dedication monument. This community-driven project requested by the Torneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County neighborhood improvement grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estraa Park improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Asa Park project is one of 19 park

projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial

specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records. Working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family's situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adal item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation

or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 9152733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward.

Ah, hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hola, El Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured

a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Tornneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Tornneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Torneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a Torneo Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Torneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County neighborhood improvement grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estraa Park improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Esta Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came

and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey,

hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment ment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and

enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family's situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adel item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices,

impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 915-2733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Ah, hey.

Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Heat. N. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured

a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Torneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Tornneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a Tornneo Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Toronneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County Neighborhood Improvement Grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Eststera Park improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Esa Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came

and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso Go ahead.

Commissioner's Court has reconvened into regular open session. It is 1:13 p.m. We are on item number 5B from resolutions. Approve and adopt a resolution recognizing and honoring Estrea Del Paso for 40 years of service, commitment to accessible immigration legal services, and proclaiming May 17th, 2026 as Estraa del Paso 40th anniversary day in El Paso County, Texas.

Thank you all very much. Um so uh if well for while I while I while I introduce the resolution if if y'all want to come up to the to the podium Melissa and and uh and team um so before the before the resolution just a couple of words and uh the resol the resolution will will state as well but in 19 1986 uh um a new organization that would later uh become known as Australia del Paso was established to serve asylum Muslim seekers and immigrants impacted by the passage of the immigration reform and control act of 1986. And since its founding El Paso has continually adapted, mobilized resources and expanded its services, often with little to no support. As we celebrate the organization's 40th uh anniversary, it's important to recognize the challenges it continues to face today. In recent years, immigrants have frequently been portrayed through harmful and inaccurate narratives that characterize them as quote unquote violent criminals, drug smugglers, and rapists uh by somebody who is right now our president. Uh in response, Estra El Paso has worked to elevate the real stories of migrants who leave their home countries in search of safety, stability, and opportunity. This organization also has faced federal funding cuts that have directly affected its programs and limited its scope of work with within this community. Further, the environment at the federal and state level outright hostility to migrants regardless of legal status, making the work of Estustrala more important than ever. So despite these ongoing barriers, this organization has remained devoted in its mission. Rather than retreating in the face of adversity, the organization has continued to use each challenge as a motivation to advocate for and support those who most need it. So, I'll go ahead and read the resolution and then

we can hear from the folks at Estraa. The resolution states, "Whereas El Paso was founded in 1986 and has served the El Paso community for 40 years with a long-standing commitment to justice, dignity, and due process for immigrants and refugees. And whereas for four decades, Australia del Paso has provided over 600,000 legal services to individuals and families, ensuring access to highquality immigration, legal representation, and education for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. And whereas Estraa del Paso has continued its mission despite significant challenges including funding cuts, the termination of two federal programs that previously supported immigration legal services, constant changes in federal immigration policy and harmful rhetoric surrounding immigration demonstrating resilience, integrity, and unwavering dedication to community service. And whereas Israel del Paso has long been a trusted advocate for due process, protecting the constitutional and human rights of immigrants while strengthening the overall well-being and stability of the region. And whereas in 2022, Estra El Paso adopted a zerocost service model, ensuring that all legal services and counsel are provided free of charge, removing financial barriers that often prevent individuals from seeking or securing legal guidance. And whereas through the zerocost model, E is El Paso has alleviated financial hardships for thousands of individual individuals and families, affirming that access to justice should not be dependent on income or financial status. And whereas El Paso's work has contributed to a stronger, safer, and more inclusive community by supporting families, protecting rights, and upholding the principles of fairness and justice that define our region. And now therefore, be it resolved that the Commissioner's Court of the County of El Paso hereby recognizes and honors Estraa Del Paso for its 40 years of dedicated service to the community. And be it further resolved that the county commends Estra

El Paso's staff, leadership, volunteers, and supporters for their continued commitment to due process, equity, compassionate service. And be it further resolved that May 17, 2026 is hereby recognized as Estraa de El Paso 4th anniversary day in the county of El Paso and the community is encouraged to join the celebration of this milestone and the organization's enduring impact. Signed this 11th day of May, 2026, the Honorable County Commissioner's Court. We have a motion from Commissioner Stout, second from Judge Sango. The voting is open. My vote is I. Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Butler. I thank you. Motion carries. Welcome.

Melissa, the floor floor is yours.

Thank you. Good morning. Um, commissioners, county, uh, Judge Sango, thank you all so much for for this, um, resolution recognition of what has been a very arduous 40 years of work to the community. Um, but despite the difficulty of the issues that we face daytoday, we understand the impact that it has on the people that we serve and that's why we continue to do it. Um, the people with me today are just a small portion of our staff. Um, and really they're the heart and soul and the reason that we've been around for 40 years. U, we were lucky to have Commissioner Olin. uh she was the the director at the time that I started at the agency 19 years almost 19 years ago. Um and you know that's really been at the heart of why we've been um I think been able to maintain um the services for so long. But the reality is is we are facing really tough times right now and we're facing unpre unprecedented cuts. Um, and so while we celebrate this 40th anniversary, we also are at a point where we're, you know, struggling financially, um, for the first time in a long time. Um, but we know how important this work is to the community. We know how important it is to each individual we serve. And so we're committed to continuing the service, um, despite the difficulties. And, you know, we're not going to give up because we can't give up. Um, for a lot of people, we are the absolute last line of defense. If it wasn't for Estre Del Paso, they would not have um a recourse to avoid deportation from the United States. They would not have a method to legalize their family's immigration status. Um you know, I'm a product of Estra El Paso back when it was diosis and migrant and refugee services. My dad got his residency through the agency. And so I'm but one example of what this agency can do um and the impact that it can have in

people's lives. And so I'm I'm really grateful for the support um not just today but throughout the course of my time at Estere Delaso from from the from the county um from you Judge Sango from Commissioner Stout um Commissioner Olen um that we've had a chance to work with really closely personally um and who have you know frankly um with Commissioner Orin has shaped you know who I am um as an attorney um and so I'm I'm grateful to all of you. Um, but I'm most grateful to the staff. Um, we have an incredible team of people that are dedicated to this work, that work with heart, um, and come to work every single day despite being called all kinds of names, um, and despite being disparaged at every turn. Um, the commitment is unwavering. Um, and we will continue to fight until, um, my hope is that we continue to fight until we're no longer needed because we have a fair and just immigration system that doesn't require attorneys to intervene on people's behalf. So, thank you all so much for this recognition. We really, really appreciate it and I know it means a lot to the entire team. So, thank you all very much. before you uh you introduce thank you for bringing your staff because I've I've been able to see you in action, your compassion, the way you are, your advocacy has been just incredible. I mean, you were everywhere. I mean, during the the crisis and everything that happened, I mean, I just felt like I don't know how you did that, but you were everywhere, but I never had gone to meet your staff that's behind you. Uh and and that's where that strength comes from that that you were talking about. So on a very personal level, I really want to thank you because I did got to see just the the challenges that you had and sometimes by yourself. I mean because you know a lot of people didn't uh didn't bother to support what we're

trying to accomplish. So you just kept going and also of course thank you for the commissioner to sort of get get things rolling back in the days and I didn't realize that many years ago but uh so once again thank you and thank you for your staff and then uh if you if you want to introduce yourselves please. Sure. And I was just going to say that, you know, I have the I have the the privilege of getting to represent all of them, but the reality is is that they're the ones that do the work dayto-day and I get to be the face of the organization, but they're the heart of the organization. So, um, so thank you for recognizing that. Thank you. So, if you all want to come up and introduce yourselves one at a time.

I will start because everyone's nervous. My name is Sandraz. I'm the director of communications at ESA. Welcome. Thank you. I am Ivani. I'm Melissa Lopez, executive assistant. Thank you. I'm Angelica Rodriguez Hernandez. I'm a development associate. Thank you. Hi, I'm Mara Perez Belos and I'm the director of operations for El Paso. My title. Hi, I'm Rebecca Canick and I'm the director of data management and analysis. Thank you. Hi, I'm Jackie. I'm a legal assistant in removal defense. Thank you. Emily Miller, director of community engagement.

