Commissioners Court - Special Meeting

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 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 projects. 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,

The Veterans Capital of the USA. From inside the Alicia Chacon Commissioner's Courtroom of the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse, you are watching the El Paso County Commissioner's Court Meeting.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today is Thursday, June 18th, 2026. Commissioner's Court is meeting in special open session. This morning, we're joined by ASL interpreters Katia Garcia, Ali Harrison, and Stephanie Michel. Would you please rise and join us for the Pledge of Allegiance?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands,

item number three is public comment we do not have anybody signed up for public comment is there anybody in the audience that would like to speak in public comment hearing none we'll take no action do we introduce or

Interpreters?

Oh, I did. Our ASL interpreters this morning are Katia Garcia, Ali Harrison, and Stephanie Michel. Okay. Item number 4A from the regular agenda. Receive a presentation from the Public Works Department and the project consultant, Exigo, on the Escarate Park bond improvements. Discuss and receive direction from the court. Okay. Thank you.

Good morning, Judge. Good morning, Commissioners Lidia Arias with Public Works. The purpose of today's presentation is to provide a project status and for the Escada de Parque improvements. Joining me today is the EXECO team. We have Eugenio Mesta and we have Paulina Lagos. Also with us is our Parks Director, Tim Fulton. I want to begin by clarifying that we are not asking for a decision, a formal direction today. This is not an action item. Today's discussion is intended to update the court on where the project stands, explain what the design team is currently recommending, acknowledge that there are still some existing concerns, and receive feedback on the process moving forward. As part of the overall park effort, the county is working through both the voter-approved bond projects and the previously funded tax note improvements. The bond projects include the festival area, the outdoor stage, the shelter modernization, pavilion parking expansion, walking trail renovations, and overhead electric replacement. The tax note-funded improvements include the broader park improvements and lake renovation. I would like to emphasize that the major focus of the current design discussion is the lake system. Our existing lake faces some challenges. Our design team have been working on options to support water conservation, improved water quality, fish health, wildlife habitat, and long-term sustainability, while also improving the overall visitor experience at the park. Another important update is that we have installed flow meters at four of our wells. This will provide us with more accurate information on how much water is being produced and used to support the lake system. In addition, with the assistance of the EXECO team, our parks department implemented a data collection system that will allow us to track this information more consistently. The data will be used to guide future decisions related to well performance, the water usage, and lake operations. In addition to the design work that's happening, I'm continuing to work with our purchasing department for the construction manager at risk. The CMART package for this project, I've added additional criteria to the CMART package and reviewed those updates with our purchasing department. Now that they are in agreement with the updates that I've done and I anticipate on providing them a revised CMR package by next week. I will now turn it over to our Ex-AGO team who will do the presentation.

Thank you, Lydia. Good morning, Commissioners, Judge. My name is Eugenio Mesta, also known as Pacelli. Please, that's how most people know me by. With me, I'm a principal at Exegol Architecture, and with me is Paulina Lagos, which is also a principal at Exegol, and she's the project manager. We're going to start the project. First of all, I want to thank you for the opportunity to work in this transformational project. This has really been, has really ignited a lot of passion in our firm and we're very grateful for the opportunity. We're gonna start on the presentation. It's a very complicated project. It's very large with a lot of different users with a lot of different moving parts. So we're gonna try to make this brief as possible. And even though the complexities of the project would probably ask us to bring lunch and then some drinks afterwards to go over everything that we have encountered for the last seven months. Nevertheless, I just want to emphasize that, just what Lydia told you, that the project is basically five propositions that were approved by the bond, which is $31.8 million, and then in addition to that, previously funded through tax notes, we are doing the wells and the lake restoration and the entrance that are being funded by those notes. If you look at the top of the slide, I want to just tell you a little bit of what the process is. We are in the conceptual phase. For the past seven months, we have been working on this. And the conceptual phase is the gathering of all the information from topographic survey, utilities, water quality, wells, all of the above. But in conjunction with that, we have been doing community outreach. And I'm proud to say that we have done extensive community outreach. Starting in December with our first community meeting, where we had close to 100 people present, we presented kind of like the project, the funding, and we asked for comments as to what the community wanted. We additionally to that, we went through a online virtual survey with the community where we received 1,200 participants with all of their comments. Based on those comments, we worked on a preliminary concept that was presented in the March community meeting. At that time, we had a smaller amount of participants. However, we also put it online and we got about 250 people that responded to the proposed concept. From March to June, we also had six focus groups. And we went through, I'm going to get in detail with each one of those groups, but for those two months, we received a lot of comments that were in smaller groups by different users. And finally, this month, earlier this month, we had our third community meeting where we had close to 100 plus people and we presented the final concept which we're about to show you to receive comments. So there's been quite an extensive amount of community outreach. That will bring us to the end of what we call the conceptual phase, and then we're gonna start the schematic design phase. Throughout the schematic design phase, we're also gonna have meetings with all of these different user groups as we develop the design of the project, and we're gonna be working both with the county and the community in developing that design. Towards the end of the year, At the same time we're working on restoration of the wells and so there's gonna be some work being done on the wells that need desperate maintenance and upgrade. And probably construction will begin in the spring of 2027. It's gonna take about two years to build and it's not gonna be all done at once. It's gonna be done in phases as we don't wanna close, we wanna shut down the park. So it's gonna be done in phases so that the community can continue using the park while the construction is going on. From community meeting one and two, we gathered three basic design principles with which we developed the design. One was healing, which was the restoration of the lake, the water quality, the fishing habitat, the trees, all the nature that is in the park. Movement, which was the participation of more people in different activities. As we think of Azcárate Park, it's because of the lake, but however, it is heavily used by a variety of different user groups and a variety of activities. that are every day being used by the community. And finally is the creation or enhancement of community. What Paulina gave you is basically the results of the different survey that was done online. And so for your records, you can have how people voted for the different amenities that was proposed in the original design concept. Based on those three guiding principles, then we went and had the focus groups. We came up with the preliminary design. We tested it with each one of those focus groups. Organized sports was very, very supportive. As you're going to see in the concept that is going to be presented in a few minutes, the first They realized that they were going to lose some fields. However, after we presented how the plan was changing the entrance and I don't want to get ahead of myself, it ended up that it has a lot more fields for organized sports and they were very, very supportive of the new concept. The athletes and triathletes, they were also very, very supportive. They had some asks, for instance, to do a, which is not funded at this time, to do a training circuit around where the, in lieu of the duck pond. But they were very, very supportive because we have now routes and we are proposing a multi-modal lane that can be used not only by the everyday walkers, but also by athletes and triathletes. We met with a fishing group and they were also very supportive of our initiatives and Pauline is going to talk more about what we're attempting to do with the lake and what we're proposing to do with the lake. However, they were still concerned about the removal of the duck pond because they wanted it to be as a backup location for fishing in case of where there is an algae bloom. The ecology group was very, very supportive of our efforts and actually they were in support of the removal of the duck pond as it was, there was no ecological benefit that it brought to the project. Families group were very happy with it and with our proposed concept and also there were supportive of the removal of the duck pond. And then the large event group, they were very happy about what we're trying to do for the queuing coming in and out for major events. And they see this as a possibility of having more activities programmed for the park. Overall, in our third community meeting where we presented the concept that we're about to show you, there was an overall general support by all the different groups. There was a concern about safety and lighting, and that's being addressed through the design where we're gonna bring lighting and enhance security. And the fishermen were still They like what we're trying to do with the restoration of the pond, but they're still very concerned about the removal of the duck pond. But other than that, they were very supportive of our efforts. So I'm going to walk you really quick through the concept, and then Paulina is going to show you, give you more detail about our efforts that we're doing in the lakes restoration. We are proposing a new entrance and basically what we're doing is because we have a very diverse community, many different users, we had to address most of all the different focus groups that we talked to in the community of how it's being used. So diversify the community, we're trying to do that, create a landmark. have a diverse recreation and be accessible for everyone. Expand nature and interconnect all of the pedestrian paths. There is a lot that was researched and done to arrive to this concept that we're presenting to you. However, we think there are two overall arching principles that happen here. try to make it as pedestrian and activity-oriented as possible. Right now, as you may know, there is a driveway that goes right next to the water lake, and then there is some kinds of different roads, and there is not a lot of pedestrian paths. and there's a lot of safety concerns about people walking on the roads and people driving. So what we did is we put the perimeter road, we removed the road that goes right next to the lake and we push it to the end, to the edge. And so that created a very pedestrian-oriented park. We have some... Would you say fins that go into the lake to make it accessible? We have three cul-de-sacs that get close to the water so that for people with disabilities and or the overall general public can have access to the lake close by without having to walk away very long. We also, parking-wise, we remain with the same amount of parking spaces. We didn't add or subtract. It is about the same. However, we added a little bit. However, we distributed more. Right now it's concentrated on the northern side of the lake. Now we have it more distributed throughout the park. And we left all of the fields, baseball fields and everything, they are all to remain as they are. There is a major investment in maintenance that has been done for those fields, and so we are leaving those intact. So with that, we have the perimeter road that goes in the edge. is kind of close to where there is an existing road, so we're reusing that facility. But what we did is we removed the rotunda at the entrance, and we created a large queuing area for, it's gonna be a four-lane road so that people that come in for a major event, it's going to be three in, three lanes going in, one going out, and then when the event finishes, it's the opposite. So that is going to create one of the biggest concerns was wayfinding and where the roundabout is. And so we are leaving the healing garden where it is. However, we believe we dignified it by making it more accessible with parking next to it and removing it right now if you feel it's isolated by all the roads that go around it and it's very hard to get to. So we've made it more accessible for people to go and visit the healing garden. So we are proposing a new... I'm sorry. The lakefront pavilion. Sorry. The lakefront pavilion. So we are putting it right next to the water so that way we can enhance the experience and have a visitor, a classroom, multipurpose, and then also be able to lease it to multiple activities or quinceaneras, weddings, and events. So all in all, what we are doing is making it more pedestrian friendly. We created the great lawn in the middle. We have a new stage for concerts and the like. And so we have, we think that we are going to strengthen a lot of the activities that are going on right now and promote more. Obviously we have new restrooms. We have new shelters. We're gonna replace all the shelters. We have more pedestrian paths. We have RV hookups and a new fishing pier. With that, I want to let Paulina talk to you about the lake, which is a major concern of the project, basically because part of the healing and the restoration of the lake is so key on this project.

Good morning, Paulina Lagos with Exego Architecture. Okay, so I'll be talking a little bit about the lakes, which are quite a complex ecosystem, but I will try to make it as simple as possible because I am only a humble architect and also not a water engineer or an ecologist, so I also do this for myself. So as we know, there are two lakes at Azcárate Park. The original lake is the big lake, which is about 47 acres, about 44 acres of open water. And then the small lake, which we refer to as the duck pond, which is about five acres. Sure.

Thank you.

