Commissioners Court - Regular Meeting

Yes, thank you. Good morning, everyone. So today we are actually introducing a new intern who is with Commissioner Butler's office. So we have Patricia Nevarez, who is a UTEP student and is majoring in political science. Patricia, if you want to join us up here to lead us in the pledge.

Judge, do you have some opening remarks for us this morning? Yeah, thank you so much. On behalf of myself and our commissioners, we welcome you to Commissioner's Court. Standing room only today, some of the most, we're gonna recognize some of the most incredible individuals, organizations, so we're very privileged as the commissioners and myself as your county judge to have that type of recognition. I think today you'll find out, why we keep saying we're unique and we're a different community. We're a great role model for all the communities throughout the country. But I think today you'll see

Judge, item K. And I just have a question on that. Item K. For the county attorney. Are they here? Well, when they get, I just want to make sure that the amendment with respect to the agreement that was put in regarding the maintenance issue was put into the agreement.

Thank you. Richard, do you want to come up, please? Well, they're all very incredible resolutions, but this obviously is very special to our community, so I'd like to read it into the record. Where Special Olympics Texas El Paso area enriches the lives of children and adults with intellectual disabilities by providing year-round sports training, athletic competition, health programs, leadership opportunities, and unified experiences that inspire confidence, courage, and joy. With the Special Olympics Texas El Paso area empowers athletes of all abilities to discover new strength, develop physic

Okay, now you can clap again, okay? Well, my good friend Richard, if you don't mind leading us into it.

Thank you so much, Richard. And you want to introduce yourselves, please?

Thank you so much. And Richard and all of you, thank you so much. This is quite a unique thing that we do in El Paso, but we're trying our best as well. We have the, you know, the accessibility. We've created all accessibility parks. If you could visit the Zcarate Park, it's just amazing. Because really our philosophy and our basic understanding is that no one should be treated any different. Everybody should have accessibility to everything. No one should be limited to any of the blessings that we receive here in El Paso. So we thank you for that. So I don't know if you were gonna continue wi

Thank you, sir. Appreciate you. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE CHEER, COMMISSIONER GUERRERO WILL DO IT HIMSELF. CANUTILLO, GO EAGLES.

Richard, anybody else that you'd like to, that came with you?

So thank you. We'll make it happen. Look at the crowd. I don't know if you... IF YOU'VE SEEN THE VIDEO, SO EL PASO, IT'S SO EL PASO BECAUSE THIS IS SO EL PASO. THIS IS WHAT WE DO. THAT'S HOW WE'RE GETTING RECOGNIZED. THAT'S WHY WE'RE ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITIES IN THE COUNTRY. SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. WE'RE GOING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO TAKE PICTURES WITH EVERYBODY.

OH, YOU'RE GOING TO DO A CHEER? OKAY, COMMISSIONER, WOULD YOU MIND?

All right, ladies, are you ready? Who are we?

Thank you, thank you so much. Go Foxes. Oh, I'm sorry, it's another. I totally forgot. Okay, we're gonna try to do some magic and see if we can take as many pictures in different sections, so we're gonna go down there with you.

Judge, I just wanted to point out that our State Board of Education, who also works at Canetillo ISD, is here this morning.

Could I have our Gold Star family, please?

James, my goodness, my good friend. How are you? I'll go down and say hi to you in a little while. Well, thank you so much. Of course, this is very special, being part of the Gold Star family, having lost my brother in Vietnam as Captain Chito Samaniego. So this is very special. that you've extended the healing process not only to the immediate family but the entire family because it's very heartfelt and sometimes it felt lonely not to have that kind of nurturing. So thank you for that. Whereas throughout our nation's history, generations of courageous men and women have answered the call to s

IF YOU DON'T MIND, TONY, YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD AND START US OFF? LUTHER, YOU CAN JOIN US, TOO. YOU'VE BEEN SUCH AN INCREDIBLE, WELL, ACTUALLY A PART OF EVERYTHING, LUTHER. TONY, IF YOU COULD LEAD US IN AND THEN WE COULD HAVE THE REST

Thank you for everything you do, Tony, and every element and aspect of veterans. Luther, you want to?