Thank you. Hi, Maria Steel, a legal assistant with the um children's program. Thank you. Hi, my name is Gabriela Serinana and I'm an orientation specialist with the accompany minor program. Thank you. Hello, my name is Leticia Vasquez and I'm also an orientation specialist in the children's program. Thank you. My name is Brenda Roman and I'm an orientation specialist also in the unaccompanied minors program. Thank you.

Good afternoon. My name is Raalo Pesto and I'm a orientation specialist at children's program. Afternoon. My name is Gro Karion and I I'm an orientation specialist in the unaccompanied children's program. Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Ariana Morales and I'm part of the removal defense as a legal assistant. Thank you. Hi, my name is Jessica Gomez and I work with family reification. Thank you. Hi, I'm Rene Sanchez. I'm an credit representative at the Removed Defense Unit. Thank you. We We got They're not normally this shy, but

give give them a task and then they change everything changes. By the way, that's a beautiful name. El Paso. I mean, just uh sounds a lot better than star, right? Estraa just sort of gets this idea like like you're going to follow I mean like the northern star kind of thing because they depend so much on you. So thank you so much. Go ahead.

Thank you. I was just going to say that um you know when we picked the name um obviously Commissioner Orin is very partial to diosis and migrant and refugee services but we wanted a name that was really symbolic for the community. Um, we have the star on the mountain. And for a lot of people when they're traveling north or if you're traveling to El Paso, the star is what guides you. It's when you know you're home, right? So, if you're traveling um from the east um heading back to El Paso, you see the star and you know that you're you're getting close to home. And so, um you know, the North Star also guides travelers. And then we also have, you know, our connection to the Catholic dascese and the star of Bethlehem, right? that led um um Joseph and Mary, you know, on their journey as well. So, we are um really proud of the name and really proud of the work we do. Um up on the screen right now, you can see our beautiful mural that we have on the building as well. Really wanting to portray um a sense of welcome to everybody who comes to our building, but also people who who are coming to our community that they always feel like they do belong and that they have a home here and that we'll always be there to support them. We have a lot of work ahead of us.

We do, unfortunately. Commissioner Stone. Commissioner Gin, did you want to say something?

Yes, I did. And I'm going to try not to get um emotional, but I can't make any promises. Um it is so amazing to me that this wonderful organization is now 40 years old. It was uh one of the biggest privileges of my professional career to have worked for back then Diosis and migrant and refugee services. Um, and I still can't believe all of the incredible, amazing work that is done every single day by everyone who works at that organization. Um, like Melissa said, you all are the heart of the organization. Um, those seven years that I served as director uh was one of the greatest privileges of my life. And I think I look back, I still remember that day 19 years ago that a young, enthusiastic, very committed, soon-to-be lawyer sat in front of me um as I interviewed her. And I still think I'm still convinced that hiring her 19 years ago to be the head of our uh deportation defense unit was the best decision that I've ever made in my professional career. And I think the second best is when I recommended that you take my place when I left as director of DMRS. So watching the organization grow under your leadership, Melissa, has been incredible. Um, please know that we are all incredibly proud of all of the work that you all do every day. Believe me, I know how difficult it is. I think, you know, during the first Trump administration, we as immigration attorneys, immigration advocates couldn't think it could possibly get any worse. and yet here we are today. Um, but please continue to push forward, keep your heads held high. The work that you do changes people's lives every single day. And don't ever forget that. Um, and I'm just incredibly grateful that you all are committed to our

community, that you are committed to this organization, and I can't wait to see what the next 40 years look like. I'll never get used to calling it Estrea del Paso. I apologize. Um it will always be DMRS for me, but it um it was it was really an honor of a lifetime for me to have served um in the position of director for that organization and you all will always have a very special place in my heart. Thank you, Commissioner. Great job, Mr. Sto.

Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner. Um thank you, Judge. Uh thank you all so much for for the work you do. Um, I really am am just uh honored to be able to be part of celebrating your 40th your 40th anniversary. Um, it's been a pleasure to work with you over the last 12 years that I've been in office and um, I'll be leaving soon, but I'll still be I'll still be in El Paso and I hope to continue to to work with you all and and um, make sure that that we continue to support immigrants who are fleeing their home from all over the world and seeking safety and refuge in in our community. And I know that you all obviously will continue that work hopefully for another at least 40 years and and beyond. But um let's go ahead and take a picture with the resolution. Thank you.

Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Go ahead. Thank you everyone.

Thank you. Thank you. Item number 5C, approve and adopt a resolution recognizing the Academy of Aerial Fitness, a nonprofit that is dedicated to promoting physical fitness, artistic expression, and empowerment through aerial arts and movement and naming Saturday, May 16th, 2026 as comic cosmic outlaws day in El Paso County, Texas. Judge, commissioners, I have the honor of reading this resolution into the record. Caroline, if you if you and your your team want to come up here uh while I while I make a few comments. So, the the Academy of of Aerial Fitness um is an organization that has demonstrated really the positive impact that that aerial fitness can have on a person's overall well-being. And many local community members have described the environment there as welcoming, supportive, empowering, encouraging individuals to step outside of their comfort zones uh when attending classes. The academy has also provided meaningful space for families to gather and connect in addition to serving as an important community resource. Uh the Academy of Aerial Fitness has built a strong reputation through participation in national and international competitions

and one of their greatest honors has been uh having been featured on America's Got Talent uh with one of their students, Miss Heidi. So very very proud to to be able to highlight the work of people in in our community and especially small businesses that uh really make us proud. And so I'll go ahead and and uh read the resolution. I don't know if y'all went to the the the recent most recent uh children's hospital gayla, but but they were performing there uh flying flying through the air and and doing doing amazing things as they do. But I'll go ahead and read the resolution and then we can we can hear from y'all. So the resolution states, whereas the Academy of Aerial Fitness is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting physical fitness, artistic expression, and empowerment through aerial arts and move and movement. And whereas since being founded in 2015, this nonprofit has provided the community with programs that support strength, confidence, and mental well-being for individuals of all age all ages through inclusive programming designed for all body types and fitness levels. And whereas the Academy of Aerial Fitness has provided a safe, empowering environment that builds strength, confidence, and resilience for many community members. And whereas the academy aims to enrich the Southwest community by helping members achieve healthier, happier, and more expressive ways of life regardless of age, gender, physical abilities, or economic status. And Corez, the Academy of Aerial Fitness is raising funds to expand access to programs and support underserved populations through Cosmic Outlaws, a high-flying intergalactic western, taking place this Saturday, May 16th. And now therefore, be it resolved that the El Paso County Judge and Commissioner's Court recognizes the Academy of Aerial Fitness and name Saturday, May 16, 2026 as Cosmic Outlaws Day in El Paso County, Texas. Signed this 11th day of of May 2026, the Enroll County Commissioner's Court.

We have a motion from Commissioner Stout, a second from Judge Sango. The voting is open. Welcome. Motion carries. So, if y'all can inter introduce yourself, state your name uh for the record and and then tell us a little bit more about uh your journey about about the organization and the event that's coming up or and anything else you want to add. Yeah, I'm Carolyn Aguilera, the president of our organization. This is Selena. Selena Hajes. I'm a board member. Welcome. I am Trinity Hodgees. I work front desk.

Thank you. Um, thank you so much for recognizing this and Cosmic Outlaw Day. That's amazing. Um, we've been here for 11 years and um, serving the community. What we found recently the most valuable is mental health. We've had so many PE people come in, having all the things happen all every day, the news, things like that. They come to us and they say the same things that we are a vital like outlet for them to not get burned out from work, from school or whatever is going on in the real world. They come in, they focus, they realize that they're stronger than they ever thought they could be. Um, and it's such a great way, this show that's coming up is one of their ways to uh show what we've been working on, their strengths, their talents, their expression. Um I've encouraged all our students to create their own choreographies and acts and um they've just excelled so many so many times every year after year. U Miss Selena is also a competitor you and and on and performing on Saturday as well.

