[A. Approve and adopt a resolution declaring June 2024 as Pride Month in El Paso County, Texas, and further, recognize the historic lighting of the Star on the Mountain in Pride Colors for the month of June, beginning on May 31, 2024. David Stout, Commissioner, Precinct 2, 915-546-2111]

BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, QUEER, INTERSEX, ASEXUAL, PLUS LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY ARE PART OF OUR LOCAL, STATE AND NATIONAL SOCIETY, MAKING UP OUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS AND COLLEAGUES. AND WHEREAS THE MONTH OF JUNE HAS BEEN THE TIME TO COMMEMORATE THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE STONEWALL REBELLION IN NEW YORK CITY, WHICH MANY CONSIDER TO BE THE BIRTH OF THE MODERN LGBTQIA, PLUS MOVEMENT WHERE LGBTQIA PLUS PATRONS FOUGHT BACK AGAINST BRUTALITY. AND WHEREAS JUNE IS OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED AS PRIDE MONTH BY THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY, AND MANY PRIDE EVENTS STILL OCCUR ON THE LAST SUNDAY IN JUNE TO COMMEMORATE THE ANNIVERSARY OF STONEWALL WITH MARCHES AND GATHERINGS. AND WHEREAS, THERE WILL BE A SERIES OF EVENTS IN EL PASO THROUGHOUT THE MONTH, INCLUDING THE EL PASO SUN CITY PRIDE PRIDE FEST ON JUNE 22ND, 2024 THAT WILL BE HELD AT ASCARATE PARK FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND WHEREAS THESE IMPORTANT COMMUNITY EVENTS PLAY A KEY ROLE IN RAISING THE PROFILE OF THE COMMUNITY AND COMMEMORATING THE HISTORY OF THE LGBTQIA PLUS SOCIAL MOVEMENT, WHILE PRIDE ALSO MARKS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER AND TAKE STOCK AND RECOGNIZE THE ADVANCES MADE AND SETBACKS ENDURED. AND WHEREAS WE AFFIRM OUR SUPPORT FOR LGBTQIA PLUS COMMUNITY IN EL PASO AND STAND WITH THEM TO PROTECT THEIR CIVIL RIGHTS AND THEIR ABILITY TO LIVE OPENLY, EQUALLY AND WITHOUT FEAR. AND WHEREAS STARTING MAY 31ST AT THE LIGHT UP EL PASO WITH PRIDE EVENT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY, THE EL PASO STAR WILL BE LIT UP IN OFFICIAL PRIDE COLORS FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JUNE. AND NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE EL PASO COUNTY JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS COURT THAT WE CELEBRATE OUR LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, QUEER, INTERSEX AND ASEXUAL COMMUNITY HONORING THE SACRIFICES THEY HAVE MADE AND CONTINUE TO MAKE IN OUR SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SPHERE. AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE EL PASO COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT WILL CONSIDER WAIVING THE $3,834 OF FACILITY RENTAL FEES AND LOWERING THE PARKING FEE TO $5 FOR THE JUNE 22ND PRIDE FEST AT THE NEXT COMMISSIONERS COURT MEETING CELEBRATES THE HISTORIC LIGHTING OF THE EL PASO STAR WITH PRIDE COLORS AND DECLARES JUNE 2024 AS PRIDE MONTH IN EL PASO COUNTY, TEXAS. SIGNED THIS 20TH DAY OF MAY 2024 BY THE HONORABLE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT. WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER STOUT, SECOND BY JUDGE SAMANIEGO. THE VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GOOD MORNING. I'M SORRY. I'M A LITTLE CHOKED UP. TODAY'S A MOMENTOUS DAY, WE'VE WE, ON BEHALF OF OUR LGBTQ COMMUNITY, EL PASO HAS ACCEPTED RESOLUTIONS IN THE PAST. BUT THIS IS ONE THAT IS PARTICULARLY SPECIAL. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN HISTORY, WE'RE ABLE TO WORK AND CELEBRATE WITH THE WITH THE COUNTY AND HAVE OUR FESTIVAL TO REPRESENT ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY AT ASCOT, AT THE PARK, THE BEAUTIFUL PARK THAT THAT WE HAVE, AND IT'S NO BETTER TIME TO DO SO BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE THE STAR THAT SET UP AND WHAT A PERFECT VIEW WE HAVE. AND JUST A PERSONAL THANKS TO COMMISSIONER STOUT, THE ENTIRE ALL THE COMMISSIONERS, BUT MOST ESPECIALLY, COMMISSIONER O'GUINN FOR WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR THE PAST YEAR TO RAISE MONEY TO LIGHT UP THE STAR FOR 10,000, IT COST US $10,000. AND IT'S JUST IT'S JUST AN AMAZING FEAT. AND WHAT BETTER WAY TO CELEBRATE PRIDE MONTH THAN WITH OUR COUNTY AND FOR ALL THAT, YOU ALL DO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU.

GO AHEAD. WELCOME. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS. JUDGE, MY NAME IS AMBER PEREZ. I

[00:25:05]

AM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE BORDERLAND RAINBOW CENTER, I'M NOT HERE NECESSARILY AS THE CENTER, BUT I AM HERE TO SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS. WHO, THE SUN CITY PRIDE, WHO HAVE DONE SUCH AMAZING THINGS, AND THIS IS SUCH AN AMAZING THING FOR ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE WE SEE COLLABORATION AND WE SEE COLLABORATION NOT JUST WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, AS A SMALL AS WE ARE, BUT WITHIN OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITIES. THE INTERSECTIONAL PART. RIGHT. AND SO WE'RE INCREDIBLY EXCITED TO SEE THE SUPPORT FROM THE COUNTY, WE HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO WORK WITH THE CITY. AND NOW SEEING THIS AS UTTERLY AMAZING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU DO, ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE, AND FOR ALWAYS THINKING OF US AND KEEPING US IN YOUR HEART AND KNOW THAT WE WILL KEEP YOU ALL IN OUR HEARTS. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVOCACY.

THANK YOU. WELL, AT LEAST INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AND TELL US WHO YOU'RE WITH. YEAH. OF COURSE, MY NAME IS JULIA SHAKMAN . I'M JUST TO ECHO, OUR PRESIDENT. WHAT HE SAID. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT. I'M THE DIRECTOR FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, OF COURSE, WORKING WITH YOU ALL FOR THIS UPCOMING YEAR AND HAPPY PRIDE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, PRIDE. RACHEL SCOTT ON THE SECOND VICE PRESIDENT FOR SUN CITY PRIDE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS RESOLUTION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. HELLO. AND I'M ALAN BRIONES. I'M THE SPONSORSHIP CO-DIRECTOR. AND FOR SUN CITY PRIDE AND JUST THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU GUYS DO. THIS WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT THIS COLLABORATION. AND WE JUST LOOK FORWARD TO GROWING WITH YOU ALL AND BUILDING AMAZING THINGS IN THE FUTURE.

THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER NO, I JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR ALL OF THE INCREDIBLE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE AS WE PREPARE FOR PRIDE MONTH THIS YEAR. SO THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER STOUT, FOR ALWAYS BRINGING FORTH THIS RESOLUTION EVERY SINGLE YEAR SO THAT, OUR LGBTQIA COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT WE CONTINUE TO BE AND WILL ALWAYS BE A STRONG ALLY TO THE COMMUNITY, AND I AM INCREDIBLY THANK YOU TO, THANKFUL TO CHRIS AND OF COURSE, TO MY STAFF, JAVIER, WHO IS HERE FOR ALL OF THE INCREDIBLE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE, TO LIGHT UP THE EL PASO STAR FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN PRIDE COLORS IN HONOR OF PRIDE MONTH, I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS EFFORT. WE HAVE SO MANY ELECTED OFFICIALS, SO MEMBERS OF THIS COURT, MANY MEMBERS OF THIS COURT, JUDGES, JUST, OUR STATE DELEGATES, CITY REPRESENTATIVES, WE HAD SO MANY ELECTED OFFICIALS AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY COME OUT AND DONATE TO THIS EFFORT. I WANT TO THANK, OF COURSE, THE EL PASO CHAMBER. THEY'VE BEEN A GREAT PARTNER IN THIS EFFORT AS WELL, AND I UNDERSTAND, HAVE COMMITTED TO, DONATING SOME OF THE PROCEEDS FROM THE LIGHTING OF THE STAR FUNDRAISING THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING BACK TO SUN CITY PRIDE FOR SCHOLARSHIPS. SO I REALLY WANT TO THANK THEM FOR THAT AS WELL, YOU KNOW, EL PASO, WE ALL KNOW THAT EL PASO IS A LOVING, INCLUSIVE, DIVERSE AND WELCOMING COMMUNITY, WE ALL KNOW THAT. BUT FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JUNE, WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THAT ON OUR STAR. EVERY SINGLE PERSON WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THAT.

AND SO I'M JUST INCREDIBLY PROUD OF THIS EFFORT BECAUSE IT REALLY IS A COMMUNITY DRIVEN EFFORT.