These lakes are fed by four wells, which are existing. Three are shown on this map, which are the little water droplets, and then there's another well that is off of the image in the golf course, so that's not in view. But those are the four wells that feed these lakes. We know we have surface aerators at present. And some of the challenges that we learned about, not only in the AECOM lake study that was produced for the county, I'm not sure what year, 24? 2024, we believe. So that information was shared with us, as well as our team has also been trying to validate some of that research with our own studies and analysis. So some of the challenges are the water consumption and potential leakage that may be occurring within these bodies of water. We know that the wells are quite old and are aging and in need of upgrades or rehabilitation. The bodies of water are not as deep as we would love them to be as maybe they originally were at one time. And so they tend to get a little bit warmer and become nutrient rich, which can cause issues with water quality. And we know that the lakes are stocked, and so the fish habitat is not as abundant as we would like. One of our goals is actually to help create a situation in which the feed can breed naturally, so that they don't have to be as heavily stocked with outside fish. The big goal is obviously water conservation. We would like to see if we can understand the leakage factor that has been presented to us, reduced evaporation. We know there's quite a lot of evaporation that takes place due to our regional location in a hot climate. And then obviously we need to improve our well function and metering. And so we've been successful in having the flow meters installed, which has been able to give us accurate readings of how much water we're actually pumping. Water quality, our goals are to reduce or eliminate algae blooms as much as possible. We want to reduce or eliminate odors, improve water clarity as much as we can, and reduce stormwater pollutants that might be coming into the lake from areas around the park. As I mentioned, fish health and fishing experience wants to be improved tremendously and that's a big ask of the fishing group specifically. And beyond that, we want to improve wildlife health and wildlife observation. We know there's quite a lot of birds and turtles even and other wildlife species that live here at this park. So some of what we have been working on with our consultant biohabitats, this consultant consists of water engineers, ecologists, biologists who help give recommendations on potential solutions that can help us meet these goals. And so, as you can see in the diagram, some of the things that we're proposing are to install three new circulation pump systems, which will help improve the water flow within the lake itself. still water isn't the healthiest, right, for a lake ecosystem. So these pump systems and supply piping will help to move some of that water through what we are proposing to use some existing channels or wetlands that already exist within the lake body. So in the upper left hand corner, you can see the island. And so that little channel already exists. And so we would be introducing some active wetlands that will help to filter and the water and essentially clean it in many ways. And then at the bottom left, there is already an existing kind of small channel on the golf course side, which we are proposing to kind of open up to introduce some more of this movement through this body of water and back into the lake. And then on the right, that is existing Land however, we're proposing to maybe cut a new channel through there in order to move additional water We are proposing additional active and passive wetlands. We want to introduce a more naturalized lake edge, which really helps to improve the water quality and provides additional fish habitat. So in addition, we are proposing to install deep water aerators, which are more effective than the surface aerators because a lot of that water is lost to evaporation. And then those funny structures that you see there are fish habitat structures that will help the fish kind of thrive and find places to live within the lake. We have taken a stab at providing some cost for some of these things. So to rehab three wells, because we think number five, which is the higher producing well, is still in pretty good shape at a cost of about $810,000. And then some of the big lake improvements, you'll see the cost for there at four million. In this scheme, we are proposing to take, or considering, I should say, taking the duck pond offline, and I'll explain why that's a big consideration. So the duck pond has a lot of unknown variables. We know that there is quite a lot of leakage taking place on both lakes, but specifically the duck pond shows more leakage because it's a smaller body of water and it tends to lose more water to evaporation. The existing retaining walls around the duck pond are in pretty bad shape and a lot of them are actually broken away and so there is quite a lot of water loss through those retaining walls and so a lot of that water is getting back behind that retaining wall and causing even more disintegration of the wall. So that is a quite significant amount of cost. The water quality is not as great due to the ducks that are currently have taken up residence there. And we love the ducks. A lot of people feed the ducks, even though we're not supposed to feed the ducks. But because of the duck pond, there is an increase of duck fecal matter around and in the water, which causes the water quality to degrade. The duck pond as well has a lesser historic value than the original lake. It was added in the 60s. And so really the original big lake with the CCC existing retaining walls, as we have been told, have more historical significance. We want to reduce water surface area. We want to plan for sustainability and eliminate costly maintenance. And we think that the space could actually serve a greater diversity of user groups. obviously there are cons to removing the duck pond there is quite a lot of nostalgic attachment to the duck pond as we have heard from the community it does remove the family duck feeding activity even though really it's i don't think it's permitted but it happens anyway and a big concern has been where will the ducks go and so according to our team and our biologists we think the ducks will redistribute. They are not an endangered species. The reason that they're there is because they are being fed and so we think they might redistribute along the region and or potentially onto the new lake, the new improved lake. And so, So here's a cross-section. The existing condition of the lake is at the top. There you can see that existing CCC wall, and then you kind of just drop off into a body of water. What we want to introduce is a living shoreline, introduce more trees for shade. We're going to retain that wall. It's going to stay there. We're not going to remove it, but we want to introduce some passive and active wetlands along the shoreline, which will actually provide more fish habitat, will help improve the water quality, and provide additional fishing areas for the fishermen. This is a diagram that we produced for the fishermen. There was a lot of concern about them losing fishing area, and we're actually illustrating that they're getting more fishing area and better fishing along the Big Lake. And so in conclusion, we'll leave you with some images. These are images that were produced for the community meetings and were generated based on a lot of the community input, which you will see on the right. And so we're thinking a lot about these are just conceptual. We still have to go through our normal design process. This is showing a new pedestrian gateway with a celebrated tree nursery behind to help feed the the future trees along the lakefront and the bigger park because it's a very big park. The community did vote for overwhelmingly a lakefront visitor center which could potentially house a small exhibit space potentially to educate people about the history of the park as well as training classroom for the youth who come to learn how to fish here. And then because we will be displacing potentially the old pavilion, combining this together to provide an event space as well on the lakefront that will help the county generate additional revenue. And then this is a view of the integrated event salon with the new stage and then the back of house areas beyond that. This stage is directed not towards the neighborhood but away from the neighborhood so that all of the sound travels into the park and not into the neighborhood. But overwhelmingly, the community really enjoys the festivals and the celebrations. We will be providing new picnic shelters throughout the community overwhelmingly voted for a medium size to accommodate larger families. new restrooms as well with kind of a more open concept that will have you know great lighting and sort of be a safer place to use the facilities as well as water bottle filling stations and then some views along the lakefront this is a view along that multimodal trail where people will have designated cycling jogging and walking areas where people can participate at the park And then great decks along the waterfront where, you know, this is right in front of the potential visitor center where fishermen can come and fish and events can kind of spill out onto the exterior. Always introducing native landscaping and additional trees and shelter. And then this is along the island, which is going to be a lot more naturalized and will provide other opportunities for birding and nature exploration, which is something the community was asking for. In general, we think that this plan provides quite a lot of amenity beyond what is already existing at the park, and these are some of those examples. We're going to replace any courts that were displaced in the move and replace them, so there won't be any loss, but rather a gain. And I want to turn it over to Tim Fulton, who will say a few words.

Good morning, Judge and Commissioners. I think whenever we're looking at parks, especially an existing park, there are some challenges because I think when you're designing a park, there's some options. If it's a blank slate and we're designing a new park, we get the feedback from the public and the elected officials and we go forward with a plan. Here's a park with over 80 years of history that everybody in this room probably has some really deep connections or experience with. And so one of the things I wanted to talk about, you know, the way I see it, and I'm trying to wear two hats here, one as an educated wildlife and fisheries biologist, the other as a parks manager. And so I see it as an option of preserving, conserving what we have, or reimagining a scout at a park. So it's a very challenging decision for you and our community. I understand that. One of the things that the focus has been around the lake is, in my takeaway from talking with the people that love to fish on the lake, the fear of losing something. And sometimes in our fear, we're not listening to what is being added. So I do want to provide you with some facts. Parnesium parvum, it's a Latin term for the day, or better known as golden algae, is a challenge in our lake. It's a challenge in all Western lakes, West Texas, Central Texas. There's a lot of complications around golden algae and it affects our park. But I do want, I want to give you this information. This is facts. In February of 2024, When Texas Parks and Wildlife takes water samples to test for golden algae, one of the things we found, there's always some level of golden algae in both lakes. But what we found in 2024 of February, very low non-toxic levels in the big lake. Highly toxic levels in the small lake. And there's some science behind that. We do know that the shallow water, as Polina was pointing out, temperature variation, there's a lot more nutrients in there, primarily because we're putting a lot of stuff. I don't feed them hot dogs, but I've seen hot dogs in the small pond, bread, bird seed. And so birds, both our wildlife birds and then some of our feral domesticated ducks congregate there because there's other food. So that does create a perfect breeding ground for any organic things, including golden algae. So there is likely higher concentrations. Feeding the ducks, the challenges there is that this is not good. This is not good for the health of the ducks or the ecosystems. Ecosystems are complex things. Living things aren't in a vacuum. We have to balance that in a creation that wasn't given to us by God, but rather made over time with input. And at time things made sense, but as we evolved in the park usage, new ideas come about. And so it is a challenge with the ducks. So going back to the idea of recreating or conserving, whether the small pond or duck pond stays, goes, there will have to be a management plan. There will have to be things that are done to help make that a healthy ecosystem. Ascarte Park is so unique to me. I guess the thing I see that I've spent time in Central Park. And Central Park, you know, some people think, oh, it's in Manhattan, it's a concrete jungle. However, when you go into parts of Central Park, it's like being in the Adirondacks. It's like being in the mountains. But you balance that with all the urban use. There's millions of visitors. And on our scale, we have our Central Park here. We have nature, we have water features, we do have a woodland, albeit a Chihuahuan woodland that's forming around there, and then lots of usage. But it's also a place you can go for respite. So balancing those things out, the human use and the ecology of that created environment is a very complex thing. One of the things I do know is that The thing from talking to our phishing groups with the lake, one of the things, one of the challenges, and it's not a design challenge so much as a programming challenge. They want things like the camp out. They want more fishing tournaments. They want the option to bring more people in, more opportunities to introduce kids and adults and seniors to fishing. And so, you know, I think as I look at this and whatever that design's going to be, I'm looking for how does this fit into how my staff and I are programming that park and our partners out there. So those are some of the things that I see, some of the facts I wanted to provide you. You know, it is a multi-purpose park. So we were talking about the lake, but we also have very high demand for more sports fields. You know, whether it's soccer or youth football, you know, other activities that are coming in. And then, you know, 30 years ago, I don't think I even heard the word pickleball. But now every day you open the magazine, you watch television, pickleball, right? So high demand, and those courts are used the entire time the park is open. So I wanted to leave you with those thoughts and then open for questions for the whole team here. Thank you. Thank you, Tim.

So as Tim mentioned, any questions, comments, feedbacks?

Any questions, comments? Nope.

I guess I understand, I mean, from the presentation this morning that there's some, maybe the fishing community isn't totally on board with removing the duck pond. What is their main argument for keeping it? What has that discussion been?

I think one of the main points is really the fact that they use that as a backup fishing place. They want to have that assurance that they will have a place to fish. I think that was one of the main concerns. Of course, the activities, they see the families gathering there. Of course, we talked a lot about the feeding the ducks. A lot of the nostalgia and then also just really losing a body of water. You know, they said we only have limited amount of water in the region and to lose a body of water is very significant to them. So as I commented in the introduction, we are going to continue talking to them and listening to a lot of their concerns and to see if we can find a common ground. And when that happens, we will come back to the court and make a recommendation. And Lydia?

What Lydia was saying is a backup. But the reason I brought up the water testing in 2024, that's exactly why it was not stocked with trout, because the high levels of toxicity from the golden algae would have killed all the fish. The other thing about the small pond, and I know people are saying ducks go there, but there's not habitat there. a breeding population of Canada geese. And I know Betsy and Norma have seen them because we did a tour of the golf course, and they saw the geese on the nest and some of the newly hatched chicks. The reason they go to the golf course, it's more secluded, it's ideal for breeding habitat, and they're not the only species. that breed there. We have Anhinga and I know some of you have heard me go on and on about the Anhinga and it's so unusual to have that bird species here in the Chihuahuan Desert. So also they're staying there on the golf course. The reason we're seeing the birds on the small pond is not the habitat, it's because of the food that's being put out by people, which is what we want to change because there is natural occurring food. So but as far as a backup for stocking, it is problematic. Because every year that the water's tested, and this is on the site with Texas Parks and Wildlife. You can just do a Google search, Texas Parks and Wildlife golden algae. They monitor it across the state. And we try to manage it best we can. But that is a problematic situation. I know it's been done in the past when we've had high levels of golden algae in the large lake to have that as a backup. But it does present some challenges as well.

