Commissioners Court - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Bye.

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 Fabens Veterans Memorial at Fabens Veterans Park. The celebration featured a Veterans Resource Fair, a flag-raising ceremony, and a memorial ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Fabens 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...

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, paralegals, 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 adult item for their case. In addition, Family Court Services staff are appointed on some adoption cases to conduct evaluations. Our cooperative parenting program

Live from El Paso County, Texas, the Veterans Capital of the USA. From inside the Alicia Chacon Commissioners Courtroom of the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse, you are watching the El Paso County Commissioners Court Meeting.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today is Monday, June 22nd, 2026. Commissioner's Court is meeting in regular open session. This morning, we're joined by ASL interpreters Katia Garcia and Stephanie Michel. Commissioner Olguin, would you like to introduce this morning's person?

yes good morning everyone um today we will be led in the pledge by a very beloved member of our community especially our sports community mr wayne thornton good morning mr thornton welcome thank you thank you you'll be seeing more of him today

U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And our Texas Pledge, please. Under the Texas flag, I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible. Thank you.

Thank you, Wayne. Thank you. Thank you.

will now receive an invocation as well for Mr. Wayne Thornton. Thank you, Wayne.

May you please bow your heads. Oh God, Harbaugh County Judge and Commissioners, to help make this a great city and a better place to live with this decisions of today. May those ill become stronger, those sick become healthier, And may this city become as one to help the less fortunate. And those that have passed from the El Paso Lake Hall of Fame, Mr. Brian Kanoff, Mr. Willie Vasquez, let's bow our heads for a moment of silence. Amen.

Thank you, Wayne.

Judge, do you have some opening remarks for us this morning?

Yeah, thank you so much. And thank you, Wayne. I think we're going to be seeing him a little more. He'll be serving coffee in a little while. Thank you, Wayne. No, thank you for being here. On behalf of myself and the commissioners, we always welcome you here. and very appreciative that you're here. So those belated, Father's Day, I know a lot of excitement in El Paso, and it's sort of the kind of thing we love to do is celebrate and be together and be united. And we've got some great resolutions coming up that I know you'll enjoy. So have a great Monday and just a beautiful week. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. Item number four is the consent agenda composed of items 4A through 4Y. Do we have any items that members of the court or public would like to pull for individual discussion?

Hearing none, I'll move to approve the procedure. Thank you, Judge.

Moment.

We have a motion to approve from Judge Samaniego, a second from Commissioner Stout. The voting is open. Thank you, Commissioner Coronado. I have issues with my laptop. Thank you. Motion carries. Item number 5A from resolutions. approve and adopt a resolution recognizing the week of June 22nd through the 28th, 2026 as El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame and El Paso Sports Commission Week in El Paso County, Texas.

Thank you. It's such an honor. And once again, Wayne, would you come up, please? Yeah, you guys, you all come up. Thank you, I'll read the resolution and then we could get some comments from all of you. Janet, Tony. Thank you. So let me read the resolution and then we'll take a vote on it. Whereas the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame was founded in 1955 to honor those athletes, both men and women, who have in their athletic fields of endeavor brought great credit upon themselves and El Paso County. Whereas through its commitment to education and athletic achievement, the hall has endowed two scholarships at the University of Texas at El Paso and under current president Ray Adalto proudly honors the Ray Sanchez Memorial High School Student Athlete of the Year each year. Whereas this year, the inductees are Michael T. Baker, Stephen King Azar in the Living Athlete category with a coach and administrator being Cesar Hugo Morales, followed by Victor Maldonado in the Official category, and Paul Nidhorch Camus will be inducted posthumously. The banquet will be at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June the 24th at El Paso Community College. Administrative Service Center. It's at 9050 Viscount Boulevard, where the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame has now welcomed 421 men and women into its prestigious ranks. The hall extends its sincere appreciation to the University of Texas at El Paso, where the individual plagues are honoring these inductees are proudly displayed in the concourse of the Dunhaskan Center on the UTEP campus. was the title sponsorship of the El Paso Sports Commission led by President Janet Vargas and Director of Communication Events Tony Rodriguez and the Commissioner's great staff along with the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame's yearly efforts continue to provide fond memories for decades to come for El Paso, Texas, the state, the region, nation, and internationally. Now, therefore, be resolved by the El Paso County Judge and Commissioner's Court hereby declares that the week of June the 22nd through the 28th shall be known as El Paso Athletic Fame and El Paso Sports Commission Week. Signed this 22nd day of June 2026.

We have a motion from Judge Samaniego, a second from Commissioner Butler. The voting is open. I vote aye. Thank you, Commissioner Coronado. Motion carries. Thank you.

You're welcome. Thank you. Thank you, Judge Samenigo and the county commissioners for once again sponsoring the resolution. as we honor the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2026 and celebrate our 71st year. Good morning, my name is Dale Laverty, a member of the Hull class of 2023 and this year's vice president of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame. Our president, Ray Adalto, is currently recovering from surgery and we proudly dedicate this year's banquet to him. Ray has been a tremendous leader of our organization, and we wish him a fast and speedy recovery. I would also like to thank our title sponsor, LA El Paso Sports Commission, and recognize its president, Janet Vargas, and sports tourism strategist, Tony Rodriguez, for their continued support and partnership. Special thanks also goes out to our Hall of Fame committee members, Donna Carter, secretary, Ron Lehman, parliamentarian, Dr. Scott Stein, nomination chair, and Mr. Ruben Ramirez, immediate past president, who is celebrating his incredible 50 years in media. Let's give him a round of applause. Tomorrow, we will recognize another outstanding tradition of the hall. We honor the Ray Sanchez High School Student Athlete and Teams of the Year, celebrating young men and women who represent the very best of athletics leadership and character. At this time, I would like to invite our El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2026 to come forward and introduce themselves.

Thank you. Welcome. Thank you.

Michael T. Baker.

Thank you.

Pleasure to be here.

Thank you.

Thank you. Stephen King-Azar.

Thank you.

Thank you, Judge Samaniego, Commissioners Cesar Morales.

Thank you. Mark Dorian, close friend of Paul Jeroge, who is a posthumous. Thank you.

Victor Maldonado.

I just want to say it's an honor to be recognized by the court, and I just want to thank you very much.

Thank you.

And right now, I'd like to bring up Janet Vargas and Tony Rodriguez to say a word.

Thank you. Good morning, Tony and Janet.

Thank you. No, it's definitely an event that we love sponsoring. It's a great event for the community and to honor these athletes. It's always amazing. Just telling Janet, man, I can't wait. I hope we're still here when we can honor some of the girls who play flag football and go to college and play for the Olympics and stuff like that. So can't wait for that. But it's always great to be part of this wonderful event.

Thank you, Tony. Janet, come on. You're not gonna escape this one. Introduce yourself at least.

I'm Janet Vargas. I'm president of the El Paso County Coliseum. It's an honor.

Thank you, Janet. Thank you.

Okay, thank you class of 2026. On Wednesday evening, we will officially enshrine the outstanding class during our induction banquet at El Paso Community College. The ceremony will be live streamed at kvia.com and we extend our sincere appreciation to KVIA TV and general manager, Brenda Dionne Swan. and allowing the entire community to share in this special occasion. Again, thank you, Judge Samaniego. It is especially fitting to recognize that you and your brother are both members of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame family. Thank you to the county commissioners and the El Paso Sports Commission, President Janet Vargas and Tony Rodriguez for your continued support on our mission. For 71 years, the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame has preserved and celebrated the stories of athletes, coaches, officials, and contributors who have shaped the rich sport history of our community. Today, we are proud to continue that tradition. Thank you for having us here today. For more information about the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame, you can visit epahof.com. Thank you, and have a wonderful day.

Thank you, and thank you to all of you for recognizing, you know, I get, I still go one by one when I'm at UTEP to get at least a glimpse of all these incredible individuals, the ones in this particular class, it's amazing. But, you know, El Paso, you know, Athlete is a big part of who we are. I mean, I think we have some of the most incredible athletes in the country. We see them come through Commissioner's Court, we recognize them, and typically they'll say they're part of the Athletic Hall of Fame. So this is very important to us, very special. that we're able to do this and continue to recognize these incredible individuals. Like you said, my brother Chito is in the Hall of Fame and also my brother-in-law from Bowie, of all things, and I'm still recognizing him. Although I'm from Jeff, you know what that means. But Manny Morales, who was the first Division I football player you know, back in the, I think 1949, I believe, back then, so very honored as a family to be part of it, and I thank you for this continued recognition, and thank you, all of you put us on the map, and then you continue to be great role models for our young people. We continue to say here at the Commissioner's Court that right now more than ever we need role models for our kids that are coming up and it's very important and that's what you'll be for each and every one of them. So thank you and congratulations and thank all of you for the recognition of these incredible gentlemen. Thank you.

Item number 5C. Thank you again.

Thank you.

Excuse me. Item number 5B. Approve and adopt a resolution recognizing Freeport McMoran for 40 years of historic preservation in support of railroad history and the industrial history of the Southwest.

Mr. Stout?

We're going to move to delete the item. The recipients weren't able to make it today, so we're going to go ahead and move to delete this.

Would you like to postpone maybe one week?

Let's go ahead and delete, and then we'll get it back on the agenda when we get the opportunity. Okay, that works. Okay, just one moment, sir.

Okay, we have a motion from Commissioner Stout to delete the item. A second from Commissioner Olguin. The voting is open. Thank you, sir. Motion carries. Item number 5C, approve and adopt a resolution recognizing the contributions of Paul Cicala to the practice of journalism in El Paso and naming June 22nd, 2026 as Paul Cicala Appreciation Day in El Paso County, Texas. Commissioner Stout.

All right, I have the honor of being able to read this resolution into the record. And it's fitting that we just had the sports resolution because Paul was a sports reporter for many years before he did general news and also anchoring. And did a lot of sports reporting here in El Paso. And myself being a former reporter, I have a really deep appreciation for really the vital role that journalists play in informing and connecting our communities more now I think than ever with, you know, monopolization coming and just many changes that have really come about over the last number of years. And so I'm really proud to recognize someone who was a respected colleague and a friend today. Since 2009, he has been a trusted local news anchor and reporter and his passion really is one that is very rare. He's told so many memorable stories I think here in El Paso and really uplifted the borderland and brought our community closer together. Really thoughtful, really impactful news coverage. I first met Paul, I think, back in probably the winter of 2010, 2011, when we had a huge freeze. That was my first year. When I moved here, I was working for Channel 26. We were both out in like Horizon City, I think, looking for, you know, to talk to folks about busted pipes and such. And I walked into a gas station and he was in the gas station. He's like, hey, you're the new guy from Univision. And I'm like, oh, hey, what's up? And so, you know, he's like, hey, I found some people over here. And he really helped me out because he, you know, he... kind of put me in the right direction to try to help me find my story too, which is something that's very rare because news can be very competitive and a lot of markets you go to, the reporters keep things close to the vest and they don't like to share with the guys that are on the other channel. Paul was actually quite the opposite. I think other colleagues that I've had and community members that I've known since I moved here have frequently, I think, commended his positive energy, accessibility, really a willingness to serve others. I'm really happy to have the privilege of recognizing Paul. He does stories that are light and jovial and fun, but he can also do some hard hitting news as well. And one of the stories that sticks in my mind as well is he actually took the time to go to Medellin, Colombia and kind of show the transformation of that city because back in the 90s, Colombia and especially Medellin were just ridden with crime, cartel related violence. crazy stuff going on there and he was here also covering a lot of the cartel violence and going over to Juarez, one of the very few journalists from this side of the border that would venture to Juarez in 2009, 2010 when Juarez was considered the murder capital of the world. More than 3,000 folks were unfortunately murdered that year. And Paul was over there covering those stories as well. And so from sports to feature stories, to highlighting our community, to these hard hitting news pieces, just a well rounded journalist that really I think are few and far between. I'll go ahead and read the resolution. Paul, if you wanna come up to the podium while I read the resolution, and then we can hear from you. And I know you brought some friends of yours if they wanna say a couple of words. I don't know if anybody brought any roasting material for him, but you can roast too if you want, all right? But the resolution states, whereas Paul Cicala has served the El Paso County and the borderlands through his distinguished career in broadcast journalism and community engagement. And whereas throughout his tenure with KVIA, ABC7, Paul Cicala demonstrated professionalism, integrity, compassion, and a commitment to informing and uplifting the border community. And whereas during his time with KVIA, ABC7, For almost seven years, he was voted best news anchor under 40 for his work in helping bridge the gap between our sister cities of El Paso and Juarez, and also helping lead the Borderland Blitz to highlight local high school athletes in El Paso County. And Juarez Paul Cicala has also extended his service in the community by volunteering extensively with Special Olympics of Texas and greater El Paso area, El Paso Children's Hospital, emceeing numerous events. including in education and fundraisers for youth, visits to local schools for Dr. Seuss Week, Career Day, and as a guest lecturing at UTEP. And whereas Paul Cicala has embraced El Paso's unique culture and identity and is proud to be considered a fellow fronterizo, and whereas Paul Cicala departs El Paso to start a new chapter in his life and career. The El Paso community wishes to express its sincere gratitude for his years of service, friendship, and dedication. And now, therefore, be it resolved that El Paso County Judge and Commissioner's Court recognize Paul Cicala and honor him with the Paul Cicala Appreciation Day in El Paso County, Texas, signed this 22nd day of June, 2026, the Honorable County Commissioner's Court.

We have a motion from Commissioner Stout and a second from Judge Samaniego. The voting is open.

I vote C, Cala. That's all.

Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner. Motion carries. Welcome, Paul.

First and foremost, I want to say thanks to the people from the El Paso Sports Hall of Fame who were honored before us. I know a lot of them left. Wayne's still here because nothing embodies community more than sports. And no matter what political differences we may have, sports brings us together. So it means a lot for me to see and be here on a day where they're honored as well. I wanna thank Judge Ricardo Samaniego for the many times that he would update us on many of the happenings in El Paso County and it was always refreshing because as a journalist, I've always concentrated on wanting to do the positive, to show El Paso in a positive light, sister city, Ciudad Juarez, in a positive light as well. And it means a lot to me. Thank you to also Commissioner Eliana Olguin for the many trips we'd make to Socorro in the lower valley, to Sergio Coronado, David Stout, and of course, Jackie Butler. I really appreciate everybody's service here. And it's been tough for me because El Paso has always been my second home. And I have nothing but love for people of this region, not just El Paso, but Ciudad Juarez as well because people have accepted me as one of their own. I know my hometown, Tucson, Arizona, has a lot in common with El Paso when it comes to border history, culture, the whole nine yards, but there's nothing like El Paso and that's why I worked almost seven years here and I went two different stints and that's why I decided to come back after a 10 year stint going back to Tucson here as well. I also want to thank the people that I've been involved with through volunteering, and to me, that's the biggest thing I'm gonna miss. I love volunteering and helping out. My little buddy there, Evan, he's been involved with me with the Special Olympics in many ways, and he's such an inspiration to me. He's become a good friend now. My buddy Sly Loya has always been there supporting every endeavor that I do. Same thing goes for Suzy Nereida, a good friend of mine, and my compadre Petey is here as well. He's come on out and embraced El Paso as well, just like my compadre who couldn't make it today because he's working. Gabriel Flores, who are all from Tucson, but they're just like me. They have a profound love for El Paso. And I don't want to talk too much, but I also just want to reiterate that I'm super thankful for everybody at the El Paso Children's Hospital for allowing me to be able to volunteer once a week. The same goes with Special Olympics Greater El Paso area, Special Olympics Texas, all the teachers that would invite me over to try to be a role model to the kids. And I wanna thank KVIA ABC7, General Manager Brenda De Anda, our news director, Sean Flanagan, of course, the assistant news director, Jesus Rodriguez. It's just been an honor and as I always told people, just like the first time that I was here, El Paso is always gonna be my second home. I'm going back on July 1st. I'm taking a job in broadcast journalism as a teacher in broadcast journalism. So I'm finally going to have a 9 to 5. And it's been great working with people like Rick Cabrera over the years, who's moved on to other things, Stephanie Valle as well, Marcel Clark, who's still there. But I know a lot of us eventually end up leaving and trying to get that 9 to 5. So I'm looking forward to just shaping the minds of future students. And I was a teacher at one time, so it's going to be great. going back to the community I grew up in on Tucson Southside and being a mentor to these kids that can relate to me and I can relate to them because of our upbringings. And once again, I just want to say this isn't an adios, it's hasta luego, porque voy a visitar como siempre El Paso is always going to be in my heart and soul. It always has been, and it'll continue to be. And I feel extremely honored by everybody here who donates your time every single day. I'm so appreciative of everybody for what you do, and I appreciate the heck out of El Paso. I know it's not a tough, I know it can be a tough position when you're in the limelight. Same goes for when you're a reporter as well, but I will continue to focus on the positives. I'm still gonna develop my YouTube page. I'll be back here in El Paso doing the positive stuff. In news, it's kind of like it leads with death and destruction all the time, but I really get the satisfaction of showing El Paso in a positive light, Ciudad Juarez in a positive light, and everybody else. I'm very, very appreciative of everybody. And I thank my friends and others who have gone with me to volunteer at the many events that I've done. And I'm really going to miss it. But this isn't a goodbye because I have friends here who are going to invite me back for fundraisers and such. And as long as I can make it, if it's on a Saturday or Sunday, it's a four-hour drive, I'll be here shaking everybody's hands here. So I really want to say thank you to everybody. I apologize if I took more than five minutes. You did not.

You did not. Paul, you've been – you could stay up there just to – But Paul, you've been amazing and such a breath of fresh air, because we have to deal with the bad actors and people that are looking for a story to make it more interesting, and that's never, ever been the case. I know that you're going to be one of our biggest ambassadors, and one of the reasons why, you know, my statement of, you know, Paso to know us is to love us, it's individuals like yourself that really keep that story, you know, the good part of who we are. But your binational, oh my God, you know, there's very few. that are able to do this. You know, you could be over there, and they probably think you're from Juarez, and you're here. I think if you asked 100 people where you're from, I don't think they'd say anywhere else but El Paso. Yeah, everybody thinks I'm from El Paso, and they're surprised that I'm not. You're from El Paso, and you are, obviously, too. Yes, definitely. But we thank you for that, and then, of course, being, you know, like that ambassador, it's always having someone outside of El Paso that talks about El Paso and lets them know who we really are, as I've always said. You know, I just want everybody to know who we are, not who they think we are. And we're still fighting that. You know, we're still fighting that kind of, you know, this is who I think you are. But we don't give up. We will never give up.

I will continue to defend El Paso from day one. And one of the main reasons I'm leaving is because, unfortunately, my dad's suffering through Alzheimer's, his wife. He's in the hospital with open-heart surgery, so I need to be back to help out. And I'm fortunate enough to be able to get a job where I can shape the lives of other kids. They want to be future journalists. But I will be back. There's always a chance I might come back here and take another job. So, I mean, when I left the first time, I left that opportunity open, and I came back. So, as mentioned, this isn't necessarily hasta luego. It's pues nos vemos pronto.

Yeah. And all we got to do is just ask Los Abuelitos to put a candle, and you'll be back in maybe a week or so. Thank you. All the prayers can help. We'll get you here real quick. I'm a little bit under the weather right now because of my allergies, but I appreciate it. Just tell us when you want to come back so we can turn on the candles. No, I can't wait. I can't wait.

And I'll continue to pray for everybody here. I'm going to do a Manda a Mal Cristo Rey because I think it just embodies the borderland, even though it's on New Mexico soil, but it embodies what we represent here in El Paso. So I appreciate that.

Well, thank you for what you do, and thank you. Commissioner Stott is always a great eye on recognizing amazing individuals. Thank you. Thank you.

Judge, we do have two speakers. My friend Devin would like to speak, too, because he's made a tremendous impact with the Special Olympics, and he could talk a little bit about some of the projects we've been involved with, and he and I have become friends over the years because of our involvement with Special Olympics.

Yeah, I've gotten to know him well, so. You're welcome. Thank you.

Thank you. So thank you to Paul Casala, appreciation morning at the courthouse and it's very an honor to support him in all his efforts here in the El Paso community. um my name is evan let me see my name is evan george for reserves thank you letting me speak upon paul casala appreciation morning here at the el paso county courthouse How I met Paul in 2023-2024. When he was a news anchor journalist at KVIA ABC 7, I was very fortunate across paths with people I never met for me. It is congratulating when Paul and I do things together. Ohana Games. at Eastwood High School. I am good friend of the family of Pettis family. Miss Nancy Pettis got Paul to be MC alongside with Paul. For two years, Paul blessed me as well to have met his fellow colleagues at KVIA ABC7. If it wasn't for Paul, I wouldn't do all of them. Ever since Paul left the news station, Paul did a lot for me. when I did Spark a Smile Teddy Bear Drive. That comes once a year of December. Christmas, I do a lot here at El Paso, Texas as a Down syndrome advocate, disability rights advocate. Paul is a blessed man of God. I pray for him in the new chapter in Tucson, Arizona. I hope he doesn't forget me. I know it's hard to move away. I moved from Houston to El Paso. I know how hard it is for Paul. He's doing it for himself. I'm going to miss you. I call you amigo, . Thank you for believing in me. Letting me expand with his fellow friends at KVIA ABC 7. Paul is a good man, good heart, helping with special needs population here in this community. And Paul being just not as a friend, a colleague. Thank you, Paul. Good luck all you do in Tuscon, Arizona. Keep going, Paul. Live your journalist dream. Reach for the sky. P.S. Paul loves our Gozo's ice cream flavors. Thank you so much.