Yes. Hi, my name is Selena Hodes and I thank you so much for um accepting our resolution. This is such a phenomenal day for us. Um, and Academy of Aerial Fitness is so important to me and my family. I have two daughters, one of them being here, that um, it's a family affair for us. And it is such a beautiful outlet to see her grow. Uh, she started at age 10, and now she is probably one of the beautifulest little things in the air to see. Um, she's way better in the air than she is on land. Um, but I just thank Carolyn so much for building a wonderful fitness academy that has given my daughters the confidence to get through some very challenging years in school and day by day. Um, and as for me, I am legally blind and I it's one of the sports that I can do without balls flying in my face and worrying about dodging things. Um, and I have competed several times in pole dance. Um, and uh, all around Texas, uh, co, um, Colorado, Utah, Los Angeles, California. Um, and Caroline has always been there to encourage us and to be there for us. Um we have many many students uh of all ages coming to us to be not just again their fitness support but their their whole body and mental support. Um and I do at the academy I do everything from websites to the communications between clients and students and and help Carolyn keep us afloat. So,

Jenny, do you want to go ahead?

Um, I can say something. Yeah. So, um, I am the person that kind of welcomes new faces into our wonderful studio and I'm there almost every day and I see people practicing and doing classes and it's so much uh it's so much more different seeing it in person seeing how we have created such a beautiful family with our instructors, with our regulars that come in and especially for our shows. people will practice and create choreographies and I get to see them grow from a messy choreography that they're just trying to find the basics of and grow in strength and confidence and theatrics into what our show is going to be. And it's so amazing to see it every time every year uh especially for our May shows. So I really enjoy that I get to see so many people grow in such our in our small little space. It's I think the greatest gift that I have working there just incredible. I you know it's one of the very few times that I hear the combination of physical and mental health. Uh I think our mistake that we've always tried to separate it. Okay, you you know this is physical, this is your mental health situation, but there's so much connection and when somebody feels good about their body and they feel good about themselves and they feel more energetic, it obviously assists in their mental health challenges, right? because it sort of gives them that kind of strength and that kind of and it's one of the very few times that I' I've actually have heard someone make the combination or bring it together as as a way to address mental health and you know in our community I still feel that a lot of us came out of the pandemic a little uncertain and uncomfortable and sort of retrieving a lot and not wanting to go out there and physical obviously sort of

gets us out there more than than than most people understand. So, uh thank you for what you're doing. I think we have a huge challenge in mental health here, not not only our community, uh but around the country, especially when you have other situations going on and people not feeling united and uh people splitting up politically within their own families and uh so I think these are the kinds of things that that would really help us uh try to get things back in order. So, Felicades to to all of you and Commissioner Stout, thank you for for this resolution.

Well, thank you all so much again. Thank you for joining us today. Um, you know, when when I first met Carolyn and she told me uh the story about about the the organization, I just thought, man, this is this is the the exact type of

uh thing that we need to be highlighting and and and you know, showing off in our community. Something that's local grown, a woman uh run and and owned operation. Uh and something that that does really impact the lives of so many people. And as we said, the mental health, but also the physical uh aspect. And and uh can can I I just have a question. Can you all talk a little bit about the the competitions and the different the different types of um activities that that you all actually do at the at the academy?

Yes. So we are always in like um a circus aspect of the community of competition and also pole. They're two different organizations commonly. Um, but they're they serve as a great outlet. One for a goal. A lot of people have a goal set mindset where they'll kind of float around um whether it's fitness goals or anything else. But when there's a timeline, there's a deadline, there's something um firm that you have to work up to, I found that the students are more motivated to meet those goals. Um sometimes it also pulls them out of whatever it is in their life and gets them focused. So the competitions are valuable for that deadline aspect. Um also creating a piece really um pushes them to not only be creative but physical like the stamina required. Um so when my students come to class it's a it's a group setting so there's a lot of stop and goes. You know I'll explain how to do something. I'll demonstrate. they'll take their turn um and doing we kind of break down movements, but that ends up being even though it's an hour class, it ends up being like maybe 30 minutes worth of work as far as like really um sitting there and doing things over and over. So, the competition, it's an entire piece, usually about four minutes long. So, that also pushes them to gain their endurance, their stamina. Um, not only that, but their pre, uh, stage presence. It helps them get out of their bubble, um, break through a lot of like barriers they might put themselves on under, such as like Miss Selena, you know, um, visual. It's like that's no problem. You don't need to see the audience, you know, you just need to know where you're at. Um, it gives people that boost of confidence once, especially they when they compete and they realize like, oh, I did that. I was on stage. I performed for, you know, and in Heidi's case, maybe millions of

people. Um, and it talk about an ego boost in a good way. You know, it's it teaches them how they can do anything they put their mind to. Um, and if things go wrong or if there's mistakes, it's okay. It's not the end of the world. You just move past it and grow stronger from that. So, competition, it just teaches so many things. And then we all go together. So, we travel, sometimes we'll go in and stay in the same Airbnb. So it builds a lot of bonding with the community, their students where it's not just one individual competing, it's the entire team. And I feel like our community has a lot of that um offered for children, but for the adults, there's very few team um especially for women um events where it brings the community together and we get to go out and spend that time um doing, you know, fitness and health related things. Um and then our families get to see what you work for. uh sometimes people are like what do you mean you hang by your feet you know but when they see it and they're there to support you you're it just builds a bond between your friends your family and also the organization so competitions are very valuable for us mostly those

he's asking cuz he's trying to sign up for the competition who came I was going I was going to say judge you commissioner Coronado you guys need to go and and do some of the the poll activities and and I'll I'll do some of the uh my circus It's low impact. That might help it, right?

Yeah. Traction helps. Low impact. Miss Selena wanted me to highlight also what we do as far as like the apparatus. So, for instance, Miss Trinity, her specialty, and she's a genius at it, are silks. People sometimes think of them as drapes. Um they're basically like drapes hanging from the ceiling. Yeah. And we teach them how to do acrobatic moves in movements in that. Um, Miss Melina does hammock as well, which is um, essentially the silk but hung upside down so you could sit in it. We found that one especially useful for beginners because it doesn't matter um, what capabilities you have as far as like athleticism because you can always sit in a hammock. Um, so it's a really easy way or a nice transition um, to get into aerial because you can sit and day one you can do things. You know, we could we'll teach you how to sit and balance, gain confidence. um helps with people being fe fearful of heights as well. We also have a lyra which is like a metal ring that hangs from the ceiling. Um and there's other apparatus that we have there. We don't have a lot of classes of them, but we do offer trapze. Um we do have straps and ropes as well.

Oh, that's I think we can empathize because sometimes when we're about to make some decisions, we feel like we're hanging from the ceiling. Well, you can come in and then you can compare the two. theoretically. Did I answer your question? Yeah. Thank you. Thank Thank you again. Appreciate again all that you do for the community and and and uh uh looking looking forward to seeing uh your your shows in the future and and you all being successful in your competitions. Let's go ahead and take a picture with the resolution.

Thank you. Yes. Thank you. Thank you for the work that you'll do. Appreciate that. One of these days I don't know.

How high up do y'all?