Well, to me, it seems pretty straightforward with the challenges. And I'm sure the fishing community understands that. If it's toxic and there's too much algae in it because there's too many ducks, because it's a feeding pond, then I'm trying to understand what is their main concern. Is it really losing a body of water even though they can't use it right now?

Commissioner, and we had a conversation about this, that we'd like to have some more engagement with those groups. I think it's one of those things that there's also an emotional attachment, and it takes time. It's gonna take us a little bit of time. We know we are on a tight timeline, but it's going to take us some time to work with these groups to really make sure we've communicated, to make sure we've heard them also. And I also wanna make sure that it is only the fishing group, right? Because you see in the comments, there's also some families who've said, I take my kids there to feed the ducks. While we don't want them feeding the ducks, it's something that people are doing and they don't want to lose it. And so we need to work through, we talked about possibly they're putting some signs out or even going out during like on the weekends to see who's there and what are they using it for and talking to them. or giving them information about when we could have some additional meetings with them so that we can try to, as Lydia mentioned, either reach some common ground or really make it clear why we're proposing this and considering it. At this point, I don't think we've done quite enough, even though we've had excellent public meetings. It's not been focused enough about that issue where people have felt fully heard, fully heard our logic and solutions. And maybe there are additional solutions we can think of too after we finish meeting with them and working through all of these options with them. But that is some of our next steps.

I appreciate that, Betsy. I mean, I really would like to have the opportunity for the court to – I mean, obviously our staff do some more outreach, but also instead of this presentation on a Thursday where I don't know how many folks we reached out to to let them know that we're having this conversation – Because I think it would be good to have their feedback here, you know, speaking with us, right? Because I just don't want to get to the point where we're already kind of forming opinions. And it's great to be able to summarize what they're saying, but I think it's better to hear directly from them. Yes, sir. And so I appreciate the well-organized updates. I think the information is very helpful to understand the complexity of the project and the progress that we've made in the process up to this date. Also, one thing that I wanted to ask is if the project team plans to or can prepare kind of like a written summary of the update to distribute to the folks that participated or who have signed up for notifications and some of the previous community meetings or focus groups that we've done. just to keep them in the loop and keep the transparency at a high level, make sure that they're informed and engaged, continuing through the process. And then, again, I'd really like to ask if we can have another public meeting similar to this one, but on a Monday where we have time to do outreach to have the folks who came, maybe some of the folks from the fishing community and the leaders of I mean, whoever we can get here, right? So that we can hear directly from them and keep them involved. And then I think as kind of what you're alluding to Betsy is I'd like to have another dedicated meeting focused on decision making and where the public can clearly understand the options that are being considered and the rationale behind any final decisions. as has been communicated to everybody during the meetings. These are all concepts. We're in a conceptual phase right now. I think at the last meeting, one of the bigger takeaways I think that actually got some news coverage or public coverage was that we're over budget already, but we haven't even decided what exactly we're gonna do yet. We provided some options of things that could be funded. And if all those things are funded, then we may need some more money. But that's not the final decision that's been made yet. And so we need to make sure that that's clear to everybody as well, right? Because that's not the best. It's not the case. And so it's not the best way to have that type of information out there that is confusing people. And so- I just want to make sure that we do all of those things to lay people's concerns and keep involving them at the highest level.

Yes, sir. And I do think, Commissioner, I think if we could have what I'd like to see and hope you would support is I'd like our team to do as much education and outreach even in advance of that public meeting.

Yeah, absolutely.

Because you can have a lot more dialogue and engagement and walking them through in an educational-type setting. And then we even may want to consider having a special Commissioner's Court meeting maybe in the evening at the park because that's when they show up. And then maybe the decision's on a Monday and we tell everybody it's going to be on that Monday, but I think we will see them and hear them more at the park in the, in an evening type meeting.

Yeah, that's a great idea.

And, and then after that make the final decision at, at a Monday. But I think if we had five, and I'm using just that number off the top of my head, even if we had five educational engagements with the different groups, because they're not all the same group. Even within the fishing groups, there's a couple groups. But even if we had five opportunities, we probably won't catch them all before your meeting. But we can try. It may not still be enough, but if we could try to have set up some of those meetings include them include others You know that are more supportive of getting rid of the deck pond to hear them as well And then make everybody aware of the evening meeting have that and then bring it back for a Monday decision The thing is is we are going to have to move quickly and we're going to have to identify that special meeting probably sometime in late July and Because I think we need a decision by August, Lydia, correct me if I'm wrong. Yes, August. On which type of design to go with. And one of the things that we've talked about is if we're not able to address all of the concerns, it's okay if the court decides not to eliminate the duck pond, right? We need to be prepared either way. And so we've talked about that. If the concerns are so important or so impactful, we'll be prepared to go either way, whatever the court, by the time we get to that decision. So we're definitely not at a point where we've said this is the design or the plan.

Commissioner Butler?

Yeah, I think a special meeting sounds really great. Fishing, obviously, is not my area of expertise, which is why I would like to hear from the fishing community. Because this presentation is so exciting and visionary and beautiful and thoughtful. from my perspective, enhances the fishing experience at the big lake. And so I would really love to have those conversations and understand maybe some of the underlying concerns. And maybe it is just communication and outreach because this, what we were shown just now is. is the park that el paso county deserves it is so so exciting and so i i just i want to make sure i'm understanding the concerns because to me it just all looks so wonderful and trees we need a lot of trees oh my gosh yeah yes thank you for the presentation go ahead sure i don't know if there's any more questions but

I know that we've spent quite a bit of time talking about the duck pond because it's the only controversial portion of the plan. I just want to make everybody, including the fishing community, is very excited about the proposed restoration of the lake, the main lake, the bringing of the wetlands, both the active and the passive wetlands. There's a total of six. Scientifically, we want 30% of the water perimeter to be with live wetlands, so that it's not all entirely exposed. So, That has been overwhelmingly supported by the fishing community and the rest of the community. As far as the activities, the pavilion, the great lawn, we showed you a rendering of the great lawn. The Great Lawn is a multipurpose facility that is gonna be used for different soccer fields and everything so that everything doesn't have to be a single purpose use or for a specific group. So it was overwhelmingly supported by the community, by the different groups, and the only sticking point is right now the duck pond. There's a lot of issues that we haven't had time to discuss with you regarding water conservation, the stages of the wells and things that impact that decision, but we are cognizant that we need to continue working with the fishermen community to make sure that we get them on board with the rest of the project. I just want to let you know that even though there's a sticky point, like in every project, it is overwhelmingly supported by the community.

Lydia?

I guess if there's any other questions, we'll continue our outreach.

We're so very proud of how you're doing these things. One of the most complicated things anyone can do is try to make sure that we have all the feedback, and it's very complicated, but the outcome, and we saw that on the Alameda project, as we might say, or Sombrano. It was so successful because we did exactly what you're talking about, making sure that we reach out as much as we can. But I just see your team and working with the architects, I could see the passion that you want this to work out really nice. It's our gem. I mean, it's something that's going to be For the county, I mean, it's like the city's downtown. We have something of that nature, and that's our contribution to the rest of the community. So I'm very appreciative of taking those steps, making sure that we do the right thing, and we couldn't be more proud of your team and Tim and everybody else and working with the architects the way you do. So very appreciative and very thankful.

Thank you, Judge.

Thank you.

So as Betsy mentioned, we will continue to do our outreach, and we will work on planning that next meeting. The written summary, we'll work on getting a written summary of what was discussed today so we can send out that to the community.

Thank you, Lydia. Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you. Great job. Thank you. Do you want him back? I'm used to.

Item number 4B, receive and discuss a presentation and update from the bond performance team regarding the voter approved bond projects and the capital improvement plan.

Morning judge, commissioners, Christian Martinez, chief aide with the county administration department overseeing our capital planning performance management efforts. As we do each month, several key staff members will provide you all today with an update on the progress and status of the county's capital improvement bond approved by voters in November of 24. I'll be starting this off with the administrative and financial updates where we've recently completed several milestones. As you'll recall, the court approved an order in late April authorizing the issuance of a second tranche of funds from the voter authorized amount. Shortly after, staff from our department, the county auditors, and the budget department coordinated to assemble the appropriate underwriting team for this upcoming bond sale in early May. Our departments also gave extensive presentations to bond rating agencies Moody's and Fitch, after which they published their opinions on the county's bond credit ratings in late May. This coordination culminated in the sale of bonds, which took place on June 1st of this year. I'll be going into further detail on the outcome of that sale in the coming slides. With these milestones completed, what remains for us to do is coordinate the flow of funds from that second issuance to our project management team, which we expect to complete by early July. Staff was very pleased with the outcome from the bond rating agencies, which upheld the county's ratings from last year, despite growing volatility in our global economy. This speaks to the county's ongoing stability and outlook. You can see on the slide the ratings given with a double A2 from Moody's and a double A plus from Fitch, very strong scores, both of which cited a stable outlook for the county ahead of the bond sale. Furthermore, I'd like to highlight some comments made by the agencies and their opinions. Moody's referenced the county's strength of the local economic and considerable commercial, industrial, and residential development as the rationale for its opinion decision. Fitch echoed this, referencing the county's high mid-range budgetary flexibility and the county's economic and institutional strength, given the county's role as an economic, educational, and employment anchor on the US-Mexico border for the large and growing metropolitan statistical area. I do want to highlight the leadership of our county auditor, Ms. Barbara Parker, and our budget director, Ms. Carmen Arrieta Candelaria, who we worked with closely to prepare a presentation for these agencies that represented the county's fiscal health and economic outlook well. Moving forward to the bond sale, staff was equally pleased with the outcome and is proud to share the results of the sale with the court. The negotiated sale took place on June 1st with the county placing $45 million in bonds out to market. 26 million of this $45 million amount represents the improvement bonds via the second issuance intended for our capital improvement bond projects. While the remainder represents refunding bonds that had previously been identified as available for interest rate refinancing. County staff coordinated with several external partners to complete the sale, including our final advisor, Stiefel, our bond council, McCall, Parkhurst, and Horton, and our underwriting team led by Cabrera Capital Markets and supported by Hilltop Securities. There were several positive indicators that resulted in a strong sale outcome for the county. The first of which is that the county received 59 unique orders on the bonds that had been placed for sale. These orders total $225 million from investors, which far exceeded the $45 million amount that had been placed for sale by the county. We also saw significant investor interest, with 17 firms placing orders on our bonds, 14 of which were new to engaging with the county in this way. This substantial investor activity allowed our team to negotiate favorable interest rates on bonds with our overall cost of borrowing lowered to 3.43% and securing $1 million in net present value savings on the refunding bonds portion of this issuance. When the sale had been completed, our financial advisor calculated an ultimate savings yield on this sale of 5.4%, which exceeded the minimum 3% threshold we were looking for and had previously been communicated to the court back in April. I did, because this was such a collaborative effort with multiple departments, I know that our county auditor is currently not here, but Michael Lamas is here. And I did, as well as our budget director, Ms. Arieta Candelaria, did want to allow an opportunity for either of them to share any comments with regards or remarks with the court on the outcome of the bond sale.

Good morning, Commissioners. First Assistant County Auditor Michael Almas. Just wanted to agree with Christian. It was a very, very positive outcome for us. We were actually surprised at the level of interest that we had, but with how well prepared the court has been and the rest of the county has been, we shouldn't have been that surprised. So thank you, Christian.

Good morning, Carmen Arieta Candelaria. Okay, I'm sorry. Carmen Arieta Candelaria, budget and finance director. I just concur with both Christian and Michael. I thought that the transaction went very well. The county was well positioned as it went into the market and with all the preparation work that we had done. Really pleased with the outcome and we're able to deliver on the savings above and beyond the savings that we had originally projected. So again, overall a great transaction and just very pleased with the results, the results for our county. Thank you.