Thank you. That's beautiful.

Microphone, please.

Paul, can you come up to the mic so it gets on the... Yeah, and I appreciate, once again, Evan. He's such a leader in our community. We are very lucky to have him. If people don't know, he was on the Netflix series, Ozark. He played Tuck, a kid with Down syndrome. And he's as good of a speaker as anybody that I know. He's such an inspiration. So I would... Encourage anybody if you're looking for an inspirational speaker. He loves to help out the community I volunteer a lot with the Special Olympics in Arizona as well and I can't wait to bring him over that four-hour drive and They'll pay for him to get there and he's going to be the keynote speaker at the next fundraiser And so we'll continue to be in contact. Thank you for my for your friendship my friend.

It was beautiful Do we have suicide Matthew bus

Welcome.

Good morning. My name is Susana Rivas, and I'm Paul's best friend. And I just want to say that Paul has a profound love for El Paso and the borderland. I know he took pride in volunteering and helping those less furnished. Also, in a world of constant negative news, Paul always went out of his way to find the positives about not just El Paso, but also our border brothers and sisters in Juarez as well. His reporting and anchoring has already been missed, but I know he will be back often to the borderland that he loves.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.

I just want to thank you once again, Paul. I know we already miss you being on TV on Channel 7. It's still kind of weird watching and not seeing you there. But, you know, I wish you the very best. Saddened to see you leave El Paso. You know, I'm going to miss going over Juarez, watching Bravo's games or having dinner. I'm going to miss tailgating with you at the Sun Bowl. Just, you know, Paul will... do anything for you know he he's coming to my house like oh man you need a ladder to get up here and help you know fix you something and you know just uh just an amazing guy and and uh you know you know one one last thing that that i wanted to to remember is um there's this blooper and and i i wish i wish i had it to play but we'll we'll have to look for it but maybe paul can can reenact it i don't know uh you're running you're running and you just ate it can you can you tell it can can

Yeah, thanks for putting me on the spot and reliving it. We're always live, and things happen. And when I was working in Tucson, Arizona, I was reporting live at the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas. And it was a case of being a little bit too creative for my own good. And I decided to say, hey, I'm going to sprint back. I've got to cover the game. I'm going to get in there. And of course, I tripped on live TV, ended up on ESPN's top 100 bloopers of the decade. I went on all the community reels. I was on Jimmy Fallon. I was on Ellen DeGeneres. I guess I could brag to say that at one point in my career, whether it was good or bad, I was on those shows. I was on the Oprah Winfrey show. This was more representing an objective journalist for stories I did when I was in Tucson, Arizona. But El Paso, to me, has just been the embodiment of what a border community should be and I'm really appreciative that I got to come back this time around because my first stint here from 2009 to 2013 Juarez was going through its worst drug war we had ever seen and you know we couldn't really take advantage of being fronterizos and live work and play on both sides of the border and it's been such a joy this almost over three years that I've been able to go and share the cultures of both sides Juarez and El Paso and I'm once again I'm very appreciative of everybody here from the county commissioner's court thank you

Thank you.

Can we use them for something else?

Item number six is public comment. We do have three speakers signed up for public comment this morning. We'd like to start with Mr. James Montoya. Welcome. Thank you for being here. I'd just like to remind speakers, public comment is limited to five minutes. Everybody is being timed. Thank you.

Thank you. Good morning, judge, commissioners. I'm here to speak on item 8A on the legislative agenda. As the court is aware, our office submitted a proposal to add to the court's legislative agenda for the 90th session. Our office is putting together a package of legislative proposals to enhance DWI penalties and close gaps that we have identified that exist in current law. And we've been speaking to the delegation about that. I know Representative Perez is on board to file at least some of these bills. We're gonna continue having those conversations, but we would greatly appreciate the court's support. I know it's kind of outside of the commissioner's court's wheelhouse. This isn't a bill to change or enhance county operations or the work that you all do. For instance, Right now in the state of Texas, it's not a DWI, a felony DWI until you've been convicted twice and then your third one. That's something that we would like to change. Another thing is people ask, why don't you seize cars? People that drive DWI, you forfeit their cars under Chapter 59, which is something else I want to talk to you all about later. Under Chapter 59, we're not allowed to seize somebody's car for a DWI offense until they've been convicted three times. So it's not until their fourth DWI that we can actually seize their car as contraband. I think that's gonna be something else that we change. Many states have DWI checkpoints, have state legislation that authorizes their law enforcement agencies to do that. I think that would be a pretty tremendous lift here. National MAD, statewide MAD, they have a legislative proposal. They're trying to lower the BAC from 0.08 to 0.05. So far, only the state of Utah has done that. Another one that Matt is proposing is to change. So the 0.08, that applies to the time that somebody provides a sample of their breath or their blood or is taken from them. But the law as it stands right now requires that the state prove that the person was a .08 at the time that they were operating the motor vehicle, right? So if their breath or blood sample isn't taken for one hour or two hours or three hours, we have seen, you know, one of the arguments that defendants make is, well, you can't prove I was a .08 at the time I was actually operating the motor vehicle. It could have been going up, could have been going down. And there's a science to that, reverse extrapolation, where we can, you know, a scientist can determine, hey, what was your BAC an hour ago, two hours ago, three hours ago? But one of the changes that MAD wants to do is change it from a .08 at the time of your operating the vehicle to a .08 at the time that the test was taken, right? And that would kind of get rid of that evidentiary distinction. Long story short, like I said, we're coming up with a package of a number of proposals. The one that I submitted to the court I think is gonna be kind of the crown of that. I think it would make the biggest difference. Right now our office charges approximately 2,500, between 2,500 and 2,700 DWIs every single year. About 10% of those, between 250 and 300, are felony DWIs. Those are DWI thirds, DWI with child passenger, DWI causing serious bodily injury or death. Right now, we charge between 150 and 200 DWI seconds every year, and so this proposal would shift them from misdemeanors to state jail felonies. I know Commissioner Stout, last week, you asked, is there going to be a fiscal impact? I don't anticipate that there being one. These cases are being charged now. It would only be moving them from county court to district court. I don't anticipate that this would have a significant impact on the pretrial detention. This is not one of the statutes that is allowed to have automatic pretrial detention. These are folks that are getting bonds set, so I don't anticipate there being a fiscal impact with this particular proposal. I know the judge, you had asked where does Judge Unchondo fit on this. I haven't spoken to Judge Unchondo about this proposal, Judge. I would anticipate, you know, a lot of the times people that commit felony DWIs, That's when they really want to start doing the DWI court program. It's a very intensive program. First-time offenders are not going to DWI court. It's not until someone shows that they have a substance abuse issue, something serious, that they need to go to DWI court. Ty? We'll see if he'd be supportive. The city unanimously adopted, added this to their legislative agenda or they're looking at it. If the court would be inclined to, even if it's just a value statement, I think that would be appreciated. It's very clear that the public wants the status quo to change.

Well, thank you.

Thank you, Judge. Appreciate you.

Our next speaker is Mr. Ernesto Villanueva.

Good morning. I'm going to set myself a timer because I tend to.

Good morning. Welcome.

Thank you guys for the opportunity to speak. So I'm here to speak on for the Ascata Park. I know that the plan came out last week and I wanted to come up here and just kind of, you know, I participated in the survey and I did all the things that, you know, for the input, the public input, and what it was, it kind of felt like the magician's choice, right? rather than asking the public, hey, what do you guys want to see at the park? We were kind of presented with this stuff. It was like, look, of these three things, which one do you want, right? And so I looked at the plan, and it feels like we're just really, really missing a huge opportunity to create a park that would not only give El Pasoans the kind of outdoor activities and recreation that we deserve, but also an economic driver that would also help fund other projects throughout the city. Rather than always looking for things like bonds and looking for new ways to get money from the community, create a place where the community is willingly giving the county money and even bringing in money from the entire region. So I want you to picture this for just a second. I want you to imagine like, hey, guys, it's the weekend. We're going to go in and we're going to hang out at the park this weekend. So you get there after work Friday. You get everything set up. You get to the park. And you're like, all right, we're not going to do a whole lot today because we're going to wake up in the morning and we have a lot of stuff to do. So you set up your RV, your camper, your tent, whatever. You hit in for the night. You wake up the next morning. Dad wakes up early, early, makes a pot of coffee, and goes out and gets some 5 AM fishing. Mom wakes up around 7 o'clock. She goes out to the center of the park, and she does yoga with the other people there while the kids are still sleeping. They both make it back by 8 in the morning, feed the kids breakfast, and then it's off to the family golf game. So you walk across the park. You get to the thing for your 8 or 9 o'clock tea time with your wife, and then the kids, you can drop them off at the public pool while they swim for a couple of hours. Mom and dad shoot nine holes. Morning's gone. You come back to your RV, your tent, your trailer, whatever. You cook the kids lunch. You guys have a simple lunch, some burgers on the grill, some sandwiches. And then from there, you know what? It's the hottest part of the day. Let's go sit on the beach. We go to the white sand beaches. The kids build sand castles. They're swimming out in the shallows of the lake. Mom and dad are just kind of sitting under the umbrella, reading a book, relaxing, enjoying the hottest part of the day in the water. You know what? Let's go on the paddle boats. We've been swimming. Let's go out to the paddle boats. Let's do some paddle boating. And then we'll come back. And I don't feel like cooking, so let's go to one of these. Look, that vendor right there, he's selling tacos. Let's go get some tripitas from that guy. You go have dinner, sunset, get back to the house, get dressed. He's like, you know what? They're showing an awesome movie across the street at the drive-in. Let's all pile into the car. We'll drive across the street. We'll go to the last drive-in theater in the entire Southwest. We'll watch a movie. We'll come back. Right. And then we'll let the kids go off to like the or we'll let the kids, you know, hang out at the park or at the trailer because they have an early morning scout meeting where they're going to do their horse riding lessons. And then mom and dad can go off to the free music for adults only have a drink and then make it back to the golf course for the nighttime glow in the dark golf game before they go to bed. They go to bed, wake up early the next morning, send the kids off to their scout meeting where they're doing their crafts, they do their horseback riding lessons. Then as a family, we all get together at that. We ride down and we all take horseback riding all the way down the levee to the Riverside Park. Ride down the horse riding trails on the way back and you see people on the white water rafting in the green belt that's there next to what's got at the park. We come back. And then we're like, all right, it's lunchtime. Let's go get some lunch. We'll get something quick. We can either do some rock climbing today, or we can go back out into the lake and do some boating and some fishing. Or we can just hang out at the park and do some crafts. The point is that the possibilities for us out at the park are absolutely limitless. And what we're doing is we're creating a park that's going to really just increase the amount of maintenance that we have, and it's not gonna really bring in any kind of revenue. 30 seconds. We really have an opportunity to create a park that not only will El Pasoans be willing to give you money, you're also going to get money coming in from the entire region to say, hey, you know what? El Paso's got this really great park. We can go spend the weekend there, you know hang out with the kids and then we'll come back to Las Cruces or Alamogordo or Roswell wherever it is that we're from and bring in outside money to El Paso to not only help maintain the park but to also help fund other projects throughout the city. I know that my time is up. I've spoken with some of you. My contact information is in the public record to sign up. My email, my phone number, if anybody would like to have a sit down to have a more detailed conversation, I'm more than willing to do so. But this is a really, really big opportunity, and I think we can make this a really great thing for El Paso.

Thank you. Thank you for taking time to do this. Thank you. Appreciate it.

Our final speaker is Elizabeth Crawford. She submitted a written public comment for me to read in for you. Her comment begins, good morning, Judge Samaniego and commissioners. I appreciate the opportunity again to share. This Wednesday marks the fourth anniversary of the overturn of Roe versus Wade. I would like to present the response of one very large group of worshipers in our nation. Many people do not realize that there is actually a registered entity known as the Satanic Temple. With its main headquarters complete with a bafflement statute in Salem, Massachusetts, the Satanic Temple organization has plenty to say online about my body, my choice. After wishing everyone a happy Pride Month, the TST goes on to say, At TST, we have been fighting back against the efforts to restrict abortion access in the years following the catastrophic Dobbs decision. While many clinics have been forced to shut down, we took a bold step forward by opening the world's first religious abortion clinic on February 14th, 2023. Sadly, this abortion center is located in our neighboring state of New Mexico. The Lord Jesus spoke these words recorded in John 10. The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. As pro-lifers, we continue to warn women about the dangerous spiritual component of the abortion industry and remind them of the way of escape through Christ of the Lord Jesus Christ. excuse me, escaped through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you, and I hope you have a very good day. End of comment.

Thank you, Cesar.

Do we have anybody else in the audience that would like to speak in public comment? This completes public comment, Judge.

Thank you.

Item number 7A from the regular agenda. receive a presentation and accept the quarterly report from the El Paso County Housing Authority.

Hello, welcome.

Good morning.

Nice to have you here.

I'm just glad I didn't have to speak after the resolutions because they were great guest speakers. Well, good morning. Thank you for having me. Thank you for the opportunity to provide a report. I'm going to share some of our key accomplishments these last past 10 months or so. I know it's been a while since we've been up here to present. So just some of our accomplishments at a glance. It's been a transformational year. As you all know, since our previous executive director, we started the RAC conversion, and I'm so happy to say we've successfully completed the conversion and a 5 million capital improvement project. We also launched our first scatter site. We expanded housing opportunities through additional vouchers awarded to us. We, during last year, did two back to school events and we served over 500 students. We completed our honor audit with excellent status and we're currently conducting housing market studies in San Elisario and Socorro. The RAT conversion is now fully completed, as I mentioned before. This initiative allows us to secure stable long-term funding while preserving affordable housing assets. Through this effort, we've completed approximately 5 million in property improvements to include new roofs, energy-efficient windows, energy-efficient doors, kitchen cabinets, HVAC upgrades. From swamp coolers to HVAC, that's something previous Commissioner Loewen would always drill us about. And the families, there's one particular elderly that now she complains that it's too cold. We have to set her AC unit at 85 degrees because she's always cold. We did asphalt improvements, ADA accessibility achievements, and many other improvements. And why is this important? It directly impacts and benefits residents by increasing their safety, comfort, accessibility, and energy efficiency. While preserving our 16 housing stock remains a priority, we're also expanding our housing inventory. As you all may recall, we were donated a land by a property by Wells Fargo. And so we have finally completed the demolition, as you could see in the images. That's what the house looked like. And then we demolished. And now we are about to build a new three bed, two bath ADA accessible home. Land is being prepped, and we anticipate groundbreaking in August. Beyond developing housing units, we continue expanding housing opportunities through our voucher program. We are a rather small housing authority, and it was very difficult for us to obtain additional vouchers. But in these last 10 months, we received an additional 27, which I know may sound insignificant, but these are 27 families that will receive assistance day in, day out. We receive calls from people losing their homes due to multiple reasons. And we receive a lot of calls due to homelessness. And so any voucher helps. We received 10 vouchers for veterans. 15 for foster youth to independence and two mainstream, which is for non-elderly disabled. We're currently pursuing an additional 25 FYI and 10 VOSH vouchers that we hope to receive by the end of this calendar year. These resources help vulnerable populations achieve housing stability and independence. Expanding voucher availability remains one of our fastest ways to increase access to affordable housing. To ensure future development aligns with community needs, we are also investing in strategic planning. Since we have completed RAD, now we're able to invest our funds in a different manner. To include market studies previous to RAD, we couldn't do any of those things. So we're currently conducting market studies in San Elisario and Socorro, and these studies will assess housing demand, identify service gaps, support future development opportunities, guide investment decisions, and the goal is to ensure future projects are data-driven and responsive to actual community needs. As we continue growing, our financial accountability remains a top priority. And I have our, is he online? Our auditor. We had our financial audit that was completed in March and Our auditor is going to join us. I don't know.

I am here.

Okay. Good morning, Mr. Larson. I just want to quickly say we received a clean audit opinion, a strong internal control findings, and we have continued HUD compliance and no material findings. But Mr. Larson is going to share a little bit more details about our financial audit.

Sure. Thank you. Good morning, commissioners. Just very briefly, it was a very positive report. The fiscal year end for the Housing Authority was June 30th, 2025. And it does include the El Paso County Real Estate Development LLC, the RAD project that is included in the audit. Of our three reports, we gave an unmodified opinion on the financial statements of the authority. It's the highest level of assurance that we can give. There's a government auditing standards report included in the package where we test the authority's internal control. And as you know, that's the processes that they have in place to safeguard authority assets. And we did not find any deficiencies in that internal control structure. And that's the highest level of assurance that we can give there. We also tested their compliance with laws and regulations, and we found no instances of noncompliance. So with the government ordering standards report, also the highest level of assurance that we can give. And finally, the authority had $8 million of federal expenditures. Now, Of that 5 million is an outstanding HUD guaranteed loan. So it's really $3 million of actual expenditures. But as auditors, we're required to audit for compliance. And we audited the voucher program for compliance, and we audited the HUD insured loan program for compliance. Happy to say we gave an unmodified opinion on compliance on both those programs. We had no findings and no issues that need to be brought to the attention of management. So the three reports the authority couldn't have done better with the three reports. And just as far as their finances go, as an auditor of housing authorities, we ordered about 85 across the country, we always look at liquidity and HUD looks at liquidity when they measure the strength of a housing authority to see how they're doing. What is their ability to pay bills as they become due? Because housing authorities can have millions and millions of dollars of assets but it could be tied up in buildings and illiquid assets. I'm really happy to say that the authority has a very strong financial position. They have about three years worth of operating reserves on hand. That's your current assets less your current liabilities equals your operating reserves. And that's given their expense level. They spend about $55,000 per month annually, about $668,000 in overhead. So they have about three years of working capital reserves held on hand, which is very strong. HUD says if you have about four to six months, that's very good. Great report. They have 3.2 million in operating revenues, about 2.6 million in operating expenses. So they generated about 550,000 in operating income. If anybody has any questions, I don't want to take too much of your time. You could always email me, you can call me, but my staff was incredibly complimentary of the staff at the El Paso County Housing Authority. You know, we audit housing authorities. We know what we're looking for. They give us everything we asked for when we asked for it. And I think the results of this audit reflect their cooperation. So with that, I'll turn it back to the commissioners.

A question, anyone else might have a question?

Yes, Commissioner Cordonado has a question for you. Yeah, thank you, Judge and Commissioners. Thank you for the report. Just a couple questions is, I see that you all are focusing on projects that are on the east side, and you have meetings on the east, but I don't see you all doing anything on the far west.

So we're actually going to be knocking on all of your doors here really soon, because we're trying to come up with creative ways to bring additional housing. As we know, 9% tax credits is something really big in El Paso and the state of Texas. And so we're looking at other models to include something in Cleveland. So here really, really, really soon, I assure you, I'm going to be knocking at all of your doors. And I'm going to be sharing A LOT OF READING MATERIAL, OF COURSE, WITH VERY SPECIFIC POINTS. AND WE'LL ADDRESS NOT JUST, BECAUSE I COULD SAY THE SAME THING FOR MENTANA VISTA. WE ARE FOCUSED, SINCE OUR OFFICE IS IN FAVENS, WE HAVE FOCUSED IN THAT AREA, BUT I AM HOPING THAT WITHIN THE NEXT three to six months, we could start a project either on Montana Vista or the Canutillo area to include a self-help program. I don't know if you all have heard of Tierras del Sol with the self-help homes. We're partnering with them. I've been working diligently with Rose Garcia in an effort to identify the areas that would allow us to do the self-help homes. Self-help homes, families work to make their homes at an affordable rate, and we do, we could bring in loans for 33 years at affordable rates. So that's currently what we're working on.

Okay, and I just, you know, with all due respect, you know, the fact that your office is right on the east side, you're not the far, you know, east lower valley housing authority. Of course. So that to me is not an excuse that you're only focusing in the area because your office is there. I'm sorry, but you're the county housing authority.

I completely understand.

Just as you're Far East Montana, as far as Northwest El Paso, Lower Valley, everybody. And there's just as much need in those areas as in the Lower Valley.

Absolutely. And we do have vouchers throughout the whole county, not just on the far east side. As a matter of fact, I want to say that about 20% of our vouchers are located in your jurisdiction. But I completely agree with you. We do need to become a well-rounded housing authority that serves not just the east side, but the west side as well. I'm in complete agreement with you.

And if that's an issue, why don't relocate your offices somewhere else where it's more central?