AND IT'S, I JUST CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER WAY TO CELEBRATE PRIDE. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT YOU DO. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER STOUT. AND ALL OF THE COMMISSIONERS. AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR EL PASO COMMUNITY FOR COMING TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE. AND THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER STOUT AND COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO US INCLUSIVENESS, ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE COUNTY. THAT'S THAT'S OUR LANE. AND SO WE THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR ADVOCACY AND THE COMMUNITY ALSO, I THINK WE CAN SHOW A LOT OF OTHER COMMUNITIES HOW THEY SHOULD BE. AND SO THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. SO ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS. SO LET'S LET'S TAKE A PICTURE. ALSO I WANT TO NOTE THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR THAT OUR PRIDE FLAG IS FLOWN ON TOP OF THE COUNTY COURTHOUSE DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE AS WELL. OKAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE ALL KNOW WHO YOU ARE. DON'T WORRY. THANK YOU. ALEXIS.

[00:30:47]

WHATEVER YOU NEED.

[B. Approve and adopt a resolution recognizing the week of May 20 - May 28, 2024 as Period Poverty Awareness Week in El Paso County, Texas, and recognize the hard work and dedication of the Tantchou sisters and all advocacy and support organizations in our community. David Stout, Commissioner, Precinct 2, 915-546-2111]

ITEM FIVE BE APPROVED. ADOPT A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE WEEK OF MAY 20TH THROUGH MAY 28TH, 2024 AS PERIOD POVERTY AWARENESS WEEK IN EL PASO COUNTY, TEXAS. AND RECOGNIZE THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION OF THE TANGO SISTERS AND ALL ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

COMMISSIONER STOUT ALL RIGHT, JUST MAKING SURE I HAVE THE RESOLUTION. OKAY. WELL, I ALSO HAVE THE HONOR OF BEING ABLE TO READ THIS RESOLUTION INTO THE RECORD, I KNOW WE HAVE SOME FOLKS OUT THERE. I DON'T KNOW WHERE WHERE YOU'RE SITTING. IF YOU WANT TO COME, COME TO THE PODIUM, PLEASE, WE HAVE ORLANKA TANJU FROM NO LIMIT INTERNATIONAL AND HER FELLOW, CLEMENTINA CANOVA FROM PLANNED PARENTHOOD, ALEXA CARRANCO AND MICHAEL GUTIERREZ WITH TEXAS RISING, AND MARIA MCGUIRE WITH DEEDS, NOT WORDS AND PERIOD. WOULD YOU ALL JOIN US HERE AT THE FRONT, JUST WANT TO SAY IT'S AMAZING THAT, THAT WE'RE IN 2024 AND HAVING TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT, HOW BODIES WORK. BUT IT'S AMAZING THAT WE HAVE SUCH ACTIVE , YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE TAKING US INTO A BETTER FUTURE, I'M ONLY SORRY THAT YOU ALL HAVE SO MUCH WORK TO DO, BUT, TO PARAPHRASE FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA, THE ARC OF HISTORY IS LONG, BUT IT BENDS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. AND YOU ARE THE BENDERS. YOU ARE THE AGENTS OF CHANGE. AND I AM SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE YOU WORKING LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY FOR POSITIVE CHANGE. AND WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO READ THE RESOLUTION AND THEN WE'LL HEAR FROM YOU ALL. OKAY. THE RESOLUTION STATES WHEREAS NATIONAL PERIOD POVERTY AWARENESS WEEK IS RECOGNIZED ON MAY 20TH TO MAY 28TH, 2024. AND WHEREAS APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THE POPULATION WILL HAVE A PERIOD EVERY MONTH FOR DECADES OF THEIR LIVES, AND THEREFORE PERIOD SUPPLIES ARE NECESSARY PRODUCT EACH MONTH FOR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

AND WHEREAS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT 1 IN 4 WOMEN AND GIRLS REPORTS THAT SHE STRUGGLES TO AFFORD MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS, AND WHEREAS THIS LACK OF MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS IS OFTEN CALLED PERIOD POVERTY CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT A PERSON'S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. AND WHEREAS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT 1 IN 5 WOMEN AND GIRLS REPORTS MISSING WORK OR SCHOOL DUE TO A LACK OF ACCESS TO MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS, AND WHEREAS PERIOD POVERTY EXACERBATES THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF POVERTY BY FURTHER MARGINALIZING THOSE WHO MENSTRUATE, CAUSING THEM TO WITHDRAW FROM DAILY LIFE, FORGO PAY OR MISS EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. AND WHEREAS NO LIMIT INTERNATIONAL IS A 500 AND 1C3 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION FOUNDED BY THE TWO SISTERS FROM EL PASO, DEDICATE TO PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE RESPONSES TO THE INEQUALITY THAT EXISTS FOR SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN WOMEN AND GIRLS. AND WHEREAS THE COUNTLESS HOURS OF WORK AND DEDICATION BY NO LIMIT INTERNATIONAL AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS LIKE DEEDS NOT WORDS, TEXAS RISING, PLANNED PARENTHOOD, PERIOD AND OTHERS BRINGS ISSUES LIKE PERIOD POVERTY TO THE FOREFRONT FOREFRONT THROUGH THEIR RELENTLESS ADVOCACY AND NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE EL PASO COUNTY JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS COURT THAT EL PASO COUNTY RECOGNIZES THE WEEK OF MAY 20TH THROUGH MAY 28TH, 2024, AS PERIOD POVERTY AWARENESS WEEK IN EL PASO COUNTY, TEXAS, AND RECOGNIZES THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION OF THE SISTERS AND ALL ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

SIGNED THIS 20TH DAY OF MAY 2024, THE HONORABLE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT. WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER STOUT, SECOND BY JUDGE SAMANIEGO. THE VOTING IS OPEN. WELCOME THANK YOU. JUDGE PLEASE, EVERYBODY, INTRODUCE YOURSELVES. AND THEN. AND THEN, WE CAN HEAR FROM YOU.

OKAY. THANK YOU. JUDGE, WE JUST NEED YOUR VOTE. I'M SORRY. JUDGE, WE NEED YOUR VOTE. JUDGE.

[00:35:02]

WE NEED YOUR VOTE. A MOTION CARRIES. SORRY. THANK YOU. GO AHEAD. MY NAME IS AURÉLIEN TANKOU, AND I'M THE CO-FOUNDER OF NO LIMIT INTERNATIONAL. AND FIRSTLY, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE COMMISSIONERS COURT AND JUDGE SAMANIEGO. THANK YOU TO COMMISSIONER OLGUIN.

COMMISSIONER LEON, COMMISSIONER STOUT AND COMMISSIONER CORONADO. THANK YOU FOR HOLDING THIS IMPORTANT MEETING WHERE WE'RE DISCUSSING THE IMPORTANCE OF PERIOD POVERTY AND DRAWING ATTENTION TO PERIOD POVERTY AWARENESS WEEK, I CO-FOUNDED MY NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION CALLED OLAM INTERNATIONAL WITH MY THREE SISTERS WHO ARE ACTUALLY HERE TODAY. AND UNDER MY NONPROFIT I FOUNDED EMPOWER FLOW, WHICH IS A MENSTRUAL EQUITY PROGRAM THAT COLLABORATES WITH OTHER COMPANIES SUCH AS DAYS FOR GIRLS, PERIOD ON FLOW AND SALT, AND WITH THOSE COMPANIES, WE WERE ABLE TO ACQUIRE DISPOSABLE AND REUSABLE PRODUCTS TO MAKE DIGNITY KITS. AND WE'VE ASSEMBLED THESE DIGNITY KITS TO DONATE AND DISTRIBUTE TO GIRLS IN SCHOOLS IN SUB-SAHARAN RURAL COMMUNITIES. AND WE'VE ALSO BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE THEM WITH TEACHING SESSIONS. SO THEY'RE ABLE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AND UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THE EDUCATION, ABOUT MENSTRUAL HEALTH, HYGIENE AND PROPER MENSTRUAL HYGIENE CARE. AND THE REASON WHY I STARTED THIS PROJECT WAS BECAUSE I WANTED TO SERVE AS A BIG SISTER FIGURE FOR ALL OF THESE YOUNG GIRLS WHO DON'T KNOW WHERE TO LOOK TO FOR GUIDANCE. AND TALKING ABOUT MENSTRUATION IN GENERAL IS VERY TABOO SUBJECT FOR SO MANY HOUSEHOLDS, ESPECIALLY IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA. SO I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY TO SPREAD MORE AWARENESS ABOUT PERIOD POVERTY, BECAUSE IT'S NOT TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH. AND I'M SO LUCKY TO BE HERE AMONGST SO MANY AMAZING ORGANIZATIONS. AND IN THIS MEETING TO SHARE MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY. AND THANK YOU AS WELL TO THESE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE REPRESENTATIVES THAT ARE NEXT TO ME TODAY, BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN CONTRIBUTING TO SUCH INSPIRING WORK AND IT'S JUST AMAZING TO WATCH FROM A DISTANCE. SO THANK YOU TO EVERYONE INVOLVED FOR THEIR EFFORTS FOR THIS INCREDIBLE INITIATIVE. THANK YOU. YOU'RE AN AMAZING YOUNG LADY. THANK YOU.