They were high up right now. Just want to recognize uh our mayor from Senelli. I'm sorry I had not recognized Mayor Chaon. How are you? Welcome to Commissioner's Court. Thank you. Item number 9A, economic development. Receive a presentation from the Economic Development Department and discuss and take appropriate action to authorize the county judge to sign and submit a letter of support to the Texas Governor's Office for the nomination of eligible census tracks under the Texas Opportunity Zones 2.0 program. Opinion number 1297. Judge uh commissioners of Ransom. Uh good afternoon. Uh very uh delighted to be here. Um we're here to provide you with information about the opportunity zones, but if I may just take one one minute of your time to recognize the

efforts of uh Sonia Sigala. He has been gathering the input of all the different municipalities uh including with mayor Chakon meeting with every single one of the u municipal municipalities the mayors gaining feedback from uh the municipalities mayors and leadership has been getting leadership from investors developers so that's one of the ways that uh we can uh uh score higher and u for several months she has been doing this across the county. So, it has been we have been doing a lot of lead work. So, thank you so much Sonia for everything you do for the department. Um, today I will be presenting the on the Texas opportunity zones 2.0 program and El Paso County's efforts to nominate eligible census tract for designation under this initiative. As part of this process, staff is uh requesting approval from commissioner court to provide a formal letter of support for the nomination packet. This letter will be submitted to the Texas governor's office and will serve as an u as documentation of local support for the proposed census tract, which is an important component in strengthening the county's application. The purpose of today's presentation is to provide a brief overview of the program, explain how opportunity zones function, and outline the potential economic development benefits this designation could bring to El Paso County. Opportunity zones are designated lowincome census tracks intended to attract long-term private investment and stimulate economic development in underserved communities. The original opportunity zone program commonly referred as opportunity zones 1.0

was established through the federal tax cuts and jobs act of 2017. Opportunity zones 2.0 0 was established in uh twin 25 under the one big beautiful bill act or OB. Under this program, local governments and partner organizations such as counties, municipalities, chambers of commerce and economic development organizations work together to identify, prioritize, and nominate elig eligible census tracks for designation. Once designated, investors including individuals, corp corporations inst and institutions may reinvest eligible capital gains into qualified opportunity funds instead of paying immediate federal taxes on those gains. The program offers several federal tax incentives. Investors might defer taxes on capital gains for up to five years. After five years, investors may receive a 10% reduction on taxable gains for urban investments or up to 30% reduction for qualifying rural investments. Additionally, investors who maintain their investments for at least 10 years may qualify for a federal capital gains tax exemption on the application earned uh on the uh on the appreciation, sorry, earned through that investment. It is important to note that opportunity zones are not grants and do not provide direct public funding. Instead, they're designated to encourage private sector investment into target areas through tax incentives. Another important change

under opportunity zones 2.0 is the elimination of the contiguous track rule, which previously limited how census track could be nominated. A key component of the program is its emphasis on long-term investment, typically 10 years or more, which allows investors to maximize tax benefits while creating sustain sustained community impact. The program supports a wide range of investment types, including residential, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure projects. In return, investors might receive a cap uh capital gains tax benefits, including tax deferral, potential reduction, and possible exemption on new qualifying investments. This slide uh provides a simplified overview of how opportunity zones investment process functions. First, an investor realizes a capital gain through the sale of an asset such as stocks, property, or business investment. Second, the investor has 180 days to reinvest those capital gains into a qualified opportunity fund commonly referred as QF. Third, the qualified opportunity fund is required to invest at least 90% of its fund into eligible opportunity zones projects or operating business located within designated tracks. In exchange for maintaining long-term investment, investors might receive federal tax benefits, including deferrals, reductions, and potential exemptions on future gains while helping drive redevelopment, job creation, and private investment in underserved communities. This slide outlines both the eligibility and evaluation criteria used to

determine whether a census tract may qualify for opportunity zone designation. To qualify, a census track must meet certain economic thresholds related to the median family income or MFI and poverty levels. Generally, the track must either have an MFI at or below 70% of the applicable state or metropolitan MFI or a poverty rate of at least 20% with an MFI at or below 125% of the applicable state or metropolitan MFI. In addition to eligibility requirements, nominated tracks are evaluated using state scoring system. This includes geographic balance worth up to two points, project viability worth up to four points, and local support and other supporting comments uh worth up to four points. Local support is an important component of the application process, which is why staff is requesting a formal letter of support from commissioner's court to strengthen the county's nomination packet. on this slide provides the overview of uh how an opportunity zone investment funds operate. An opportunity zone fund is an investment vehicle created to finance projects or business located within a designated opportunity zone. These funds are typically established by private companies, financial institutions, or groups of investors. In some cases, investors might also self-certify and invest directly into qualified projects. It is important to note that these investments are funded through private capital gains such as profits from sales of stocks, property, and other assets

rather than public or government funding sources. The overall goal of the program is to encourage private sector investment into underserved communities by creating incentives for long-term economic development and redevelopment projects. And now I'd like to pass it to Miss Gala for her to explain about the methodology that the department follow in the selection of the census of the of the tracks for this project. Thank you Roberto. Thank you.

Good afternoon judge and commissioners. Zona Sigala, senior analyst for economic development. Um, I'm going to review the timeline for you on the nomination packet. Um, this line this slide outlines the anticipated timeline for the opportunity zone 2.0 designation process. So, in spring of this year, 2026, US Treasury released the official census track maps identifying um eligible areas for us. By June of 20 uh June 26, 2026, local governments and partner organizations must submit census track nominations to the state of Texas for consideration. And on June 3rd, 2026, the state of Texas is expected to submit its final nominations to the US Treasury. By November 28, 2026, the US Treasury is anticipated to complete the certification process for the approved opportunity zone census tracks. And finally, on January 1st of 2027, the newly designated opportunity zones 2.0 census track are expected to officially take effect for the next 10 year um 10ear period. Okay, this slide provides a visual overview of Texas and highlights how El Paso County fits within the broader uh opportunity zone landscape. And what you see here uh reflects our current eligible tracks along with the forecasted nominating nominations based on eligibility and strategic alignment. Uh the opportunity presented here today allows the county of El Paso and its partners to shape the landscape of investment in precincts and municipalities within your corresponding precincts.

Okay. Uh breaking this down by precinct. Um uh precinct one has three nominating tracks within uh county boundaries and one track within the city. Excuse me. Precinct 2 includes nine nominating tracks within the city. Precinct 3 has 17 nominating tracks within the county and four within the city of El Paso. And uh precinct 4 has four nominating tracks within the county and five within the city of El Paso limits. Total El Paso County has 24 nominating tracks within um county boundaries that may be eligible for nomination. And for reference, the city will be will have approximately 19 nominating uh tracks. At this time, we are requesting commissioner's court approval to submit a letter of support to the Texas State Governor's Office endorsing the nomination of eligible uh census tracks within El Paso County for designation under the Texas Opportunity Zone 2.0 program. And uh in closing, uh judge and commissioners, the opportunity zone 2.0 program provides a valuable opportunity to attract private investment into communities that need it most. Selecting zones is not enough. Um therefore, the selected zones we are presenting for your consideration harmonize nomination with economic opportunity. include an uh economic racial behind each and every nomination such as falling under the current incentive policies and other county strategic plan to um catalyze investment. Local policy tools make the designation successful. The nomination of these sites are thought um balancing economic need with

investment op uh potential passive framework on selection of sites not considered um this criteria could result in designations that are unable to leverage attraction of investments. We present the following nomination sites to drive long-term economic growth, expand job opportunities and and strengthen community development. Um, at this time I'd like to uh invite our partners. Um, we have Mayor uh Chakon from the city of San Elisario. We did invite all of the other municipalities if they could join us. So, I'm I'm happy to u Mayor Chakon if you would like to say some few words. Welcome, Mayor H.

Thank you. Good afternoon, commissioners. Uh, Judge, thank you for for the invitation. Sonia Robert, thank before I I start, I would like to thank you for inviting me to not just be here, but to participate since day one when you submitted the uh the email to us. As a person that relies on on on grants and and federal and state uh programs to develop u nonprofits, I see the importance of census tracks and how important they are to for the uh program developers when implementing uh or allocating the the the funds. So when I saw um Sonia's email in in my office, I immediately jumped in and wanted to to be proactive on this because I know the city of San Deisario has two census tracks between our city limits. But I know there will be benefiting tremendously if uh this is approved by not just by you but also recommended for approval by the office of the governor. This definitely will bring a portfolio of programs and investment to our community that will benefit and change uh in the economic um uh figures that we have in in our city. So, more than anything, I just wanted to thank you uh to Robert, to Sonia, and to you all. If you all guys approve this this a packet, the city of San Elisario has two census tracks uh in this packet that will eventually benefit if if the office of the governor ends approving approving this. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate you, Judge.