Thank you both. Okay, shifting topics here, I'd now like to provide the court with a financial status update on the bond. You can see on the slide here the total $12 million budget, which represents the total funds that have been issued and received at this time. This tracking will change a bit in the coming months as we receive the upcoming second tranche of funding. The figures on the left show the amounts currently encumbered, spent, or available from this total figure, which is then visualized via pie chart on the right. As you can see, a large majority of the funds have been either spent or encumbered at this time, leaving a remaining balance of 25%. This is encouraging to see one year after the funds were issued as we monitor the three-year spending timelines for these issuances. At this time, we continue to be confident in our ability to fully expend these funds well within that timeframe. Slide here provides a slightly more granular view with the funds broken down by their respective proposition. from parks, the medical examiner's office, to the animal shelter. As these funds deplete further over the next several months, the funds from our second issuance will already be available for our project management team to continue moving these projects forward. Before I hand this presentation over, I'd like to pause here to see if there are any questions from the court related to any of the information presented so far. No further questions. I'd now like to hand this presentation over to our purchasing agent, Ms. Karen Davidson, for procurement updates, which I believe is available on the team's call.

Thank you.

Good morning, Judge. Good morning, Commissioners. Karen Davidson, your county purchasing agent. You want to pull up my slides, guys? Perfect. So we're very excited, and we mentioned it before, but on your June 29th Commissioner's Court agenda, we do have the award recommendation for your approval for the Construction Manager at Risk for the County Animal Shelter. So this has been a fantastic project. We're bringing it in early, and I think you guys will really enjoy the award recommendation for this one. As Ms. Lydia mentioned in the previous presentation, she's almost done with the Construction Manager at Risk for the Ascurity Park. She has some final planning updates to make, and then she'll be kicking that over to purchasing and everybody out there that's interested in participating in the last 2024 bond Seymour project, this will be your opportunity. And we hope to have that out to be advertised on the streets within the next 30 to 60 days. And we're looking to bring that to commissioner's court for the final approval recommendation in January of 2027. Next slide, please. So I wanted to talk about the San Felipe off highway vehicle park. This one is actually divided into phases and the first phase is not a bond project. It is a grant funded Texas park and wildlife grant, but it needs to be completed before we start the second phase, which is the bond project. So this is already out on the street and in procurement. We expect the bids to come back on these bathrooms on July the 16th. That's when it's scheduled to be opened. and we hope to have that to Commissioner's Court by August of 2026. This will expand those grant funds that we've all been working on and will move us into the second phase of this project, which is the CSP, or the Competitive Zill Proposal, to establish the park itself, and that's your bond project. We hope to have that CSP package to us in July or August of 2026 so we can put it out on the street in September. and have this bond project back to you for a recommendation in February or March of 2027. So I wanted to give you a progress on that one. Of course, we talked about the shelter bundles before, but we have that for your commissioner's court agenda and we're targeting July 13th. And this is all the shelter shelters, the picnic tables, the benches and the trash cans. And so we're calling this phase one because there might be additionally identified shelters in the future. And we're working right now with our vendor who's giving us the great discount on the economy of scale to allow us to add additional shelters within a specific period of time, like 90 to six months if we identify additional shelters to get that lower discount. So the phase one will be in front of you on July 13th, 2026. And then if we have any additional ones, we'll bring it back to the court. And then of course we have our community meetings and we're identifying the last skate park bundles for those skate parks, the three skate parks we wanna do in a cooperative methodology. And we hope to have something for you guys in September of 2026. All your projects are doing great in procurement, but I'm available for any questions you might have on the procurement side. And if there's none, then I'll turn it over to our legal team, Ms. Erika. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Davidson. Good morning. Good morning, Judge, Commissioners, Eric Rosales, Nick Aglione, Assistant County Attorney. For this session today, we're asking the court to take this into executive session. We want to discuss with the court, pursuant to Texas Government Code 551.071, your legal rights and responsibilities as it pertains to four of the parks that we've been discussing. Before we go into executive, I just recommend that the Public Works team can finish their public presentation, and then right after, we'll ask for the motion if the court agrees with that. Thank you.

Commissioners, good morning again. Lydia Arias with Public Works. The first park we'll talk about, I think Karen covered a lot of it. We're working on those restrooms. That's going to be the phase one. And then we'll kick in with the phase, what we call phase two and three, which would be the remainder of the park. So those plans are currently under review by our department. We're seeking a flood development permit to be approved. Once that's approved, we would finalize the package for purchasing so they could put that out to bid as well. The Gallegos Park Trail, we were working with the consultant that is for this design. We received a lot of, I guess, corrections for the, or not corrections, but they revised a lot of, some of the insurance clauses that we have in our contract, so right now legal is looking into that. to see if that's something that's possible. If not, there would need to be a business decision from their part whether they would agree to our terms. So that's moving forward. The next step, if they do agree, is to bring back that design contract to the court. For Ruben Estrella, we are in the design development phase. We are continuing to coordinate with EP Water. I did send them our layout of where we propose to put the restrooms and the splash pad because we're asking for two connections there. So we're coordinating with them. We're also coordinating with our project manager for the adjacent project, which is the trail, to make sure that that connection to the park aligns with this design. So that's happening on that. For the sparks, this one is It's with our design consultant. They are making some last-minute changes. We're hoping to have that contract finalized very soon. Also, the lease agreement with Region 19, we're pending the revised survey for that. I know at one point we were looking at relocation. Now the revised survey should only show the boundaries, the limits of what they're leasing now. And I think as far as Coyote Park from the design perspective, we are still pending the legal outcome for us to proceed with the design. I know that in the shelter bundle, we do have the Coyote Park in there, and then also the resurfacing of the playground, and then on the skate park. So this one will have three projects in one, and as soon as we have that legal outcome, we will be able to kick off the surfacing and the installation of shelters. For Veterans Park, we sent out the notice, a letter that we discussed, that legal discussed last time, letting them know our timelines, and we are We are also working with the design consultant on that, just having them on standby. So when we are ready to move forward, we can move both the conveyance of the land and the final agreement with the design consultant. And then I'll turn it over to Melina for these updates.

Good morning. Moving on to Westway, this is the first part, A7, which is the walking trail around that area. It is currently underway. Significant progress has been made. It's worth a site visit if you haven't been out there. But you're starting to see the rock wall repair coming under. The walking trail is very well progressed, and we're making improvements with the lighting there. So again, the lighting here is along the trail, very different from the other parks. As far as Westway Park, the regular A17, as we have it split, we are moving forward now with the basketball shade structure. So this past Monday, we did award the design work order, which allows us to kick off design for that shade structure. Once we have that design, we'll be coming back with the actual award for the construction of the shade structure over the basketball court. And then at the same time, we're working with Lydia and Karen, as they've mentioned earlier, about the shelter bundle. So we are trying to expedite that one to bring it onto the site.

Anything else you wanted to add for that one? For the shelter bundle, I know that we anticipate to focus on Westway to finalize this park before the end of the year, so yes.

For Rising Air, this one's really exciting. The phase one, which I've been calling it internally, is the construction of the, or the installation of the park lighting, as well as the water fountain. That is complete. We finished it at the end of last month. We're really excited. This opens the door and gets this project site ready for phase two, which is the shelter bundle. Again, we are trying to coordinate these three parks to make sure the timing is appropriate. If you've been out there, these are just some images of how much brighter it is. The walking trail is very lit. That would be the first image on the upper left side. And then, as you can tell, the center field there on those brighter images is actually lit now, so people can play at night as long as Tim allows them to.

Just kidding.

And then we have Agua Dulce. Agua Dulce did get a completed, as well, the phase one trail and the water fountain. The trail here, as we're seeing it, is complete asphalt. It has a concrete curb. And right now, as I think Tim has noted, there are some very eager, we'll say, youth that are not in school that keep using it for all terrain vehicles and stuff like that. So we are working with them to make sure that they're not accessing the site, but you know, it's a beautiful trail and it's ready for walking and running and simple bicycles. The park administration building, otherwise known as the park headquarters, has been awarded. That came to you earlier in May. Right now we're coordinating with the contractor, kind of setting up the site, making sure all the regular parameters are ready to go. We're anticipating kicking off and handing over the site in July, pending the groundbreaking event and coordination efforts with the commissioners and county staff. Oh, one more note on this one. Behind the scenes Public Works is working with County IT to finalize quotes and get the, everything, basically the vendor ready to go as well regarding everything cable, data, security, and then as well as coordinations is beginning with purchasing. This is all timing basically to get their furniture for the park headquarters as well. We don't want to buy anything too early because we have nowhere to store it, but we do want to get it APPROPRIATELY TIME TO BE ARRIVING WHEN CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE. AGAIN, CONSTRUCTION FOR THIS ONE, ONCE WE ACTUALLY KICK OFF, IS ESTIMATED AT A YEAR. For the county animal shelter, this one is progressing very lovely. This is also part of Team Exego that you met earlier. We have had significant progress made within the internal team. The design team has submitted their 100% schematic design, which is the first of the three phases that are within design. Based off of that information, our team is This is county IT, county facilities, county sheriffs, sheriff's maintenance. Everybody's looking at it, reviewing the plans, providing their comments. We're also anticipating onboarding the CMAR for this project. This is great timing. Once we bring the CMAR on board, the bid is awarded and the contract is awarded, we're able to actually bring in the contractor and the design team together and they do a reconciliation of the project's parameters and it's a great win. This is where we can start looking at pricing, looking at constructability methods, things like that to make the project go smoother once we actually finalize drawings. And I'll hand it over to Fernie.

Good morning judge commissioners burning out on this with Public Works on the CMR for the medical examiner's The design is a hundred percent complete that's friend been turned over to our contractor who is working on Finalizing his GMP. Basically, we're looking to bring that to the court for approval within the next couple of weeks so that's pretty much Finalized we're just pending some minor modifications and Corrections additionally Excuse me, the contractor has also started the advertising for the bidding process of his subcontractors. So they're in the process of actually advertising and creating, I guess, the schedule for the bid submission. And I believe the first bid submission is coming within this next week itself. Other than that, we're basically moving along and everything looks like we're pushing to start to have a ground I'm sorry, not a grand opening, but a groundbreaking, sorry, a groundbreaking ceremony within the next month here at the end of July. And if you have any questions for us or any of the team, then I think communication is next.

Good morning. Desiree Gonzalez, marketing coordinator for the communications department. So just an update on our outreach. So the last community meeting we had was the Escada de Parque community meeting on June 2nd at 6 p.m. We had an approximate attendance of about 75 plus. And no, that was not staff. A lot of it was all residents. So we're really happy with that outreach and that. that participation. You can see there's some photos below of some of that crowd. Posters were posted around first and third floors of the courthouse, along with our audio-visual Commissioner Court median loop. We did post on social media, which is our Instagram page, Facebook, LinkedIn, Nextdoor. We did send emails out to our focus groups that we've gathered within the last two community meetings. We also included the additional focus groups that Lydia and the design team had met with, so I believe that also increased our attendance that day. Of course, press release went out to media a week prior to the event, and of course, Continuously two to three days before and then the day of We are getting ready to prep for those got at the park headquarters groundbreaking. So we are working on doing that hopefully We have a tentative date right now of July 14th But we're still working out some of those dates as soon as we confirm that we will reach out to your offices To send you that information

Desiree, I want to also mention a thank you. Commissioner Stout, I know your staff helped do some of the outreach for the meeting. I was there. I counted over 100 people by the time because they kept flowing in, and some of them were bypassing the sign-in because they were coming in from every door. But thank you all also for the outreach. I know your staff specifically was making several phone calls and helping us with that, and we really appreciate it.

And the ones we were able to gather and track and try to track afterwards, we've already updated our email list. So once we start the outreach for a lot of these presentations, we'll have that list ready for them. Thank you.