Yeah, Luther is the other counterpart for Tony from the city, so it's pretty impressive how he's been involved and kept the unity between the county and the city.

Thank you so much for your words. You want to introduce yourselves also? Please, thank you.

Thank you. Our veteran of the year. Yes. James.

For that and everything else you do, thank you.

Thank you. Or other Veteran of the Year, Debbo, thank you.

Thank you so much. We really appreciate this. And like I said earlier, the inclusion of the siblings was something that hadn't happened. And we're disenfranchised grief because we've just sort of felt that it was not as important for us to go through the healing process. I myself received the notice of my brother when he was killed, the first fatality in Vietnam. And then they forgot about you, kind of. You're the sibling. It was a wife, a mom that they focused on, but the siblings didn't get the opportunity to to be part of the healing process. So expanding it to the family is very heartfelt

Ambassador Tellez, you want to come in and your family can join you as well. Well, thank you. Thank you and your family for being here. This is very special. From my office, Eduardo just fell in love with the story, and he's been like obsessed to make sure that we cover it properly. And Eduardo, you've done an amazing job. Thank you for doing that. But this is very special, and I think when you hear the resolution, Each and every one of you, it'll tie you in as to why we're El Paso, the way we do things, but we've had some amazing individuals that have put us on the map, and I think you're gon

What a duo, what a duo, my goodness. Ambassador, please.

Thank you. You know, most of you also recognize some of the family members, so if you don't mind introducing yourself, Joe and Carlos.

Thank you so much, Joe. Appreciate your friendship. Carlos, Charlie?

Thank you. Thank you, Charlie. You're the most incredible black sheep that I've ever met in my life.

Thank you so much. You know, yesterday or Saturday, Ambassador DAS, Cynthia DAS, read straight from notes of his dad about what was happening at that time and it wasn't very different and we see ourselves in the same place. And so we miss these trusting voices like Ambassador Tellez, that we need that help to get us to go through one more time. Because it was like he was talking about what was going on, the lack of unity, trying to come together, making sure that we understood the challenges. And a lot of people commented on the fact that you read straight from his notes. And that was, I mean,

Yeah, I just want to say a few things. You know, y'all's family, just incredible, incredible legacy for El Paso and just incredible role models. And Carlos, I mean, I've known you a long time. You're not a black sheep. You're a trailblazer, just like your uncle. And he was a true trailblazer. And, you know, just... Nobody in El Paso during those times, and even now, had not heard of Raymond Diaz in terms of what he did, becoming the first Hispanic mayor, first to serve as ambassador to Costa Rica under two different administrations, serving in the federal administration. So just a great, great

Please, if you could come up, Anna. I can't tell you how privileged, because now you're going to hear about two more that were pillars, are pillars of our community, and we get to honor all three of them.

LET ME READ THIS INTO THE RECORD FIRST. OH, HE'S GOING TO READ THAT. YOU'RE ALWAYS ONE STEP So like I said, this is so special, recognizing these incredible individuals. What a night on Saturday. So many great friends were there. It felt like a reunion for everybody. So I thank you, Ana, for everything that you did too. But you're now going to hear about an organization that has done everything possible to recognize some of these pillars of our community. and have done such a great job of making sure that we don't forget what they've done for us and many of us are standing on their shoulders a

You know, equally, he's an artist, amazing artist, just incredible. But just being that combination of science, so the planning records sort of the one side of the brain and the other part of the brain, and he's combined them. both hemisphere work at the same level, which is very unique. But Nestor, thank you. There's so many things here in El Paso that you've left your footprint. But true to form, what did he start doing? He started recognizing Ambassador Tellez, right? And we're honoring him, but he took the time to, and that's who Nestor is known for. The other thing that a lot of comments,

And if you could introduce yourselves, those that have just come on. Thank you.

Thank you for, he doesn't just do one thing. He said he was going to retire, but I haven't seen that happen yet. Go ahead. Introduce yourselves, please.