Yes, Commissioner Stout. I I I did have my staff um mention this to the to the economic development team, but um over the weekend, but I wanted to to look at possibly adding three tracks that are important in precinct 2 um that are not uh considered on the the city's applications and that's census track 28, 29, and 30. Um they're the three tracks that are south of I 10, east of Sagundo, and west of the MCA. uh where the county coliseum is for example and a big portion of the MCA and the rationale for for me includes you know South Central is in this in the county strategic plan uh it's not just south of uh and contiguous to the city nominated census track that contains the five points area um and and those three so these three tracks do complement the city nomination but uh the city has also developed the Alama corridor plan and as I say to UMC and the county coliseum are in are in census track 30 um so too is a proposed IT 10 construction. So while uh of course I I have strongly opposed uh that and continue to do so it's going to have a huge impact and however it goes for the purpose of the opportunity zone application I think it is going to be significant investment that could be amplified with with the opportunity zone investment and the incentives that come with it. So uh the same I think goes with the bridge of the Americas which is in track 29 which I'm proposing being added significant investment with significant quality of life and small business support outcomes. There's been a lot of discussion regarding the economic impact of eliminating a commercial traffic access point. But there's also the other side that reserving the cross the crossing point for people amplifies the flow in the in that area and supports the work to shopping and other activities from downtown to the malls if not across all

El Paso. So, um I think that we still have some time to flesh out the other details of the application, but I think all these tracks, uh we have many small businesses in between track 28 and 29, we have the East Side Central Coalition, developing the Black History Tours, a living museum at Miss Est Shop, and planning to pursue small business development in the area. And in track 30, the county recently committed about $70,000 for development of the MCA campus wavefinding improvements guide that is under development. And we have of course the coliseum which is already a great community asset and has potential for for further updating and development. And so I think that there's just a lot of opportunity in these three tracks and just you know those examples giving giving give you an idea. So uh given that I'd like to uh to talk about adding an adding that to um the application. Um we haven't really had much time to work on it but my staff can work with economic development to flesh out the details if needed.

Thank you Roberto. So if you have three, do you have to let go of three? Do we have a limited amount of

uh No, sir. Uh we still have tracks that uh we can select. Uh and we we will be working with uh the staff of commissioner stout to add the economic rationale and the economic opportunity. At the end of the day, the the best practice that the office of the governor is indicating for for us is make sure that you add the rationale and the why and how it overlaps with the strategic strategic plan or with the economic development policy that that the court has in place. So those are uh the more overlapping that exists, the more uh the rubric will be higher on the on the grading and scoring. But we do have available tracks that we can spare. Yes, sir. For all three.

Yes. And I think those three tracks are also within our economic impact uh priorities, Betsy, that we I don't know a number of years ago, we we created these impact zones for economic development. And I I believe those three tracks are in one of those as well.

Thank you, Judge. Can we go back to slide number I think it was number three. Uh yes. Okay. So, the qualified opportunity fund those already um exist. I guess I'm just trying to understand like could you give us an example of exactly how an investor would so they would invest into this qualified opportunity fund and then do communities um request the funds from the qualified opportunity fund? Like I could you give us just an example of how this would actually work in practice?

Yes. So let's assume commissioner's court approves the the designated area. That's the first step. Uh the second step is for an investors group of investors or corporations or individuals to say I want to invest in a in a um opportunity zone. Once they identify a specific area, let's say there's uh something happening in in in precinct 3 where uh is we're going to be having a new warehouse or a new housing development or commercial development. So the individual, the corporation or the investors gener uh fill out form and I wrote it, it's IRS form 8996. So they will activate an opportunity uh an um opportunity fund with the IRS saying look this is an area that is eligible now here's a group of investors that would like to activate the the opportunity fund and

so the investor is creating their own opportunity the qualified opportunity fund.

Yes. Okay. they they meet together and they file this form to the IRS and then the IRS now has within that area know that there's a project and knows that people are using their capital gains in order to uh flow money into this investment. The benefit for individuals, corporations or or um the the the bene beneiciaries is could be the again the tax deferral if it's within five years. If it's uh in an urban area, it's a tax deferral of 10% for those five years and if it's in a rural area, it goes up to 30%. If the investors or the group uh go beyond go for 10 years or beyond 10 years they will be the the amount of capital gain that they invested after 10 years they could just take that away without taxation. So that is that is a very aggressive uh way for the federal government to um invest uh drive investment into these rural uh sub urban and and urban areas that are economically distressed.

Okay. So it really doesn't have anything to do other than approving the um census tracks. Um I mean really doesn't have anything to do with the county with even the municipalities. is just investing into these private um like housing or commercial real estate and then the investment happens and it and it grows economic opportunity in the area but it's not anything involving any of the governmental entities really other than the designation of the census tracks.

Correct. uh uh the court has the opportunity to shape the investment locations because uh the federal government understand that the state uh provides this opportunity to local governments to know where the investment is needed other than selection. We we don't use funding from the local taxation system, nothing like that. it it it doesn't have an impact other than bringing an opportunity for investors to arrive into that specific area. Okay. Thank you,

Roberto. And there's no other way other than so if I've received a capital gain, that's when I'm able to participate only if I have a capital gain in another business. You could sell your home, have a capital gain, and then decide to use that capital gain from your home. and avoid the tax to defer tax or after 10 years completely uh uh tax follow a tax exemption. So yes, could be.

And Roberto, um, so after we submit this letter to the office of the governor, um, my understanding is then the governor will take all of the requests across the state for opportunity zones and then they'll decide, you know, what their because they have a limited amount of slots um that they can submit to the federal government, right? So, it's a competitive thing where we're competing with all opportunity zones across the state that are submitted. Then it'll be kind of narrowed down by the governor's office, submitted to the federal government. Correct. That is correct.

Um and then and then all we've done is designate some zones that we think investment would benefit our communities in. That doesn't guarantee any investment from investors or developers. It's just um an extra tax benefit to them if they do decide to invest there. Yes, ma'am. That is correct. Okay. Um so, uh could we I'm going to make the motion. Thank you. Including the the the three additional tracks that I mentioned.

All right. Thank you, commissioners. Thank you, judge. We have a motion to approve by Commissioner Stout, a second from Commissioner Coronado. Voting is open. As amended. Approve as amended. All right. Thank you. Motion carries. Thank you very much. Have a good day. Thank you. Thank you, mayor, for coming here. Thank you, judge. Thank you, commissioners.

Thank you for your time. Okay, at this time, are we ready to go back to executive? Yes. Commissioner Court will recess into executive session to discuss items uh 12 C, 12D, 12F, 12H, and 12 I pursuant to Texas Pursuant to Texas government code section 551.071, 551.0725, and 551.087. Commissioner Court will reconvene to take official action. It is 2:17 p.m.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting

ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Torneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Torneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a Torneo Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Toronneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County Neighborhood Improvement Grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estrea Park Improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Esa Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County

Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy. clarity and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify

orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family's situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adel item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution, and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 915-2733533

or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Heat. Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey.

Hey, I'm feeling Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Tornneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Tornneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Torneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing to Area Veterans who served. The site will also include a Torneo Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Torneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County neighborhood improvement grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estraa Park improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions,

and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Esta Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment ment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers,

financial specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family's situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adel item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation

or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 915-2733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood

association, Tornneo Independent School District, and Tornneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Tornneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing tornado area veterans who served. The site will also include a Torneo Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Torneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County Neighborhood Improvement Grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Reuben Eststera Park improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Esa Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County.