Before we end this, I just want to mention a couple things that you probably noticed in the slides. Some of the things that are complete had completion dates out even as far as August, and they're already done. And that is thanks to the Public Works team and the leadership of the project management going on there. It's thanks to our county attorneys, it's thanks to purchasing, auditors, communications, operations, Norma and Melissa and Joel, they're engaged. We meet every, well, we're actually meeting, not every week, but almost every single week we have a meeting. I think we meet three out of the four weeks every month, and the work that's being done is remarkable. There's definitely challenges, but everybody brings them to the table. We work through them. We hash things out and keep these projects moving. And everybody is focused on what we're delivering for the community and how important that is to the court and to us. And so I'm just extremely proud of our team and also Christian and Veronica and Christine, they're really all staying on this. And so that's why we have these dates that are ahead. Not that we don't have our challenges, but to all of the team, it's remarkable work. And it is things that we're gonna be so excited for, for our community. I saw an aerial shot the other day of, I can't remember if it was Westway or Risinger or I would all say but I was just like I can't believe that's the same park I remember the first time I visited those parks They don't even they don't even look you would never think it's the same park from years ago and just really proud of the work Thank you for that bitchy.

Thank you Thank you ask for the motion to briefly go into executive session so that we can give you that update Thank you

We have a motion to move into executive session from Judge Samaniego, a second from Commissioner Holguin. The voting is open.

Aye for me, Cesar.

Thank you, Commissioner Stout. Judge, thank you. Motion carries. Commissioner's Court will now recess into executive session to discuss item number 4B, pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.071, Commissioner's Court will reconvene to take official action. It is 1035 a.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

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...

time and has likely progressed further since. This slide provides an overall financial status view of the full portfolio. As you know, the county received $163 million in ARPA dollars and programmed these funds across several projects over the last four or five years. As you can see from the chart on the slide, this portfolio has been nearly completely expended with 89% in actuals. The remaining 11% is encumbered in various contracts for active projects that are working towards final completion this year ahead of the December spending deadline set by U.S. Treasury. The small available balance you see on the slide represents unused slash unencumbered funds across some projects. I do believe this number is very likely zero or close to zero at this point. You'll recall staff brought an item to the court a couple weeks ago, sweeping these funds to existing ARPA projects like our public safety salaries and our court interpreters contract. These next two slides list those projects that have been fully completed at this time. They represent the full breadth and depth the impact of this funding in our community over the last several years, where you can see investments approved by this body in areas such as immediate COVID relief in 22 and 2023 to longer-term investments in workforce development. This slide right here lists the remaining active projects working towards closeout this year. You can see the remaining unspent funds by project as of May. We work closely with all these project managers to stress the importance of spending all funds efficiently this year and to help provide solutions to any roadblocks that may come up. You can see the expected completion status of these projects given to us by their respective project managers also listed on the slide. There is some risk with some of these projects that list an expected completion in December as they are concerningly close to the spending deadline. Because of this, we will be finalizing a recommendation for the court later this summer to potentially reappropriate these funds that pose the highest risk of being unspent. These funds would likely be recommended for reappropriation to an existing project where they can be spent instantly, such as our public safety salaries. This will ensure no funds are left unspent and potentially returned to US Treasury. At this point, I'm available to answer any questions from the court regarding the information presented. Thank you.

Commission, could you go back to the previous slide? Yes, ma'am. One thing I do think would be helpful to bring back to the court, and I'm sorry for our next presentation on this. I do think there are some things that we have been doing with ARPA that will either have to end or we'll have to figure out another funding source. It's not a lot of things, but there are a few things that we're trying to figure out different solutions for or methods of doing. CIT, for example. CIT is not going to end. So we've worked on moving some of those expenses over to general fund or through other methods. But just being able to come back and show anything that we have had to transfer to something else or we'll still need to work on.

Yes, ma'am. Yeah, we can put that together. Any other? Yes, ma'am.

Didn't we, I'm trying to think, ARPA 1160, industry-specific program development for Tornillo Port of Entry. I thought we had just recently discussed that.

We did. So that was one of the ones that I just mentioned at the top where I think that available balance is closer to zero because we swept.

Okay.

We swept those funds. So you see that slide right here where it says available budget of 530? From just that project alone, it was somewhere in the ballpark of like 200,000.

But that's already included in the 530.

Yeah, from that 5.30 to 2.30, just that this data is a bit outdated from May. Okay, okay. So that available budget has gone down from that sweep. Okay. Any other questions?

There are a couple items on that last slide that don't have a completion status.

Yes, so the two, ARPA 1170 and 1171, those projects are listed there because those projects have actually been completed. The scope of work was completed sometime last year. The only reason they're listed there is because our audit team is still working with their team to close out the invoices. And so I didn't want to kind of just remove them from the list only because they haven't been financially or administratively closed out. But as far as the scope of work goes, they were completed last summer. And so we're working pretty closely with the audit team to make sure that those are closed out well in advance of that December spending deadline.

Okay, thank you.

The same thing for the ARPA 1371, the NOFO Development Professional Services. There were a couple of contracts that were still, the scope of the work within those nonprofits that were awarded that were completed some time ago, but are still just being administrative or financially closed out.

One of the projects that we're working on, that downtown first floor jail remodel, this is something the court specifically approved from ARPA. And it was to meet some specific justice needs. And with the change in administration in the sheriff's office, we're having some discussions about that workflow. And they're having requests for changes. We're, Joel is continuing to work with them on that issue and that matter so that we can not delay the project. It has to be closed out this year. All ARPA projects have to be closed out this year. So that's another one that we're working to close out, but we have some challenges.

I believe that one, Betsy also has It has multiple funding sources, right? So some of the funding sources also comes from one of our COs or our tax notes.

Yes.

And so once the ARPA funds are fully expended, that funding source will also be- We'll use those first before we use the others. Correct. One last thing I'll just mention while I see it on the slide there is ARPA 1150, the broadband infrastructure. I mentioned there that the expected completion date is October 2026 because we have two active agreements with AT&T and Spectrum. I can share with the court now that Spectrum has completed the scope of work. They've actually submitted their final invoice and we're just reviewing all final documents and we recently conducted a walkout over at the site to spot check some of the infrastructure placed. But things are trending positively for closing that out completely, at which point we would really only have the AT&T contract to monitor until October. Any other questions or comments from the court?

No. Thank you.

Thank you all.

Thank you.

Item number 4D, budget hearing. Receive a presentation and provide feedback on employee relations, accountability policy, staffing, judicial and district attorney pay, hiring waiting period committee operations, and budget updates for fiscal year 2027.

Good morning, Judge and Commissioners. with the Human Resources Department. The Human Resources Department plays a critical role in the development of the annual county budget by analyzing data on a wide range of HR-related expenses. Earlier this year, HR presented the court with the initial financial projections for the medical plan, and today our plan is to provide the court with updates and information on the following key items, such as employee relations, minimum wage history, supplemental pay, judicial salaries due to a statute change, and updates to the hiring waiting period. As part of our HR department's succession planning efforts, several members of our HR team will be leading portions of today's presentation. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them, along with the staff working behind the scenes, for their hard work and preparation of these important budget items. First up is our HR manager, Courtney Canales.

Good morning, Judge, Commissioners, Courtney Canales with the Human Resources Department. It's a pleasure to be here with you today to present a summary of the employee relations section and data we monitor to support county operations. Employee relations plays an important role in supporting the county's workforce by helping departments address employee related matters, identify trends, and develop strategies that support recruitment, retention, and employee engagement. The information we track is insight into workforce movement and helps us to better understand the factors impacting our employees and the county as a whole. In today's presentation, you'll receive a brief overview of several key areas monitored by the employee relations section, including voluntary separations and turnover trends, separation reasons, and unemployment related data. The information represents employees across county departments as well as the juvenile probation department and our sheriff's office, providing a broader picture of workforce trends and how those trends may impact operations and budgeting. As we review the data, it's important to recognize that employee separations and turnover are influenced by many factors, including competition in the labor market, career opportunities, personal circumstances, retirement decisions, and organizational needs. By analyzing this information, human resources can identify trends, support departments with retention strategies, and continue efforts that align with the county's strategic goal of recruiting and retaining an A-plus workforce. We will also discuss unemployment trends and how effective management of separation processes, documentation, and timely responses can help the county manage unemployment costs and maintain responsible stewardship of public resources. At this time, I'd like to turn it over to Jennifer De La Fuente, who will walk you through the details of our presentation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good morning, Judge, Commissioners.

Welcome.

So this slide provides an overview of historical voluntary separations over the past fiscal years. As reflected in the data, voluntary separations decreased in FY25 compared to the prior fiscal year. While employees' departures are a normal part of the workforce movement, tracking these trends allow human resources and county leadership to better understand the changes in workforce stability and identify opportunities to improve retention. In the next slide, we'll take a closer look at the voluntary separations and what those trends may tell us about employee retention. This slide provides a comparison of voluntary separation reasons for FY25 and FY26 through March 31st. Separation reasons are captured through our employee information system and are reported by the departments when an employee separates from the county. The leading reason for voluntary separations during this time period is employees leaving for another job with 79 reported instances. This highlights the importance of continuing to evaluate our recruitment and retention strategies, understanding external workforce competition, and identifying what factors influence employees to pursue opportunities outside the county. The second most common reason for employee departures this fiscal year is categorized as personal, which includes family, obligations, education and relocation. These factors are often outside the county's control but provide valuable insight into overall workforce movement. The Human Resources Department continues to review exit questionnaires and separation trends to better understand why employees leave and to identify opportunities where departments may be able to strengthen retention efforts, employee engagement and workforce planning. This slide presents employee turnover, which is another way to measure workforce movements. Employee turnover represents the percentage of the workforce that have voluntarily separated from the county during a specific period and provides additional context beyond the total number of separations. At the end of FY25, the turnover rate was at 11.49%, reflecting a 1.01 decrease compared to FY24. While turnover is influenced by multiple factors, including retirement, career advancement opportunities, personal circumstances, and labor market conditions, monitoring this data allows us to identify trends and to continuously improve our operations in support of the county's strategic goal to recruit and retain an A-plus talented workforce. Employee turnover can also influence unemployment claims, which may affect the county's unemployment contribution rate. The county's unemployment contribution rate is determined by the county's unemployment claims experience and the funding requirements established by the Texas Association of Counties Unemployment Compensation Fund. The Human Resources Department helps manage the county's unemployment exposure through several key practices, including providing timely responses to unemployment claims, reviewing claims and supporting appropriate determinations where applicable, and maintaining accurate documentation related to employee separations. The unemployment contribution rate is applied to the county's gross wages and determines the quarterly contribution amount paid into the fund. As shown on this slide, the county's contribution rate has remained steady over the past three years, demonstrating consistent management of unemployment claims and separation processes. This slide highlights unemployment costs over the past four years. Although the county's contribution rate has remained steady, total unemployment costs have increased. Several factors contribute to this trend, including an increase in the number of eligible unemployment claims, longer claim durations, resulting in extended benefit payments, higher wage levels, which can increase benefit amounts, and overall growth in the county payroll. Understanding these trends allow human resources to continue monitoring workforce impacts, managing unemployment processes effectively, and providing departments with information to support sound workforce decisions. Overall, this data includes valuable insight into where we are today and helps guide where we need to focus our efforts moving forward. I will now turn it over to Berenice Acosta.

Thank you, Jennifer. Once more, Judge and Commissioners, each year as part of the budget process, our HR department presents information on the county's administrative accountability policy to ensure compliance with legally accepted standards and policies regarding employment related matters. Typically at this point in our agenda, we proceed into executive session to discuss any cases that meet the threshold. outlined in this policy. However, at this time, there are no cases requiring us to move into executive session for review. With that, I'll turn it over to Valeria Fernandez, who will go over our next portion of the presentation.