So unfortunately, because of jurisdiction, we could not have an office within the city limits.

Yeah, but you can go in Far East Montana, a lot closer. Absolutely. Where are you located now?

We're located in Favens. That's where the office is located currently. Just saying. Yes. Yes, absolutely. I agree with you.

Okay. Thank you, Judge. Thank you, Commissioner.

Thank you, Mr. Larson.

Thank you.

May he disconnect?

Thank you, Rich. Yeah, he can.

Thank you. Okay. So affordable housing is one of, I wasn't done, so there's more questions at the end. Affordable housing is only one of the piece of the equations. We also focus on improving overall quality of life for families. Through our 501 improving quality of life, We continue to provide supporting services to help families become self-sufficient. And I want to say that the 501c3 does service a lot of families on the east side and the west side. It's not just focused on the west side. We do have diaper deliveries, wipeys, personal hygiene products, et cetera. And it's not just in the Favens area. That is countywide. We are expanding service reach, increasing community engagement, program innovation, long-term sustainability. Our approach recognizes that housing stability is strengthened when families also have access to education, workforce, health, and support services. As you all know, a lot of the resources are very, they're all centralized in the city, and so our effort is to bring the services outside of the city limits to the county, which is our jurisdiction. One example of this community-centered approach is our annual back to school. Last year, this is gonna be our third year having a back to school event in Canotillones. It's thanks to Commissioner Coronado. He partnered us with... the school district, and so now we use one of their middle schools to provide backpacks, vaccines, haircuts, multiple things. Last year, we served a total of a little bit over 500 students between the back to school event in and in . And this year, we are gonna have our first back to school event in Montana Vista. And I sent an email a couple of weeks ago, two weeks ago we only had 60 backpacks for the back to school event at Montana Vista. We have over 150 now. So we're expecting to provide over 700 backpacks. The backpacks come with school supplies, everything from wipes, composition notebooks, markers, pencils, etc. And at the events, as mentioned previously, we provide additional services. This year at the Montana Vista, we have a barber and a hairstylist for haircuts for boys and girls. And then just very quickly, this is some of the services that have been provided within the last 10 months. We have served over 526 families. We have seen a lot of them that are on a repeated basis, but this is just individuals, 526 households, which several of them, I wanna say about 30 to 35% of them come back multiple times, but this is just individual households. We help them with everything from SNAP applications, personal items, WIC applications, diapers as mentioned before, personal hygiene products, cleaning products, a lot of the youth transferring from foster to independence. There's a huge demand in that population and it's, for myself personally, it's become a special population because they're coming out of foster care and they don't have a broom, a mop, a bucket, just basic necessities. And so those are some of the things that we provide through our family services. And then just quickly, as we look ahead, our strategic priorities for 2026-2027 include, of course, preserving affordable housing, expanding voucher opportunities, identifying new development opportunities, expanding scattered site housing. And again, I'm going to be knocking at your doors individually based on your areas. But we're also looking at our partnering with Project Vida and replicate some of what they're doing with their scattered sites. We're looking at increasing homeowner share opportunities, strengthening, of course, our family self-sufficiency programs. And we're actively pursuing additional funding opportunities to include for percent housing tax credits, federal home loan bank grants, the fiscal year 2027 community project funding opportunities. And our goal remains to create more affordable housing opportunities across the El Paso County, as you mentioned before, not just focused on the east side. and the self-help program and other things that we're going to i'm going to be coming to you and seeking for your support seeking your support but in closing epsha continues to make meaningful progress in preserving affordable housing expanding opportunities for residents and strengthening communities throughout el paso county we appreciate your continued support um And we are very thankful to all of our community partners. Together we are creating opportunities, improving quality of life, and building stronger communities for the families we serve. I don't know if there's any additional questions aside from what Commissioner Coronado.

Commissioner Hulgin.

Thank you, Sulema. I just, I wanted to really thank you for this presentation. I know in the past when we've received quarterly reports from the Housing Authority, they were usually on the consent agenda. They were one or two pages. And it was good that we were getting that information, but I think it really makes such a big difference to have you come down in person and really share a lot of this detail with us that we otherwise wouldn't be aware of. So thank you for that. um and also you know two the two um complexes our housing authority complexes are located in payments which is why historically that's where the office has been located the changes to those two complexes because of the rad improvements is just i mean it's night and day i visited the two complexes when i first took office six years ago and going and seeing them now it's such a tremendous difference and it's made such an incredible change in our residents' lives. It does make me smile, the story of the elderly woman who's now too cold. But just the change in the HVAC to an AC unit instead of the swamp coolers that had already reached their end of life. I mean, that's just a tremendous improvement in the lives of our residents. So I just want to thank you for all the great work that you're doing and that I know you'll continue to do. And of course to thank all of the members of the board for all of the time. I know that they dedicate a lot of their time to working with you. So I wanna thank all of you all. It's really great to see you here and to hear all of the great things that the Housing Authority is doing.

Thank you. I hope to come back in three months and provide further details.

Thanks for the presentation. I also just wanted to make sure that, I mean, I hear the concerns from Commissioner Coronado, but I think it's important then to relate those concerns to the board because they're the ones that are giving her direction, right? She can't take any action without being directed by her board to do those things, right? And we have to our... board member that we right right so so i mean if we want to have that conversation as a court to talk to so everybody can talk to our board members to try to give her the direction that they need to move their office you know i think it's important to make sure that we go through that we go through the board because we can't make direct um requests of her we have to talk to the board thank you i'm just saying that the direction that

And I don't think, this entire court wants your organization to succeed. I don't think you have nothing but well wishes and support from us. We just haven't seen that in the past.

No, I completely understand.

And so when I hear things of, well, we're just doing projects because that's where we're at. Or we're just having meetings on the lower valley or this side, period. That doesn't strike me as encompassing and engaging the entire community. We want you to succeed. Trust me, all of us want to do that. We want you to be successful. But I think, and we'll talk to the board members, but I think it also, you can talk to your board and tell them, look, I think you can make recommendations just like our administrative people give to us. Okay. I'm just saying that I think there's, you know, nobody else besides this court really is more focused on wanting your organization to succeed than us.

Absolutely.

But I think it's imperative that both the board and the administration there take a whole holistic approach of our entire community, not just one part.

Absolutely.

And we will, trust me, this commissioner's court and even the courts will continue to support that if we see that happening.

Yeah.

And as you mentioned the office, I thought maybe we could make a satellite office where we're at, you know, for a day a week on the far west side or in Montana Vista. Absolutely.

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Commissioner Butler, your hand.

I don't have a lot to add other than just thank you for the presentation. I do talk to my board member quite frequently and so thank you for having your first event in Montana Vista this year. I appreciate that very much. I think a lot of people who WHO POSSIBLY NEED HOUSING SUPPORT AND SOLUTIONS THE MOST DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY. AND SO I THINK AWARENESS AND BEING ABLE TO SHARE INFORMATION IS OUR BIGGEST HURDLE RIGHT NOW. AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT YOU ALL HAVE THE CAPACITY TO HELP THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST, NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE IN THE COUNTY. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'D REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU IS THAT WE WOULD HAVE A PRESENTATION We, three months later, six months later, and the needle wasn't moving, not at all. Of course. It was like I was hearing, and I think where you could, because I know your passion, I know what you're trying to accomplish, I think you've got a great opportunity. I do think you've got to take a little bit more risk, a little bit more assertive of what we're trying to accomplish, and as Commissioner Coronado said, we'll support you. But it was very, very, I know it was for Commissioner Leon more than all of us was this nothing happens and nothing happens and there's this promise and we're going to do this, we're going to do that. So I know it's a high expectation for you, but I have no doubt that you can make a difference. I know we've seen the passion, whatever you have gone to have to go through very difficult situations, but Feel good about, you know, getting our representatives to support you, or what is it that you could tell them that we can support back? So I think you're in a good place. It's just that, just sort of think you're going to come to another presentation. I'd like to show a difference between what happened now and what happens when you come back. Yes, absolutely. We wish you the best. Thank you.

Small strikes, but definitely we're going to make something happen. I assure you. Yes. Thank you. And thank you for the board that you all have appointed to me. Commissioner Reyes, Commissioner Carrasco, our new resident member. She is so bright. Just all of them. Commissioner Ascona and Commissioner Williams. He's He's been MIA a little bit, but he's been great support. So thank you. Thank you all for your time. And if you all have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. And you are probably going to get tired of me in these next couple of weeks. I assure you I am doing as much as I can behind the scenes, going to meetings on Saturdays, just becoming a little bit more involved and knowledgeable. Development is not my area of expertise, but I'm surrounding myself with the people that are so that we can make something happen.

Yeah, well, good luck. Thank you.

Excuse me. Have a wonderful day.

Thank you.

And we have a motion to accept the report, please. We have a motion to accept from Commissioner Coronado, a second from Judge Samaniego. The voting is open. Motion carries. Item number 8A, County Administration. Receive a presentation, discuss and take appropriate action regarding the El Paso County's 90th Texas Legislative Session Agenda.

Good morning, Judge. Commissioners, Melissa Carrillo with County Operations. I'm going to open the item this morning before I turn it over to Elisa. But as you all recall, we had a conversation about our draft agenda last week. And based on that discussion, in an effort to ensure strong alignment with Commissioner's Court before we send our draft agenda to the delegation, we placed this item back on for the court's consideration. And of course, we want to hear from each of you. We'd like to have a more open discussion. regarding any of your priorities or values or suggested actions that you'd like us to include. Alexis, will you pull up the PowerPoint, please? Thank you, and if you'll proceed to the next slide. Thank you, sir. So just a reminder for the public and those watching today, as your government affairs staff puts together their draft agenda, there's a few things that are considered before that agenda is made. And on screen, you can see one of the most important roles that we watch or the important areas that we gather information from is court meetings. As you all discussed throughout the year, various concepts, as something is presented to you and you might make a suggestion at that moment, like what's going on with fire hydrants? We immediately say, add that to the agenda, add that to the agenda. And so we're looking at the court meetings to see what might we want to advocate for in the upcoming session. Secondly, during the spring of each non-led year or in the interim session, we'll send out surveys. We do this electronically to afford our departments really an opportunity and each of you information that you may want to put in so that we can consider as part of our either action items or a future value statement. And then lastly, right before we come in June, we start meeting with our department heads, we start meeting with each of you regarding those ideas to further vet them depending on what's going on at the state level and what we think might make for a good draft agenda for the court's consideration. And then we start talking about where do we place each of these. And so each of you know what priorities and values are. We haven't placed appropriations requests in recent years, but if there's an appropriation request we can support, we want to bring that to the court's attention at this time because we know that your state delegation is already looking at some of this way before the actual legislative session begins. And so priorities historically have been more specific asks, right? And department heads have submitted quite a bit of those for your consideration this year. Whereas our values tend to be more broad in terms of maybe larger value statements that we're hoping to pick away over future legislative sessions, things that may not take place right in one session. And so we put our draft agenda together for you. And before I turn it over to Elisa, I just wanna share that When we go over the next 10 items for your consideration, these are items that your department heads and some of you on the dais have submitted. And so there's reasons behind each of them. As I turn it over to Alisa and we go through them with you, if any of you have a strong support or opposition, we'd like to know that as we continue building this agenda. But we're also very aware if the court's not ready to take action today and we need to continue working through this, we can. We've also amended our procedures for future years so that in the interim session in the future, we can have more of a workshop discussion with you in advance of presenting our final agenda to you. So we've made some of those modifications as well. But I'm gonna turn it over to Elisa. And as you start thinking through some of these action items submitted by your court, we're also going to want to start partnering with court members for each of these items who might serve as champions so that as we start advocating between now and next year, we know exactly who we can invite for meetings and fly to Austin if necessary.

Yes, ma'am. Judge, really quickly, my staff handed out a one pager to the court recently. And I think this has been shared with Elisa, which are five items that I'd like the court to consider adding to our action items this morning. And just to be clear, I personally did meet with Alisa and with our lobby team. I toured them in the unincorporated areas of precinct one, spent a whole morning together, and then afterwards said, I met with Betsy and Melissa and said, okay, now do I need to submit anything in writing or will our lobby team and Alisa bring back items to be put onto our legislative agenda that we can consider? Those items were related to water and roads and transmission lines. And most of the items you see here, and I didn't see those specifically included in our action items. And so that's why I apologize for the tardiness of this being presented and the request for this to be included. But having not seen it last week, I wanted to make sure that we brought these forward for consideration.

I understand. Thank you for sharing those with us. And as we go forward, we're going to review some of those submitted already, and then we can open it up for the court to review those priorities as well, Commissioner. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. Elisa?

Yes, thank you. Buenos dias, good morning, Judge and Commissioners. Elisa Tamayo, Governmental Affairs Manager. And we'll start going over, we took the feedback received from the last conversation. I think it was really robust and hopefully this new, the way that we present the items on our legislative agenda MAKES MORE SENSE THIS WAY SO MAYBE STARTING WITH THE APPROPRIATIONS REQUESTS GIVEN HOW PRICING THESE THINGS ARE OR THE FUNDING FROM THE STATE SO WE HAVE TWO AS WE HAVE DISCUSSED THE FIRST ONE IS TO ADVOCATE FOR INCREASED FUNDING FOR THESE CONTROLLERS PAYMENTS PROGRAM THAT REIMBURSES US FOR THE LOST REVENUE FROM THE DISABLED VETERAN EXEMPTION GIVEN THAT WE HAVE A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF VETERANS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WE QUALIFY FOR THOSE PAYMENTS I know we've discussed that this is something that it's already on the budget. It's not something that we have to request a specific writer or do like heavy lifting on this other than just advocating for more funding in this bucket from the state. Last session or last interim, the previous comptroller did request in his legislative appropriations request form, he was asking for 70 million so all of us could be complete or get more of the money that we qualify for. But that didn't happen last session. So we hope that this next session with more awareness, with more education on this issue, we can do that. So putting it as a priority helps us send letters, work with other counties to advocate for this funding, and hopefully the legislature will put more money in that bucket next session. And then the second appropriations or funding from the state that we would like to receive is funding to bridge that gap of what we already received from Congress, from the federal Congress, to build this vocational training program, the facilities that our juvenile probation department needs to have a full welding school that gives a certification to those youth at risk that are put in probation so that they can hopefully live with more skills and then reduce, you know, recidivism and improve long-term outcomes for these justice involved youth. Do we have any questions on these two appropriations requests or funding from the state that we're trying to receive?

We do not.

No, OK, do would you like to keep these items on the agenda?

Commissioner Butler, I I'm still I guess I'm wondering how this is going to be put on the agenda. The first appropriations request. Is it the 70 million we're going to be asking for or the 9.5 million for the county?

70 million. I think we should advocate for the 70 million.

That is what so we'd have. We'd amend what's.

here so right now again melissa carrillo for the record so currently the funds that the state appropriates for everyone who's eligible within the state to pull from is i believe 9.5 million is that correct elisa yes that's correct but in the past what we've noticed is that based on who qualifies whether it's those who have a base within their community or within certain mileage of their community, they qualify as well. And so the idea is to increase the pot of money, increase that appropriations. So the goal would be to help advocate and ensure it gets to that 70 million threshold at least.

to provide a little bit more information. The appropriations have remained the same for the past three years at 9.5 million. But just to give you information, last year, the request was for 78 million. So the 70 million wouldn't even get to fill the full request. Prior to that was 54 million and prior to that was 34 million. So it's been going up every single year.

And what is the impact on El Paso County, specifically?

Well, it would mean that we aren't reimbursed for some of the revenue that we lose. For example, last year we put in a request for 7.9 million and we only received $966,000.

Okay. And that we only received 966, not because we didn't qualify for the difference, but because there wasn't enough money to give us what we qualified for.

Right, right, I understand. I'm wondering if it would strengthen the language to add a specific dollar amount, unless we're not there yet. And we just want to say increase funding.

WE COULD ADD A SPECIFIC DOLLAR AMOUNT, COMMISSIONER. I WAS, MELISSA AND I MET WITH THE CURRENT CONTROLLER, EXCUSE ME, WHO IS THE ACTING CONTROLLER RIGHT NOW. SO THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE IN NOVEMBER IN THE ELECTION. BUT WE DID TRY TO GAUGE IF HE WAS GOING TO REQUEST THE SAME AMOUNT FROM THE PREVIOUS CONTROLLER. THE PREVIOUS CONTROLLER WAS REQUESTING 70 MILLION ON HIS LAR. THEY COULDN'T GIVE US AN ANSWER. SO I THINK But if this court wants to, we should say 70 million or 78, as Michael was saying, that would be the full amount. And then start our letters by saying, I mean, we also understand that going from 19 million that's on the program to 70, it's a big difference. But we're trying to, you know, just make the ask and say there needs to be more funding put into this program.

I think if we put the amount we put in there, just an idea. One, we could say even if phased in over multiple cycles, and we put in the amount and then say this is what is needed today, but to the amount that will be needed at the time that they actually reach the full funding. Because as property values increase across the state, the dollar amount will go up every year.

I was just wondering if it would strengthen the language to put even the dollar amount that impacts us at the accounting level in there. I'm not sure.

Or even a percentage, right? Like right now we're only being reimbursed X percent, right? Right now it's not even 20%. It's like 17%.

Right now, the prior payment was around 12%.

Judge, may I? You know, this is I think part in my focus is always try to bend on improving our justice system. And now my next focus was gonna be juvenile. But at this point, I think there's a really big gap where we need to start asking for money in juvenile justice. And I'm kind of digressing from this topic, but this topic is important. And that maybe we need to make it a little more comprehensive to start asking for more funds and hopefully getting it. But the big gap I see in our juvenile justice system, that's a state problem, not just for us. is the mental health. There's issues in our juvenile justice department that we end up having to hold kids that there is no avenue, no opportunity for them to be placed anywhere else and we can't help them. And it's a state problem. We ask the state to place these individuals that need this treatment, and they always tell us, we don't have enough beds, sorry. And they don't qualify for anything else, and we don't have anything here that we can place these individuals. And so part of that is not just those issues, because we end up spending a lot of resources on those that need the more help. And so this is part of also focusing on these diversion programs or these specialty programs in juvenile justice just like we're doing in the adult system. And so I see a lot of this, that we're not focusing on some of these so we can free up some of those resources. For example, and I know this is not part of it, but I think this is a comprehensive way to look at our juvenile justice department, is we have a lot of cases that get filed with juvenile justice, right? That maybe we can start, you know, probably a third of the referrals come from school districts or more, okay? And some of these cases are not cases that we really should be putting through the system. So I think there's a way that we can try and get programs established where we get some of these school districts to start doing these programs on their own to keep them from getting referred through our county attorney's office where just they go through the system and it takes up a lot of time. It takes up a lot of our resources. And I know I'm digressing from this particular item, but I think we need to look at this, our juvenile justice department comprehensively is how we're gonna do to free up resources where we really need them, okay? And so the mental health issue is really, really something we need to take a look at. And I think it's imperative that we add this to our legislative delegation because it's not just a problem for us, it's a problem statewide. statewide in our juvenile justice system where all these juvenile justice departments end up holding these kids that need this treatment and there's nowhere to put them. And we keep asking and they tell us sorry. And so what do we do with them? There's a gap, a big gap there.

Commissioner Coronado, two things. One, this particular funding that I know you're talking about separate, but this particular funding would be reimbursed to the county for whatever determination the court would identify for use. Secondly, I do believe there's a group that is planning to meet with you that is requesting specifically, they are working with the state delegation to specifically request funding for residential treatment facilities here locally. They are going to be asking or looking both to the city and the county for a potential match. I believe they've reached out to most members of the court, but it's for a 60, I believe it's a 62 or 64 bed facility, residential treatment facility here in El Paso County that would also relieve some of the burden on JPD, how long people are having to stay there because there's no other options. And so they do have a plan. They did mention to me last week that they're planning to meet with you. They said they had not had a chance to meet with you yet, but they are planning to meet with you.

Good, because I think this will get traction statewide. A lot of counties are having issues with this. It's not just us. But I'm saying, I didn't mean to interrupt because on this particular point, but I think we need to look comprehensively at juvenile justice. And we know the state's not providing these resources, so we need to look comprehensively. How are we going to free up some of these resources so we don't have these issues? Because the state's not going to pony up everything we need in one year. They're not. we've been there done that it's not going to happen so i'm just saying we we also need to work and like i said maybe my comment should come on at the end of the presentation but because it's juvenile justice i think we need to really start focusing on doing some other programs that we can get either the school districts or us to do and rather than funnel some of these lower offenses through the system. And we need to get our county attorney's advice on this as well, or bring them in. But I think we're missing an opportunity here that we start spending resources on things that maybe we don't need to because we have higher needs. And the state's not going to give us those just because we asked for them. And so I think we need to start doing some of our own comprehensive work there, just like we're doing in the adult system. And we've still got a long way to go, but I think we're really doing a good job in the adult system as far as the juvenile justice. But now we need to do some of that focus on juvenile justice because there's a great need and there's a big, huge gap in the mental health treatment for some of our kids, and it's only increasing.