He ah hey ah hey ah ah Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County civil court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as

custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family's situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core

responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adal item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 9152733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be

contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Ah, hey.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up here.

Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County, and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins's Veterans Park. The celebration featured a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Torneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Tornneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a Torneo Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Torneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County Neighborhood Improvement Grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Esta Park improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions,

and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Esta Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexity ities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County civil court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial

specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family's situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adel item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation

or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution, and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 915-2733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward.

Heat. Heat. Hey, hey, hey. Ah. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our

veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Torneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Torneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a Torneo Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Tornneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County Neighborhood Improvement Grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estraa Park Improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an

opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Esa Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy. clarity and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial

specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family's situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adal item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation

or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution, and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 9152733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Ah, hey.

Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. Okay. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured

a veterans resource fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Tornneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Tornneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Torneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing tornado area veterans who served. The site will also include a Torneo Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Torneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County neighborhood improvement grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estraa Park Improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Esterea Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came

and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey,

hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy. clarity and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the

collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adal item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the

court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 915-2733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Ah,

hey. Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso

County, and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood association, Tornneo Independent School District, and Toro Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Tornneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a tornado veterans memorial dedication monument. This community-driven project requested by the Torneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County neighborhood improvement grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estraa Park improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Asa Park project is one of 19 park

projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. He ah hey ah hey a m hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial

specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family's situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adel item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation

or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 9152733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Ah,

hey. Heat. Heat. Okay. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First,

we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a veterans resource fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood association, Torneo Independent School District, and Torneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Tornneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a Toro Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Tornneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County Neighborhood Improvement Grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Esta Park Improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Esta Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through

the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment ment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial

specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family's situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adel item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of

separation or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 915-2733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward.

Hey, heat. Hey. Huh? Huh? Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces. the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood

association, Tornneo Independent School District, and Tornneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Tornneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing torneo area veterans who served. The site will also include a Torneo Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Tornneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County neighborhood improvement grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estraa Park improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Esa Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of $155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County.

Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in

navigating complex issues such as custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records, working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus

where it belongs, on the children. Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adel item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 915-2733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is

received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Hey. Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hola, Al Paso. April was a busy month here in the county. From honoring our veterans to beautifying our parks, we tell you what is happening in this month's county connects. Every day is Veterans Day in El Paso County and several communities celebrated our heroes in April. First, we celebrated the completion of the Fabins Veterans Memorial at Fabins Veterans Park. The celebration featured a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon cutting ceremony. The Fabins Veterans Memorial honors all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, and stands as a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have defended our nation. This project reflects El Paso County's continued commitment to honoring veterans and was identified as a key initiative in the county's parks and recreations master plan. Thank you to our veterans. Just down the road at Coyote Park in Torneo, the local neighborhood association, Tornneo Independent School

District, and Tornneo Alumni Association held an unveiling ceremony of the Tornneo Veterans Memorial. The memorial features six metal cubes representing each branch of the United States Armed Forces. Each cube displays the branch's emblem and includes a nearby plaque listing tornado area veterans who served. The site will also include a Torneo Veterans Memorial Dedication Monument. This community-driven project requested by the Tornneo Neighborhood Association and presented by the county's planning and development department was approved by Commissioner's Court in March 2025 and funded through the El Paso County Neighborhood Improvement Grant. Our voter approved bond projects move forward in precinct 1. Montana Vista residents attended the first community meeting for the Ruben Estrea Park Improvements. The public was encouraged to offer their suggestions, opinions, and questions throughout the course of the meeting. Residents had an opportunity to share feedback on design concepts and amenities like picnic shelters, restrooms, and lighting. The Asa Park project is one of 19 park projects approved by the voters through the 2024 capital improvement bond. A popular eastside park is looking a lot shadier thanks to volunteers who came and planted trees at the El Paso County Sports Park. These trees were part of a total of 155 trees planted across the various parts of the county. These were made possible through a $20,000 community forestry grant that was awarded to the county by Texas A&M Forest Service. This project allows El Paso County to invest in tree planting efforts that improve air quality, provide shade, reduce urban heat, and support healthier neighborhoods. That does it for this month's county connects. Until next time, make sure to stay connected with El Paso County.

He ah hey ah m a e a. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, where we're dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of family law with empathy, clarity, and a commitment to excellence. As an integral part of the El Paso County Civil Court system, we strive to provide support during challenging times. We are dedicated to supporting parents, guardians, and children in navigating complex issues such as

custody, visitation, child support, and beyond. Whether you are recently divorced, in the midst of a custody dispute, or facing challenges with child support, we stand ready to offer compassionate guidance and unwavering support. Our mission is to assist children and families during what can be one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have the resources and assistance they need to move forward confidently. We provide services both in person and virtually, collaborating closely with judges, attorneys, and service providers to address each family's unique needs. Our child support enforcement unit plays a vital role in ensuring that children receive the financial support necessary for their well-being. When a court orders child support, it represents not just a figure, but a commitment to a child's future. This unit consists of a team of attorneys, enforcement officers, financial specialists, legal engagement officers, parillegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic relations office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of the case. We help enforce court orders by monitoring payments and maintaining accurate records. Working with parents who have fallen behind, helping them understand their obligations and options, filing enforcement actions with the court when necessary, and helping parents modify orders if their financial situation changes significantly. Because we know life happens and fairness matters. We know that every family's situation is different. That's why our staff works with compassion, confidentiality, and professionalism, helping both custodial and non-custodial parents understand the process, meet their obligations, and keep the focus where it belongs, on the children.

Another one of our core responsibilities is through our family court service unit, where we support the courts in making informed child- centered decisions in custody and visitation cases. In contested custody matters, when parents can't agree on who should care for the child, judges often rely on our skilled professionals to provide objective and detailed assessments. Family court services social workers or guardian adult items are appointed by judges to conduct thorough investigations and provide reports to the court based on the interests of the children involved. Either party may request the appointment of a guardian adal item for their case. In addition, family court services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program provides co-parenting classes which focus on the needs of children and parents in the aftermath of separation or divorce. Topics include parent, children and the involvement in the court, positive co-parenting practices, impact of divorce and separation on child development, communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Classes are offered both in person and virtually and are open to everyone. No court order needed. Co-parents take the classes separately to ensure participants are comfortable discussing the topics. Individuals may register for classes by either visiting the domestic relations office website or by calling the office at 9152733533 or by picking up the form inside our office. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be contacted by the program facilitator to discuss attendance and answer questions via email or phone. Class schedules can also be found on the website. Once the registration is received, the individual will be

contacted by the program facilitator. Our office is dedicated to providing essential legal assistance tailored to family law issues. We empower parents to effectively enforce and modify access and possession time with their children, ensuring that their rights are upheld. For those seeking to formalize agreements, we facilitate parenting negotiation conferences that transform your arrangements into legally binding court orders. At the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, we're committed to helping families find solutions that work. So, please visit our website or give us a call today to learn how we can help you move forward. Ah, hey.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Go ahead.

Commissioner's Court has reconvened into regular open session. It is 4:43 p.m. Item number 13A from regular session. approve and authorize the county judge to sign the grant agreement with United States Department of Agricultures Rural Ut utility services for an award to the county in the amount of $2,850,000 for the development of a community wireless broadband project in Fabins and Tornado, a project also known as Cotton Valley Connect. Further authorize county staff to complete, sign, and submit as appropriate any auxiliary documents required to effectuate grant closing. No county funds are needed. Contract number 20240771.

Not asking for any action on this item today. Okay. No action for item 13A. Item number 13B, discuss and take appropriate action regarding pending litigation styled United States of America versus state of Texas at all. Number 2450149. County attorneys file number 014125 LDA. No action.