Good morning, Judge Commissioners. Valeria Fernandez with the Human Resources Department. As the county continues to grow and enhance services through investments in facilities, parks, programs, and community services, the workforce needed to support these services continues to evolve. However, recognizing budget constraints and specific directives, departments have supported the effort to manage cost by not submitting requests for additional general fund positions during this budget cycle. In the following slides, we will focus on several compensation and classification related items, including minimum wage history and progression, judicial and DA salary considerations, auto allowances and supplements, and TCDRS contribution rates. These items reflect ongoing efforts to maintain a competitive compensation structure while balancing fiscal responsibility and operational needs. One of the court's longstanding priorities has been the continued advancement of the county's minimum wage. Through a phased approach implemented over several fiscal years, the county successfully achieved its goal of reaching a minimum wage of $15 per hour by FY25. As part of that effort, the court approved multiple wage adjustments over time, resulting in a cumulative increase of $3.45 per hour. Most recently, at the end of FY24, the court approved the reclassification of 77 positions, which increased the county's minimum wage to its current rate of $15.50 per hour. As directed by the court, this continues to be and remain an ongoing strategic goal and will be evaluated annually for the court's consideration during the budget process. This slide provides a five-year history of the cost of living adjustments and step increases approved by the court. While no salary increases were approved in FY26, the court did approve six additional holidays for employees. The most recent CPIU as of May 2026 is 4.2%. Currently included in the proposed FY27 budget is a 1.5% COLA adjustment for all county pay scales, excluding employees covered under the collective bargaining unit and the judiciary pay scales, which will be discussed separately. The proposed budget also includes a step increase for eligible employees effective in January. The estimated fiscal impact of the proposed COLA and STEP increases is approximately $5.4 million. In addition, staff is reviewing the county holiday pay policy as part of a broader review of workforce options and expect to bring that item before the court in July. For FY24, I'm sorry, for FY27, employees within the sheriff's office who are subject to the collective bargaining unit as well as employees on the deputy constable pay scale will receive salary increases in accordance with their respective agreements. The estimated fiscal impact of those increases is approximately 3.7 million. The combined fiscal impact of the proposed COLA step increases and negotiated pay adjustments is approximately $9.1 million. This slide represents the initial supplement and auto allowance request for FY27. Supplement request included two increases, which are reflected in the bar graph, and 10 continuations. These supplements do not impact the general fund as they are funded from other sources including types of discretionary funds. Auto allowance request included 16 decreases in current pays, 23 continuations, and 7 removals. In some cases, removals were requested by the department, which plans to transition to reimbursement requests in lieu of auto allowances. These reimbursements will be supported through approved funding sources, such as grants or special revenue. Continuation requests do not create an additional budget impact. These are the initial projections, and staff will continue to review and analyze the auto allowance request. And based on the current review, the projected budget savings is approximately $27,358. Commissioner's Court previously authorized the transfer of 37 positions from ARPA funding to general fund. The Human Resources Department is currently reviewing the justification and continued need for all the positions previously supported through ARPA.

We'll be bringing that back to the court at a later date to go through the overview of those.

Yes, ma'am. This next section will cover the judicial salaries. As a reminder, Senate Bill 293 increased the base wage for district court judges and also increased the maximum allowable county paid supplement. The following slides outline the current judicial pay structure and the related budget impacts. This slide outlines the current judicial salary structure. District court judges pay is guided by statute and they receive a tiered base salary and longevity paid by the state. Counties may also provide a supplement, which is set by commissioner's court and is paid from the general fund. Probate court judges, county court at law judges, and both associate and presiding associate judges are fully funded by the county. The probate court judges and county court at-law judges, their salaries are determined by statute and are linked to the overall salary of the district court judges. Associate judge's salary is linked to that of the county court judges at 90%, and that is by county policy. The pay for court of appeals justices not listed on this slide is also linked to the base rate of the district court judge with a county supplement that is set by the court. This item is being presented at the court's request following last year's budget discussions. First, there is a projected budget impact of approximately $118,238 in FY27 related to five judges advancing to the next tier within the current judicial pay structure. These advancements are required under the existing pay plan and statute. This impact has already been included in the FY27 budget projections. Additionally, SB 293 increased the state-funded base salary for district court judges, which resulted in corresponding adjustment to other judicial salaries. The current county-funded judicial salary remains at $18,000 annually. During the prior budget cycle, the court directed staff to return with this item to implement an incremental increase to the county supplement over three years, beginning in FY27, until the supplement reaches the statutory maximum of $25,000. The most significant financial impact occurred last year when the judicial pay scales were adjusted by approximately 22% to account for the state increases. For FY27, staff is presenting the impact of increasing the county supplement from 18,000 to 21,000 annually. The total FY27 budget impact associated with this item is $302,332, which includes the proposed supplement increase, increases to the associated salaries, and the step advancements for eligible judges.

So, Valeria, before you go off of that slide, out of the 302, 118,000 of it is the amount that is statutorily required because people are moving up a tier.

Yes, that's correct.

Okay. And the proposal is to take the supplement from 18,000 to 21,000, which is more than a third.

Yes.

That is correct. So the court said we would increase it over three years. I think the judges asked you to increase it by $3,000 this year. So that would be taking it from $18,000 to $21,000. And then you would have $4,000 to increase over the next two years to get them up to the $25,000.

In FY 26, consistent with the change associated with SB 293, the court approved a supplement for the local administrative judge, who is a county court at law judge. Because county court at law judges are fully funded by the county, the state-funded supplement does not apply. Last year, the court approved the supplement for the current LAJ, who is a county court at law judge, and we're bringing forward for approval to continue into FY27. If approved by the court, the estimated annual cost for this county supplement would be $15,498. With the approved increase in that base rate for judicial salaries last year, the corresponding state-funded salary tiers for the DA were also increased effective September 1, 2025. HR will continue to monitor and review the supplement each year. We are not recommending any changes to the DA supplement at this time. I'm now going to turn it over to Cynthia de la Fuente to complete the remaining, to cover the remaining items.

Good morning, Judge Commissioners. Cynthia de la Fuente with the Human Resources Department. The positions on this slide are scheduled to expire at the end of fiscal year 26. These positions were requested and approved effective FY24 for up to three years to address backlog. The HR department has been notified by the District Attorney Montoya that the positions may be removed from the general fund in FY27. Current employees will be absorbed into other vacancies within the office by the end of the fiscal year. The next slide that we want to present on is the county retirement system or TCDRS. Currently county employees contribute 7% of their salary to TCDRS for retirement and the county contributes to the account as well. TCDRS has advised that this employer contribution rate will be decreasing by 0.22% for the calendar year 2027. Per the Budget and Finance Office, there will be a savings of $789.5 thousand from the TCDRS rate decrease for 2027. On August 2025, the court approved the hiring waiting period implementation policy. Under this policy, all general funded positions are required to remain vacant for 16 weeks with some identified exceptions. Most departments held their vacancies open for at least the 16 weeks. However, we did have several departments that requested exemptions from the hiring waiting period committee. And we want to take some time to thank the hiring waiting period committee for their work reviewing and evaluating the exemption requests. This slide provides a summary of the requests received by the Hiring Waiting Period Review Committee within the first two quarters of FY27. According to the budget and finance calculations, the salary savings from FY26 through the end of March 2026, quarter one and quarter two, totaled approximately $4.247 million. The calculations reflect savings during the applicable waiting period and does not account for factors such as vacation payouts or positions filled at a higher rate. This slide reflects the breakdown of exemption requests submitted by departments. The committee continues to meet one to two times a month to review requests with the goal of maximizing budget savings while ensuring departments maintain the operational capacity needed to provide essential services. And this concludes our presentation. We're available if you have any questions.

Judge, commissioners, I just want to make a note that these are all items that we're working on as part of compiling budget. One of the things that we have discussed previously with the court that we're working with departments on is the budget cuts, which we undertook in efforts to also be able to try to offset some of the personnel actions that we need to implement. Carmen and her team have been working really closely with departments And I would say just a huge thank you to our departments for working. Those 2% cuts, I think every one of the court knows how tough those were. You all took them. We all took them. There is a handful of departments they're still working with to try to achieve those. But those cuts are really critical for us to be able to implement some of these things with our personnel or for our personnel into the next cycle. So just a big kudos to departments and kudos to departments for the 16 week waiting period. That's also tough. And while they showed a number of requests, the number of vacancies is four or five times the number of requests that we've received. So just a huge thanks to our departments for all their efforts for us to be able to try to take care of our county family.

Thank you, and thank all of you.

Great job.

Thank you.

Item number 4E, postponed May 21st, 2026. Receive a presentation and update regarding the annual fiscal year 2025 grant report. Welcome, Carmen.