And I'm sorry, Commissioner, but I'm assuming that based on what they told me last week that they have met with several members of the court. This is from Nicole Schiff and Guillermo Valenzuela, who is with Oliviani. I understood they had met with or had scheduled to meet with all members of the court and we're only lacking, I think, you, Commissioner Coronado. You haven't met with them either? Okay.

Just informally with Guillermo, but not directly.

Okay. Well, I know they intend to meet with all of you and they're going to be asking for us to support them legislatively on their request. So not necessarily something on our agenda, particularly for us to have a bill, but to support their efforts to do this. And I do think that their efforts on this first facility are not everything we need, but it is a segment of what we need in our community. We continue, you'll recall last session there was a bill for the adult psychiatric beds. You'll recall that that money ended up not going towards the that full blown, what the original proposal was for the additional psychiatric beds. It was redirected. It was going to be lost and then EHN was able to receive that money to utilize it for the center they're building on the east side that will provide some extended observation type beds and other short term holding type, shorter term. versus like long-term inpatient psychiatric beds. But it does continue to be an issue both for adults and children going forward.

Well, but you know, there's even less resources at the state level when we need to transfer these kids, these juveniles over there. There's even less resources for juvenile than it is in the adult system. So if we think it's bad in the adult system, it's horrible in the juvenile area.

And the ideal situation is not transferring them away. Ideally, it's people being close to their family, their support system. That support system also getting the training that they need to help the individual. But for the item that I believe on the veterans reimbursement, that would be additional funding the county could direct to whatever purpose it sees appropriate.

I see on the agenda one item on the action items. I guess we'll go over it in a bit. The JPD drug court inclusion of certain offenses and then on the values statements under justice and public safety, we do have like a support statement for diversion programs for JPD. So I think that's kind of like the catch all but But I know Chief Medina is extremely involved during the legislative session as well.

Yeah. And there is a designated for our region. There's like seven or eight regions regarding the mental health issue in the state. And I know Chief Medina has been with that individual. But like I said, I think this is something that needs to be a priority for us. And I know it's going to be a priority for a lot of people in the state. So I think we can get traction there and push them to do something. Because there's individuals that are just in a gap, in a crack that they don't receive treatment for anywhere. And we're holding them. We're just holding them. It's just, it's sad to see that happening to it.

And traditionally, Commissioner, for some reason, mental health and juvenile, it's almost like they're waiting, like it's really not developed yet, or it's still, you know, but then they wait until they become adults. But by that time, you're getting into a very difficult situation. But it's always been mental health and juvenile, it's like you're waiting until later. Right. And I don't think... The other thing I was going to say is that, you know, with your... Promise program, you address a lot of different things. And I'm wondering that why aren't we sort of formally sort of looking at the Promise program? That's my next step. To bring it into legislation. Because there's so many touch points.

Yes.

And I feel like sometimes we dilute it. but that could be like the center, you know, like the, we support that, you're supporting so many other things. But I think that would be.

Well, I presented this to a couple of the, when we went a couple years back to some of the, not just our representatives, but the representatives at large and also with Mr. Tallarico at that time before he got into the race. And he's very supportive of doing our Promise program and trying to see if we get pilot programs uh you know to start this becoming part of just regular in the state not just us so i'm hoping that that can get some traction and i think it will everybody's in really that i've spoken to about it is in favor of uh this this particular type of help that we're trying to get our i think you've done a great job but i i i think that we propose

THAT IS A PROGRAM TO BE SUPPORTED, THEN I THINK WE WOULD GET MORE, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, FROM THE D.A. TO ANCHONDO TO EVERYBODY, THEY'D LIKE THE PROGRAM, BUT I FEEL SOMETIMES WE INFORMALLY INTRODUCE IT INSTEAD OF SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE SUPPORT THE PROMISE PROGRAM, WE'RE NEEDING FUNDING, WE'RE NEEDED, I THINK IT WOULD GO A LONG WAY TO HAVE IT PART OF LEGISLATION.

THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME

NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. So we have a couple of planning and development items here that I know we're- Elisa, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I thought that you had asked right before we got into some of the discussion if we agreed with those two appropriations items.

Correct.

Do you need an answer to that? Yes.

Yes. And I know we can make a collective motion at the end unless there's something you want to remove or we wanted kind of confirmation on each item if possible.

It might be easier to do each slide that way if there's one that we don't agree with.

I think so.

So if you can go pull that slide back. Thank you. Can we get approval to include these two requests? We get a motion and action on that.

So real quick for clarification on that one. So on the on the red line version that I'm looking at Elisa. The item number four. We're talking, I guess, the comptroller payments item, right? Number one. So item number four was on there and then it got scratched off and then we put in and then we are substituting that with with item number seven on the. On the red line, let me take a look at the red line version because I mean, there's similar one says. Extend application deadline for comptroller payments. regarding disabled veterans and then seven is increased funding for comptroller payments for disabled veterans. So we just want to make sure.

We're going to have to bring back a new agenda with the prioritized items as they are on the slides in today. But the reason we removed the legislative action from last session was because We were asking to extend the deadline and then to include the in the calculation to include the surviving spouse.

Okay.

And then we realized we're advocating for such little money when our efforts could be better spent advocating for the full amount. So we realized that later on in session when we saw that the controller was actually asking for 70 million and that could make a bigger difference than the calculation on the DC spouse. And the deadline, we were able to work that out without legislation. I think Barbara, with a comptroller's office, and they were able to figure that out. So that's the reason that one of them is okay.

So one is item four is stricken. That's the one that was outdated. And then item seven is the one that's the one we're voting on right now. Okay, just wanted to clarification. Thank you.

Thank you.

We have a motion from Commissioner Olguin, a second from Commissioner Coronado to approve the items on slide number four. The voting is open. Motion carries.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, CESAR, AND THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. WE HAD DISCUSSED THIS LAST MONDAY, BUT RELATING TO CONTAINING THE CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER.

NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER.

NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. NEW SPEAKER. If anybody wants to take the lead on these items, I think now is a good time to make that note. That way you can advocate for them here in Austin whenever you come during session or prior to session. But yes, so number three is requesting that these drainage ponds are built prior to getting the certificate of compliance. That way it doesn't fall on the county to build these things after the development is already completed. And then number four is the notice. And I noticed commissioner that this is also, and maybe this is a good time to have this discussion. If this is the same thing that you're prioritizing on the handout that we received this morning, your item, your priority number one, I think it's pretty similar to this one, but I'll let you explain if there are any differences. This would be a refile from last session. I think it was Senate bill 2654 or four, give me one second. I think 2604. by Senator Blanco?

Yes, it's very similar to the one that I've proposed. I didn't, you know, I don't think there's a big difference other than the 250, I mean 750-foot designation, you know, which I think is also helpful. But it's basically the same thing. Same thing.

And you did give us a great example when you gave us . that it's right there, cost that the owners got to connect to the water line. So I think those stories would be amazing to tell during session. I think it would be great to advocate, like if we can combine your priority with this one, we could do so.

So really quick, I do want to clarify something between Commissioner Butler's and yours. I want to make sure we're clear on when we want this disclosure. So I know when we discussed this previously, when this issue came up in the last few years. We discussed that this should be on any documentation that a person signs in the purchase of the property, signing that the seller has to have disclosed clearly how much it's going to cost or an estimated cost. like and Commissioner Butler your says and in property listing and so I just want to make sure that when we go advocate for a requirement because Also, if a property isn't listed I just sell it to you, you know, like it's never listed We want to make sure that I've had to disclose in that transaction to you that there was gonna be this cost. Because sometimes I don't know that there's like necessarily a robust property listing on some of these deals. And so making it very clear that both maybe in any listings of the property and in all documents or like a seller's disclosure agreement in the real estate transaction.

I think we're just trying to find some kind of solution. I think getting the realtors association on board with this concept is gonna be really key. And so maybe getting their feedback on the timing of the disclosure might be a good option. Because I don't know, was there any feedback on this bill last session, Elisa? Yes.

Yes, commissioner. So last session, the realtor said, because initially we wanted to disclaim the cost and say, you have to tell the buyer of the property that this is going to cost them this much to connect to the water line because they just tell them, oh, it's just across the street, but they don't know the cost. The realtors did not like that. And they said, that's going to be very, that's going to delay the purchase even more because they're going to get a different quote and there might be discrepancies on the cost by different entities. So they said, as long as we can disclaim it and they were okay with it, but they're not thrilled. They said, Oh, another, another paperwork, another form to sign. As you know, when at the time of purchase, there's a lot of paperwork that the buyers and sellers have to sign and they just see this as a bigger, like another burden of another paper that they would have to fill out. But I mean, we think it's important and we think it should be on a separate page. That was a compromise that we reached it was it would be on a separate page and it would say the property is not connected to the water line. To bring attention to the issue but but not have to disclose the cost per se just because of how much it would delay the purchase.

Judge, commissioners, if I can add something to that. We've had several circumstances where we've gone through this. I think it is very important to disclose the cost because get a proposal or get a quote. Some of us might be able to afford $10,000, but somebody might not be able to afford $10,000. So the proposal or quote is key to the owner connecting to water. We have circumstances where it's $100,000. You know, that's not affordable. So I think we should include some type of proposal or quote when somebody's purchasing the property.

And there has to be consequences. So, like, for example, again, I'm going to go, like, to the if I'm selling a property to someone and I say or I give a proposal that says it's going to be $10,000 to connect and they think, okay, well, I can make the $10,000 and it ends up being closer to $100, there's got to be some consequences to the seller.

Yeah, I think as we get closer to session, we can work out what the details are. Because I'm even thinking maybe it does have to do with going through county planning and development, right? the disclosure of the sale. I'm not sure because it also really depends on county policies. Like our policy might make it more expensive for somebody to connect a water line. But it's also an issue that's very specific to Colonias and El Paso because people can't dig individual wells here it's that's not feasible either and so um so i think making sure that that those distinctions are understood and that this is very it's a it's a very specific issue to our region and to the colonias that we have here but it is so important because if people are buying property to live on and there's no water um it is it's i mean it's life for a lot of people

And if I can add something else, sometimes it's just not connecting to the water. Somebody might say I have the $10,000 to connect to water, but there's also looping the system that's a requirement by TCEQ. So I think that's why it's very important for them to have a proposal that details the cost to connect and the cost to loop the system if it's required. Maybe the solution is through TCEQ. Maybe it is.

Commissioner Cordova?

You know, and I think we need, I think this needs to be a comprehensive proposal that it's not just with realtors because we do have a lot of transactions that don't go through either realtors or they don't go through title companies and so people are never going to get that. People just sell for sell by owner and especially out in the outlying areas. And so I think people that are buying that need to know one way or another that there's an issue there. And so we need to make it sure that it's comprehensive on anybody who's selling, whether they list it, whether they list it on their own for sale by owner, whatever it is. If we're just gonna pick who gets the notice and not everybody's getting it, well, that's not right. You know?

Yes, we can talk to our local realtors association and see we make this bill specific to El Paso County, since we're trying to solve the problem here and a problem we don't have in other parts of the state. but to start somewhere. So we could start those meetings as well as soon as we approve the agenda.

Yeah. So I mean, I think I'm definitely open to enhancing the language of this item and making it stronger. I do think it should definitely still be a priority for us. I had questions on the other item, though, on the drainage. I thought that was already a requirement of ours in order to get a certificate of compliance that they had to do on-site ponding and drainage.

Good morning, Commissioner. George Reyes, Associate Planner, Planning and Development. And so currently it is not. We had a county attorney opinion back a couple of years ago where we were starting to do that and then somebody had made a complaint and we got a county attorney opinion about it and we weren't able to require that as a reason to deny somebody a certificate of compliance. Oh, I see, I see. Okay. It is on the plat and everything. So we're hoping with this bill, it allows us to enforce the plat notes for those particular subdivisions and then require it as a certificate of compliance. That way, what we're seeing a lot right now, especially with three subdivisions out in the Socorro Clint area, is kind of like modern day colonias. A lot of people aren't doing their onsite ponding. And so we're talking about brand new subdivisions and they already have street flooding on them because they're not doing these onsite ponding on their properties. And so you go to the neighborhood, there's no sidewalks, flooding, all that. So sure, they have water and sewer, but the other quality of life issues are starting to creep up because they're not, we don't have an enforcement mechanism for those onsite ponding areas. So that's what the purpose was for this one.

Sorry. OK. And it's just specific to subdivisions? Or any lot owners?

We're looking for any lot owner. So whenever you come in for a COC, we ask you to provide your water bill, proof of septic or sewer. Whenever you build a pond on your property, we give you an inspection report that says passed. You would have to produce that. And then we give you the COC to get electricity and gas, if available.

And that's for both residential and commercial?

Just residential. The COC is only for residential properties. Commercial properties don't fall under subchapter B of the, chapter 232 of the local government code. They, unfortunately, they don't have to provide anything to us.

Should we add that to our legislative agenda?

It would be a big ask, I don't know. Find this guy.

Yes.

It is in our value statement, I think. And I do think that is one of the challenges, even when we talk about what are our priorities and what we put our resources toward, how much, when we know that it's a heavy lift, do we want to spend our resources working on it if we don't think we're going to get it?

Just from experience from last year, first year doing it from the planning and development side, we have all these legislative goals that we want to achieve as a community, but we're also playing defense a lot. And so Elisa comes with us probably multiple times a week when the session is on, needing talking points and all that to be able to defend or go against some of the bad bills that are coming out. And so that does take up also a lot of resources with our team. It's myself, Michael, last year was Eric. So we spend a lot of time during session coming up with ways to fight bad bills as well.

Yeah, I just, you know, I think that obviously for subdivisions, it's really important to have the onsite drainage. I see some of these newer subdivisions that are like half acre lots where people are required to have their own little pond in their backyards that we request. But out in Montana Vista, the big lots are commercial. The five, 10, 20 acre lots are commercial properties and they're not required to have drainage.

For them, the only time they are required to have drainage is if they put a septic system. So our onsite team has been really cracking down on people that don't and they may be using outhouses or something like that. That's how we've been trying to get the commercial businesses to adhere to it because for any person that wants to have a septic system, we require them to have a grading and drainage plan approved and constructed before they put in that septic tank. But if they're not, if they're just gonna put like a shed with a bunch of cars in it, exactly, they don't need a septic tank, then we can't get those people.

Judge, or maybe we take a look at a solution. What if some of these commercial properties or businesses abut county roads? Don't we have some, besides it just being business, that we have some jurisdiction to require that if it abuts a county road? Their business?

A jurisdiction over what? Requiring them to- Pond.

To pond? If your business is going to abut a county road, then we may have some additional leverage.

We would have to look into that as far as I know we don't, because we do. The only times is when we're asking them to plot or if they're in the ETJ and the city's requiring them to plot because they are on that main road. But if the property's not in the ETJ, that's where we come into issue.

Well, maybe we need to take a look at that, because when businesses abut county roads, we have some jurisdiction over what they how they're doing things. We do. So I think we need to take a look at that.

I think for me, just trying to take a step back and look at the big picture, and I understand things like, you know, trying to require commercial properties and counties to put in on-site drainage. is a heavy lift and not likely possible. But when I think about our, like the biggest impact that we could make in unincorporated areas where ponding and drainage is an issue, it's not, it might be the subdivisions, but it's not the individual it's the big properties that are problematic, that we don't have any say over. And so I'm just trying to think, impact of putting this as one of our priorities and the likelihood that we'll be able to make headway on it versus something that's bigger picture, but bigger impact too.

and judge i don't want to throw a clunker into this but when we built as a county or other build projects out in the county do we do that provide our own pundit on the end and all that yes sir all our projects i just want to make sure before we get into that yeah yeah yeah Okay.

No, yes, we have a separate, the people we hire, the engineering firms, we treat them just like any other developer that's coming in and they submit the plans to our section of Public Works and our section approves.

And maybe we need to look to see if they abut either county or state road that maybe we have some kind of leverage to require things. I mean, I think it's worth looking into it. Yes. I know there are some things that if, you know, landowners, but a county road that there's certain things we can require. Okay. I just need to know the details. Okay. We'll definitely take a look. Thank you.

Thank you, George. I appreciate it.

Thank you. So on this slide, do we like to, would, would we like to keep the, these two items on the action item agenda on the priority list?

I'm

Should we make a motion to adopt? Yeah. We would like a motion, and then we'd also like you to identify who from the court would like to testify on these.

Do we have to do that now, Betsy?

You don't have to, but we do want to know who our contacts will be on these for the court to identify at some point.

I mean, I think we have time to do that. I don't know that we have to do that today.

We have a motion from Commissioner Olguin, a second from Judge Samaniego to approve slide number five. The voting is open. Your vote, Judge. Thank you. Motion carries.

Thank you. So moving on to the next slide, we have items five and six. The first one is from our juvenile probation department, Chief Medina. She has been really active advocating for this priority to allow us to capture more youth that are often left out of these probation, those drug court programs, because there's some technicalities on the statute. Last session, it passed out of the House. And then in the Senate, I was working with the Lieutenant Governor's Office on a compromise language on the violent offenses of this youth. IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE REACHED A COMPROMISE, BUT WE RAN OUT OF TIME. I'M HOPEFUL, BUT I DON'T WANT TO ALSO OVERPROMISE. I WANT TO BE CAUTIONALLY OPTIMISTIC ON THIS ONE. BUT THAT'S THE REASON THAT WE WANT TO BRING IT BACK IS BECAUSE THERE IS APPETITE. IT PASSED THE HOUSE WITH BIPARTISAN SUPPORT, AND WE HOPE THAT WE CAN WORK THROUGH THOSE TECHNICALITIES WITH THE SENATE, WITH THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, AND HOPEFULLY GET IT OUT OF THE, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT, GET IT ACROSS THE FINISH LINE. And then this number six, this is a new item. And I'm glad that George is here today to explain more or answering more questions if there's any on the traffic, traffic impact analysis to identify congestion problems before building commercial developments in the county. But if we don't have questions, we can go ahead and make a motion to approve.

And George, just to be clear, that would also look at, for example, the adding of street lights, right? Not the lighting, but the actual, the street lights. Traffic signals. Traffic signals at busy intersections, right?

Correct, yeah, that would be a big help for us as a body if we're able to... require these traffic impact analysis, then we can tell the developer, look, the traffic, it's not going to be safe here. We're going to require you to put a traffic signal here or better signage, a crosswalk here. That's what the goals of these traffic impact analyses are to help. We're working with a Big box really tailor right now and so it's probably our first ever traffic impact analysis that's come in since I've been there anyways and And it provides a lot of information for us to show Best practices as to where a lot of safety issues are and how they can be mitigated

Yeah, this is a huge issue that we've been seeing in the growing East Lake and Mission Ridge area. So I'm glad to hear that it'll include the traffic signals because that's a huge problem. And I mean, I wouldn't mind being the contact on this one on number six.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner.

If we could have a motion to approve the items on slide number six. We have a motion from Commissioner Olguin, a second from Judge Samaniego. The voting is open. MOTION CARRIES.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS. MOVING ON TO NUMBER SEVEN AND NUMBER EIGHT. THESE ARE TWO PRIORITIES. THE FIRST ONE FROM THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT. THIS WAS ALSO AN EL PASO COUNTY INITIATIVE. WE WROTE THE LANGUAGE. proposed this to our delegation, I think, for the first time. I don't think we had seen something like this in a legislative year before, at least not in my time. And we got a one pager. We made some progress in the Senate. It died on third reading on the Senate. But there was bipartisan support at the beginning. I think we ran into this roadblock of a vote recommendation by a very conservative think tank that decided that this was something that conservative members needed to vote against. And this is where it died in the Senate. But we've been trying to get in touch with them and letting them know that the plan or the idea behind this funding would be to try to work with funeral homes to make donations for this fund so it doesn't come entirely from the state.

So this is where we're at right now.

Hopefully we can get it approved on as an action item because number one, a lot of counties support this. They think it's a good idea. They have also seen their costs increase and not go down since COVID. But yeah, this is something that we think could make good progress next session. And then number eight, this is a mod residency requirements to require anybody who wishes to serve on a mod board TO ESTABLISH RESIDENCY IN THAT DISTRICT PRIOR TO THE ELECTION, A YEAR PRIOR TO THE ELECTION. THERE WAS ALSO SOME COMPROMISE REACHED I THINK LAST SESSION WITH THE, YOU KNOW, THE PARTIES THAT WERE OPPOSING THIS INITIALLY TO SAY THAT IF THERE'S NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE SERVING OR ENOUGH CANDIDATES THAT HAVE THE RESIDENCY BECAUSE A NUMBER OF FACTORS, MAYBE IT'S A NEW area new development and not enough housing is built there or there's not enough members or neighbors wishing to serve then that's when this would allow somebody else to step in somebody who doesn't live in the area but owns property there to run for this board so with that compromise we think that this has a shot next session but again let me know if you want to keep these two items on the agenda or if you want to move them over as value statements or not prioritize them And if not, we can have a motion to add them.