HI AND JUST TO INTRODUCE OURSELVES, WE'RE THE TIANSHU SISTERS WHO STARTED NO LIMIT INTERNATIONAL, A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION AIMED AT IMPROVING LIVING CONDITIONS WORLDWIDE. AND MY NAME IS ORIANA TIANSHU. I'M THE PRESIDENT AND CO-FOUNDER, AND I SPECIFICALLY FOCUS ON STEM PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG GIRLS IN CAMEROON, AFRICA. AND THEN I HAVE MY SISTERS RIGHT HERE. COME HI. MY NAME IS. GOOD MORNING. HI. MY NAME IS TIANSHU AND I'M ALSO THE CO-FOUNDER. AND I FOCUS ON CHILDREN'S RIGHTS TO EDUCATION. THANK YOU. HI, I'M ORIOLA TIANSHU AND I'M ALSO THE CO-FOUNDER OF NO LIMIT INTERNATIONAL. RECENTLY I'VE WRITTEN A CHILDREN'S BOOK CALLED THE WILDLIFE WARRIORS SAVING THEIR HABITATS, WHICH IS CENTERED AROUND CLIMATE CHANGE.

AND RECENTLY I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GO AROUND TO DIFFERENT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND JUST SHARE MY BOOK WITH THEM. AND I REALLY JUST WANT TO INSPIRE KIDS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND BECOME WILDLIFE WARRIORS AND ADVOCATES. THANK YOU. AMAZING. BIANCA JUST HERSELF. EARLIER SHE FOCUSES ON MENSTRUAL HEALTH. BUT JUST AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THIS RESOLUTION AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. THANK YOU. ANYBODY FROM DEEDS NOT WORDS OR TEXAS RISING WANT TO SAY SOMETHING? HI. HELLO. MY NAME IS RUBY RODRIGUEZ. I'M FROM THE PRESIDENT OF TEXAS RISING, AND WE LIKE TO THANK THE COMMISSIONERS COURT AND COMMISSIONER STOUT AND POLICY ADVISOR, PAULINA TAMAYO, FOR ADDING OUR ORGANIZATION ON THIS RESOLUTION. AND THANK YOU FOR THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS IMPORTANT INITIATIVE TO FRUITION. I'M VERY EXCITED TO SEE THAT OUR COUNTY IS TAKING INITIATIVE TO DESTIGMATIZE PERIOD POVERTY. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, APPROVING OUR RESOLUTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. PLANNED PARENTHOOD. GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS AND JUDGE. MY NAME IS CLEMENTINA CANOVA, AND I'M THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH SPECIALIST WITH PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF GREATER TEXAS, AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD, WE BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO EVIDENCE BASED QUALITY HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION. WE KNOW THAT PERIODS ARE A BASIC BODILY FUNCTION AND ARE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. YET THERE IS SO MUCH STIGMA, CONFUSION AND SHAME AROUND PERIODS. IT IS UNJUST TO HAVE BARRIERS TO NECESSITIES THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO PEOPLE'S HYGIENE'S. WHEN FOLKS DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS, THIS CAN OFTEN LEAD TO NOT ONLY INFECTIONS AND DISRUPTION OF DAILY LIFE, BUT CAN DEEPLY AFFECT THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. IT IS TIME THAT WE NORMALIZE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT PERIODS AND TAKE ACTIONS FOR PERIOD EQUITY, AS IT IS A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT. THANK YOU, COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, FOR INTRODUCING THIS RESOLUTION AND BRINGING AWARENESS TO NATIONAL PERIOD POVERTY WEEK TO THE EL PASO COMMUNITY. AND THANK YOU. NO LIMIT INTERNATIONAL FOR THE AMAZING WORK YOU DO, DEEDS NOT WORDS AND TEXAS RISING AS WELL. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. HI. GOOD MORNING. MY

[00:40:07]

NAME IS MIRIAM AGUIRRE. I'M THE COMMUNICATIONS INTERN FOR DEEDS, NOT WORDS. AND I'M ALSO THE DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR FOR PERIOD, THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK FOR NO LIMIT INTERNATIONAL FOR BRINGING THIS TO FRUITION, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR RECOGNIZING PERIOD POVERTY AWARENESS WEEK, LIKE WE'VE SAID BEFORE, HALF OF THE WORLD MENSTRUATES THIS IS NOT A TABOO TOPIC LIKE IT'S 2024, AND YEAH, IT'S PAST TIME THAT WE ERADICATE PERIOD POVERTY AND STIGMA. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING THAT FIRST STEP, FOR BRINGING AWARENESS. SO YEAH, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. ANYBODY ELSE? YEAH. HI. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. I'M THE TEXAS RISING RECRUITMENT OFFICER. MY NAME IS JESUS REYNAGA. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. HI. GOOD MORNING. I'M ALEXA CARRANCO, THE ADVOCACY FIELD ORGANIZER FOR TEXAS RISING. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US HERE. AND THANK YOU FOR ARIANA FOR HER HARD WORK AND DEDICATION TO THIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

FORMER COUNTY INTERN. YES, YES, BOTH OF THEM. GO BACK AND SAY THAT MY NAME IS MANNY GUZMAN AND I'M A MEMBER OF TEXAS RISING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. THANK YOU. I CERTAINLY I MEAN, THE AWARENESS WE KNOW AND WE TALK A LOT ABOUT HERE AT COMMISSIONERS COURT THAT AWARENESS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT. BUT I GUESS WHAT REALLY GETS ME EXCITED IS TO SEE YOUNG ADULTS STEPPING UP.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALWAYS SAID, YOU KNOW, EL PASO, TO KNOW US IS TO LOVE US. BUT SOMEONE BEHIND HAS TO HAVE THAT KIND OF APPRECIATION FOR OUR COMMUNITY. YOU ALSO MENTIONED MENTAL HEALTH , WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT MAYBE ADULTS ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS AS THEY SHOULD. BUT I KNOW AS YOUNG ADULTS YOU'RE AWARE OF THE CHANGES IN THE WORLD AND THE MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE. AND SO I'M JUST VERY EXCITED TO SEE OUR YOUNG ADULTS JUST BEING ACTIVE AND STEPPING UP. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SAID THAT WE LOST A LOT OF OUR OLDER VOLUNTEERS AND YOU KNOW, ADVOCATES BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC AND SORT OF A FEAR OF BEING OUT THERE. AND SO I'VE ALWAYS SAID, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY'S GOING TO STEP UP AND IT'S GOT TO BE OUR YOUNG ADULTS.

AND SO WE SEE IT IN ACTION TODAY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO COMMISSIONER STOUT WELL, THANK YOU. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO IN, IN THIS SPACE, THANK YOU FOR REACHING OUT TO ME ON LINKEDIN AND HAD A GREAT, CHAT WITH HER A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. AND, AND THANK YOU FOR, FOR ALLOWING ME TO HAVE THE HONOR OF READING THIS RESOLUTION , IT'S GREAT. AND I JUST WANT TO SAY IT'S A IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE IT'S A TANSHU WORLD, AND WE'RE JUST LIVING IN IT, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. YEP. THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL NOT ONLY FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE, BUT FOR EVERYTHING THAT EACH OF YOUR ORGANIZATIONS IS DOING, NOT JUST TO MAKE OUR HOME HERE IN EL PASO A BETTER PLACE, BUT REALLY TO MAKE OUR ENTIRE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. SO YOU ALL I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH A COUPLE OF YOU DIRECTLY, AND IT MAKES ME VERY PROUD TO KNOW THAT YOU ALL THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS HERE IN EL PASO, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORT AND YOUR HARD WORK. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

[C. Approve and adopt a resolution recognizing and honoring Univision Canal 26 for their 40 years of providing crucial news and information in the Spanish language to the residents of the El Paso region. David Stout, Commissioner, Precinct 2, 915-546-2111]

[00:45:27]