Good morning. It's still morning. Good morning, Carmen Arieta Candelario, Budget and Finance Department Director. I am so pleased to be able to be here this morning to give you the fiscal year 2025 grant report. This covers the period from October 1st, 24 through September 30th of 2025. Just to give you a little bit of an overview about our division in the grants team. It is set up to support all county departments and divisions with researching, applying for, and managing our grants that address the county's needs and are, of course, aligned to our El Paso County strategic plan. So I'm just going to give you a brief overview of the department and then also just to give you a lot of information with regards to what we did in fiscal year 25. and now that we've closed the year, and then give you a little bit of a highlight of what we're doing now in fiscal year 26 and beyond. So we have a great team, and you should know we have a great grants division department team that supports all of these grants. First, our assistant director, Maria Chavez, oversees the division, but these ladies that are listed here, Norma Gwynn, Lizette Soltero, Laura Carpio, and Isela Hooper, these are the individuals that work hand-in-hand with the departments in grant efforts. This year we did things a little bit differently. We assigned actual departments to each individual grant analyst, and so you see the departments that are assigned there based on volume and dollar and also aligning them with the budget analyst, the corresponding budget analyst. And I'll talk a little bit about that as we move forward. So the county of El Paso, this is a grant lifecycle. And just really looking visually at what we do and what is the life of a grant. So it starts with the application. And all of those applications are, of course, brought to the court for approval before we even apply. So once we apply for the grant, we do receive notification that the grant has been received. And of course, we bring that back to you as well as budget amendments. And we call that the pre-award phase. So once that pre-award phase, once we get a grant that's awarded, then it enters the post-award phase. And there's a lot of activities that happens once we get that award. Of course, we set it up in the system, work really closely with the department and the auditor's team to make sure that we set up that grant correctly. And then throughout the life of the grant, there's monitoring that takes place to make sure that we stay within budget, that we're aligned, that the expenses that the department is incurring is in line with the budget parameters. There's reporting both to the agency, the granting agency, as well as to the department. And then we do work and support the county auditor in the event that there's an audit. If we get notice, we also provide information for a specific audit and then at the end we close out and we go through those activities. So I just wanted to give you like that framework as we go into the presentation so we align the activities with the information that I'm going to provide for you in the presentation. So first of all, as I indicated in the lifecycle, we start with a grant application. And so this is a look at the last five years. And so we just, like I said, we closed out fiscal year 2025. And so from 2021 to 2025, we've had an average application rate of about 72 grants. for those five years. Our KPI target, our key performance target, is 75. And so we want to make sure that we apply for it. That's our benchmark that we'd like to strive for. And we do monitor that on a quarterly basis, monthly, of course, and then report out quarterly. But you can see that in 20, I want to highlight 2024, we applied for 80 grants, and then in 2025, we applied for 71 grants. Now, these are the applications. Just to give you a little bit more detail on, a little bit more breakdown on those applications that we did, those 71 applications that we did in 2025. And I provided you here the departments that were, that submitted those grants that we assisted. Some more than others. Some do have embedded grant specialists within their own department, and so they may take more of a lead. Others, we do the majority of the work in applying for the grant. But we did submit those grants, and then the dollar amount, this is the value of the grant that we submit for. Obviously, it's not going to be the amount that we're awarded, and I'll show you that in the next slide. But it's $115,080,000, predominantly in the public works area, and those are the grants associated with TxDOT and so forth. So $72 million of that. And then we offer a grant match of $16,826,000. Some of that is debt, can be funded with debt. And so that's $14.5 million. But then we also broke it down just to give you more information, be more transparent in the agency that we're going through, whether it's state, federal, federal pass-through, or other. And you can see the breakdown there of the type of grant that we're applying for. So the amounts that were actually awarded, so this is the amounts that we actually were awarded from fiscal year 21 to 2025. In 2025, we were awarded or accepted 66 grants at an amount of $47 million. And then you can see the other years that have been presented in the past, you can see where those grants have been accepted. So there is a difference between the amounts that have been applied for and the amount that have been actually awarded. So of the 80 grants that we applied for in fiscal year 24, we did receive 66 awards in 25 in the amount of that $47,094,000. And that's the life cycle of the grant, right? It does take a little bit of time from the time that we do apply for a grant and we actually receive it. Some grants can take almost longer than a fiscal year right, some of the larger ones through TxDOT or the community project funding that we get from the federal legislator, from the federal government that we do, it takes us a long time to get those grants. So, you know, this is kind of, this is the reason I started with the lifecycle so you can kind of understand the numbers and put those two things together. So we have 66 awards that were received in fiscal year 25 at 47 million with a $1.9 million match. So there was 63 grants that we continued, three completely new grants. And we do our KPI for 26 is to get 12 new grants, okay? And so this is the breakdown, again, just in transparency. We wanted to give you the information as to which of the grants that we've been receiving, what is the catch match, and then what is, again, the type of grant that we're receiving, what's the agency that's giving it to us. Some additional information now on the number of grant-funded positions in fiscal year 21 through 25. So this is the number of positions that we have that are directly funded from each grant. So I think I was really glad to hear Sam come before me because he was able to give you some information on ARPA. So that really ties into today's presentation. I know you postponed it because of that, this presentation. But this is telling you the number of grant funded positions and you can see that over time we've had 144 and then we decreased down in 2019 and then we took another increase there as we had some ARPA funded positions and so forth. And so at a peak in 2024 to 211 and then there was a drop in 2025 when we moved 41 positions ARPA positions into the general fund. And that made up the predominant of the 53 positions. Now in 2025, we have 158 positions. So here's the value of the grant funded personnel from 21 to 25. And so at the top of the bar, just to give you some information, that is the amount that we actually recorded in our financials as personnel costs. So running from 23,300,021 up to the 30,092,000 in 2025. Again, funding 158 positions in 2025. On the left side of the chart, you'll see the ARPA positions and the non-ARPA positions. So ARPA positions, we had three positions in ARPA funding, a value of $259,619. And we also transferred in money from the general fund and other funds into ARPA, okay? And so that number is not a dollar for, it's not a position by position, but what it is is just appropriate cost that we can transfer from the general fund into ARPA so that we don't lose that money. Okay, and you heard that presentation today. That's that tie-in there as well. So on the non-ARPA positions, we had 155 positions of that 158, and the net value there was 12,438,301. Again, you see $5,266,000 there that was transferred in from other funds. So that's what makes up that $30,092,092. So now looking specifically, you may ask yourself, what are these positions? So we had the 158 grant-funded positions, and of those, various departments had 24 vacancies. So we had 134 positions that were filled And then we did have 24 vacancies for a total of 12,697,919, which is reflected on the prior slide. So you had the total. You can see what a risk we have there on each one of these funds, running from federal 42, state 44, and then TJJD 43. So overall, we had that 158 positions at a cost of $12,697,000. Again, the difference between that is the amount of money. It's not directly attributable to a position, but is transferred during the year over to the grants. Again, predominantly, that was ARPA.

OK. Before you leave that slide, if you could go back for just a second. Absolutely. One of the things that the court has sometimes asked us, and I think it's important, I think a lot of the grants, the majority of funding, there's a lot of personnel is often a major cost or reason for a grant. And there's been a lot of times where we have been in different situations where there's a requirement in order for us to draw down these grants that is sometimes in conflict with some of our own philosophies or policies. And so we have often been asked or looked to to say how much would it cost us if we lost these grants because we weren't willing to do what it takes to get them. So as you may recall, there's things that we have to sign off on on the grant documents and that commit the county to supporting certain measures, even future measures that we don't even know what they are yet. So when we talk about that, it's not just the cost amount, but like in this case, if you just looked at either just the federal or a lot of the state grants are federal pass-through, which is the second area, or like if it's a state requirement, But if we lost everything, obviously, 12.7 million in personnel from FY25, or even if it was just some of the state ones, about half of that, and then, of course, the number of positions and people it would impact. So this is a good overview for us to kind of also bank and remember for that reason when those issues come up for us. Thank you.

I have a question on this. So this is really, really good information. I'm wondering if we have a breakdown of the personnel that are grant funded based on function. So how many are public safety, how many are PUBLIC WORKS OR OTHER FUNCTIONS. I KNOW THAT WE HAVE BY DEPARTMENT BROKEN DOWN, BUT THAT'S NOT BY PERSONNEL. THAT'S JUST BY AWARD AMOUNT. SO I'D BE INTERESTED TO SEE HOW MANY PUBLIC SAFETY POSITIONS ARE BEING FUNDED BY GRANTS.

And absolutely, we can get that information. We have that information. Thank you. Yes, of course. Yeah, I think it's been a really great learning experience for me as well to be able to understand where the risks are associated with the number of positions that we have. that are funded by grants because, you know, there were some executive orders that came through that said potentially we're not going to fund this in the future or there was a lot of rumblings out there that this grant in particular was not going to be offered anymore. So we need to be able to understand as a county how much risk we have out there. They could potentially, if all of this money went away, how much would we have to absorb in our general fund? And that's really important for us to be able to have that information. So it's really helpful for me to go through this.

And while you're here, you you brought up a thought for me when you were talking and I don't see it in the slides I'm just making sure you're not going to go over this well maybe you are um but on these positions that are grant funded um what is the timeline for those grants right so when do they renew when can we expect to see the actual risk come into play whether um if we don't get grants renewed or if they expire