We have a motion to approve the items on slide seven from Commissioner Olguin, second by Judge Samaniego. Voting is open. Motion carries.

Thank you, Commissioners. And then two items, number nine and number 10. This is also a new item, something we haven't proposed before, but adding some statewide funding for the maintenance of the Texas Historical Commission markers. As you know, previously they were under the purview of TxDOT and when they were transferred over to the THC, the markers, we don't think there was funding that came with. We've been trying to see if we can request that the agency puts this in their LAR, in their legislative appropriations request to get ahead of the game. So hopefully we get an agenda approved today or a draft agenda approved today so we can actually have those conversations and try to move the needle there and get some language. And then number 10, this is a new thing that has recently come up to the attention of the legislature. They were discussing this extensively during a recent hearing and Speaker Moody asked some good questions and he's taking the lead on trying to address this also locally to try to regulate these crypto kiosks that a lot of these scammers are using, especially against seniors and telling them different stories, different scams about it could be unpaid traffic tickets or a loved one being in jail and then getting them to deposit money in the crypto kiosk and then not seeing their money again. We don't know how this is gonna look like, how we're gonna regulate these things, but we know that it will be a priority for the legislature, a bipartisan issue. So we wanna make sure that we get on there and that we are part of those conversations. It is our understanding that the city might take action on this as well. So kind of being good partners in our region and seeing if there's something that the county can do as well, even though we don't have I love a lot of ordinance or any ordinance making authority, but something that we could try to see how we can work with leadership on this issue. So those would be your last two items. If we don't have questions, we could have a motion to approve them.

We have a motion to approve the items on slide number eight from Commissioner Olguin, a second from Commissioner Coronado. Voting is open. Motion carries.

THANK YOU, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS. SO THOSE WOULD BE 10. CAN WE GO OVER MY ITEMS NOW?

YES, OF COURSE.

Commissioners, I handed out a one-pager that my staff helped me put together just based on some of the items that we talk about here at Commissioner's Court, but also more recent issues that have come up, including the second one. We already touched on number one. The second one is allowable routes for transmission lines above 115k kilowatts through communities. that currently it's not something that's specific to El Paso County, but there are transmission lines being built across the state to connect utility infrastructure. I know that right now El Paso Electric has several transmission line build-outs planned, and I think they're primarily in precincts one and three. And I don't know about Precinct 3, but at least in Precinct 1, a lot of the proposed routes go through Montana Vista, like the residential communities where we have 10,000 plus people living. And so I know that there's a lot of discussion at the state right now about higher voltage transmission lines going through rural communities and push back from communities on that. So I do think that there might be some appetite to get more community feedback through a formal process at the state level. When it comes to transmission lines, the ones that are planned here are, I think, either 345 or 450, is it? And so I would like the court to consider adding this to our list of priorities for this next session.

I've got a question. So you said that there's other maybe work in other communities or across the state when it comes to the transmission lines. Do we know what other communities are working on it and if there's going to be some type of concerted effort that's gonna be brought forth, or you're just wanting El Paso to take the lead and then try to round up the troops behind our bill? I mean, I can talk to the Conference of Urban Counties. There's a board meeting coming up in a couple of weeks. And I can check with them to see if any of those counties that are members of that organization are planning on filing bills or proposing something. Just wanna understand whether you want it to be like an action item that we're actually gonna file a bill or whether you want it to be part of our priorities when it comes to our values.

And TAC also just sent an email.

TAC just sent an email about the round table during the NACO conference. So I wonder if that would also be a good place to try to figure out if there are already other counties that have proposed language that we would be willing to sign up in support of or?

I would like to see this added as one of the priority action items and then as we go through and refine the strategy and not just for this one, but for a lot of the different items that we have included on there in terms of like, are we going to ask our delegation to file? Are we going to partner with the coalition? Are we gonna actively support legislative solutions to this? Cuz right now, I think it's primarily through the PUC, but it could also have a different avenue. And I think that from what I've seen, the pushback at the state level, has primarily been on very large transmission lines in rural communities. And this is a little bit different. It's through residential communities and not the 745 voltage that is taking up the headlines right now. So there's a little bit of nuance and I do think that it's worth having that conversation with other counties, especially the urban counties to see if they're also dealing with this issue. Would that be okay to add it as an action item for now? So should I continue going through them?

Do you all want to vote on each one or do you want to go through all of them and then vote?

Well, my question was going to be, Commissioner, so looking at three, four, and five, are those where you're foreseeing us actually filing a bill to do that? Or would these be included more in the value statement for additional funding for the TCEQ and, of course, funding for the county roads? I know we already have something in our value statement related to the data centers and more regulations for them. But are you thinking of actually submitting a bill, the county submitting a bill on these three things? Or is it more just wanting to make sure?

I would like to see the county submit either funding requests for some of these state agencies. or us file a bill. And maybe the last one on data centers is just to be more specific about what we're looking for, because what we have in the value statement is very vague. I also don't understand, I guess, how we prioritize the value statements either. And maybe that's part of the future discussion on this presentation.

I can, well, I mean, from, I guess, my experience and, you know, every session it changes and with different courts it changes and, but the, I mean, The value statements are basically a living document that we provide to our staff so that they understand what we want them to also spend time on, above and beyond what our priorities are. What we want bills filed on. That gives Elisa or our GR team, Melissa, direction on if a bill is filed, they're going to track a bill that has to do with that, right? And dropping cards for, again, so typically during the legislative session, weekly we have updates from our GR team and from Elisa and where she will go over bills that have been set for, that have been filed and then when they're set for hearing and then we many times give direction on whether or not to drop a card. That's typically the process that we've undertaken but sometimes you can't have a meeting by the time of like when a when a hearing is scheduled they'll sometimes schedule them from one day to the next and so we won't have the opportunity for Elisa and team to come and provide us an update and and let us know or ask if we do or do not want to want to drop a card and so that value statement gives them, I think, cover or the direction to, yes, that's something that we want to track and something that we want to opine on, either testify or drop a card.

WELL, THEN WITH THAT EXPLANATION, I DO THINK THAT OUT OF THE FIVE HERE, THE ONLY ONE THAT I KNOW THAT IS BEING WORKED ON THROUGH TAC AND OTHER COALITIONS IS NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS STATE FUNDING FOR COUNTY ROADS. So I guess that could be a value statement that I don't see, I don't think it's necessary, I don't think it's already included outside of a request for an additional $10 vehicle registration fee. But I do think that asking for more funding for the solid waste program to combat illegal dumping, should be filed by us. I also think that some kind of legislation related to data center regulations should also, we should also take a more proactive role in that.

I think the data center, I think even the governor has been very vocal recently about filing legislation. There has been conversations within the Texas Conference of Urban Counties also because it doesn't necessarily... overtures or the statements that he has been making is more state regulation and not local regulation. So I think there's definitely gonna be movement to either amend Legislation that he's going to file or the conference over in counties or because TAC doesn't do advocacy anymore. So, you know, we would have to really depend on the CUC for help with advocacy on that. And I would I would expect that there are a number of counties, some have already passed resolutions, right? Like there's some counties that have already passed resolutions that are trying to limit data centers. So I think it would be a good idea to do some reaching out and do some research on who's doing what. I mean, I think it's fine to put it as a priority. I mean, it's in our value statement. I know it's not the same language that you have, but I think that it does help with being a catch-all, basically. When it comes to the state funding for County Roads, I think it's also in our values statement. In our values statement, let's see, under transportation, number one, it's not the same exact language, but support a higher priority for transportation funding in the state's budget process. And increase funding to be administered and programmed at the local level. So that to me is also something that's more general, but could catch.

I think it's different, because this is specific to county-owned roads. And what we have in the value statement is just transportation projects in general.

Okay, I mean, we can make the wording more specific. I just saw that. To me, this is increased funding, right? Requesting increased funding. It doesn't say county roads here, but it says support higher funding for transportation. again these also I think the value statements can it can be beneficial to leave them a little more general so that it catches a number of different a number of different of our priorities right so if we want if we want to add something there that's that's more like what you have worded, that you want more specific to say exactly funding for county roads, then I think we can discuss that. But to me, it seems like that number one is sufficient to catch what you want. And then... The number three, the solid waste. Did I mention that one already? No. So under land use, number two, support legislation that prohibits illegal dumping, improves access to safe, affordable disposal and recycling options for residents, including programs for scrap tires, mattresses, electronics, and other waste materials. So it's not, again, not the... A TARGETED WORDING THAT YOU HAVE IN OUR VALUE STATEMENT, BUT IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE THAT WOULD COVER WANTING TO, YOU KNOW, FUNDS TO BEING ALLOCATED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FOR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT. It seems to me it falls under that kind of umbrella. Yeah, I would agree.

Maybe we can tweak the language a little bit to make sure that it is a little bit more specific to what you're asking about. But I would agree about those two, about three and four, already being in our value statement. So maybe it's just a matter of tweaking to make sure that the language includes everything that we wanted to include.

I also want to make sure that we have a more proactive approach to where we're working with our delegation to make sure these issues are being addressed, whether it's through them filing a bill or us identifying a partner that's going to file a bill. I don't know that that happens when it's in a value statement document. So maybe what I'm requesting is that these two issue areas be moved up to our priority action items list.

Okay. I think we can do that. I just want to also caution that we have a very small team. And when it comes to the amount of pieces of legislation that we want them to file, We need to be careful. That's one of the conversations that we had after last legislative session. And that's why I think we set up a process to try to whittle down and not overburden our lobby team. You go to, I think, Dallas County and Harris County that have some of the largest teams. they probably don't have 15 or 20 different bills that they're trying to file.

Well, I think I just want to make sure that these items, just like everybody else, that I have the opportunity to present these issues that are urgent in unincorporated areas of the county that I don't see already reflected in our priority items. And again, I asked for these items to be included. somewhere, and they weren't. And so how do we make sure that these issues that are impacting everyday residents are actually reflected in our priority items, along with the other 10 that we just voted on?

This, I mean, the sheet doesn't say to me that, so you're explaining very well, I mean, that you'd like them to be priority items. I don't know what process was followed. I know that we set up a process that our staff asked all the stakeholders, I think our department heads and commissioners to fill out Google Forms if we want something added or something included. I don't know. If that process was followed, I know I heard you earlier talking about having gone on a tour with our staff and maybe asking at that point in time that the items be included. Just want to make sure that it's very clear to our staff because we gave them direction to follow a certain process. And I just want to make sure that... that we're following those processes right.

If I may.

Elisa, before you, I'd like to address that. So definitely I do think that we could have handled this differently. I think when we met with Commissioner Butler and with PUMP, we felt like the message was clear, what some of the interests were from Commissioner Butler. In hindsight, we should always have everyone submit the form. There is a process. I know some of your offices did submit the form. That is part of how we have, going back, and this predates many of you, but this is really how we structured a lot of the Commissioner's Court, well, why we structured the offices the way we did. When we created the career progression plan, it was part of this, we want robust policies coming through with some vetting, some like background and ideas on them. And we did that. When we, when we follow that process, we get, you know, the process itself asks some of the questions. What is the problem? What are we trying to solve? And it would, we would have done a better job had we done that. We did not ask Commissioner Butler to do that. We, we met with her. We heard the, we heard the concerns and we said no we'll take these into consideration as we move through the process so that is our error we we will do better going forward and we'll go we'll go back through the process so just I just want to clear that, that we do have a process.

I just want to make sure there's clarity in the processes being followed because we actually gave the direction to set up this process. And so I think it's also on us as commissioners to follow the process, right? Just as it is staff, right? But we're the bosses, right?

We're the ones that are giving the direction.

and we have to follow the process of the direction that we give to, right?

I just think that's important. I think there's also, though, we pay for a lobby team to help guide our discussions and to say, if this is a policy area, what would you recommend, right? What legislative avenue do you recommend us to go through? Is it a bill? Is it a... Is it a coalition? Is it a support function? And we have our GR staff to say this is a priority issue area. There's a level of deferral here too to say, look, these are all of the issues that we're dealing with. Is there a state support or function or solution to these issues? And I asked, do I need to go fill out a form now? Now that I've spent a lot of time talking about these issues, showing our GR team and our legislative lobbyists the reality of life out in unincorporated areas of the county, listing priority issues, do I now need to go and fill out a form? Because that is the process. Or will what I shared be taken and put into a form? And I was told no.

We took a lot of that and put it as value statements because we don't know exactly what a specific piece of legislation would look like, for example, to address data centers. Commissioner Butler, I do like a lot that you went into detail on what you provided today and are more specific. We appreciate that direction. And this is a living document. EVOLVING AND IMPROVING BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER AND JANUARY AND EVEN THROUGHOUT SESSION. SO I THINK THIS IS GOOD DIRECTION THAT WE'RE GETTING NOW. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY IS LATE. I DON'T THINK WE ARE LATE. I THINK WE'RE RIGHT ON TIME IN GETTING SOMETHING DONE. AND I DO THINK THAT WHAT YOU SUBMIT TODAY IS REALLY GOOD THAT IS MORE SPECIFIC BECAUSE THAT IS GOING TO HELP US A LOT AT THE END OF THE DAY. I THINK WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM TRYING TO DEFEND THE AGAINST WHAT'S GOING TO COME AGAINST US. AND WE HEAR YOU. WE HEAR THE FEEDBACK AND WE WILL DO BETTER AT TAILORING SPECIFIC STRATEGIES TO TACKLE ALL THE DIFFERENT ISSUES THAT THE COUNTY CARES ABOUT, PRIORITIZES AND THAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THE TAXPAYERS AT THE END OF THE DAY. If we're not late, I don't think we're late and I don't.

I don't think there I mean we have to be careful about like saying later not right because again it's a living document and you know any commissioner as we have done in the past can can propose like if they see a bill that we didn't know it was going to be filed and we're in legislative session or if like tomorrow you you discover something that's going on in your district and you think oh maybe there's a legislative fix it needs to be. So to me, it's not about whether it's being quote unquote late or not. I think that to me, I was a little concerned because I'm comparing this to this as we're in the meeting, right? And then comments made earlier to the effect that none of this here isn't here. And so I'm like, actually, there is a lot of this here that's in here. Maybe not the same wording or what exactly was expected. But I think out of all the items that are on this list, the only one that I don't see in here represented somewhere is probably number two. I don't think I saw anything regarding the transmission lines. And I just want to make sure that we're careful in going through the process. Again, staff can do better. We can do better. The process can be better if it's followed. But I want to make sure that we're not making statements that aren't like I think the case, right? I feel like everything here except for the transmission item is here. And it's just a the thought of discussing and trying to figure out where we want to move things, where we want to have different places. And again, we have a very small GR staff. We have one person. You look at any other county our size or the bigger counties, they have multiple, multiple GR staff. And I want to make sure that we're not creating, and we've done this, I think, with a lot of our departments where we have these high expectations, we set these expectations, but we don't have the resources to actually get to those expectations and we need to make sure that we're conscious of that, right? Because I, for one, don't, you know, I see Elisa working very hard, very hard, and especially during the session and together with our lobby team. Obviously, we want to make sure that everybody's priorities get taken care of, that they're reflected, and that we have the best outcome, obviously, possible. But we need to be careful with our expectations.

Judge, if I could make a suggestion. So I found the process with the Google form very, very helpful, because it really made me think through the proposals that I wanted to be considered, because all of the questions on the form, I mean, there was even questions about the financial impact, and so I thought that process was very, very helpful. just for me internally, as I wanted to add things to our legislative agenda. But I'm wondering if after we had all submitted the forms, maybe that would have been a good time to have our lobby team, to have PUMP come out and we could have that discussion about what is a value statement that we know other counties are working on? What is a legislative action item that we know we're gonna have to write the bill for, that we have the expertise needed? or what is an appropriations request so for example my item is funding for the historical commission for the maintenance of historical markers maybe that's something that should be with the first two appropriation items that we approved today because we are asking for the state to appropriate money on a statewide level and so maybe it would have been helpful after we had all submitted our google forms at that point to have that discussion with pump where they could tell us, oh, we know that there's these other counties that are working on these things already, so we don't have to reinvent the wheel, right, and start from scratch on working on legislation when we know that there's other counties that maybe are already doing that. So that would just be my suggestion. I mean, and I think it's not too late to do that either, right? Maybe we do wanna have PUMP be here to tell us, okay, this is what our priorities are, and how would you suggest the best way to move those priorities forward? And then to Commissioner Stout's point, I agree. I think number two definitely is not mentioned anywhere and I would be in support of adding that as a legislative action and El Paso County taking the lead and proposing the legislation. But I do think three, four, and five are already covered in our agenda, but it's a matter really of tweaking and adding the language that we want to see.

Thank you, Judge, Commissioners. You know, my question is we submit these forms and then what happens after that?

We bring them back to you all to vote on.

Exactly. But do we get any input like Commissioner Olguin is saying on direction? How should we approach this? I think that's what's lacking. We're not the experts in the legislature and what's going on. I mean, some of us do know what's going on in some areas, but not COMPREHENSIVELY

And in our history, there have been bills I know that we have proposed. And I can't speak to last session because I don't think I had anything I was working directly with PUMP on. But in the prior sessions, our lobby team would come back and tell us, hey, you know what? We think we can get this through an administrative role instead of a bill. Let us work with this agency. And we would go back and forth. Or, no, this one has to be a bill. And you know what? We need to get it before this committee. you know, this is who on the delegation is going to carry it and here's, you know, we're going to need you to testify and we need this impact. So our team does, our lobby team normally does give us that kind of feedback as far as what our best avenues are to try to advance it. Or sometimes they'll come back and tell us, you know what, you can't get this fee, but maybe you can

Get this kind of a grant instead or you know, we don't think we're gonna be able to move this particular issue But we will be able to move this so that is a normal expectation of our of our lobbying team I think I think also it could be positive to to kind of define a little bit more pointedly the the process right because a lot of times what we what we do in the past even with other departments is is You know, we don't expect our staff to do all the research and all the work if the court hasn't sanctioned something, right? Like, I have a project in my office that I start, that I have a policy that I write, and I have my staff do the research, and I have, you know, and then we present it to the court, and then the court says, yes, we want to get behind that, and then we go forward. So I don't know if that's the same, if you all need... that much like direction or that much clarity. So should we, you know, should we, if a member has an idea, so like today, Commissioner Butler has these things that she once added, and then we can vote to go forward or not, or do we, or is the process, whether it's we go through the process and fill out the Google form And then staff brings it to us to sanction as a court. And then they can go forward and do their research. Because it seems to me it could get difficult if I say, hey, I want research done by the GR team on this, this, this, and this, because I think we may have a legislative issue. And I shouldn't be going to them and saying, hey, you need to do this work. It should be me in my office first.

Unless the court sanctions it and then we give you direction to move forward with those conversations with our gr team Which I mean which which which is better which is right normally and the way the way this is we have this in our our policies are Operating guides is normally when the court wants to present a proposal you all do the initial research in your offices with your staff and and then you bring it forward or you submit it through, like in this case, you would submit it through the legislative process. We would include what you, the research you all have done to date and bring it forward for the court's consideration. And then when the court votes on it, then we take it to move it through the process.

Well, just a quick comment on, you know, each one of us has a lane and I don't think anybody has worked as hard as Commissioner Stout and the respect I have for him and legislation and I think there's a lot he can offer as to what he's gone through, some of the challenges and So I'm very open to what Commissioner Stout has in mind because, like I said, I don't think any one of us has worked as hard and understands the legislative process as he does. So, you know, I'm really open to hearing Commissioner Stout, some of the things that he would like to see and hopefully that we could support him He's been there, he's made a lot of effort, a lot of time, a lot of energy, and so has his office. So like I said, I think we should have that level of respect for each one of us has something that we're very committed to. So I thank you, Commissioner Stauffer. for what you've done.

And also I think once we get items onto the agenda and once it's something that we're prioritizing, if members of the court are having conversations with other stakeholders or with in regards to what the That piece of legislation or the work that entails just make sure that we try to include our GR team as much as possible so that they're as well informed as possible so that they can do the best work on our behalf and know who the players are and what the conversations are that are being had.