No action for 13B. Item number 13 C. Discuss and take appropriate action regarding litigation styled Susan Kampa versus County of El Paso, cause number 2021 DCV 0247, county attorney, case number 001212 LD.

Judge Commissioners, Eric Ross, Gaglion, assistant county attorney. We're asking for the court to approve the settlement as discussed in executive session and authorize the county judge to sign the settlement documents. We have a motion from Commissioner Butler, a second from Commissioner Stout. The voting is open. Your vote, Judge. I.

Thank you, sir. Motion carries. Item number 13E, postponed uh May 4th, 2026. Discuss and take action on the pending claim of Alejandro Gutierrez, County Attorney's file number 006726LC.

Judge Commissioners Eric Rosales, Naglion, assistant county attorney. We're asking for a motion to deny the claim. We have a motion from Commissioner Olin and a second from Judge Sango to deny. Voting is open.

Stout. Mine froze up. Uh I

Thank you, sir. Motion carries. Going back to the items that were taken from the consent agenda, item number 4X, approve and authorize the purchasing agent to solicit proposals for management and operation of county-owned coliseum for El Paso County, Texas in accordance with local government code 262.030. The purchasing agent has reviewed use of the qu of the request for proposal process. And item number four Y, approve and authorize the purchasing agent to solicit proposals for sports tourism promotion program services for El Paso County, Texas. In accordance with local government code 262.030, 030. The purchasing agent has reviewed use of the requested for proposal process. We do have uh public comment to read in for these items. Judge, would you like to take that first?

Please.

Okay. I'm sorry. This comment is from Patricia Oeda Gomez. She titled it public comment in support of a fair, transparent process and consideration in the El Paso Sports Commission contract renewal. Dear county judge and honorable commissioners, I submit respectfully this public comment regarding the upcoming consideration of the contract for the management and promotion of sports tourism services currently held by the El Paso Sports Commission, which is set to expire in 2027. The statute establishes clear requirements for competitive procurement, p public notice, sealed bids or proposals, and the fair awarding of contracts to ensure accountability and proper stewardship of public resources. In keeping with both the letter and spirit of chapter 262, I respectfully urge the court to provide fair and equal treatment to all interested vendors, ensuring open access to the competitive process, maintain a transparent and well doumented procurement process, including public notice and clearly defined evaluation criteria. Adhere to strict ethical standards regarding communication, including avoiding private or undisclosed discussions that could undermine public trust or the integrity of the process. ensure that all interactions occur through appropriate publicly accessible channels in alignment with procurement best practices. These principles are fundamental to maintaining public confidence and ensuring compliance with state law, which requires counties to engage in competitive bidding or proposals and follow established procedures when awarding contracts. At the same time, I encourage the commissioner's court to consider the

proven track record and long-standing partnership of the El Paso Sports Commission. Since its founding in 2003, the El Paso Sports Commission has served as a key partner in advancing sports tourism and managing significant county venues, including the El Paso County Coliseum. Their work has contributed to bringing regional, national, and international sporting events to our community, enhancing El Paso's visibility and reputation as a destination. The commission's efforts have great generated measurable benefits, including attracting major events such as championship tournaments, marathons, and national competitions that draw visitors from across the country. Driving tourism related economic activity through hotel stays, dining, and local spending. Managing and activating county facilities with a diverse calendar of events, concerts, and community activities serving residents and visitors alike. providing ongoing contributions to county revenue, including reporting approximately $1 million in annual contribution to the county in 2025, demonstrating continual financial impact. The commission's work extends far beyond event attraction, directly strengthens the social fabric of our community by creating opportunities for youth engagement, supporting local athletes, and fostering community pride. It is rare to find an organization that successfully combines economic impact with meaningful missiondriven community investment at this level. These achievements reflect more than two decades of institutional knowledge, community relationships, and demonstrated performance in serving the residents of El Paso County. As the county considers the future of this contract, I respectfully urge the commissioner's court to strike the appropriate balance, uphold a fully competitive, fair, and transparent procurement process in compliance with chapter 262 while carefully evaluate the experience, history, and economic contributions of the El Paso Sports Commission as a qualified and proven partner. Maintaining transparency and fairness will ensure public trust while recognizing demonstrated success will help protect the long-term economic and cultural interests of our community.

Hey, the following comment is from Mr. Paul Ferris. To the honorable members of Commissioner's Court. I have had the privilege of working with Mr. Rodriguez on several occasions and during each experience, his expertise in venue and event management was both evident and invaluable. Mr. Rodriguez served on the walk to end Alzheimer's event committee where he played a critical role in the plan planning, setup, and execution of the event. His knowledge, professionalism, and attention to detail helped ensure the event was a tremendous success. Mr. Rodriguez was also instrumental in securing and managing an event at the county coliseum that supported victims of the California wildfires, an event attended by Judge Sango as well. Through these efforts, he consistently demonstrated not only experience in venue and event operations, but a proven record of success and leadership. The same success is reflected in the continued vitality of our beloved County Coliseum. Under the current management, the coliseum continues to attract and host quality events that bring our community together, including the rodeo, Disney on Ice, professional bull riding, concerts, and meaningful civic events such as the swearing and ceremonies for thousands of newly United States citizens. These events are more than entertainment. They are moments that create lasting memories for fa families across El Paso. As a lifelong El Pasoan who has attended countless events at the Coliseum throughout my life, I can sincerely say that walking through those doors never gets old. Each visit brings back cherished memories shared with loved ones, including some who are no longer with us. Now, as I raise a family of my own, I have the joy of creating new memories there with my children. My six-year-old daughter still talks about her first experience attending Disney on Ice and how it has since become a family

tradition. The positive experiences provided at the Coliseum resonate with generations, both young and old. In all my years attending events there, I have never experienced poorly managed operations, unreasonable delays, excessive lines, or unclean facilities. On the contrary, events have consistently been organized, enjoyable, and welcoming for the entire community. Yes, the coliseum is older and in need of investment and modernization. But age does not diminish its value. If anything, it strengthens its significance to this community. The Coliseum is more than a building. It is part of El Paso's identity. It feels like home to many of us. In a time when there is constant change and uncertainty, I respectfully urge the court not to make unnecessary changes to an institution that has served this community well for gener for generations. Rather than hand handing it over or allowing it to be diminished, I ask that the county continue investing in the coliseum while keeping the current management team in place, allowing them to continue building on the success they have already demonstrated and preserving a place where lifelong memories are made. Thank you for your time, consideration, and continued service to our community. The last one we have is from Brandon Beltron to whom it may concern. I am writing to express my full and unwavering support for the current leadership and management of the El Paso County Coliseum, specifically the El Paso Sports Commission. Through my experience working on multiple events with the Sports Commission, I can confidently say that they operate at the highest level of professionalism. From my very first interaction, Mr. Sir Antonio Rodriguez demonstrated complete transparency, clear communication, and a genuine commitment to ensuring the success of every event. That level of guidance is something I've not experienced with any other venue

management group. Under the leadership of the El Paso Sports Commission, the Coliseum has thrived. The venue is consistently active, bringing in a diverse range of events that serve the entire community. In fact, it remains significantly more utilized than comparable venues in the region, including the Don Haskins Center. This raises a serious question. Why would the county consider replacing a proven high-erforming team with an outside entity that has struggled to maintain consistent bookings outside of its core focus? The current coliseum team are true trail blazers, bringing in unique acts, fan favorites, and opportunities that elevate El Paso's entertainment landscape week after week. Their work speaks for itself. In contrast, I do not support the involvement of UTB in the management or future direction of the coliseum. There are clear concerns regarding event execution, venue management, and facility investment. The Don Haskin Center has faced ongoing challenges with booking consistency, and many major acts have not returned after initial appearances. Additionally, long-standing facility issues such as outdated infrastructure and accessibility limitations remain unressed. Beyond facilities, there have also been concerns with event management. Large-scale events have experienced operational shortcomings, including long wait times, inadequate signage, and overall poor coordination. There, these are critical failures that directly impact the attendee experience and reflect on the city as a whole. Allowing UTB to take on a greater role at the coliseum risks undermining the progress that has already been made. It could lead to increased costs for promoters, reduced accessibility for communitydriven events, and a step backward in the quality and consistency of event execution. El Paso deserves better than that. For these reasons, I strongly urge the county to reject any consideration of UTEP in this process, including participation in an RFP for coliseum management. The focus should remain on supporting and retaining the team that has already demonstrated