ITEM FIVE C APPROVE AND ADOPT A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND HONORING UNIVISION CANAL 26 FOR THEIR 40 YEARS OF PROVIDING CRUCIAL NEWS AND INFORMATION IN THE SPANISH LANGUAGE TO THE RESIDENTS OF THE EL PASO REGION. COMMISSIONER STOUT, ALL RIGHT, IT'S ME AGAIN, WELL, I, I HAVE THE DISTINCT HONOR OF ALSO BEING ABLE TO READ THIS RESOLUTION. IT'S A NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART, AS MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW, I ACTUALLY CAME TO EL PASO BECAUSE OF UNIVISION. I WAS HIRED BY THEM BACK IN 2010. THINKING THAT I WOULD BE HERE FOR JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS. BUT HERE WE ARE, ON THE OTHER SIDE. ON THE DARK SIDE. JUST KIDDING, BUT IF Y'ALL WANT TO, Y'ALL WANT TO COME UP TO COME UP TO THE PODIUM. I KNOW THAT WE HAVE, A NUMBER OF THE TEAM MEMBERS FROM, FROM UNIVISION, FROM CANAL 26, A COUPLE OF THE, A COUPLE OF THE LONG, THE LONG TIME, THE OLD TIMERS. WE HAVE ALDO ACOSTA, WHO IS WHO HAS BEEN DOING THE WEATHER FOR LONGER THAN I'VE BEEN ALIVE. NO. JUST KIDDING, AND, OF COURSE, HECTOR RURUTIA, WHO IS, WHO HAS BEEN WITH THE CHANNEL FOR, FOR, SINCE THE BEGINNING AS WELL. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. I'M SURE EVERYBODY HAS SEEN MANY OF THESE FACES ON THEIR ON THEIR TELEVISION SCREENS, BUT, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND ALLOWING ME TO READ THIS RESOLUTION INTO THE RECORD. IT'S GREAT TO SEE ALL OF YOUR FACES, AND, AND YOU ALL ARE DOING AMAZING WORK AND HAVE BEEN DOING AMAZING WORK IN BRINGING NEWS IN SPANISH TO OUR COMMUNITY FOR 40 YEARS. SO FELICIDADES FELIZ ANIVERSARIO, FELIZ CUMPLEANOS Y AHORA VOY A LEER LA REVOLUCION. YO CREO QUÉ ES LA PRIMERA VEZ? THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE ACTUALLY THAT I'VE EVER SEEN A RESOLUTION DONE COMPLETELY IN SPANISH. SO. LET'S LET'S SEE IF I REMEMBER HOW TO READ IN SPANISH. OKAY. DE LA RESOLUTION CONSIDERANDO LOS SIGUIENTES PUNTOS DE LA LIBERTAD DE PRENSA ES UNA DE LAS LIBERTADES MAS IMPORTANTES OTORGADO POR LA CONSTITUCION DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA. EL ACCESO A FUENTES DE NOTICIAS CONFIABLES Y DIVERSAS ES ESSENTIAL PARA UNA SOCIEDAD DEMOCRATICA INFORMADA IN UNA COMUNIDAD BILINGUE Y BINATIONAL COMO EL CONDADO DEL PASO, LOS REPORTAJES Y NOTICIAS EN ESPANOL. SON UN RECURSO DE VITAL IMPORTANTE PARA LA GENTE DE LA REGION. UNIVISION INFORMACION IMPORTANT A LA POBLACION DE HABLA HISPANA Y RESALTA LOS LIBROS DE LIDERES COMUNITARIOS EL CANAL LOCAL DE UNIVISION CANAL 26 ESTA CELEBRANDO SU CUARENTA ANIVERSARIO SIRVIENDO AL NUESTRA REGION FRONTERIZA EL CANAL 26 FUE EL PRIMER MEDIO DE COMUNICACION EN ESPANOL, INICIA INFORMANDO A LA COMUNIDAD DEL PASO. EL CINCO DE MAYO DEL CENTRO CIENTOS DE CUATRO DESDE SU PRIMER DIA DE TRANSMISSION CONTINUA, SIENDO UNO DE LOS MEDIOS PREFERIDOS DE LA COMUNIDAD ENTRE LOS PROGRAMAS FAVORITOS DEL PUBLICO. SON DESPIERTA AMÉRICA, DESPIERTA EL PASO DEL DIA. EL DIA A MEDIO DE NOTICIAS 26 UNIVISION. LAS CINCO DE LAS DIAS DEL LUNES A DOMINGO. QUÉ LA FUERZA DEL LIDERES DE LOS MEDIOS DE LA COMUNICACION COMO HÉCTOR URRUTIA, ALDO ACOSTA ANCHO POSSIBLE EL IMPORTANTE TRABAJO REALIZADO EN UNIVISION CANAL 26 Y EL NOTICIERO HA SIDO RECONOCIDO COMO EL MEJOR NOTICIERO POR LOS PREMIOS LONESTAR, MI AND DIFERENTES ANOS Y VARIOUS CATEGORIAS ENTRE OTROS PREMIOS Y, POR LO TANTO, RESUELVE POR EL TRIBUNAL DE LOS JUECES Y COMISIONADO DEL CONDADO DEL PASO RECONOCE LOS CUARENTA ANOS DE APORTES REALIZADO POR UNIVISION CANAL 26, IN EL PASO ES UNA ELLOS EN LA CELEBRATION DE SU CUARENTA ANIVERSARIO ESTE DE MAYO DEL 20 CUATRO EL COMISIONADO GRACIAS. AMAZING. WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER STOUT, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. THE VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES. BRENDA. WOW HERMOSOS. ESCUCHA EN ESPANOL.

[00:50:05]

GRACIAS. GRACIAS A TODA LA CORTE DEL CONDADO. LOS COMISIONADO HAN SIDO PARTE IMPORTANTE DE ESTOS CUARENTA ANOS. JUEZ TAMBIÉN SIEMPRE AL AIRE AHI CON NOSOTROS INFORMANDO A LA COMUNIDAD COMISIONADO. ESTO FUE PARTE DE LOS CUARENTA ANOS. GRACIAS. GRACIAS POR ESTE RECONOCIMIENTO Y YO ESTOY AQUI REPRESENTANDO EN ESTOS MOMENTOS A 23 DE MARAVILLOSOS PERSONAS. PERO ESO SOLAMENTE NOTICIAS TAMBIÉN TENEMOS VENTAS EN MUCHOS OTROS DEPARTAMENT HACEN CANAL 26. PERO SI ESTOY MUY ORGULLOSA DEL TRABAJO. QUÉ HACE EL EQUIPO DE NOTICIAS Y AQUI. TENEMOS A PARTE DE LOS REPRESENTANTES Y LO MAS IMPORTANTE ES SEGUIMOS AQUI INFORMANDO A LA COMUNIDAD Y CONTAMOS CON LOS MEJORES Y ENTRE ELLOS ESTA HÉCTOR URRUTIA ACOSTA. YA TIENEN MUCHISIMOS ANOS EN PARTE DE LOS CUARENTA ANOS. NOS HAN REPRESENTADO Y ES POR ESO QUÉ BUENO AHORITA.

QUIERO TODOS REPRESENTAN PERO MAS NADA EMPEZAMOS CON ALDO ACOSTA Y HÉCTOR URRUTIA. PARA QUÉ NOS UNAS PALABRAS PORQUE ELLOS HAN VIVIDO SUS CUARENTA ANOS. GRACIAS, BRINDA.

PRIMERAMENTE MUY BUENOS DIAS. ESTE NOMBRE ES ALDO ACOSTA YO EL CLIMA IN CANAL 26 PARA MUCHA GENTE ES UN MEJOR CONOCIDO COMO EL LOCO. EL 26. MUCHO ORGULLO ES UN PRIVILEGIO IN VERDAD ESTAR AQUI. MUCHAS GRACIAS A USTEDES POR TOMARSE EL TIEMPO Y NOS ESTA RESOLUCIONES UN TRABAJO DE MUCHOS ANOS Y ESTE PRIMEIRAMENTE QUERIA QUIERO DARLE GRACIAS AL SENOR POR LA DAME. LA OPORTUNIDAD DE HACER UNA CARRERA EN ALGO DEBERES ME ENCANTA. SI ES MUCHAS GRACIAS. MUCHAS GRACIAS A LA CORTE COMISIONADO AL JUEZ. MUCHAS GRACIAS POR ESTAR RESOLUCION ALDO INCREIBLE.

GRACIAS HECTOR. HECTOR. GRACIAS. GRACIAS. MENCIONADOS. GRACIAS A LA COMISION DE HOLGUIN. HEMOS CUBIERTO MUCHAS HISTORIAS DE ESTA PARTE DE EL EQUIPO DE NOTICIAS. 26 UNIVISION. AL COMISIONADO CARLOS LEON LO ABRIMOS CUANDO DESDE ERA EL JEFE DE LA POLICIA Y DON RICARDO SAMANIEGO. POR CIERTO, ME HERMANA TRABAJO CON USTED HACE MUCHOS ANOS Y NOS DA MUCHO GUSTO COMISIONADO CORONADO DE ESTE REPRESENTANDO UNOS AQUI EN EL CONDADO. PUES SI SOY PARTE DE LA HISTORIA PARTE DEL MOBILIARIO DE NOTICIAS 26 YO ENTRÉ A TRABAJAR EN EL MES DE MAYO, PERO DE UN ANO, DESPUÉS DE QUÉ SE INICIO CUANDO HUBO UN REESTRUCTURACION DEL EQUIPO ESTUVE DIEZ ANOS DESPUÉS ESTUVE CON LA COMPETENCIA EN LA CIUDAD DE DALLAS FORWARD POR UNOS ANOS Y NUEVAMENTE AQUI. YA TENGO 27 ANOS SEGUIDOS TRABAJANDO Y EN EL ULTIMO ANO DESDE EL MES DE ENERO , ESTAMOS EN UNA NUEVA ETAPA DE LA CARRERA DE NUESTRO EQUIPO, PORQUE ESTAMOS TRABAJANDO EN A DESDE MUY TEMPRANITO EN DESPIERTA EL PASO Y EN AL DIA EL DIA. QUÉ ES PARA UN ORGULLO PODER SER PARTE DE ESTE EQUIPO. YA CUARENTA ANOS A SIRVIENDO A LA COMUNIDAD EN ESPANOL. FUIMOS EL PRIMER CANAL EN ESPANOL EN SERVIR A NUESTRA FRONTERA Y PUES SOY ESTOY MUY ORGULLOSO DE SER PARTE DE UN EQUIPO EXTRAORDINARIO DE PROFESIONALES. Y AHORA INTEGRAMOS A NUESTRO EQUIPO Y SEGUIMOS AL FRENTE Y EL NUESTRO COMPROMISO DE SERVERLESS A TODOS USTEDES SIN IMPORTAR.