And that's where in this particular case, as I mentioned before, I think we at staff level had a breakdown. in our process. So we normally ask that you all vet these to a certain degree, put them through the process by the form, then we bring those, we put those into our agenda, we bring those into this legislative proposals. In this particular case, I remember in a meeting with Commissioner Butler and PUMP, and I think Melissa was there, I don't remember who else was there, when we met with PUMP, when they came and did their onsite visits, when we had these conversations, That's when you did ask us, do I need to submit anything else? And we said, no, we have this. And that is where we had a breakdown. And we should have further gone through these and said, OK, we should have circled back and said, these are already in as values. Do you want to submit an actual bill proposal for this one? We need the Google form. And we didn't do that. We said, no, we're good. And so that is how our breakdown happened. We realize that, we own that, and we will correct that going forward. And we've already talked about some of the ideas like you had, Commissioner Olguin, like going forward. We need to have an earlier workshop with the court to talk about the priorities for the coming session. And then we need to go back and bring Pump in to strategize with us on what are these? Are these bills? Are these funding request? Are these administrative rule issues? How all could they be addressed? And what would be our strategy to addressing them? We also need to, to Commissioner Butler's point about our values, some of these values, they're passive. They're more passive. We use them just like somebody will come up and say, should we drop a bill on this? And I go to that values document and say, what does it say? Do we have this in there? Especially if it's something unusual. And if there's nothing in there, we say we can't drop it. We don't have it clear. But we also don't say, How are we advocating for more funding for county roads? How are we moving? We support anything that supports veterans. What are the priorities are the ones that we want to elevate and little bit a greater ask and we need to do that with pump as well like to sit down with them and say Where could we get some movement on any of these especially because we've been in such a defensive mode I know George mentioned that but so much of our time and effort is spent on bills that come up that have nothing to do with our agenda They don't they're not on our agenda. They're in our values, but they're defending us from major impacts and And so we do need to know what are the ones that we might be able to gain a little ground and talk to PUMP about that and our values. And we may even need to star those or have a new way of prioritizing those to see if we can't continue moving them even though they're in our value statement.

But I also support what Commissioner Stott had said about you don't know what's going to happen. And there's a lot of people's eyes are on a lot of different things. The vagueness to me, I don't see it as vague. I see it as a framework to be able to say something pops up into the radar and we catch it, right? Because let's say accessibility, I know we, it'd be a little bit too much, but let's say that one of our values is that anything that stops accessibility of anybody being able to get transportation or I mean you want it to be vague enough to catch it quickly and then somebody brings it to our attention and Then we go into the specificness like we are the bills and all of that So I still support this idea that it's got to be a little flexible and vague and I don't think it's passive It's like hey, you know, this is the things that we really want to make sure that they get into the radar. Once it gets into the radar, and it might be subtle, but we know how they sneak in, and we know how some bills come in and they've got some other things inside the bill that we're not fond of, but I still feel that it's two very separate kinds of things. One is like this is what we believe in general, of to what we support that encompasses all of us and then if somebody catches it i know lisa's incredibly good about that then she brings it back and says hey there's this that just came in out of nowhere that might be going against what we believe to be good for for our county so i think if we squeeze it the the value propositions if they're too tight I think we're going to miss out on some things that might be important to us that come in from different avenues. I said two very different things. If we want the values to be very direct, that's why we have the other side of the things we'd like to see proposed in legislation.

Right. And I was going to say that, Judge, I think in some cases it could be both, right? For example, I'm going to go back to the funding for solid waste. TCEQ does have a fund that our COGS tap into for solid waste funding. From my understanding, that funding has gone down over recent years, which means we have less funding to have our community cleanups and to help with dealing with illegal dumping, which continues to increase. And so can we add that increased funding for this particular program under TCEQ and our legislative priorities and actually advocate for that like we are with the historical markers and still have it as a value that we need to combat illegal dumping through county authority?

Yes, we definitely can add that as a priority and value statement. I know we were thinking about doing that for the groundwater conservation district, having it as an action item and also as a value statement. So yes, I think the answer is yes, but also thinking what is the final list going to look like? And we don't have to define that today. We can research these proposals and then come back and make recommendations.

So Elisa, can we ask POMP when they would be available to come out and have these discussions with us, like Commissioner Coronado mentioned, to help us figure out the strategy? And then that would also give Commissioner Butler time to submit the form so that everyone, so that everything is consistent and we've all gone through that process. But that way PUMP can guide us on what should be an appropriations request, what should be an actual bill where we're gonna be working on the text ourselves, what can be included in our value statement, whether those value statements are too narrow or too broad. So could we maybe one of our upcoming meetings have PUMP here to guide us through that?

Absolutely. And they are watching right now just to clarify that they are online now. But we can now that we have an approved draft, we could review PUMP or our external governmental affairs team review and myself and then come back with some more recommendations in a future meeting in a few weeks maybe.

Maybe during a special session like one of our workshops.

Yeah, that works.

yes commissioner um yeah what thank you and one of the other things i think uh yeah we just need to work on our process i think it's just a matter of how how we go about doing that so that everybody is informed that we get the feedback uh on how we can proceed i mean you know we're not the experts in the legislature by any means yeah and so and we can and we can communicate to our staff also um at any time right right i think that um

uh it's it's important for for us to communicate with them and for them to communicate with us and and i just want to make sure that we're um showing strong leadership and professionalism and and and making sure that that we bring things up to staff not necessarily in a public meeting the time either right like staff can be can be engaged with outside of a public meeting and and um you know we don't we don't need to uh take them to task or or um uh i i think Do these types of things in a public meeting. We can talk to them also one-on-one. I think that's really a more professional way of undertaking the work that we're doing here.

One of the things that I think we really, you know, and I see that with the, and thank you, Commissioner Butler, for bringing that up, the groundwater conservation district, I think should be a priority for us, period, not just let's see what we can develop. I think it should be first and foremost on our minds, and we need to do it the sooner the better. The other thing that we don't need to depend on the legislature is, and we proposed this through our strategic plan, is our green works policy that we can add to these issues that we're having where the legislature doesn't give us this authority. We can do it through our incentive program. and add, okay, subdivision, you're gonna do this. We'll give you an incentive, but you need to do ponding in the area. You need to do some kind of water conservation. You need to do native landscaping that uses less water. What are you doing about this? Or expanding the sewer system that you're gonna put in there so that we don't have to come in later and spend more money on improving it. We have a toolbox in our strategic plan. I think we need to really work on developing that green works policy, our incentive policy. And we could even apply it to these businesses that are coming in that use high, not just data centers, but high energy and high water users that coming in. You want to do this? The only way we have to do that is through our incentive plan. The state doesn't give us any other regulatory authority, period, except for two things, our incentive agreements and, number two, the groundwater conservation districts. That's it. I can't, you know, ask our county attorneys to tell us what does the state provide the counties to do a moratorium on these businesses that come in with high water and high energy users. It doesn't exist. It exists for municipalities, but only temporarily. It doesn't even exist for municipalities, period. Just a temporary gap to find out what they're gonna do. So those are things we need to work on. But right now, as it stands, before we have that, we need to take advantage of our and develop our local policies that allow us to do that. And that's through our incentive programs, both in our green works policy and our economic development agreements. So I think it behooves us on what we know we can do right now, instead of waiting on the legislature to get that done. The other thing I'm going to ask that we do is maybe provide, seeing there are things that are coming up, is get a rider to get us some funding for the Promise Program because we can help the Juvenile Justice Department with respect to welding. It doesn't have to say to provide welding for juvenile justice. It's just provide... TO PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING TO INCLUDE WELDING. AND NOT JUST WELDING, BUT WE SHOULD DO OTHER TRADES. AND THAT'S MY NEXT STEP WITH RESPECT TO THE PROMISE PROGRAM, IS THAT WE ASK THE LEGISLATURE FOR SOME FUNDING, SEEING THAT WE'RE THE ONLY GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED PROMISE PROGRAM IN THE STATE. uh... maybe they can say well you know it's worth a shot taking uh... putting some money and see if we can do that and maybe that's uh... it'll lead the rest of the other counties in the state to do the same and that it's a worthy investment so uh... that's one of the things that i think we need to focus on so those issues that are coming up you know the ponding that that are bringing up that that isn't brought up we need to start looking at what locally we can do and not depend on the legislature to do it and see how we can promote those things locally with whatever toolbox we have. We've talked about this. We just need to develop it.

Commissioner McGee?

I just, before we wrap up Elisa, I just wanted to make sure the VRF item, item number six that we moved from the action item to the value statement, I just wanted to make sure you knew that Collin County on June 15th, they added this exact same item to their legislative agenda. So I don't know if we've already reached out to them or we knew that they were also looking at this, but that just may be another opportunity for collaborating with another county. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of that. There was Collin County.

Thank you, Commissioner. I saw it recently on the notes that CUC provided about the other counties meetings. I was not aware that they were working on this, but we will make sure to reach out and see if we can collaborate if there's room for us in their piece of legislation or if there's any way that we can support to be captured in there as well. Thank you. But we'll reach out. Thank you.

Thank you, Lisa.

So Judge, what I'm hearing is on the handout that is on the slide, what I am hearing is look at the language for items three, four, and five. It's in the value statement. And see how those can be amended to make sure that they include some of the language that Commissioner Butler has provided. We would need an action from the court also for adding item number two to our legislative agenda, action agenda, and then we would work through what would that look like. Would that be done through a bill or through what kind of legislation for that particular item? That one seems more like a bill. Is that what you all? Yes. Okay, so we would ask for a motion to approve adding agenda item number two, I'm sorry, item number two, allowable routes for transmission lines above 115 KV through communities as a action agenda item.

adding item number two for transmission of power lines through communities. We have a motion from Judge Samaniego, second by Commissioner Butler. The voting is open. Coronado, thank you. Motion carries.

And then do you all want to make a motion for us to amend the language on the value statements to add wording that captures items three, four, and five?

Well, I would appreciate that, you know, for item three to specify funding, increased funding for TCEQ. Item four to specify funding for county roads. Five, on the data center, I mean, I think I added Six bullet points here, but there are a lot of other ideas and proposed legislation floating out. There's a big hearing tomorrow on data centers. And so I think my request to the court on data center regulation is just for us to find a way to elevate that on our value statement or as a priority issue area. Maybe there are areas where we can take a more active role and talk and maybe that's where we want to hear from our lobbyists on approach for that.

Commissioner. So you're wanting to change the language on the value statement to reflect the language that you have here for items three and four or?

Yes, just to make them more specific.

I think we'll have to add another bullet point because I think the other items, again, I was talking about earlier my interpretation of those items that would catch these. So if we need to add an additional item, because I don't want to take the other items off because there's other things that they could catch and replace it with these. So if that's what you want to do, then we need to, I think, leave the other ones the same and then add these on if that's what the court wants to do. I seem to think that three and four, the language that's there, would catch these.

I would agree. Okay, so I'm hearing add more to the data center value statement and also mark it as a priority item, not the way we normally treat our values. So we would need to identify it, still leave it in the value statement, but identify, pull it out and identify it to our lobbyist for a Lisa, like a bold, right? Like this is one that we want attention on this session, not just drop a card. We want to support any efforts. We want to get active, be on top of it, be engaged on anything to do with data center regulation.

Sounds okay to me.

Okay. So then it would be a motion to enhance the language regarding data centers in the value statement and single it out as a high priority item.

Okay.

Enhance the language in the value statement on data center regulation. And add it as a high priority item.

Identify it.

Identify it as a high priority item.

We have a motion from Judge Samaniego. Is there a second?

It's not loading. It's not coming up. Do you want to make the second, Commissioner Butler?

I'll second that, yes.

Thank you, Commissioner Butler.

Voting is open. Motion carries.

Judge, one thing. Let's see, now for my request as far as to provide a funding writer for the Promise Program, should I just submit a Google Doc or shall we just meet with When we meet next, just provide a documentation.

The Google Doc, please.

Google Doc, okay.

Yes, please.

All right.

Okay, is there any other items the court wants to make a motion on or discuss from the sheet from Commissioner Butler?

I'm gonna submit the Google Doc and then hopefully we'll see it again afterwards.

With that, Alisa, do you have any other items? Do you want to go over the other items that we have?

Did we want to go over the other requests at this time? Yes. So Judge Commissioners, while Alexis is pulling up that screen, this is the other request that was included in last week's presentation. You're going to see four particular items. These were not originally included as recommended items from staff. However, of course, this is your agenda. If the court wishes to direct us to do something different with them, we can. The first one is the item proposed by the district attorney, which you heard from him during public comment. You also have one on the next slide from the Sheriff's Office. Forgive me, these two are regarding the Tornillo Port of Entry and tolling. And then the last one is for the Sheriff's Office regarding drone technology. So I don't know if you wanted to have a discussion with those. We could also table them if you'd like.

Can you go back up to the first slide so we can slowly go back through them? So you did hear from your DA on this item today. Part of the reason why we did not propose this, or we did not recommend it, is one, it is not specifically something that aligns with some of the policy discussions the court has specifically had. As far as, for example, even the, I know he spoke today about the seizing of the vehicles. I think you'd want to know more information about that. What if it's not their vehicle? What if it was the vehicle they were driving, but they don't own it? How does that impact somebody's ability to rehabilitate back into society? Those are some of the concerns that we had from conversations the court has had about justice reform. and looking at how we handle individuals who are in the system. So the court is more than welcome to, of course, adopt this, and we will add it to your agenda, and we will spend our resources advocating for it.

We need more discussion.

This was the one that creates a second, making a second offense DWI a felony, a jail felony.

Too many questions to it.

Yeah, I'd like to have a little more discussion and information about this. I mean, I think it's important for us to try to do as much as we can as a community to curb drunk driving and crime in general. But I just don't think that the answer all the time is- To know a little bit more about-

Yeah, I mean, I think, I don't mind considering them, but I'd like to actually take more time to investigate them and vet them out and maybe meet with the DA about the issues. And I agree with you with respect to the vehicle issue. We already have that provision, for example, through drug offenses where we can, and they've filed to, take away somebody's vehicle if they're committing it, but there's issues, obviously, they can't just take it away if it doesn't belong to them. There's certain already built in into the system. Should we even allow them to be able to, because right now, they can be filing, somebody commits a drug offense in somebody else's vehicle. The state can still file it, but there's a remedy for the owner to say, hey, look, I didn't know this person was gonna use it and whatever. Now, do we need to take that same approach on drug offenses, or do we just say, no, you can't really file them? And the other issue is, the car isn't really owed by the person who's driving it, even though it's in his name, because it's got a lien on it. And it's not worth the amount that you're going to confiscate it for. And in those situations, You know what to do. We already have those issues in our policy with or rather in our related to drug offenses to basically confiscate not just vehicles by their property. So I think we need to flesh it out a little bit more.

And also, I just think that being tough on crime is of the past, and being smart on crime is now what we need to be doing. And I feel like this is a little more tough than... Maybe it's a good idea to enhance the penalty to a state jail felony, but what about treatment options? Because a lot of times, I would expect people that are being caught driving under the influence on numerous occasions probably are ill. They probably are alcoholics, which is something that needs to be, in my opinion, looked at through a treatment lens and not through a punitive lens.

Yeah, I think if we're gonna do this, we need to at the same time work in terms of the rehabilitation issue. Because that's where we really need to put a lot of our effort as well. There's already penalties for felony DWIs. There's already a penalty if you have a, it's already a felony if you have a child under the age of X for you know, driving while intoxicated. It's already a felony for that. And that's a serious offense, having, you know, somebody in the vehicle who's not voluntarily of their own will there, right? And so I think that that's appropriate. These other issues I think we, you know, need to take a look at while some of these other states have done that. I'd like to see us, if we're going to do this, at the same time work on like what Commissioner Stout mentioned, more rehabilitative issues and programs that we need to make sure that we're going to try and treat these individuals. We don't have the resources here locally. For the longest of time, we didn't have, like for example, we don't have an inpatient treatment program here for DWI for the felony offenses. We got to send them out some other place. We don't. Lubbock's the closest one. They're smaller than us.

So we will not proceed with this item until the court notifies us that you're ready, that you've discussed it further with the DA, or that you're ready for us to move forward with that item. That's what I'm hearing.

Well, could we plan to discuss it more during our work session with our lobbyists?

Yeah.

Yes. So many unknown answers.

Yeah.

And there's some things that sort of go against the Promise Program where we're trying to do something to rehabilitate and sort of taking that away from Well, I think we go in two different directions.

Right. The Penal Code establishes reasons for imposing a sentence. And it's retribution, punishment, rehabilitation. When we put people on probation, we say, well, our focus here is going to be on rehabilitating these people. So what are we doing about that? we know that going through the system in itself is a punishment. And also probation is really a punishment because it's pretty strict. Some of these terms that they have to abide by are pretty strict. So I think we need to just you know, weigh in those one with the other? Am I open to something, you know, raising that to maybe a state jail? Maybe so. But I think at the same time, we need to make sure that the state provides us more resources locally, because in the past, locally here, it's been dismal what we have for women involved in probation, and especially for DWIs and others. So I think we need a comprehensive approach to it, not just on the punishment side. That's my initial take.

And I think they're, I'm not sure if this is also being pushed by law enforcement or the sheriffs, the DAs. But I don't think we should carry the water for them if they wanna, sheriffs association, the DAs associations, they have their own lobbyists too. They can carry the water on this type of legislation if that's what they want.

Well, I don't mind taking a look at it. I just think we need to take a comprehensive approach at it.

Thank you. The next slide, Alisa.

The next slide.

Sorry, I don't have it on.

Okay. These two were, I think we discussed them briefly last session, about enhancing our tournillo port of entry. We don't think that number one, like tolls are not something that the legislature wants to take up and then funding is limited. So we decided that if we are going to request funding next session for something, it shouldn't be on the turning of port of entry because there's other needs that are more feasible that maybe we're more likely to get like the disabled veterans payments and the funding for the welding center. So we decided to leave them to a future legislative session and not include them this year, unless I'm missing anything from economic development, but that's my understanding. And then the last item I think is from our sheriff department. I think this proposal is, We might gain some traction with the sheriff's associations. They also have, like Commissioner Stott mentioned, lobby teams that will make recommendations. So for now, we were thinking to holding off on supporting until we see the final language and until we see more specifics as to what they're requesting in terms of regulating drone activity and also the funding required for that technology. I think there's special software that there were a lot of questions to be answered how that software would work, how much it costs. And so we're holding off for now. And also on the judiciary, we're still waiting on their submissions. And again, this is a living document. So as soon as we receive those, we can come back to the court to take action. Do we have any questions or comments on these items or motion?

No.

Awesome. I THINK THAT'S IT FOR TODAY, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS, UNLESS THERE'S ANY MORE QUESTIONS OR ANY OTHER ITEMS THAT WE NEED TO DISCUSS.

No.

Thank you, Lisa. I think you're doing a great job. Yeah, Lisa, great job. I hope sometimes as we're going back and forth, you don't feel like we're shooting the messenger, okay? Because I know you're trying so hard to do the right things, and you put in a lot of hours. So we want to thank you for your patience and what we're trying to accomplish. So thank you so much for what you do.

Thank you, Judge.

Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you. Thank you.

Judge, commissioners, do you want a break for an hour?

Please. Dang, I forgot to order lunch.

Commissioners, court will recess for one hour. It is 1.03 p.m.

Hola, El Paso! It started to get hot in May and El Paso County is keeping you cool with some of the activities going on across our county. In the eastern part of the county off I-10 and Horizon Boulevard, El Paso County, in partnership with the Lower Valley Water District, proudly announced the completion of the Panorama Village Unit 1 and 2 first-time wastewater project. This is a major infrastructure initiative that brings modern sewer service to a community that previously relied on septic tank systems for wastewater management. To commemorate the completion of the project, El Paso County U.S. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and the Lower Valley Water District hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony in the Panorama Village neighborhood. Funding for the project was provided through the American Rescue Plan Act under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program. Through this initiative, El Paso County invested in critical water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in underserved communities to support public health, economic recovery, and long-term infrastructure resilience. The Enrico Moreno County Courthouse was the site for a civic engagement celebration. County employees as well as participants from El Paso, Socorro, Isleta, and Fabens school districts participated in the PACE citizenship classes. PACE, which stands for Pathway to American Citizenship for Employees, is a program provided by the El Paso County's Office of New Americans. This year, 80 participants dedicated their time to learn English, prepare for citizenship, and become more engaged in their communities, all while balancing work and family responsibilities. The participants had a chance to tour the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse to see how local county government works and to become familiar with the many resources available to them. It's time to cool off as the temperature rises in our Chihuahuan Desert. All three of El Paso County's pools have opened for the summer season. The Azcárate Aquatic Center, Canotillo, and Fabens pools are available for the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Access to the pools have a low entry cost of $1 for kids at Fabens and Canotillo, $2 at Azcárate. In addition, swimming lessons are being provided at each location starting at $40 for eight lessons. El Paso County remains committed to providing safe and welcoming recreational spaces for families to gather and stay active. Don't say there's nothing to do this summer. Our Illumina Public Library has their Kids Club events in full swing. From space-themed story time to an astronaut scavenger hunt right outside, kids will have an out-of-this-world experience. Many other activities are available throughout the week, including a summer reading club. Located in the Agua Dulce neighborhood, the County's Illumina Public Library is offering activities for kids to discover that learning, reading, creating, and teamwork is fun! Thanks for watching this month's County Connects. Stay tuned and make sure to stay connected with

Thank you.