success, accountability, and a true commitment to the community. The El Paso County Coliseum is moving in the right direction. It is essential that we continue building on that momentum, not risk losing it. Judge Commissioners, Eric Rosales, Naglion, assistant county attorney. I want to clarify for the public the legal options that the commissioner's court has when selecting vendors. The county has been in contract with the sports commission for the management of the county coliseum and sports tour tourism since 2003. Most recently, the contracts for both the management of the county coliseum and the sports tourism program were renewed at the commissioner's court meeting in June 2024 and both expire September of 2026 this year. At the time these contracts were extended, both the county and the sports commission agreed that they may need to quote prepare for a potential transition of the management and operation of the facilities if a new vendor takes over this responsibility as early as October 2025. End quote. That comes from the agreement. When it comes to selecting a vendor for the management of both the county coliseum and the sports tourism program, there are a few legal options for the commissioner's court. The first option is covered under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 262 titled the County Purchasing Act. This law establishes the legal and procedural framework when the county purchases goods and services including competitive bidding. Another option for choosing a vendor is under chapter 791 of the Texas Government Code, which pertains to interlocal cooperation contracts. This law was established to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of local governments by allowing them to contract with one another or state agencies quote to the greatest possible extent. That comes from chapter 791. Another option is to invite governmental

entities to submit a bid even though the interlocal law does not require this. All of these options are legally available to the commissioner's court. It is not required to go out to bid for goods and services for contracts with another government entity in accordance with chapter 791 the interlocal law. It is not required to enter into an interlocal contract if it prefers to go out to competitive bid in accordance with chapter 262. It also has an option to allow governmental entities to submit a bid even though state law does not require this. That's a summary of the law on this matter and judge and commissioners, I understand you would also like to make some statements regarding these items.

Thank you, Eric. Um, and I'll I'll reinforce some of the things that that you have said. Um, but but I just want to make clear that in 2024, the court asked administration to look into the options and the possibilities of uh of running or managing the coliseum. So it was from the court to administration. Secondly, I think I we need to make that very clear is that at commissioner's court, we have the legal right to go into an interlocal agreement without going into an RFP. So I want to make sure that that's very clear. Third, we did have discussions with UTEP, but there was never any agreements or any concessions that were made in in in those discussions. And it is something typical that is done with other interlocal agreements where we we have discussions, but obviously would have been brought back to commissioner's court if there had been any anything to to agree on. And then finally and this is I just wanted to make it very clear that it there is no reflection of the capability and the success that the present management has had. There is no concern at all in that with that respect. Uh but the court has agreed that the best thing that we could do is is you know uh have a uh level playing field and go after an an RFP and everybody would be able to you know whoever would like to participate in the RFP is open to that and I think that's one of the thing that the entire court feels good about that it would be an opportunity for everybody to present you know what what is it that they can offer in in running and managing in a coliseum and once again we are extremely happy

with uh with our present management and and it's not a reflection it's more government and and you mentioned it Erica that it's been since almost 23 years now under the same contract and I think we get other pressures saying you know we have to give the opportunity to others to participate and of course the the management at the coliseum will have an equal opportunity uh to to be part of the RFP. So, I'm hoping that clears things up. There was no um deceivement or anything that we're trying to accomplish. Uh simply trying to understand how to do our job better and how to manage the coliseum better. So, uh unless anybody else has any any comments, that is is pretty much what we agreed on. Commissioner Stout.

Yeah, Judge. I I I do have some comments. Um, I've been I've been here since uh 2015 and and we started talking about um going out to RFP uh and and looking looking at the market um very early on in my in in in my tenure and and I have been one of the strongest proponents of doing so and and and have tried to push the county to do so because uh for me it's a good governance issue and and I think anybody who is in government understands that best practices and good governance uh is going out to bid for contracts every 3 to 5 years probably. And you know, this uh contract has been in the in the same hands for more than 20 years. Uh and it's it's not a reflection on um the work and the partnership and and the things that that the the sports commission has done. Um you know, we've had a strong partnership. I think uh over the years and and county administration and the commissioner's court h have have worked hand in hand with the the sports commission. Um which is why it was very disappointing for me to hear um the allegations that were made publicly over the past week. Um you know, inaccurate and in in my in my opinion irresponsible. We've always conducted our business since I've been here with integrity and in full compliance with state uh law and our county purchasing processes are and our staff's professionalism and ethics uh are uh in in my opinion second to none. And I and I don't think that we need these speculations or insinuations

that really are what um are are trying to, you know, muddy the waters or or or create uh the perception that there is a lack of transparency or that there is any wrongdoing on behalf of the um of the county trying to undermine our reputation as public servants. And to be quite honest, I will stand up and and and every single day and and and defend the people who work for this county who have worked diligently on behalf of our community for years and have done so together with the sports commission uh under its prior administration and under its current current administration. Um this procurement process did not uh come about uh randomly or arbitrarily or suddenly. It was created or or nor it wasn't created to favor any individual or any institution. We have been talking about this again for uh for many years through strategic planning efforts through feasibility studies through public meetings and prior court direction. Uh because of that history, the court clearly communicated during prior extensions that future requests for proposals would be necessary and appropriate. I think the the uh it has been made very clear to the sports commission. Um and there have been no negotiations that are improper. There has been no secret agreements and there is no pre-seelelection of UTEP as as the the the vendor that would be taking over. Uh our staff routinely meets with public entities all the time. Uh we have a number of of uh um contracts with other other public entities, community stakeholders, educational institutions and regional partners that uh bring about collaborations and and opportunities. That's what responsible

government is. That's what transparent government is. Um, and the the Texas government uh code chapter 791 specifically authorizes local governments to explore interlocal partnerships for efficiency and public benefit. And those conversations are lawful. They they happen quite often and they are entirely appropriate. The suggestion that uh quote unquote someone got caught that was made today uh during earlier public comment is in my opinion reckless and is unsupported by any facts. Uh no one has been caught doing anything improper because no nothing improper has occurred in my opinion. Uh what county staff has done is exactly what the court has asked them to do and what the public expects us to do which is evaluate all available options, encourage competition, maximize transparency and protect the taxpayers's interests. And so I think that our staff has gone above and beyond to ensure that this process exceeds ethical and legal requirements. These are dedicated employees, dedicated public servants whose reputations matter also deeply. Um, disagreement over procurement decisions is one thing. Publicly implying corruption or misconduct without evidence is a complete other. Um, we welcome competition. We welcome qualified proposals and a fair and transparent process that delivers the best value and outcomes for our residents. And and so that's what we're going to see right now. We're going to have a vote. I think judge uh but it's it's important to make sure that we are not accepting false narratives designed to damage our trust in and and our trust with the public to intimidate our staff or to discredit uh a lawful procurement process before it is even started. And um with that, I'll go ahead and make the motion to to uh move forward with the RFP process. Second.

This will be for both items X and Y.

Motion from Commissioner Stata, second from Judge Sango. Voting is open. Motion carries. Once again, uh we will be pursuing an RFP and uh we're going to be as transparent as as possible. And I just want to keep, you know, saying that we have a great great partnership with with uh the prison management. Uh they've done an incredible job community. Uh but all those are all the things that they'll be able to to present as part of the RFP. So we thank you for that. This completes all the items on our agenda. Judge, thank you. Leaders back minus Alexis Miguel Solo. Thank you everybody else. Have a great week. Thank you. This concludes today's meeting at 5:10 p.m.