PUES EL IDIOMA AQUI ESTAMOS AL FRENTE. GRACIAS GRACIAS. RAPIDAMENTE. BUENOS DIAS. ME NOMBRE ES VENEZOLANO YA SIX ANOS EN EL CANAL 26. UNO PARA ME Y YA NADA MAS. QUIERO DECIR CUANDO TRABAJAS EN LACAMAS Y EN LO NO ES TRABAJO. ES UNA BENDICION. GRACIAS GRACIAS. HOLA. BUENOS DIAS. SOY VICTOR ACOSTA, CONDUCTOR. MUCHISIMAS. GRACIAS POR LA REVOLUCION. ADEMAS, QUIERO MENCIONAR YO CREO LO DICE TODO NO LA RESOLUCION Y AHORA CON ESO A LA IMPORTANCIA DE UNA PRENSA LIBRE PARA NUESTRA DEMOCRACIA ES INVALUABLE IN UNA COMUNIDAD COMO EL PASO HACERLO EN ESPANOL. ES TODAVIA MAS VALIOSO. MUCHAS GRACIAS POR RECONOCER. ESO Y OTROS CUARENTA.

GRACIAS. VICTOR WHEN DE CESAR CONTRERAS DE UNIVISION 26 DE ESTE ANO, EN SE SIGUIENDO LA COMUNIDAD MUY ORGULLOSO GRACIAS POR SU TIEMPO. GRACIAS. LILY GARCIA PRODUCTORA EJECUTIVA DE NOTICIAS UNIVISION HA SIDO UN PLACER CUBRIR ESTA CORTE POR VARIOS ANOS, Y PUES EL COMPROMISO SEGUIRIA CON NOSOTROS SERVIRA LA COMUNIDAD MUCHISIMAS. GRACIAS A TODOS, USTEDES A CADA

[00:55:07]

UNO DE USTEDES, PUES POR ESTA RESOLUCION. GRACIAS. GRACIAS LINDA. ESTEFANY CORDOVA YA ESTE ANO CUMPLIO SIETE ANOS CON ESTE MARAVILLOSO EQUIPO Y LA VERDAD. LES AGRADEZCO MUCHO POR RECONOCER NUESTRO TRABAJO. USTEDES NOS VEN TAMBIÉN AQUI CUBRIENDO HISTORIAS PARA INFORMAR A LA COMUNIDAD. PORQUE ESE ES NUESTRO COMPROMISO Y LA VERDAD COMO DIJO ME COMPANERA CUANDO TRABAJAS EN LO AMAS. NO ES TRABAJO. ES UNA PASSION Y NOSOTROS. VAMOS A SEGUIR COMPROMETIDOS CON TODA LA COMUNIDAD PASAN. GRACIAS, GRACIAS. EL SENOR OSWALDO ESCOBEDO TAMBIÉN YA ES PARTE DE LOS CUARENTA ANOS. VENGA UNAS PALABRAS. UNAS TODOS QUIEREN ESCUCHAR SU VOZ. BINGO DE VISITA . VENGO A VER AHORA TO ENFRENTE. EN LUGAR DE NOSOTROS. VAMOS GRACIAS POR LA RESOLUTION. ES UN GRAN RECONOCIMIENTO PARA TODO EL CANAL. ESTE GRACIAS. GRACIAS POR SU TRABAJO. DESDE SEPTIEMBRE, SOMOS EL CANAL NUMERO UNO SIN IMPORTAR EL IDIOMA Y ES UN ORGULLO REPRESENTAR A CANAL 26 Y UNA COSA MAS POR FAVOR. NO SE LO OLVIDE VOTER. ES MUY IMPORTANTE.

SI. GRACIAS, VICTOR. TAL MUY BUENOS DIAS. ME NOMBRE JACKELINE MATA. PERIODISTA APARTE. BUENO.

REPORTERA Y APARTE CONDUCTORA DE NOTICIAS. FIN DE SEMANA ES UNO PARA PODER FORMA PARTE DE ESE EQUIPO ME COMPANERA CARLOS ALVAREZ DESAFORTUNADAMENTE EL DIA DE HOY. NO PUEDO ASISTIR.

PERO ESTOY MUY AGRADECIDA DE PODER. FORMER PARTE DE ESTE EQUIPO COMO LO DICEN SON EL NUMERO UNO IN NOTICIAS POR EL LENGUAJE. Y ES PARA ME UN GRAN COMPROMISO PODER SEGUIR SIRVIENDO CON USTEDES AGRADEZCO. MUCHAS GRACIAS. BUENOS DIAS PERLA RICO PRODUCTORA NOTICIERO DE LAS DIAS Y PUES ESPERO ESTAR LOS PROXIMOS CUARENTA ANOS. MUY BUENOS DIAS SOY SOFIA PEREZ REPORTERA DE AQUI EL CANAL 26 APENAS ALCANCE A SER PARTE DE LOS CUARENTA ANOS Y AQUI. YO SIGO AQUI, PERO UNO SER PARTE DE ESTE EQUIPO. GRACIAS. BUENOS DIAS. ME NOMBRE ES STEPHANIE CHAVEZ. SOY REPORTERA AHORA DE DESPIERTA EL PASO Y AL DIA MEDIODIA ES UN HONOR ESTE CONOCER LOS A CADA UNO Y TENER EL PRIVILEGIO DE PODER ESTE ENTREVISTADOS, ESPECIALMENTE AL COMISIONADO SERGIO LO ENTREVISTA CUANDO IBA A SER APENAS ESTE ELEGIDO PARA SER COMISIONADO Y MUCHISIMAS. GRACIAS POR ESTA OPORTUNIDAD RECONOCIMIENTO DE SERVIR A NUESTRA COMUNIDAD EN ESPANOL, COMO MUCHOS LO DICEN ES NUESTRA PASSION Y ESPERAMOS Y LO PODEMOS HACER NUESTRA COMUNIDAD.

SIEMPRE ES TAMBIÉN INFORMADA. HOLA. BUENOS DIAS, EDGAR RAMIREZ REPORTERO DIGITAL Y PUES MUCHAS GRACIAS. POR TENEMOS AQUI. GRACIAS A TI. TRES HOLA. HOLA. BUENOS DIAS. ESTE MUCHAS GRACIAS POR EL RESURGIMIENTO ESTE SEXO. ROSALES. EDITOR DE DEL NOTICIERO DEL PASO DE LAS CINCO DIAS.

GRACIAS. BUENOS DIAS. GRACIAS POR EL RECONOCIMIENTO NOMBRES HÉCTOR BERNAL. YA CASI OCHO ANOS EN EL CANAL Y LA NACION. MAS MUCHAS GRACIAS. GRACIAS. MUCHOS MAS MUCHAS. HOLA. BUENOS DIAS.

ME NOMBRE ES EDGAR LOPEZ DE LOS PROFESIONALES. EL CANAL YA HABIA TRABAJAR EN EL CANAL 26 FUERON LOS PREMIOS DE LAS PUERTAS EN EL MUNDO DE LA NOTICIAS. FOLLOW ME FASCINA Y SIGUE APRENDIENDO DE TODOS MIS COMPANEROS DESDE LOS TIENEN CINCO MESES, LOS TIENEN EN VEINTE ANOS. ES UN EQUIPO MARAVILLOSO Y ESTOY MUY ORGULLOSO DE LLEGAR A LA FRONTERA INCORPORA EL MEJOR EQUIPO DE CIUDAD JUAREZ Y EL PASO. GRACIAS. GRACIAS A TODOS LOS PUES YA SE FUERON PERO SIGUEN AQUI COMO MAS RAPEL TENEMOS VARIOS INTERNS. TENEMOS MUCHAS PERSONAS HAN PASADO PORQUE EN EL 26 Y SIGUEN REPRESENTAN ANOS Y DE VERDAD TERMINO CON EL Q. SI SOMOS EL NUMERO UNO. GRACIAS. SI NO LA VERDAD MUCHISIMAS. GRACIAS LO Q. USTEDES HACEN ESTE Y TODOS SON COMO AMIGOS. NO HAY UNA PERSONA TRABAJAR CON USTEDES Q NO SE SIENTE INMEDIATAMENTE COMO UN AMIGO. SIEMPRE REPORTAN EXACTAMENTE COMO DEBE SER ESTE LOS EDITORIALES. NO NO, NO. SUN TAN COMO SITUACIONES WHEN PROBLEMAS CON TODOS DE LOS MEDIOS. PERO HAN HECHO UN

[01:00:05]