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, paralegals, 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 adult 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 915-273-3533 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.

you

Hola, El Paso! It started to get hot in May and El Paso County is keeping you cool with some of the activities going on across our county. In the eastern part of the county off I-10 and Horizon Boulevard, El Paso County, in partnership with the Lower Valley Water District, proudly announced the completion of the Panorama Village Unit 1 and 2 first-time wastewater project. This is a major infrastructure initiative that brings modern sewer service to a community that previously relied on septic tank systems for wastewater management. To commemorate the completion of the project, El Paso County U.S. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and the Lower Valley Water District hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony in the Panorama Village neighborhood. Funding for the project was provided through the American Rescue Plan Act under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program. Through this initiative, El Paso County invested in critical water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in underserved communities to support public health, economic recovery, and long-term infrastructure resilience. The Enrico Moreno County Courthouse was the site for a civic engagement celebration. County employees, as well as participants from El Paso, Socorro, Isleta, and Fabens school districts, participated in the PACE citizenship classes. PACE, which stands for Pathway to American Citizenship for Employees, is a program provided by the El Paso County's Office of New Americans. This year, 80 participants dedicated their time to learn English, prepare for citizenship, and become more engaged in their communities, all while balancing work and family responsibilities. The participants had a chance to tour the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse to see how local county government works and to become familiar with the many resources available to them. It's time to cool off as the temperature rises in our Chihuahuan Desert. All three of El Paso County's pools have opened for the summer season. The Azcárate Aquatic Center, Canotillo, and Fabens pools are available for the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Access to the pools have a low entry cost of $1 for kids at Fabens and Canotillo, $2 at Azcárate. In addition, swimming lessons are being provided at each location starting at $40 for eight lessons. El Paso County remains committed to providing safe and welcoming recreational spaces for families to gather and stay active. Don't say there's nothing to do this summer. Our Illumina Public Library has their Kids Club events in full swing. From space themed story time to an astronaut scavenger hunt right outside, kids will have an out of this world experience. Many other activities are available throughout the week, including a summer reading club. Located in the Agua Dulce neighborhood, the County's Illumina Public Library is offering activities for kids to discover that learning, reading, creating, and teamwork is fun! Thanks for watching this month's County Connects. Stay tuned and make sure to stay connected with

Thank you.

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, paralegals, 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 adult 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 915-273-3533 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.

Hola, El Paso! It started to get hot in May and El Paso County is keeping you cool with some of the activities going on across our county. In the eastern part of the county off I-10 and Horizon Boulevard, El Paso County, in partnership with the Lower Valley Water District, proudly announced the completion of the Panorama Village Unit 1 and 2 first-time wastewater project. This is a major infrastructure initiative that brings modern sewer service to a community that previously relied on septic tank systems for wastewater management. To commemorate the completion of the project, El Paso County U.S. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and the Lower Valley Water District hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony in the Panorama Village neighborhood. Funding for the project was provided through the American Rescue Plan Act under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program. Through this initiative, El Paso County invested in critical water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in underserved communities to support public health, economic recovery, and long-term infrastructure resilience. The Enrico Moreno County Courthouse was the site for a civic engagement celebration. County employees, as well as participants from El Paso, Socorro, Isleta, and Fabens school districts, participated in the PACE Citizenship Classes. PACE, which stands for Pathway to American Citizenship for Employees, is a program provided by the El Paso County's Office of New Americans. This year, 80 participants dedicated their time to learn English, prepare for citizenship, and become more engaged in their communities, all while balancing work and family responsibilities. The participants had a chance to tour the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse to see how local county government works and to become familiar with the many resources available to them. It's time to cool off as the temperature rises in our Chihuahuan Desert. All three of El Paso County's pools have opened for the summer season. The Azcárate Aquatic Center, Canotillo, and Fabens pools are available for the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Access to the pools have a low entry cost of $1 for kids at Fabens and Canotillo, $2 at Azcárate. In addition, swimming lessons are being provided at each location starting at $40 for eight lessons. El Paso County remains committed to providing safe and welcoming recreational spaces for families to gather and stay active. Don't say there's nothing to do this summer. Our Illumina Public Library has their Kids Club events in full swing. From space-themed story time to an astronaut scavenger hunt right outside, kids will have an out-of-this-world experience. Many other activities are available throughout the week, including a summer reading club. Located in the Agua Dulce neighborhood, the County's Illumina Public Library is offering activities for kids to discover that learning, reading, creating, and teamwork is fun! Thanks for watching this month's County Connects. Stay tuned and make sure to stay connected with

Thank you.

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, paralegals, 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 adult 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 915-273-3533 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.

Thank you.

Hola, El Paso! It started to get hot in May and El Paso County is keeping you cool with some of the activities going on across our county. In the eastern part of the county off I-10 and Horizon Boulevard, El Paso County, in partnership with the Lower Valley Water District, proudly announced the completion of the Panorama Village Unit 1 and 2 first-time wastewater project. This is a major infrastructure initiative that brings modern sewer service to a community that previously relied on septic tank systems for wastewater management. To commemorate the completion of the project, El Paso County U.S. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and the Lower Valley Water District hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony in the Panorama Village neighborhood. Funding for the project was provided through the American Rescue Plan Act under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program. Through this initiative, El Paso County invested in critical water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in underserved communities to support public health, economic recovery, and long-term infrastructure resilience. The Enrico Moreno County Courthouse was the site for a civic engagement celebration. County employees, as well as participants from El Paso, Socorro, Isleta, and Fabens school districts participated in the PACE citizenship classes. PACE, which stands for Pathway to American Citizenship for Employees, is a program provided by the El Paso County's Office of New Americans. This year, 80 participants dedicated their time to learn English, prepare for citizenship, and become more engaged in their communities, all while balancing work and family responsibilities. The participants had a chance to tour the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse to see how local county government works and to become familiar with the many resources available to them. It's time to cool off as the temperature rises in our Chihuahuan Desert. All three of El Paso County's pools have opened for the summer season. The Azcárate Aquatic Center, Canotillo, and Fabens pools are available for the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Access to the pools have a low entry cost of $1 for kids at Fabens and Canotillo, $2 at Azcárate. In addition, swimming lessons are being provided at each location starting at $40 for eight lessons. El Paso County remains committed to providing safe and welcoming recreational spaces for families to gather and stay active. Don't say there's nothing to do this summer. Our Illumina Public Library has their Kids Club events in full swing. From space themed story time to an astronaut scavenger hunt right outside, kids will have an out of this world experience. Many other activities are available throughout the week, including a summer reading club. Located in the Agua Dulce neighborhood, the County's Illumina Public Library is offering activities for kids to discover that learning, reading, creating, and teamwork is fun! Thanks for watching this month's County Connects. Stay tuned and make sure to stay connected with

Thank you.

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, paralegals, 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 adult 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 915-273-3533 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.

Hola, El Paso! It's started to get hot in May and El Paso County is keeping you cool with some of the activities going on across our county. In the eastern part of the county off I-10 and Horizon Boulevard, El Paso County, in partnership with the Lower Valley Water District, proudly announced the completion of the Panorama Village Unit 1 and 2 first-time wastewater project. This is a major infrastructure initiative that brings modern sewer service to a community that previously relied on septic tank systems for wastewater management. To commemorate the completion of the project, El Paso County U.S. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and the Lower Valley Water District hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Panorama Village neighborhood. Funding for the project was provided through the American Rescue Plan Act under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program. Through this initiative, El Paso County invested in critical water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in underserved communities to support public health, economic recovery, and long-term infrastructure resilience. The Enrico Moreno County Courthouse was the site for a civic engagement celebration. County employees as well as participants from El Paso, Socorro, Isleta, and Fabens school districts participated in the PACE citizenship classes. PACE, which stands for Pathway to American Citizenship for Employees, is a program provided by the El Paso County's Office of New Americans. This year, 80 participants dedicated their time to learn English, prepare for citizenship, and become more engaged in their communities, all while balancing work and family responsibilities. The participants had a chance to tour the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse to see how local county government works and to become familiar with the many resources available to them. It's time to cool off as the temperature rises in our Chihuahuan Desert. All three of El Paso County's pools have opened for the summer season. The Azcárate Aquatic Center, Canotillo, and Fabens pools are available for the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Access to the pools have a low entry cost of $1 for kids at Fabens and Canotillo, $2 at Azcárate. In addition, swimming lessons are being provided at each location starting at $40 for eight lessons. El Paso County remains committed to providing safe and welcoming recreational spaces for families to gather and stay active. Don't say there's nothing to do this summer. Our Illumina Public Library has their Kids Club events in full swing. From space-themed story time to an astronaut scavenger hunt right outside, kids will have an out-of-this-world experience. Many other activities are available throughout the week, including a summer reading club. Located in the Agua Dulce neighborhood, the County's Illumina Public Library is offering activities for kids to discover that learning, reading, creating, and teamwork is fun! Thanks for watching this month's County Connects. Stay tuned and make sure to stay connected with...

so

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, paralegals, and administrative staff who assist with the collection and enforcement of child support and medical support. Domestic Relations Office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies

Okay, go ahead. Good afternoon.

Commissioner's court has reconvened into regular open session. It is 2 11 PM.

We are on item number eight B discuss and take appropriate action regarding the commissioner's court special meeting of July 16th, 2026 and the regular meeting of July 20th, 2026.

Good afternoon, judge commissioners. I placed this item. I know that we will have, uh, members of the court representing the county at NACO on July 20th. And so we're asking that that meeting be canceled and then wanted to see, I believe on July 16th, there might be some challenges with quorum, um, and see if the court wanted to either reschedule or cancel that meeting as well. The two dates are July 16th and July 20th.

20th is the Monday. 20th is the Monday. Yeah, so I'll be gone that Monday.

Yeah, so will I.

So that day, I don't believe we have a quorum.

We won't have a quorum here.

And the 16th, I think we may have a quorum issue as well. I don't know. I know, Commissioner O'Geen, you'll be here. I'll be here. But I think the judge may have some conflicts that day. I'm traveling that day. You're traveling that day. And Commissioner Stout's already traveled. Yeah, I'll be in NACO. So I think the 16th, we either need to reschedule or we need to cancel. I think those cancels. Special session, right?

What was planned? Do we already know?

We did have some community updates on strategic plan as part of our checking in with different entities on their strategic goals. And we also had, let me pull up, Michelle, can you pull up the July 16th agenda?

And pull it up as well. Those are the only two items on the agenda right now. Yes, Betsy, it's just that and then the strategic plan updates.

I think everybody's held off on adding. There was nothing else. So, anything else we'd have to move to a Monday. Anything else that comes up, we'd put on a Monday.

So, what would it look like now at this point?

Right now, we have a strategic plan update.

Okay.

And we have outside entities coming to do a presentation, but we can reschedule those for August.

Who are the outside entities?

I believe one of them was the city of El Paso. Let me pull just a second.

The 20th.

The 20th, Monday the 20th. And right now. But just one day? We're talking about Thursday the 16th.

The 16th and the 20th.

The Thursday meeting on the 16th and the Monday meeting on the 20th.

And I do think that one, if it is the city, it would be helpful for the majority to be here. And so I think rescheduling that would be okay.

Yeah, so two of them.

So is there a motion to cancel July 16th and July 20th? We'll postpone. Do you want us to reschedule the July 16th and find a date?

Because if the city's coming, that's an important one. Find a new date.

Well, we would work with them to find a new date. You wouldn't be postponing the items, you would just be canceling the meeting.

Yeah.

Okay? Okay. So we would need a motion to cancel July 16th and July 20th. Staff will work with those who are on the 16th to reschedule.

We have a motion from Judge Samaniego, a second from Commissioner Butler. Voting is open.

Mine's not coming up. I vote aye.

Thank you, Commissioner Holguin. Commissioner Stout?

Aye.

Thank you. Motion carries.

Thank you.

Item number 9A, purchasing. Approve and authorize the purchase of as-needed technology solutions, products, and related services for El Paso County, Texas, using the Interlocal Purchasing Systems Contract 260105, awarded to SQL Data Systems Incorporated of Austin, Texas. Catalog pricing for any goods and services offered on the vendor's TIPS contract.

contract for an estimated yearly expenditure of three million dollars purchasing approved on april 27 2026 funding is available in various accounts good afternoon karen good afternoon judge good afternoon commissioners karen davidson your county purchasing agent and this is an estimated three million dollar purchase we would like for you all to approve and authorize and it's an as needed technology with our managing partner, SQL. We are doing it off a cooperative, which is the TIPS cooperative, and we do work with ITD to track their expenses. It's a master service agreement, and they go through the existing network infrastructure, the system architecture, the overall performance, and our daily operation management of our network, and they bill us as they go, so that's why it's an estimated three million. So as much services as we need, we use, and we don't exceed that amount. But again, it's a cooperative purchase and we're asking for your approval and authorization today. I can answer any procurement questions and I have ITD on the line if you have operational questions.

Thank you, Karen.

One moment, Judge. We have a motion to approve the item from Judge Samaniego, a second from Commissioner Holguin. Voting is open. Coronado?

I vote aye.

Thank you, sir. Motion carries.

Thank you, Court.

Thank you, Karen. Item number 10A from Public Works. Discuss and take appropriate action regarding regional transportation planning and funding

and the county's input on the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization's upcoming Transportation Policy Board meeting agenda.

Good afternoon, Judge and Commissioners. George Reyes, Associate Planner with Planning and Development. There's a couple of items for Friday's agenda. The normal day for the MPO was pushed to this coming Friday due to the Juneteenth meeting, which is why I'm here today on a Monday. We're gonna get started on the first item. Consider approval of an amendment to the El Paso MPO attendance policy requiring in-person attendance by TPB members at the TPB meetings. So at the April 10th, 2026 meeting, the executive committee directed MPO staff to propose amended policy language that will allow the TPB chair to grant exemptions, allowing for virtual attendance under specific circumstances. The current policy actually imposes a stricter requirement on a TPB member to be counted as present for each meeting that's permitted by the Texas Open Meetings Act. The Texas Open Meetings Act allows for meetings to be held via video conference call only if the member of the governmental body presiding over the meeting is physically present at one location of the meeting that is open to the public during the open portions of the meeting. So the proposed Transportation Policy Board attendance policy is the following. It first requires a TPB member to be physically present at TPB meetings to be counted as present. does not permit remote or virtual attendance unless an exemption is granted by the TPP chairperson. It allows the TPP chairperson to consider virtual attendance requests on a case-by-case basis and requires requests for virtual attendance exemptions to be submitted at least one week prior to the scheduled TPP meeting. And this policy also clarifies that the existing attendance provisions contained in the TPP bylaws will remain in effect. TPAC did not hear this item, but the executive committee approved the recommended language that the TPB will be presenting to you all on Friday.

Any questions?

Okay.

I'm sorry. Keep going, George. Sorry.

Item number three is consider approval of amendment to the El Paso MPO bylaws. The executive committee was also looking at the bylaws as a whole for the organization during their April 10th and May 15th meetings, and they agreed to forward the proposed amendments to the TPB for consideration by the full board. The proposed amendments include the following. TPB membership. The executive committee is recommending reducing the number of Texas state representatives voting seats from five to four and adding non-voting, non-member representative for any Texas state representative whose district includes a portion outside of the El Paso and Peel area. Another change for the Texas part of the board would be to remove the El Paso International Airport voting seat. The next portion is for the New Mexico part of the board. It's going to be they're recommending removal of the New Mexico state representative and the New Mexico state senator voting seats. And they want to add the South Central Regional Transit District as a voting member. The proposed outcome of this would be reducing the total members, total number of voting TPB members from 30 to 27, which also reduces the quorum requirement from 16 to 24. I mean, sorry, 16 to 14. And then to TPAC, they want to just add the New Mexico border authority as a member entity. TPAC did not hear this item, but as I said, the executive committee did recommend approval of this one. Any questions?

I'm sorry, I was just gonna say, just to give a little bit of background. So the purpose of this item really was to look at membership, but specifically at how quorum is affected. So we've only had to cancel, well, the last meeting we had to cancel for not having quorum was in May of last year, so it's been about a year. So we don't have to cancel meetings, thankfully, very often for not having quorum. But at every single meeting, quorum is an issue. We sometimes start a little bit later because we're waiting for enough members to arrive. MPO staff has a difficult time getting confirmation of attendance from folks before the meeting, so they never know if we're going to have quorum any particular meeting date so we looked at for example the New Mexico State Rep and the New Mexico State Senator that were currently listed as members they've never participated for like as long as anyone can remember so we looked we focused really on the seats where there really was not a lot of participation but but the goal was to really reduce that quorum number that we needed to make it a little bit easier for staff to know whether or not the meeting was going to be able to proceed

14 would be really safe.

So that's that's the goal. That was the purpose of this item.

And the actual I know you hit the like some of the key points that were in their agenda, but in the backup there's actually a few more things that it looks like maybe clean up where they're actually changing the language from on the regional transit to be specific to epats instead of county. So the backup actually includes a little bit more changes in the red line than what the bullet points on the agenda mentioned? Yes. Just so we're aware of that.

Yes, I believe those were at the previous one, the previous meeting back in May. And then I think they're going to approve the bylaws as a whole now. So thank you for that.

And then it referenced the Exhibit A and that wasn't attached.

Right.

Anything else? Okay, and then there's just one more item. Consider approval of the amendment to the RMS 2025-2028 TIP RMS 2027-2030 tip and the 2050 MTP and 2052 MTP for the fiscal year 2026 South Central Regional Transit District electric buses acquisition project using 4.7 million of FTA 5339C low no emission vehicle program funds for fiscal year 2027. The South Central Regional Transit District over in New Mexico was awarded a grant from the FTA for their low or no emission vehicle program. The funding will be used to purchase four hybrid electric buses to support new regional express transit service connecting Las Cruces, Anthony, Sunland Park, and downtown El Paso. The project will enhance regional mobility and support future transit connections to the El Paso International Airport. And that's it for the agenda. Five and six are just executive director reports and progress status reports. Any questions? All right. Thank you.

Thank you, George. Thank you, George. Thank you.

Thank you.

We'll take no action for item 10A.

Item number 10B, receive a presentation regarding the ETA Vamanos Van Pool Program.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, Judge Commissioners. Jesus Serna, Transit Planner for ETA. And today you will see a presentation on ETA Abominable Services and the benefits and it brings the employees and the employees and the opportunities available to expand participation through El Paso County. And I'll now like to turn it over to Mr. Ryan Stern, Sales Executive with Enterprise Commute for the presentation.

Thank you. Yes, I appreciate that. All right. Good afternoon, Judge San Diego and commissioners. I appreciate the opportunity to present today on the voluminous vanpool program. Again, my name is Ryan Stern. I'm with Commute with Enterprise. I am the sales executive. We are partnered with El Paso County and the El Paso Transit Authority in supporting the voluminous vanpool program, supporting regional workforce and employee transportation across El Paso County and also southern New Mexico. So for today, I'd like to take and share the opportunity to update the program and how we are supporting our local workforce in El Paso County and also the surrounding areas. So how does van pulling work? So van pulling is pretty simple and easy. Basically works like a carpool, but on a larger scale. So we connect employees based on the size of the group. It's going to be anywhere from four to seven participants for a seven passenger SUV. and eight to 15 participants for a larger 15-passenger van. Through enterprise, each group receives a recent model SUV or van fully supported and maintained as part of the program. We work with the group to find a convenient meetup spot that's typically going to be a park and ride or a lot where they can leave their own personal vehicles. The group has many options. and gets to choose what works best for them. The group creates their own schedules and rotates driving responsibilities, and also the van pool provides many benefits that are already included within the program. So I'd like to highlight a few of the key benefits that make our program a full turnkey solution for the participants itself. First, we provide everything participants need for a safe and reliable commute. Enterprise ensures and protects every vehicle, bumper to bumper, including liability coverage. All maintenance is coordinated through our network of approved vendors across El Paso County, and all costs are covered through Commute with Enterprise. 24-7 roadside assistance is also included, ensuring that if something happens on the road, support is available immediately, day or night, for the participants. And finally, participants have flexibility in how they manage their VAMPL. They can self-serve through our mobile app, or they can also reach out directly to our local team for daily support on the operational support. So a van pulling is an integral part of a holistic public transportation system. A van pulling does a good job to help to fill transit gaps where folks may not have access to more traditional modes or fixed route service based on their home or work location and shift hours. VOMNOS helps to expand your fixed route service and reach more members of our community. Now, our partnership with El Paso County has spanned for over a decade, providing turnkey public vanpool service through Voluminous Vanpool. So what does our partnership look like today? First, I want to highlight the county's direct investment in supporting workforce mobility. El Paso County provides a $500 subsidy per month per vanpool. This $500 buys down the full cost of the vanpool to the end user. A vanpool qualifies for the subsidy as long as the commute starts and or ends within El Paso County, providing service to employees and employers of El Paso County and its surrounding areas. Today we have over 134 active vanpools participating within the Vulnerable Vanpool Program. That number reflects strong participation and shows that employers and employees across choosing vanpooling as a reliable, cost-effective transportation solution. So we not only want to support the employers and employees across El Paso County, we're also committed to supporting El Paso County employees directly. With the direction and support of John Ando, the director of El Paso Transit Authority, we are planning to relaunch initiatives to ensure county employees can benefit from the Vulnerable Vehicle Program itself. So with more than 3,000 employed by the county, this initiative directly supports employees by reducing miles on our own personal vehicles. lowering commuting costs, and easing the parking challenges downtown. So the numbers you see on the screen reflect and represent an early adoption of the program, and we anticipate continued growth as more employees begin to utilize the service over time. Now, Commute with Enterprise, we partner with over 1,500 companies nationwide, and our program helps to support several business parties, that our partners say they're focused on in today's workforce. So just to highlight one, and for an example, recruitment and retention. Our program provides a competitive advantage for our partners when it comes to recruiting and hiring new employees, as well as retaining valuable employees. This helps our partners expand the recruiting radius and strengthens their benefits package. Van pulling helps reduce the cost and burden of a commute, so employees have an easier and more affordable way to get to work. This is a list of our current partners that are utilizing and participating within the vanpool program. We have a strong relationship with our federal and military installations locally. We're also working hard to diversify our book of business by engaging with other B2B partners as this is a strong focus as we head into our fiscal 27. And then through our partnership, this mapping analysis shows how VOMINOS is supporting residents across El Paso County. Each dot and X on the map represents the origin of a vanpool within our local community, illustrating the reach and impact of the program. So today the program supports 747 total participants. Each vanpool represents fewer cars on the road, reducing parking demands, and improved access to employment across the county, all the way from Kenyatillo to San Elizario. So I appreciate the opportunity to present to you all today on the Volumes of Vanpool program, and I open it up to any questions you may have.