i do have a slide on that that i can go through that but yes we're also watching that as well when when does the grant end and what is the grant more than likely to renew uh where then we do have to make a decision with that position and as betsy said i mean that's that's really a risk that's a risk that we're managing trying to manage too so yeah absolutely So here is a history of the positions that have been transferred to the general fund, both ARPA and non-ARPA positions that have been transferred. So it's an equal amount, basically, and as far as value goes, we had $3.5 million of positions that were transferred for ARPA, a total of 41 positions there, non-ARPA 33 positions of those 74 positions. were non-ARPA, other grants, and the net value of that is $3,530,000. So a total of a number of positions was 74 and then the amount in total is $7,033,000. So that's the value of positions specifically for those positions that have been transferred to the general fund over this period of time. So again, that is included in our budgets now going forward. You'll see the number of positions, 41. That was really the biggest change driver in 2025. So now let's look at where those came from specifically by grant. Same information from the prior slide, but now we're seeing it through the actual grant that came over. Again, that's 41 positions in ARPA. In 25, you can see all of those we had of some from the Victim Assistance Program, Public Defender, the Board of Prosecution, and so forth. So these are all of the grants that came over. And like I said before, it is important for us to be able to understand the history behind what has come forward and which grant they came forward. As Ms. Keller indicated, one of the things is we have accepted grants that we call step grants. So these are grants that will take them for three years, and then in the fourth year, we commit to bringing that position on the general fund. And that ensures that continuity of that program. But it also, again, obviously increases our costs. So it's important for us to be able to understand those positions that are being transferred and why. So in summary, this is the total amount of grants from 2020 through 2025. And we broke it down by the number of active grants. So I talked a little bit about the amount of grants that we apply for. That's a number, the amount that we award. And then that award could last for three, four, five years. And so the number of active awards that are being reported in our ACFER is the number in the second column, the number of grants that are actually active. So if the auditor comes and says, or she comes and says this how many grants are in the ACFRA. There's 103 that we've counted that are in that report. And so that means that they're managing reporting and accounting for those number of grants. that also talks a little bit about the life cycle of a grant. You know, some, as I indicated, may be one year, two, three, four. But again, there's all these grants that we're actively managing during that timeframe. And then you see the next column is the personnel cost. There's that $30,254,000 in fiscal year 25 that I talked about. And then operating costs, $65,267,000 total expenditures in the fiscal year 2025 finished out with $95,522,558. But if you look at collectively over the last six years, it's $148 million in personnel, $271 in M&O, total $420,137,000. over those six years. And the budget and the match, we also provide a match. So we provided a budget match of $9,567,000. That means we appropriated money in order to be able to match a grant in the event it was required. The actual match was $5,036,093.25. I also wanted to break it down and give you some information as well how much money do we have in ARPA and how much money do we have in all other grants in that reporting period. So it's about 50-50, $47,056,129, $48,466,000 for all other grants. And again, that comes directly off the ACFER. And then just to give you a little bit more information on the actual versus the budget on the match. So here again, using those same numbers from the prior slides, past year 59% of the budget match has been utilized. And then in fiscal year 25, 53% of the budget match was utilized. So that gives you an overview of just some information from the fiscal numbers of where we're at and where we've been for 25 and then for the last five or six years with regards to overall grants. I want to talk a little bit about what we're going to do going forward. So we have had a good year this year. What we've done is we have really tried to strengthen, first and foremost, our grant portfolio, really looking back to see where we've been. I know Ms. Keller has asked for a lot of information. since I started back in October about just different questions with regards to how many positions we have or some other information that she may need. But what we want to do is we want to be able to make sure that we have the right information and we've been working with our staff and our grant staff to make sure that they have the tools that they need in order to be able to do the job that they are required to do. And so one of the ways that we've been doing that is using our unit software. So we began that implementation in January and then launched on May 1st. We launched our pre-award portal. And so that's going to give us some more wins. That expands grant opportunities. It gives people more visibility onto what opportunities are out there. And it has expanded our ability really to have anyone in the county that would like to look for grants, search for grants, they can go through the training and gain access to the system. So it's a really great tool to be able to have in our back pocket. The second part of our implementation is our post-award process, which we're in the process of working with OONA to be able to design and configure our work or the system to the way that we work and that's going to give us not only tracking but reporting tools that we're going to be able to use because right now we're using Excel and they're very labor intensive. But once we utilize the system and it's able to talk with our current munis, then we're able to then more easily run reports so that we have time to do the real work of looking and doing more analytical study of our grants. So I think that's going to be a real big win. And then, as I indicated earlier, one of the things that we did is we unified the grant and budgets team. So you saw the four team members, how they were broken up by department. We did the same thing on the budget side. And so now departments have a budget person and they have a grants person. And so they work together to be able to manage a department's needs. And so if, for example, if there is a grant ending, then that grant analyst notifies the budget analyst and say, hey, this grant is ending. What are we going to do? Is the general fund or another fund going to be able to absorb this position? Or if a grant analyst says, hey, we applied for this grant. They didn't get it. Do they have it? Correspondingly, if the budget If the budget analyst works with the department and the department says, I really need this vehicle, is there any grants available out there? And so there's a real connection now, I feel, between the budget and the grants team. They work really well together. And they have been working really well with us on the budget to make sure that if someone submits a budget request, there's not already a grant for it. for that request, I can handle that. So just a lot of really great coordination and overall just better service delivery for our county departments. We've made some real clear progress and we're on an upward momentum, I feel. We've just done a lot of improvements within the department. We're actually creating our own manual that helps guide the work. We're implementing the unit system. We just feel that we're going to be poised really to do the work that's necessary and will give us better results for our county overall. As I indicated, I won't go through this in detail, but we've already implemented it. We can create these grant champions, people that are directly embedded in departments. We've already replaced the manual grant application form. In fact, you'll start seeing some of those forms in the backup, some of the backup. Now if you would like to apply for a grant, you go through the system. So the system is always tracking all of these statistics. So we have them at the ready. as opposed to having to compile these manually, which is what we had to do for this presentation. So we'll have that on the system. And then we also developed a grant matrix that really acts just as a guide in reviewing and analyzing opportunities. Again, that grant matrix is really not to prevent anyone from applying for a grant, although it may identify that. But it really is a tool to raise management's awareness about the risks associated with obtaining a grant. So that was a recommendation that came in, that was one of our goals that we wanted to create, and so now we've implemented it, but we've implemented into the system. So it's actually the questions, departments have to answer those questions, and then we get a rubric, we get a score and say, okay, this is a risk, or this is a good opportunity for us. So that is already embedded in the UNA system. But this is not to say we don't have our challenges, but we do have some opportunities, right, with regards to grant. The request for grant match commitments. So as we are looking very closely to whether or not a grant has a match, has a required match, we disclose that to all of you. Every time that there is an application that comes forward, we want to make sure that everyone understands that there is a match commitment from the county's coffers. And so we need to manage the amounts that we do have in the budget because it's important to know how much match we've committed, is it growing, is it shrinking, what kind of grants are we actually going after, grants that require a match, how much match, is it 10, 25, and can we again afford that commitment. We also want to be mindful, and I talked about this earlier, again, the request to convert grant-funded positions to general fund. It may not be today, but we may get a grant that requires that transfer in four years. So we need to be able to track that as well as report it all to you before we apply for a grant. So before we apply for a grant, we need to know, look, in five years, four years, we're gonna need to absorb that position. So we are working on a system to be able to track that in the future so it's not someone remembering or it's not on an Excel spreadsheet. That's another one of our challenges that we have with regards to that tracking. And again, as Ms. Keller indicated, we need to be mindful of how much monetary, how much money we're actually going to need to spend or embed or plan for in our budgets in the future if we do accept that grant. The other issue is just the overall program. We have some programs that are great programs funded by grants, right? But we need to know what if the funding were to go away, or do we want to continue that program, and will it have to be in the general fund? Because that is our operating fund, and that's where we most likely would fund a grant or a program. Okay, going back to, but a program, if it's a program that's funded by a grant, We have to be aware that when we accept the grant, there are risks involved with regards to that. And how much does that cost? And then I talked a little bit about that grant matrix. It has criteria in there about what is our return for investment on these grants. And we need to be able to identify those and then, again, prioritize grant opportunities and make sure they're aligned with our strategic plan. or any major capital project that's on our list, make sure it complements it and supports that work that we're doing. We don't want to take on a grant that doesn't meet our core values or doesn't meet our strategic plan. And if that is the case, we need to identify and again bring that forward to the court so that the court is aware of the grant that we're actually going to accept. One of the things that we also are looking at determining, and this is, I think this is an opportunity, is determine if there's indirect costs that can be applied to grants to increase our general fund revenue. We do have an, there is an administrative cost with every grant that we get, okay? And so we had not in the past applied that consistently over over several, I'm going to say a few years from when I looked at. But that is an opportunity. And sometimes you can't, there's not an opportunity to take indirect costs. For example, if the program costs take the whole grant, and so we forego that indirect cost. But there is an opportunity for us there to receive up to 15% of indirect costs because we would use the de minimis rate, cost rate that's allowed to us. Um, and so I think that that's an opportunity we're going to track. Uh, we changed the, the, the, um, I guess the guidelines for when we apply indirect cost. Uh, and so we did change that a little bit. Um, and we were able to put indirect costs in some of the grants. that we have brought forward. So we're going to track how much revenue potentially that could mean back to the county. And so that's a good opportunity for us to look for. Because there is that administrative cost to be able to manage these grants. And then what we're looking at is just improved grant match accountability and tracking. So we noticed in a few cases that there was some duplication. So there was a duplication that was budgeted in the grant match, and it was also budgeted in our contingency listing. And so we need to just make sure that what we want to do is we just want to, if they have a grant match that you all have authorized during the grant application process, then we need to budget a line item for it. And that really will help us make sure that we budget for the grant match and we're not also caught unaware, like, oh, we don't have the match. What happened? And we're scrambling to try to make the match or find the match. That's one. And then the other thing is that we are going to lower the amount of match that we budget generally. So we have historically put in $3 million as the match and then we would take some of that money So we're going to budget that at a lot lower amount in fiscal year 27 because, again, if you look at the life cycle of the grant, most of the grants are applied for in one year and then we get them the next year. So we should know pretty much going into the year how much money we've committed. But we also want to have a little bit of money in the event that we do get a grant opportunity that is in fiscal year 27 that we can say, yes, we have the grant match to be able to fund it if we so choose to do so. So that is really just some of the things that we've looked at, some of the opportunities and challenges, and just the framework of how we're managing so that we can position the county well as we move into the next fiscal year 27 and then beyond. And then, Commissioner Butler, to your point, here's the slide that I was referring to. This is the positions that we have at risk. with regards to these particular grants. So in fiscal year 26, we did bring to the commissioner's court permission or a request which you approved to move two positions that ended in fiscal year, ended in March fiscal, this fiscal year for the Padilla Immigration Grant. Those were brought into the general fund in 26. And then there's nine positions that will end on 12-31-26 and we've been working with the Department and Human Resources to notify these individuals that are in those positions. Those positions will end. We don't plan on bringing those positions into the general fund for 27. There's three CIT ARPA positions that will end on 9-30-26 with the Sheriff's Office and same thing there. And then on community services, we have five coordinator positions of which they're funded 75% with the general fund that will be requested to move to the general fund in October 27. But that will be that conversation when that time comes. as to whether or not we actually do that in fiscal year 28. But that's what we're tracking of those 158 positions that were in fiscal year, at the end of fiscal year 25. These are the positions that are at risk because either we didn't get the grant or there is a change in the program related to that particular grant. And then lastly, we're heavily involved in our setting our key performance measures up, and this is something that I'm really proud to have worked with my team to come up with these measures. We worked hand in hand with them to say, okay, what capacity do we have to be able to do this work? And so we, in conjunction with the team, they're the ones that came up with all of these benchmarks and we track them on a quarterly basis. And so this is something that we want to make sure that we are focused on the right work and These are the KPIs that drive us. So lastly, I just, again, I want to recognize the department and Maria, Norma, Cella, Lizette, and Laura for all of the work that they do. But I also want to recognize the departments. Because without the departments and working together with us closely, we wouldn't be able to do this work. And so certainly thank you. Thank Kelly. Thank Melissa. for their support as well in doing this good work for the county. With that, are there any questions?

This is very impressive. I don't think I've ever had that sense of every element of grants. Betsy, you've been in sort of the before and after kind of?

Judge, what I would say is, Carmen, I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate. She's gotten into these things and so quickly is able to analyze the challenges, analyze what's needed, Carmen and the team, and really bring us to this level. I think we've wanted this in depth. dive into grants every year for a long time. And we have been making progress. But what Carmen's been able to do is really bring us up to a new bar of excellence. And I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. And then like the UNIS software, I'm really excited about the software. Even analyzing the cost of what we were paying for and not getting what we need out of and changing to this. And just getting in here and so swiftly making these changes. I can't say enough how much I appreciate it and how much I appreciate the team. And I actually see a little pep in the step of the grants team. Great. I'm so proud of them and just really think that they see the value that they're able to bring to departments, to the county. cannot be more pleased than where we are.

you so much i mean we we depend so much on grants but i don't think we ever understood like or the gaps you know or some opportunities until you saw the entire i felt this would have been perfect for malcolm baldrige because it really captured kind of the what would would be expected from an administrative model it's very well done thank you

And, again, it's the team. I mean, they've really ‑‑ I would agree with Betsy. I really see the change in the team, that they are really proud of the work that they're doing and some of the things that were ‑‑ that when you have the right tools, it also ‑‑ it helps you so much. When you're able to see the data and then when you see the collective effort, the work, and it's translated into data, Again, you can better position yourself to move forward and also take advantage of opportunities that come up. We are ready to be able to do that.

I also like that you've been, because we sort of promoted that, but I'm not sure we're that ready to get others from the rural areas. When I meet with the rural mayors, that they can utilize and lean on you a little bit on some of the grants. They win, we win. I mean, it's just part of this whole synergism, so.

And we have, I know that I've specifically discussed it with the ESDs. So, and we've given them access. So, I mean, I qualify that to my knowledge. I know we've given them access. So, I know they were on my outreach. and I had a conversation with them to be able to help them. That's excellent. And so I certainly can do that the same with our other partners. It is available, and it is a real powerful tool. And the other thing, too, is sometimes they qualify to get the grant and not us, right? Because if it's like a rural grant, right, they could qualify for it. as opposed to us, or UMC could qualify for it, or some other agency. Or the city can qualify, and that's where our partner would be. So again, it's a tool that allows us to be able to discern. And once we become more and more proficient, with the tool, then I think it also just will expand our opportunities. And that's why it's really important to understand the data, because my hope is that the program will pay it for itself, right? It's about $51,000 for the program. And that's what we were basically paying for one entity that we were working with. to look at federal grants. So that was the marker that I used to say, OK, I think we could get more bang for our buck if we use this system that would expand. Plus, we have a lot more people looking at things.

So I do think it's a strategic community partnership. That's a really big highlight.

We actually paid for a position. We were paying for a position to help our smaller municipalities with a grant. um this may be even a better opportunity to to expand to them to and it would always be available and no matter what the need that comes up so that that's definitely something we could look into uh Carmen thank you thank you and your team for putting this together I think it's one of the first conversations I had with you when you came on board was about

getting a handle on our grants. And I think when I think about when I see this information, You know, obviously grants can be that double-edged sword when we are relying on them for personnel. But I think if we look at the data, we'll probably see that most of the grant-funded personnel are on the criminal justice and public safety side of what we do here. And so obviously there's a value to that that we can't necessarily quantify like we would I'm thinking about transit, right? Transit's very quantifiable in terms of impact and economic return on investment and things like that. I think it's a little bit different when it comes to criminal justice and public safety. So I think that's a factor that we have to keep in mind. And I think WHAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IS A STRATEGY FOR BEING REALLY AGGRESSIVE ON CAPITAL PROJECTS, GRANTS. AND I AM ALWAYS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE STAFF THAT WE HAVE IN OUR, LIKE, PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WHO ARE REALLY, REALLY KNOWLEDGEABLE IN THEIR WHEELHOUSE, RIGHT? LIKE, MUNZER KNOWS EVERY SINGLE WATER GRANT THAT'S OUT THERE AND HOW TO APPLY FOR IT, AND HE HAS SPENT his career building relationships to be able to navigate what those grants are so when i saw your grant champions i thought we we probably have professionals in these departments like munzer like tim like roxanne who who are very skilled in that relationship building which in my experience is one of the key factors for being successful with grants is knowing who is putting the grant out and being able to have a relationship and open communication with them. And so maybe there's a, I don't know, like a mentor program that we can implement with the grant champions to share some of that institutional knowledge. And every department's different, but I think whether it's economic development or transit, John Andos knows grants like the back of his hand, right? How do we transfer some of that knowledge across departments so that everybody is aware of the grants that are within their purview and can go after them aggressively? That's a great idea.

That's a great idea and we can certainly through our grant champions training, I think that would be something that, I mean, we could really develop, because I agree with you. We need to, and that's one of the reasons some of the information is lost, if you will.

Yeah.

And we had to do a lot of digging, you know, because, you know, there is turnover.

Right, or it lives in somebody's head.

Yeah. So I think that's a great idea, and I appreciate that so much.

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Thank you, Carmen. Great job.

Judge, commissioners, that's all of our items for today.

That's it? Okay.

You're expecting more.

No, well, thank you. Thank you so much, every one of you. Wishing everybody a very, very happy Father's Day weekend. And you can start enjoying it tomorrow. So thank you. Thank you.

This concludes today's meeting at 1221 p.m.