Thank you. Thank you. We definitely need role models and what better? Everybody?

Thank you so much. I appreciate you. Thank you. That he has done. He's the founder of Comunidad en Acción. And I hope I wasn't dismissive and not including him because he was such an incredible individual of everything that he's done for our community. So he's not here today, but just want to thank him for everything he does. It's unbelievable how much he does in such a quiet way. So thank you for Richard Castro. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Judge and Commissioners. I'm going to ask our guests from Gracie's Rescue Ranch and Animal Welfare and our Sheriff's Office to join us at the podium. It is an honor to present this resolution this morning and this effort and this resolution represents what I think is exemplary of the very best of our community and El Paso County. There was a very serious and unfortunate situation a couple of months ago that occurred in relation to some some animals that were being abused and neglected in other parts of the county. And so I'll take a moment to read the resolution, but I wanted t

Well, thank you so much. Go ahead and introduce yourselves, please.

Thank you. Just introduce yourself, yeah?

Thank you so much. And Crystal, thank you so much for what you do, sort of like the cog, but you talk about call for action, because I was getting the feedback, got the information when it barely happened, and it was like beyond. my understanding how that was going to be addressed. I mean, it was just extremely complicated, but thank you for exemplary, you know, El Pasoans. We came together, and you've been hearing throughout the day of, so El Pasoan, right? And this acknowledges that. The sheriff always, I mean, always have the confidence that the Sheriff's Department is going to step in, you

Thank you again, Judge and Commissioners, and just thank you all for your selfless service and for all of the hard work that went into taking care of these animals. I've heard stories of the hours that were required when this was first discovered. all of the work that's taken place since then at the ranch to make sure that these animals were accommodated and taken care of. And I know that behind this group here in front of us, there are dozens of volunteers and passionate community members who stepped up to make sure that each of the animals were taken care of. And there have been a lot of eff

My name is Sandra Day. I am a civil officer. Let me read the resolution. Sorry. Go ahead.

Thank you. Don't try to take my job, okay? It's the only one I have. Well, thank you very much. We're going to understand the importance of different initiatives for our health, and this is very special as well, so I'll read the resolution. On June 26, 2001, the City of El Paso adopted the El Paso Smoke-Free Ordinance to protect the public health, safety and welfare of residents, employees and visitors by prohibiting smoking in indoor public places and workplaces. Whereas the ordinance established the city of El Paso as one of Texas' early leaders in the advancing comprehensive smoke-free prot

Thank you so much. Introduce yourselves, please.

Thank you. Well, thank you all of you just it's incredible how you all came together. Really, it's nice to also recognize the city for what they did. And just very appreciative of the health effort. One of the commitments we've all made and sure on a personal level during the pandemic and we saw all of the underlying health issues. And so our first protection against viruses or anything else is our health. That's our first line of protection. And so we thank you because this is a very, it's sort of sneaking back up right through vaping and through other forms that we forget about. They seem sa

Thank you. Our forensic team, please. Well, thank you so much. This is also one of those behind the scenes of individuals that work really hard to make sure that we have a safe community. And I'm so glad when we get to get you out of sort of the shadows and get you in being recognized in public. So thank you so much. Whereas the dedicated public servants who work in the field of forensic science deserve recognition for their hard work in the field and inside the laboratory, their discipline and expertise through education. Whereas forensic analysis improves investigation of criminal cases lead

Thank you so much. You want to introduce yourselves please?

Thank you. And our good friend, Omar, please.

you might have someone who is a criminal who should be in jail out in the community. And that's where we, you know, we're so proud of being one of the safest communities, but that's what it takes. It's just everyone. And I just, I mean, to me, one of the most special things we do is recognize people that would typically not be recognized. As I said earlier, you're behind the scene and you do so many great things for our community. continue that certification, continue that commitment that you have. And once again, when the sheriff's involved, great things happen. And so, Maura, thank you also.