TRABAJO INCREIBLE, ESPECIALMENTE CUANDO HAY CRISIS COMO LA PANDEMIA. LO USTEDES PARA COMUNICAR UNICAMENTE AQUI. PERO EN TODO TODA LA REGION REALMENTE ESTE GRACIAS. USTEDES EN JUAREZ, SOY POLITICO DE JUAREZ, TODOS ME MIS CUANDO PAGAR NO NO. YO ESTOY EN ESTE LADO. PERO ES LO BONITO LO USTEDES REPORTAN UNA MANERA COMO DURANTE LA PANDEMIA. LA GENTE ESPERABA AMBOS LADOS POR LA NOTICIAS. LA INFORMACION DE CUENTA NO TOMARON EN CUENTA CERRAMOS AQUI O SIMPLEMENTE RESPECTO A LA ESTACION DE USTEDES. ENTONCES USTEDES LES DAN MUCHA CREDIBILIDAD A LOS ENTREVISTA. ENTONCES SI TENEMOS ALGO BUENO. QUÉ DECIR SIEMPRE SIEMPRE LO TOMAN EN CUENTA POR CADA UNO DE USTEDES LO PROFESSIONAL. ES EN CADA UNO DE USTEDES DEBERA ESTE NO NO NO PODEMOS DECIRLO SUFICIENTE DE COMO LOS AGRADECEMOS EN LO HACEN PARA LA COMUNIDAD Y SIGAN HACIENDO LO HACEN Y SON UN BENCHMARK CUALQUIER CUALQUIER COMUNIDAD YO QUIERO CON LOS COMUNEROS Y EL APOYO ESTO SE LOS COMUNIDADES MAS IMPORTANTES EN EL ESTADOS UNIDOS Y GRACIAS A USTEDES PODEMOS LOGRAR ESE STATUS DE HUMANITARIOS GENTE EN NUESTRA NUESTRA GENTE Y SIEMPRE PENSANDO EN LAS COSAS DE LA MEJOR MANERA MUCHISIMAS GRACIAS A CADA UNO DE USTEDES. GRACIAS, COMMISSIONER. COMMISSIONER. ALGUIEN NADA MAS. COREA. DECIRLES A TODOS. QUÉ HA SIDO UN GRAN HONOR PARA ME PODER A VER TRABAJADO CON MUCHOS DE USTEDES EN ESTOS ULTIMOS VEINTE ANOS.

DESPUÉS DE Q REGRESA A EL PASO. TENGO MUY BUENAS MEMORIAS DE CUANDO ME HACIA LEVANTAR A LAS TRES DE LA MANANA PARA PODER ESTAR CON ELLA EN DESPIERTA EL PASO A LAS CINCO. PERO HA SIDO REALMENTE UN HONOR PARA ME CONOCER MUCHOS DE USTEDES. Y ESPERO SEGUIR TENIENDO ESA RELACION CON TODOS USTEDES. MUCHAS GRACIAS POR SU TRABAJO. MISSION ESTAR. WAS FELICIDADES OTRA VEZ CUARENTA ANOS DE TRAYECTORIA ESTE NO ES NO ES ALGO PEQUENO. ES ALGO MUY GRANDE DE YO SÉ QUÉ CAMBIADO LAS COSAS MUCHO EN EN EL NEGOCIO DE LAS NOTICIAS IN CUARENTA ANOS. ESTE POR EJEMPLO INDIA EN LOS LOS REPORTADOS CARGAN SU PROPIA CAMARA HACEN SU PROPIA EDICION PRODUCTION PRESENTACION EN LINEA . ESTE ES BUENO COMO QUIÉN DICE? NO ES NO ES EN LA OTRA. NO ES ES UN ES UN ES UNA LABOR MUY MUY DIFICIL. MUY FUERTE. YA VECES ENGRACIA LA GENTE NO ENTIENDE Q PIENSAN Q. TODOS LLEVAN UNA VIDA GLOMEROSA. PERO SE ESTAN PARTIENDO. YA SABES ESTE TODO TODOS LOS DIAS Y PUES MIS RESPETOS PARA TODOS USTEDES POR LA MANERA. EN QUÉ HAN CUBIERTO AQUI? ESTE LOS SUCESSOS EN EL PASO Y ESPECIALMENTE AQUI EN EL CONDADO MUCHISIMAS. GRACIAS POR POR SIEMPRE ESTAR CON LAS PUERTAS ABIERTAS. GRACIAS, BRENDA.

[01:06:20]

GRACIAS AND WE LOOK LIKE DOING GRAZIE. ALDO QUÉ NOS DEJAN? QUÉ SE MEETING PARA MANTENERSE TAN.

JUVENILES. DORIAN. DORIAN GRAY. CAMBIADO EN ESTOS CUARENTA ANOS. ITEM FIVE DE APPROVE AND ADOPT A

[D. Approve and adopt a resolution designating the week of May 19-25, 2024 as National Public Works Week, and recognizing El Paso County Public Works professionals for their EPIC service, and urging all citizens to join with representatives of the American Public Works Association and government agencies in activities, events, and ceremonies designed to pay tribute to our public works professionals, engineers, managers, and employees and to recognize the substantial contributions they make to protecting our national health, safety, and quality of life. David Stout, Commissioner, Precinct 2, 915-546-2111]

RESOLUTION DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF MAY 19TH THROUGH 25TH, 2024, AS NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK AND RECOGNIZING EL PASO COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS PROFESSIONALS FOR THEIR EPIC SERVICE AND URGING ALL CITIZENS TO JOIN WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN ACTIVITIES, EVENTS AND CEREMONIES DESIGNED TO PAY TRIBUTE TO OUR PUBLIC WORKS PROFESSIONALS, ENGINEERS, MANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES, AND TO RECOGNIZE RECOGNIZE THE SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS THEY MAKE TO PROTECTING OUR NATIONAL HEALTH, SAFETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE. COMMISSIONER STOUT OKAY, LAST ONE FOR ME, Y'ALL. I PROMISE. WHAT? BROOKE, YOU KNOW WHAT, WELL, I'M JUST HAPPY TO ALSO BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE, OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. I THINK THE TIMING IS, IS PRETTY GOOD. Y'ALL MIGHT HAVE A LOT OF WORK COMING UP HERE SOON. IF WE GET THE SUPPORT OF THE VOTERS IN A IN THE BOND THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT PUTTING OUT IN NOVEMBER. BUT, YOU KNOW, OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE COUNTY FAMILY. AND I THINK IT'S JUST SO IMPORTANT FOR US TO RECOGNIZE THESE, THESE PROFESSIONALS, WE REALLY, TRULY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU ALL, DO DAY IN AND DAY OUT TO KEEP THE COUNTY FUNCTIONING FOR OUR OUR CONSTITUENTS, WHETHER IT'S THE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU HAVE IN, IN, IN OUR BUILDINGS OR THE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU HAVE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS WOULD LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING BEFORE I READ THE RESOLUTION, BUT BUT I'LL READ IT AND THEN WE CAN HEAR FROM YOU ALL AFTERWARDS. IF Y'ALL WANT TO COME UP. I KNOW I IS NORMA HERE. THERE SHE IS. OKAY WE HAVE WE HAVE NORA PALACIO, RIVERA PALACIOS, FERNEY HERNANDEZ, MICHAEL MCELROY AND ROBIN SULLY AND TIM FULTON, AS WELL AS MANY OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR OF OUR PUBLIC WORKS TEAM, MANY, MANY OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR PUBLIC WORKS TEAM. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR TAKING YOUR TIME OUT TO JOIN US THIS MORNING, OKAY. SO THE RESOLUTION SAYS WHEREAS PUBLIC WORKS PROFESSIONALS FOCUS ON INFRASTRUCTURE, FACILITIES, PARKS, PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT AND SERVICES THAT ARE OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES AND TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH EXTRAORDINAIRE, QUALITY OF LIFE AND WELL-BEING OF THE PEOPLE OF EL PASO COUNTY. AND WHEREAS, THESE INFRASTRUCTURE, FACILITIES, PARKS, PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, ENGINEERING AND GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SERVICES COULD NOT BE PROVIDED WITHOUT THE DEDICATED EFFORTS OF PUBLIC WORKS PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE ENGINEERS, MANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR REBUILDING, IMPROVING AND PROTECTING OUR NATION'S TRANSPORTATION, WATER SUPPLY, WATER TREATMENT AND SOLID WASTE SYSTEMS. STORMWATER PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS. LIKE THE ALL ABILITIES PLAYGROUND AT ASCOT AT THE PARK THAT WE JUST CUT THE RIBBON ON LAST FRIDAY, AND OTHER STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES ESSENTIAL FOR OUR RESIDENTS. AND WHEREAS IT IS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST FOR THE RESIDENTS, BUSINESS OWNERS, CIVIC LEADERS AND CHILDREN IN EL PASO COUNTY TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE OF AND TO MAINTAIN AN ONGOING INTEREST AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC WORKS AND PUBLIC WORKS

[01:10:05]