So I'm sorry, you said the circles are the pickup points?

Yeah, so all the circles and the Xs itself are all the vanpools within our local community.

And what's the difference between, is there a difference between the X and the circle?

There's not. It's just the way that our mapping analysis, how you have to build it, it has either Xs or circles. But there's no difference. So these are all where the vanpools are actually starting supporting those residents that are living within that area, those citizens. And then they go to their different places of work.

Are vanpools typically initiated by the employees or the employers?

So with our program, we like to support the employers, and then with that support, then we go and we talk with the employees itself. So we work directly with the employer, and then we will work directly with employees after that.

So if we had an employer in mind that might benefit from this program because of the long commutes, we can refer them to?

Oh, absolutely. Please, yeah. That would be great. Great. Thank you. Yeah, we like to set this up as a benefit through the employer itself for their employees. So every single employer that I do work with, I have a point of contact with them. We go through business reviews of the actual program just to make sure that we have a strong, healthy program for their employees. And then they basically allow us to have access to go and talk with their employees in providing this program for them.

That's a really great program. Thank you. Thank you for the presentation.

Appreciate that.

Add to we are engaging with economic development to get in target and get with these targets with these potential employers. So we are taking a step as well.

Thank you.

Questions. All right. Thank you for your time. Anything additional? Betsy? Any additional comments or?

Perfect. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

We appreciate it.

Judge, commissioners, we do need to be in executive session by about 2.50. Would you, Carmen, do you think you could have, is your presentation less than 15 minutes?

Yes, I could point out the highlights really fast. Okay. Okay. Okay.

Item number 11A from budget and finance. Receive a presentation and update regarding the El Paso County fiscal year 26 budget.

Good afternoon. Judge, commissioners, budget and finance director. Just really a quick overview. This is June's highlights. This is the budget that's been adopted for fiscal year 2026. And I'm just going to go right into it. This is the general fund reserves revenues that we received today through May 31st 2026 as you can see in the slide there our year-to-date revenues are 364 million nine hundred twenty we received sixteen point eight million dollars in May of this of this year and so we still have about I We've collected 87.81%, so we still have a little bit to collect over all of the total available funds at 73.65. On the next slide, you can see some of the areas, some of the categories have already been exceeded. That green bar shows us we're already over 100% collections. Of course, we've already collected the vehicle inventory taxes budget. Now we've collected $106,000. almost 3% of the miscellaneous, the charges for services almost 104%, representing the inmate detainee revenues, and then our intergovernmental revenues of 112%, predominantly state revenues that we received that we were not necessarily budgeted for, we under budgeted for those. So you can start to see some of the revenues coming in, and that leads right into our projections. Year-to-date revenues, as I indicated, we've collected $364.9 million, and our projection is about $21,875,000 to the better, a projection of $437,455,000 And that's really gonna form the basis for our fiscal year 2027 estimates as we go into that budget. So again, the main increases, I'm sorry, I'm trying to go a little fast, are the sales and use tax, about $6 million, and then the intergovernmental revenues at 2.7, and again, the charge for services where we're seeing revenues at $11.6 million over budget.

Carmen, I'm sorry, before we move on from this slide. So it looks like we expect to be over about $6 million in the sales and use tax collection from what we budgeted. But just a couple of slides ago, it looks like we're a little bit behind in the collections. We've only collected about 51% of sales and use tax. So is that like a timing issue?

It is absolutely a timing difference. So in this past year in 25, we picked up another month. So at the end, we'll accrue two months. And so we'll catch up. Okay. By the end of the year.

And exceed budget for that reason.

Yes, ma'am. Okay, that's a good question.

Cells, and we can talk about the impact of a major event we had?

Yes, we have not yet received the impact of that event yet, but we have received the month of May, and it was quite a bit more. I think it was over a million dollars more than prior month. Right, Michael?

I'm looking for that number, Carmen.

Yeah, we did. It was over about $7 million, which was considerably more, and that does not include the BTS event. I think the one... That's the one you're referring to.

I thought we just got them, and it does, because the BTS event was May 2nd and 3rd, I think, or something like that weekend.

Michael, I'm the first assistant county auditor. For June 12th, we received $7 million, and this is for April 2026 sales and use taxes.

Okay. We're still waiting on that for May. But we did get, I guess that would have been April's number that we recorded May. We did get over $7 million, is what I remember. And so we do anticipate getting better numbers next month when we report on sales tax.

Again, Michael, I'm a first assistant county auditor. As far as hotel occupancy taxes, we also saw a large increase on that. We saw collections of 395,000, or almost 100%. larger than last year, 91.75%.

And that for what month was that?

For collections for May.

For May, okay. So hotel occupancy, we did see that May bump.

So we're hopeful that they'll continue to improve. Okay. So then going back here, the comparison year over year, again, we can see the improvement there. We have over actuals, over $32.7 million in actual variance, 2.53 in revenue. So we are collecting more than at this point in 2025. Looking at our expenditures here, our May expenses as anticipated, $38,856,000. Our actuals year to date are $256,805,000 and our encumbrances remain about the same amount, $22.5 million. Our remaining budget was $222,931,000. So we spent or committed to date 55.61%. We always look at where we're at this point during the year, and we are at 66.7% of the year that's been elapsed, and so that number overall is still under that number. I do want to point out this public safety. We are at 65.3% without encumbrances, slightly over the target spend, but I did want to talk a little bit about that in an upcoming slide. Here are the comparison year over year. We are... right about the same amount that we were in the prior year as far as dollar variance of $1,287,000. Our actual percent variance though is just under 3% difference between the amount percentage that's spent, 51.13% versus 54.11% spent at this point in time during the year. I did want to give you an update on the Sheriff's Office because it is pretty close to that 66.67%. We continue to monitor this. We continue to work with the Sheriff's Office to make sure that they are staying under their budget. Here is just an overview of their original budget, was $135,698,000, with additional additional items that came over $138,247,000. So far we spent $92,169,000 and we have not spent $46,078,000. So the amount that we've actually spent, we are right at that marker. 66.67%. If we add in the encumbrances of $10,394,000 consisting predominantly of the medical cost contract there for the detention facility and the jail annex of almost $9.8 million, we are about 74.19% spent. And so some of the budgets are already exceeding now in the month of June. And so we're working very closely with the Sheriff's Office. You know, I've spoken to Ms. Keller about it, and we're just going to continue to monitor that. But I just wanted to share that information with you so that you are all aware as well. Now looking at our bond budget, again, as of May 31st, this is just a spend budget. where we're at for the first issuance. We are starting to see some of the requisitions go into issuance B. So imagine next month once they convert to encumbrances, I'll have that split to advise you of those that spend today in the encumbrances for that issuance because right now we have spent $3.3 million of issuance A and we've encumbered $5,555,000, leaving us a budget of $3.1 million. I want to just give you a brief update on the budgets. We have been working very hard with all of the departments. I really want to thank all of them for all of the work, the collaboration. It's really refreshing to be in an organization that has those open doors and to be able to collaborate. We did work with them to determine if they had that target reduction of 2% across the board or why couldn't they meet that. And so we did send out a preliminary email to all of the ones that we had checked the box and we have, we're working through those appeals that come through the office, the budget office. There are some departments here that haven't met the 2% reduction. We're still working with them to try to get them there. We'll continue to do that. We are looking, for example, at the courts. They do have some statutory requirements where they need a certain amount of staffing and so forth. One of the things that we were able to garner this year is really streamlining all of their ops to an equal amount. So all the courts get an equal amount. And so I just think there are other efficiencies that were gained during this process as well. And we're going to continue to work with them as we get to an actual recommended budget to the court. Here's some upcoming key meetings and deadlines that we have. We've got a full calendar for July. We have our community budget outreach here in a couple of days. That is an in-person meeting here in the courtroom here. And so that's open to the public. And then on July 6th, we hope to come back to the court and have some revenue information, schedule of fees, the estimated fund balance. We'll have our virtual meeting on July 8th and then our Precinct 3 meeting on July 15th. And then I think in light of the postponements for July 16th and 20th, we'll have to move those around. And then on July 25th, we'll get the final CAD numbers. And actually, that's a Saturday, so we'll get them on July 24th. And here's just a brief overview of the rest of the month's information so that you have that as well. And then this is the same slide. This is the same slide you've seen before. Again, these are all the things that we're working on. The green are the ones that we've addressed in the budget. The yellow we are still looking at. And of course the red are not in the budget because they do pertain to a future year. And then we have gone through three of the precincts and we still have three more meetings to go and so we just continue to make sure that our community has the information that they need in order to know that this court is making good decisions with regards to its budget. We have also put a new community outreach link on our website. where people can go in and see the presentations as well as see the schedule and just more information regarding community outreach. Plus, we've also put a link out there for our budget transparency portal that was an idea that came out of the precinct meetings. And so we've put that in our website so that people can go out and look directly at the, can link directly from our website to the public transparency portal. Just make it a little bit easier for people to get that information. And so with that, any questions? A lot of information, I know. All right. Thank you so much. And I think I have the last item. Are we going to get through that one? OK.

Item number 11B. Approve budget amendment number 31A to the El Paso County's 2025-26 operating budget. This budgetary amendment is to transfer appropriations in the amount of $6,700 within the general fund from the sheriff's office jail maintenance to the sheriff's office headquarters substation maintenance to cover the cost for parts to repair the fire alarms at the sheriff's office headquarters.

This budgetary amendment will not increase or decrease the county of El Paso's twenty twenty five twenty twenty six overall operating budget of six hundred sixty nine million one hundred eighty two thousand three hundred and three dollars and ninety seven cents.

Thank you can judge commissioners community at the Candelaria budget finance department. This is a. budget amendment for the Sheriff's Office. It just transfers money from one division, the jail annex maintenance division to the headquarters maintenance division to cover the cost to repair the fire alarms at the SO headquarters. It is in the amount of $6,700 and we do recommend approval of this amendment.

We have a motion to approve from Commissioner Olguin, second from Commissioner Butler. The voting is open.

I vote aye.

Thank you, Commissioner. Motion carries.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, Coleman.

Thank you. Before we go into executive session, we do have a couple of items that we'd like to take action on. Item number 12D, from Executive Session, discuss litigation styled Loewen-Gonzalez versus El Paso County, cause number 2025, DCB 2945, county attorney case number 010725LD, pursuant to Texas government code section 551.071. We'd like to ask for a motion to delete this item along with the corresponding regular session item 13B.

Actually, I'm sorry, I wrote delete. It'll be postponement for one week.

And we have a motion from Judge Samaniego, a second from Commissioner Holguin. The voting is open. I vote aye. Thank you, Commissioner. Motion carries. Commissioner's Court will now recess into executive session to discuss items 12A through 12C and item 12E and 12F pursuant to Texas Government Code section 551.071, 551.074, and 551.087. Commissioner's Court will reconvene to take official action. It is 2.52 p.m.

Hola, El Paso! It started to get hot in May and El Paso County is keeping you cool with some of the activities going on across our county. In the eastern part of the county off I-10 and Horizon Boulevard, El Paso County, in partnership with the Lower Valley Water District, proudly announced the completion of the Panorama Village Unit 1 and 2 first-time wastewater project. This is a major infrastructure initiative that brings modern sewer service to a community that previously relied on septic tank systems for wastewater management. To commemorate the completion of the project, El Paso County U.S. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and the Lower Valley Water District hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony in the Panorama Village neighborhood. Funding for the project was provided through the American Rescue Plan Act under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program. Through this initiative, El Paso County invested in critical water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in underserved communities to support public health, economic recovery, and long-term infrastructure resilience. The Enrico Moreno County Courthouse was the site for a civic engagement celebration. County employees, as well as participants from El Paso, Socorro, Isleta, and Fabens school districts, participated in the PACE citizenship classes. PACE, which stands for Pathway to American Citizenship for Employees, is a program provided by the El Paso County's Office of New Americans. This year, 80 participants dedicated their time to learn English, prepare for citizenship, and become more engaged in their communities, all while balancing work and family responsibilities. The participants had a chance to tour the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse to see how local county government works and to become familiar with the many resources available to them. It's time to cool off as the temperature rises in our Chihuahuan Desert. All three of El Paso County's pools have opened for the summer season. The Azcárate Aquatic Center, Canotillo, and Fabens pools are available for the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Access to the pools have a low entry cost of $1 for kids at Fabens and Canotillo, $2 at Azcárate. In addition, swimming lessons are being provided at each location starting at $40 for eight lessons. El Paso County remains committed to providing safe and welcoming recreational spaces for families to gather and stay active. Don't say there's nothing to do this summer. Our Illumina Public Library has their Kids Club events in full swing. From space-themed story time to an astronaut scavenger hunt right outside, kids will have an out-of-this-world experience. Many other activities are available throughout the week, including a summer reading club. Located in the Agua Dulce neighborhood, the County's Illumina Public Library is offering activities for kids to discover that learning, reading, creating, and teamwork is fun! Thanks for watching this month's County Connects. Stay tuned and make sure to stay connected with

Thank you.

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, paralegals, 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 adult 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 915-273-3533 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.

Hola, El Paso! It started to get hot in May and El Paso County is keeping you cool with some of the activities going on across our county. In the eastern part of the county off I-10 and Horizon Boulevard, El Paso County, in partnership with the Lower Valley Water District, proudly announced the completion of the Panorama Village Unit 1 and 2 first-time wastewater project. This is a major infrastructure initiative that brings modern sewer service to a community that previously relied on septic tank systems for wastewater management. To commemorate the completion of the project, El Paso County U.S. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and the Lower Valley Water District hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Panorama Village neighborhood. Funding for the project was provided through the American Rescue Plan Act under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program. Through this initiative, El Paso County invested in critical water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in underserved communities to support public health, economic recovery, and long-term infrastructure resilience. The Enrico Moreno County Courthouse was the site for a civic engagement celebration. County employees as well as participants from El Paso, Socorro, Isleta, and Fabens school districts participated in the PACE citizenship classes. PACE, which stands for Pathway to American Citizenship for Employees, is a program provided by the El Paso County's Office of New Americans. This year, 80 participants dedicated their time to learn English, prepare for citizenship, and become more engaged in their communities, all while balancing work and family responsibilities. The participants had a chance to tour the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse to see how local county government works and to become familiar with the many resources available to them. It's time to cool off as the temperature rises in our Chihuahuan Desert. All three of El Paso County's pools have opened for the summer season. The Azcárate Aquatic Center, Canotillo, and Fabens pools are available for the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Access to the pools have a low entry cost of $1 for kids at Fabens and Canotillo, $2 at Azcárate. In addition, swimming lessons are being provided at each location starting at $40 for eight lessons. El Paso County remains committed to providing safe and welcoming recreational spaces for families to gather and stay active. Don't say there's nothing to do this summer. Our Illumina Public Library has their Kids Club events in full swing. From space themed story time to an astronaut scavenger hunt right outside, kids will have an out of this world experience. Many other activities are available throughout the week, including a summer reading club. Located in the Agua Dulce neighborhood, the County's Illumina Public Library is offering activities for kids to discover that learning, reading, creating, and teamwork is fun! Thanks for watching this month's County Connects. Stay tuned and make sure to stay connected with

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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, paralegals, 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 adult 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 915-273-3533 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.

Hola, El Paso! It started to get hot in May and El Paso County is keeping you cool with some of the activities going on across our county. In the eastern part of the county off I-10 and Horizon Boulevard, El Paso County, in partnership with the Lower Valley Water District, proudly announced the completion of the Panorama Village Unit 1 and 2 first-time wastewater project. This is a major infrastructure initiative that brings modern sewer service to a community that previously relied on septic tank systems for wastewater management. To commemorate the completion of the project, El Paso County U.S. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and the Lower Valley Water District hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony in the Panorama Village neighborhood. Funding for the project was provided through the American Rescue Plan Act under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program. Through this initiative, El Paso County invested in critical water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in underserved communities to support public health, economic recovery, and long-term infrastructure resilience. The Enrico Moreno County Courthouse was the site for a civic engagement celebration. County employees, as well as participants from El Paso, Socorro, Isleta, and Fabens school districts, participated in the PACE citizenship classes. PACE, which stands for Pathway to American Citizenship for Employees, is a program provided by the El Paso County's Office of New Americans. This year, 80 participants dedicated their time to learn English, prepare for citizenship, and become more engaged in their communities, all while balancing work and family responsibilities. The participants had a chance to tour the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse to see how local county government works and to become familiar with the many resources available to them. It's time to cool off as the temperature rises in our Chihuahuan Desert. All three of El Paso County's pools have opened for the summer season. The Azcárate Aquatic Center, Canotillo, and Fabens pools are available for the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Access to the pools have a low entry cost of $1 for kids at Fabens and Canotillo, $2 at Azcárate. In addition, swimming lessons are being provided at each location starting at $40 for eight lessons. El Paso County remains committed to providing safe and welcoming recreational spaces for families to gather and stay active. Don't say there's nothing to do this summer. Our Illumina Public Library has their Kids Club events in full swing. From space-themed story time to an astronaut scavenger hunt right outside, kids will have an out-of-this-world experience. Many other activities are available throughout the week, including a summer reading club. Located in the Agua Dulce neighborhood, the County's Illumina Public Library is offering activities for kids to discover that learning, reading, creating, and teamwork is fun! Thanks for watching this month's County Connects. Stay tuned and make sure to stay connected with

Thank you.

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, paralegals, 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 adult 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 915-273-3533 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.

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Hola, El Paso! It started to get hot in May and El Paso County is keeping you cool with some of the activities going on across our county. In the eastern part of the county off I-10 and Horizon Boulevard, El Paso County, in partnership with the Lower Valley Water District, proudly announced the completion of the Panorama Village Unit 1 and 2 first-time wastewater project. This is a major infrastructure initiative that brings modern sewer service to a community that previously relied on septic tank systems for wastewater management. to commemorate the completion of the project el paso county u.s congresswoman veronica escobar and the lower valley water district hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony in the panorama village neighborhood funding for the project was provided through the american rescue plan act under the coronavirus state and local fiscal recovery funds program through this initiative el paso county invested in critical water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in underserved communities to support public health, economic recovery, and long-term infrastructure resilience. The Enrico Moreno County Courthouse was the site for a civic engagement celebration. County employees as well as participants from El Paso, Socorro, Isleta, and Fabens school districts participated in the PACE citizenship classes. PACE, which stands for Pathway to American Citizenship for Employees, is a program provided by the El Paso County's Office of New Americans. This year, 80 participants dedicated their time to learn English, prepare for citizenship, and become more engaged in their communities, all while balancing work and family responsibilities. The participants had a chance to tour the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse to see how local county government works and to become familiar with the many resources available to them. It's time to cool off as the temperature rises in our Chihuahuan Desert. All three of El Paso County's pools have opened for the summer season. The Azcárate Aquatic Center, Canotillo, and Fabens pools are available for the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Access to the pools have a low entry cost of $1 for kids at Fabens and Canotillo, $2 at Azcárate. In addition, swimming lessons are being provided at each location starting at $40 for eight lessons. El Paso County remains committed to providing safe and welcoming recreational spaces for families to gather and stay active. Don't say there's nothing to do this summer. Our Illumina Public Library has their Kids Club events in full swing. From space-themed story time to an astronaut scavenger hunt right outside, kids will have an out-of-this-world experience. Many other activities are available throughout the week, including a summer reading club. Located in the Agua Dulce neighborhood, the County's Illumina Public Library is offering activities for kids to discover that learning, reading, creating, and teamwork is fun! Thanks for watching this month's County Connects. Stay tuned and make sure to stay connected with

Thank you.

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, paralegals, 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 adult 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 915-273-3533 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.

Thank you.