Thank you, thank you. Who else is with you? Just anybody else? Sam, bring your team. He said after this, he's taking you to Luby's, okay, so. Well, you deserve everything you do for us. We'd like to. Well, thank you so much. It's my honor, having been a HR professional in my lifetime. I truly understand the significance of the workforce, and the workforce obviously is feeling good and feeling loved and appreciated. Great things happen, and when they're not, not such great things will happen. So I'm very appreciative because we have such an incredible family here in the county. So it'll be my h

Well, thank you. It's so nice to have not just ourselves, but Sherm recognized, so thank you for doing that. Really appreciate that. Thank you. Sam, you want to lead us off?

Thank you, Sam, for your commitment and dedication as well. So if you want to introduce each one of you, please come up.

Thank you so much. And we appreciate so much what you do. And as I said earlier, the strength of any organization or the people, obviously, but you've done such a great job. When we talk about our family, our county family, we really mean it. It's not just something you say, put on the wall kind of thing, but it's something very special for us. I know there's your biggest fan, well, other than myself, is Betsy. She's not here today, but I think she's doing somersaults and being very happy that we're recognizing, as most of you know, she initiated an HR and continues to show because she was in

Yes, Judge, Commissioners, thank you so much. I'm really excited to be able to present today's resolution in recognition of El Paso Startup Week. I know we have some representatives from our local startup support organizations and obviously our wonderful Economic Development Department. Before I read the resolution and hear from our guests and our economic development department, I wanted to highlight some of the work this court has done this year in supporting small businesses and startups and how fitting it is that we're passing this resolution this morning focusing on supporting entrepreneu

Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate your words.

Thank you very much. You know, we've always said that one of the things that the county does is accessibility. And sometimes people don't realize that accessibility is, for example, an entrepreneur being able to enter the market, being successful. And as Sonia will tell you, sometimes we We recognize the Amazons, the Schneider Electrics of the world, and it seems like they're the ones that are holding our economy together. But in essence, it's the small businesses throughout and their contributions throughout that really help our economy to be what we are. And I know the county, each one of th

Thank you. Thank you again, each one of you, for being here. And I know there are a lot of other ESOs that are part of Startup Week, and so thank everybody for your efforts. Hopefully we can attend as many events next week as possible to highlight the work that you're doing. Thank you to the MCA Foundation for all the incredible work that you do, especially. So thank you very much. We'll go ahead and take a picture.

Thank you, Judge. So last but certainly not least, and I know I also see Tony, if you want to come make your way up and join Corey. It's really an honor to present this resolution because I think that Rhinos hockey is something that not too many people in our community know about, but it's one of the funnest, most family-friendly events that I know of. I did not know I was a hockey fan until I went to my first Rhinos game, and now my daughter Rebecca and I WE LOVE SPENDING TIME WATCHING THE GAME. I WILL GO AHEAD AND READ THE RESOLUTION. WHILE I DO THAT, I KNOW OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM HAS SOME

Well, thank you, and a great partner to you guys, Tony, on their behalf, because you've got the best view of what they do.

Well, thank you, Tony. Thank you for that partnership. And Corey, I think it's good being by the ice because you don't look 20 years older from when you started. It's all that cold weather in there. But thank you because it's such an asset to El Paso. People go crazy, the fans, what you do. You might want to talk to the UTEP fans to be a little bit more relentless because your fans, like Tony was saying, Win or lose, they're there, they're excited. And thank you for your continued effort to make it grow. And hopefully there's a way that we can support that. That second sheet I know has been, a

I'm just gonna shamelessly plug Commissioner's Court putting back on the ballot, investing in the Coliseum. It's great to do resolutions and support you. Thank you for being here for 20 years and doing all that you've done during that time. But if we're serious about supporting you, I would say we need to put that back on the ballot and ask the voters to support you as well.

Well, I just wanna encourage anyone who has not been out to see a Rhinos game to go watch one. Even if you don't think you're a hockey fan, believe me, you will be after you watch a game. So thank you all. And if we could have you join us up here for a photo.

I wanna see a video of Tony doing the Rhino move.

We're going to go ahead and get one more item in and then we'll break for lunch.