PROGRAMS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES. AND WHEREAS, EL PASO COUNTY HAS OVER 315 PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEES UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF NORMA RIVERA PALACIOS, FERNANDO HERNANDEZ, MICHAEL MCELROY, ROBIN SULLY, AND TIM FULTON, WHO PROVIDE UNINTERRUPTED SERVICE THROUGH THEIR DEDICATION TO EXCELLENCE, PROFESSIONALISM, INTEGRITY AND CREATIVITY, AND WHO GIVE THROUGH THEIR COMMITMENT AND SWEAT EQUITY AND SOMETIMES EXTREME WEATHER AND DIFFICULT CONDITIONS TO PROVIDE AN EXTRAORDINARY QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR RESIDENTS. AND WHEREAS THE YEAR 2024 MARKS THE 64TH ANNUAL NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK, SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION AND CANADA PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION, AND NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, THE EL PASO THAT THE EL PASO COUNTY JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS COURT HEREBY DESIGNATE THE WEEK, MAY 19TH THROUGH 25, 2024, AS NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK. RECOGNIZE EL PASO COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS PROFESSIONALS FOR THEIR EPIC SERVICE, URGE ALL CITIZENS TO JOIN WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND ACTIVITIES, EVENTS AND CEREMONIES DESIGNED TO PAY TRIBUTE TO OUR PUBLIC WORKS PROFESSIONALS, ENGINEERS, MANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES, AND TO RECOGNIZE THE SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS THEY MAKE IN PROTECTING OUR NATIONAL HEALTH, SAFETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE. SIGNED THIS 20TH DAY OF MAY 2024, THE HONORABLE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT. WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER STOUT, SECOND BY JUDGE SAMANIEGO. THE VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES. GOOD MORNING. COMMISSIONERS NORMA RIVERA PALACIOS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS RECOGNITION. I FEEL SO PRIVILEGED AND HONORED TO BE PART OF THE COUNTY AND ALSO TO BE PART OF MY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, I FEEL HONORED AND EMPOWERED TO HAVE A FEW OF THEM AS AS COMMISSIONER STOUT READ, THERE'S 315 AND THERE'S A FEW HERE, BUT I FEEL, VERY HONORED THIS MORNING. I WANT TO THANK THE COURT FOR YOUR SUPPORT , BECAUSE YOUR SUPPORT EMPOWERS US TO DO THE WORK THAT WE DO ON A DAILY BASIS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. NORMA. WHO ELSE ? WOULD INTRODUCE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. BUT WE'RE GOING TO WANT. AT THE SAME TIME, JUST SAY YOUR NAME REAL QUICK. IS ANYBODY ELSE GOING TO SPEAK NORMA? IF NOT, IS BETSY BACK HERE, HI, JUDGE BETSY, I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE TEAM. YES JUDGE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THIS TEAM AND THE ALL 315 MEMBERS OF OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. THEY ARE OFTEN THE QUIET PROFESSIONALS BEHIND THE SCENE, BUT THEY TOUCH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR LIVES, EVERY DAY. THERE'S SOME SOME OF OUR JOBS. PEOPLE ONLY INTERACT WITH IF THERE'S A NEED. BUT PUBLIC WORKS TOUCHES OUR LIVES EVERY DAY. WHERE YOU LIVE WAS A SUBDIVISION THAT WAS WENT THROUGH OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND WAS DESIGNED. OUR ROADS, OUR WATER, WASTEWATER, STORMWATER. IT TOUCHES EVERYONE'S LIVES EVERY DAY. OUR PUBLIC BUILDINGS THAT PEOPLE COME TO ACCESS SERVICES, KEEPING THOSE BUILDINGS CLEAN AND, ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC. OUR PARKS AND, COMMISSIONER MENTIONED THIS, BUT THE THEME THIS YEAR FOR AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS WEEK IS, A QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL. AND OUR IT ALIGNS SO MUCH WITH THE COUNTY'S MISSION AND VISION OF PROVIDING AN EXTRAORDINARY QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL. AND THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE WHO HELP US DO THAT ON A DAILY BASIS IN ALL OF OUR LIVES. AND I CANNOT BE MORE GRATEFUL BECAUSE, AGAIN, THEY'RE JUST WE DON'T SEE THEM. I MEAN, VERY SELDOM DO WE SEE THEM, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING THEIR JOBS AND WE'RE WE'RE ABLE TO ACCESS WHAT WE NEED AT OUR HOMES, AT OUR WORKPLACES. AND I I'M EXTREMELY HONORED, AND I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW PROUD I AM OF NORMA RIVERA PALACIOS. I'VE WORKED WITH NORMA FOR 16, OVER 16 YEARS, AND SHE'S JUST THE MOST COMMITTED, DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVANT THAT I THINK I'VE EVER SERVED WITH. AND SO I'M SO THANKFUL. THANK YOU BETSY. I ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I RECOGNIZE MRS. KELLER. YES SHE IS KEY TO OUR SUCCESS. I WANT TO THANK HER, TOO. THANK YOU. NORMA. THANK YOU. I HOPE THAT YOU FEEL THE COMMISSIONERS. I MEAN, IT'S AN ALWAYS, ALWAYS IS, YOU KNOW, BRAGGING ABOUT WHAT YOU DO. YOU KNOW, WE LOVE WHAT YOU DO. AND WE'RE SO VERY PROUD BECAUSE OF THE STATUS THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN THE COUNTY. AND I'VE ALWAYS SAID THAT THERE WAS A TIME WHERE THERE WAS A HUGE VARIATION BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY. YOU COULD ALMOST TELL THE DIFFERENCE. AND I THINK

[01:15:04]

IT'S THE REVERSE. NOW, I REALLY BELIEVE THAT YOU SET THE STANDARDS FOR A COUNTY AND A COUNTY PROBABLY BETTER. WE GET ALL KINDS OF AWARDS, ALL KINDS OF RECOGNITIONS BECAUSE OF ALL OF YOU. AND EVERYTHING THAT WE DO. YOU KNOW, AT THE END, YOU'RE THE ONES THAT MAKE IT HAPPEN.

AND SO WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT WE ALSO ME ON A PARTICULAR BASIS, AND I KNOW THE SAME AS THE COMMISSIONERS WHEN WE DID THE HEALING GARDEN, I CAN TELL YOU THAT IT WAS A LABOR OF LOVE AND HEART AND THAT WE DID THINGS THAT I DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT EVERYBODY THAT THAT WAS THERE WORKING LONG HOURS, THE SUN WAS BEATING ON HIM AND EVERYTHING WAS PUT ASIDE. AND I KNOW EACH ONE OF YOU HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT. AND SO WE, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE PROBABLY UNDER THE MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET WITH DONATIONS AND ALL THAT. BUT THERE WAS AN ENGINEER THAT TOLD ME THAT IF WE WANTED TO REPLICATE THAT, OR THE CITY WANTED TO REPLICATE THAT, IT'D BE IN THE 2 TO 2 TO $3 MILLION. PLUS, WE DIDN'T SPEND $2 MILLION ON A STUDY. RIGHT.

AND A RESEARCH. WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS LIKE LYDIA AND OTHERS THAT THAT MADE IT A POINT TO IN-HOUSE. WE IN-HOUSE THE MAJORITY OF THAT. AND NOW IT'S BECOME A NATIONAL MEMORIAL, WHICH IS PRETTY RARE TO HAVE THAT AND WE'RE COMING UP TO THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY, AND I KNOW IT'S JUST GOING TO BE SPECTACULAR. SO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, WE THANK YOU FOR MAKING US LOOK GOOD. YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO WORK HARD AND I HAVE ONE OF THE MOST DEDICATED COMMISSIONERS I'VE EVER SEEN. BUT YOU MAKE US LOOK, YOU KNOW, GOOD AND EVEN BETTER FOR THAT.

SO A CADA UNO DE USTEDES. REALLY? WE THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. AND I THINK WHAT WHAT BETSY SAID THAT YOU NEED TO REALLY IN YOUR HEART FEEL THAT THE REASON WE HAVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE IS BECAUSE OF ALL OF YOU, THAT NO ONE IS GOING TO LIVE DIFFERENT BECAUSE THEY HAPPEN TO LIVE SOMEWHERE ELSE. YOU'RE THE ONES THAT ARE MAKING THAT HAPPEN. IT'S SOMETHING WE SAY, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU DO. SO ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE VERY THANKFUL. AND I KNOW EACH ONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS HAS SOMETHING TO SAY. I'LL START OFF WITH COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. THANK YOU.