You know, personally, I want to really thank you because we were sort of plateauing a little bit. I know the, you know, my office and a lot of support from Commissioner Olguin's office. We're not going to sort of say, okay, that's it. We're going to be very supportive because of our own relationships and the things we've, you know, with the generals, her relationship with Ford Bliss. So I really believe this is something that's gonna take us to the next level, and it was something that was really needed. Like I said, everything sort of, if you don't push it hard enough, it'll plateau a little

I'll make that motion to approve. Second.

David thought he was getting paid. No. It's a delay payment. It's a gratification for your work. Thank you, guys. Appreciate everything you do.

So whether or not- Well, we said after lunch we'd go right into executives, and that way we could get as many of the items for Commissioner Coronado. Would that work for you?

But would that be when? We'll be back at 1.50? 1.50. 1.50. Okay. Okay, thank you.

I think we should go through the presentation. Okay. I prefer that.

No, thank you very much, Munzer. So I have a few comments and it's more of a statement. I don't have any questions. I've asked a lot of questions and thank you very much to everybody who has taken the time to dig into this issue over the last several months. So I want to start by thanking our public work staff and our administrator and our auditor's office and Mr. Ream for all of the work on this item. We've postponed this decision for several months now, three times, because, well, I personally wanted a clearer picture of of the finances behind our East Montana water system and the impact on

No, no, no, that our public works staff begin those discussions.

Carmen, can you give us a breakdown of some of the larger amounts for the estimated operating expenses, the 2.8 million? I'm assuming fuel for the patrol vehicles, utilities at the jail, but do you have maybe some of what those larger, the more significant amounts are?

Thank you. So Carmen, just to confirm, this $5.9 million number is intended to be more accurate projection for the end of the fiscal year. That includes operating expenses because formally We were doing it week by week and weren't projecting through the end of the fiscal year.

And this is already taking into account some of the ARPA and other grant transfers?

But the amount that potentially might come out to is 271? That's already been done. That's already been done.

But there's another opportunity for an additional amount?

And do you have an idea, Betsy, what that amount might be?

Well, I just want to say thank you, Sheriff for speaking to us. And I know that we're in very regular communication with you in my office and with your staff as well. And you're very responsive to all of our questions. related to the budget. So I'm glad that you're here to answer any questions that the court may have. I really wanted just to make the statement that we're on the same team, I think, and we're all here to make sure that our community can continue to be the safest place that it can be. I know that you're working diligently to make sure that our jails are safe as well. I understand

Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you, Sheriff, for joining us this afternoon. I know we've been working with you since you've been in office. You've come to us and let us know what your assessment is of the needs within the department. And as I've said before, I think that as part of this conversation, the court needs to be very serious about looking at what to do with the jail downtown because it is supremely inefficient and it is inefficient because of the way that it's laid out and the way that laws are these days when it comes to line of sight when it comes to the number of officers per Inma

Thank you, Judge. Good afternoon, Sheriff, and thank you for being so amenable to meet with the county attorney, county administration. I know that we're all working to try to find solutions. We definitely don't want to find ourselves in the same situation next year. As Commissioner Butler said, we are all on the same team. And it is about finding that balance between keeping our community safe and what it's going to take to do that, but then also being responsive to the concerns of our taxpayers. So thank you for your willingness to continue to work with county administration as we try to wor

Well, Sheriff, thank you. I think if one thing we've learned is that really quickly, you know, we've said it over and over, we're one team. We all want the same thing, you know, safe community, making sure that people feel comfortable. People don't realize that a lot of the businesses that come in base their decision on that we're a safe community. And so balancing that, you know, trying to balance your budget and making sure that, you know, we have to deal with inflation. Commissioner Stout talked about the inefficiencies in an older jail. So I think one of the things I've learned is that we

But it sounds like meals is the biggest portion.

And that completes all the items on our agenda, Judge. Thank you, Cesar, and everyone else. Have a great week. I think we had some amazing resolutions this morning. Very proud of how we support and recognize these great individuals. So thank you. Everybody have a great week. Our legal team, class leaders, promotion team, thank you. Thank you.