JUDGE, I JUST WANT TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO ON BEHALF OF THE RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTY. IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. BUT PLEASE KNOW THAT WE ARE INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL TO YOU AND WE ARE FOREVER IN YOUR DEBT, IT WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE. LIKE THE JUDGE SAID WE COULDN'T DO, THE COUNTY ITSELF COULDN'T DO WHAT IT DOES WITHOUT THE HELP OF EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, AND I WANT TO THANK NORMA SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF YOUR CAN DO ATTITUDE. I'VE NEVER ONCE GONE TO NORMA AND BEEN TOLD NO. SOMETHING COULDN'T BE DONE OR COULDN'T BE FIXED. IT. HER RESPONSE IS ALWAYS, WE'LL FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT BETTER, AND THAT DEFINITELY GOES DOWN TO YOUR STAFF THAT SAME CAN DO ATTITUDE IS IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR STAFF MEMBERS, AND THAT COMES FROM YOU, NORMA. SO THANK YOU. I WANT TO THANK FERNIE AND HIS TEAM, I SAW HIS TEAM THIS PAST SATURDAY AT THE COMMUNITY CLEANUP IN FABENS. IT WAS HOT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE OUT IN THE SUN IN, BUT THEY'RE DOING THIS BECAUSE IT MAKES OUR COMMUNITY BETTER AND SAFER FOR ALL OF US. SO RUBEN AS WELL, OF COURSE, MUNZER WITH ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH WATER AND WASTEWATER PLAZA, THE INCREDIBLE WORK THAT SHE DOES WITH OUR INSPECTIONS. ERNIE, THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO, AGAIN, I MEAN, WE THE COUNTY COULDN'T DO WHAT IT DOES WITHOUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. COMMISSIONER LEON. WELL I DON'T WANT TO BE REPETITIOUS, BUT I'VE GOT TO SAY THAT, THAT YOU ALL MAKE OUR WORDS TRUE. WE CAN STAND UP HERE AND SAY HOW GREAT THE COUNTY IS, BUT YOU ALL MAKE IT HAPPEN. AND I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING THAT I DON'T TELL TOO MANY PEOPLE, BUT I TALK BEHIND YOUR BACKS ALL, ALL THE TIME. YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT A DAY THAT GOES BY THAT I DON'T TELL, BETSY , THE JUDGE AND OTHER COMMISSIONER. YOU KNOW HOW GREAT IS OUR TEAM, AND LIKE YOU SAID, COMMISSIONER, THERE'S NEVER BEEN A TIME THAT I'VE CALLED YOU NORMA, AND YOU TOLD ME. WELL, I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO WORK, MAYBE SHE MIGHT HANG UP THE PHONE AND SAY, WHAT IS THE COMMISSIONER THINKING OF, BUT IT SOMEHOW WE MAKE IT WORK. THERE'S A LOT OF FAMILIES OUT THERE IN THE FAR REACHES OF OUR COUNTY THAT DON'T KNOW WHAT EXACTLY WENT INTO WHAT YOU ALL DID FOR THEM. THEY HAVE NO IDEA. BUT YOU MADE LIFE BETTER FOR ALL THESE PEOPLE. AND YOU'VE MADE LIFE BETTER FOR ME, FOR THIS, FOR THIS COURT. SO I JUST CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH. EACH ONE OF YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CORONADO. THANK YOU, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS, YOU KNOW, AS AS THE NEWBIE ON THE COURT, I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THOSE THAT, YOU KNOW, GAVE YOU THAT GAVE ME A

[01:20:02]

TOUR OF MY OUR I'M GOING TO SAY MY PRECINCT. PRECINCT FOUR, AND ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE. I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH IT, BUT THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL MADE ME AWARE OF. I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR DOING THAT AND FOR WORKING HARD. YOU KNOW, THAT ONE. ONE OF MY THINGS IS TO DO IS NOT JUST QUALITY OF LIFE THAT YOU GUYS DO. IT'S ACTUAL LIFE. WHEN WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, DON'T EVEN HAVE WATER IN, IN OUR COUNTY, AND YOU GUYS ARE WORKING DILIGENTLY TO MAKE SURE WE GET THAT TO THEM, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT IN THEIR LIVES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ANY MUNZER, NORMA, AND, YOU KNOW, OUR PRECINCT IS VERY, VERY FOND OF THE WORK WE DO THAT WE WANT TO PROMOTE OUR PARKS TO. TIM, EVERYTHING YOU DO, OF COURSE, WITH THE COURTHOUSE. MR. SALLY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR TAKING CARE OF ALL OUR OUR PROPERTIES BECAUSE THEY BELONG TO THE ENTIRE COUNTY, ALL OUR, CONSTITUENTS. AND YOU GUYS DO A GREAT JOB. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO, ESPECIALLY, FOR THOSE CONSTITUENT OUT THERE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE TAKE FOR WE TAKE FOR GRANTED WHAT THEY DON'T HAVE. AND SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.

APPRECIATE YOU, COMMISSIONER STOUT. A LOT'S BEEN SAID AND I AGREE, WITH, WITH EVERYTHING THAT MY THAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE HAVE SAID AND YOU KNOW, I, I CANNOT, I CAN'T FIND WORDS ENOUGH TO, TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, A SCOUT AT THE PARK AND MY, IN MY PRECINCT AND THE WAY THAT YOU ALL, JUST DAY IN AND DAY OUT WORK SO HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FOLKS THAT GO THERE, ENJOY THEMSELVES, THEY FEEL SAFE, YOU KNOW, THEY THEY THEY HAVE A GREAT TIME, TO THE BUILDINGS TO, YOU KNOW, JUST, THERE'S SO MUCH WORK THAT YOU ALL DO, AND IT'S NOT A 9 TO 5 JOB. YOU'LL WORK ON EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS AND, YOU KNOW, WE DO OUR BEST TO, TO TRY TO COMPENSATE AND PROVIDE BENEFITS TO, TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN SUCH GREAT INDIVIDUALS AS YOU ALL, WE CAN PROBABLY DO BETTER, BUT I, FOR ONE, AM. YOU KNOW, I'M, GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK TO WORK FOR THAT, BECAUSE I THINK YOU ALL ARE DESERVING AND WORTH EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW, WE ARE NOTHING WITHOUT OUR EMPLOYEES.

THE COUNTY IS NOTHING WITHOUT ITS EMPLOYEES. AND THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO IS SOMETIMES DANGEROUS. YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTION IS DANGEROUS, WORKING WITH MACHINERY IS DANGEROUS. WORKING ON IN ON TALL BUILDINGS IS DANGEROUS. AND YOU ALSO SACRIFICE IN THAT WAY. AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF TIMES WE DON'T, WE DON'T SEE AND WE DON'T RECOGNIZE. BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL ARE THE EPITOME OF WHAT A PUBLIC SERVANT IS. AND I'M SO PROUD TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WORK WITH YOU ALL THE LAST NINE YEARS. AND I HOPE THAT THAT CONTINUES FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. GOING INTO THE FUTURE. THANK YOU SO MUCH, JUDGE. ONE MORE. I WANT TO ESPECIALLY THANK ALL OF YOU THAT WENT TO OUR COMMUNITY MEETINGS TO TELL OUR PUBLIC WHAT WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING, FOR THE COUNTY AND FOR THEM, MR. MCELROY, EVERYBODY THAT THAT WENT, TO THOSE COMMUNITY MEETINGS, BECAUSE THEY DO THEY DO NEED TO SEE THAT, THAT WE'RE WORKING THEM SOMETIMES THEY DON'T THINK WE'RE DOING ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, AND WE GET CRITICIZED. BUT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WE TAKE THAT, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING FOR THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AND THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU. JUDGE, COMMISSIONERS

[E. Approve and adopt a resolution congratulating the students from the John Drugan Middle School Technology Student Association Team for placing first and becoming state champions. Iliana Holguin, Commissioner, Precinct 3, 915-546-2144]

[01:28:06]

. THANK YOU. OKAY ITEM FIVE E APPROVE AND ADOPT A RESOLUTION CONGRATULATING THE STUDENTS FROM THE JOHN DRUGAN MIDDLE SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY STUDENT ASSOCIATION TEAM FOR PLACING FIRST AND BECOMING STATE CHAMPIONS. COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. THANK YOU, JUDGE, SO WE HAVE SOME INCREDIBLE STUDENTS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE HONORING, TODAY DURING OUR RESOLUTIONS. SO I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND READ THE FIRST ONE INTO THE RECORD, WHEREAS THE TECHNOLOGY STUDENT ASSOCIATION IS A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF STUDENTS ENGAGED IN STEM SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS. AND WHEREAS TSA IS SUPPORTED BY EDUCATORS, PARENTS AND BUSINESS LEADERS WHO BELIEVE IN THE NEED FOR A TECHNOLOGICALLY LITERATE SOCIETY AND MEMBERS LEARN THROUGH EXCITING COMPETITIVE EVENTS, LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, AND MUCH MORE. AND WHEREAS THE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN TSA HAVE COMPLETED TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION COURSES AND INCLUDE MORE THAN 300,000 MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, AND WHEREAS, THE EDUCATION DIRECTIVES AT THE FEDERAL AND STATE LEVEL FOCUS ON PROVIDING AVENUES FOR INITIATIVES SUCH AS STEM EDUCATION AS A CAREER AND TECHNICAL STUDENT ORGANIZATION, TSA HELPS TEACHERS MEET THE CRITERIA FOR STEM EDUCATION GOALS THROUGH EXCITING PROGRAMS THAT INCLUDE ACTIVITIES, COMPETITIONS, LEADERSHIP, AND TEAMWORK FOR STUDENTS AND WHEREAS. IN ADDITION, ALL TSA ACTIVITIES ARE CORRELATED TO THE STANDARDS FOR TECHNOLOGICAL AND ENGINEERING LITERACY AS SET FORTH BY THE INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL AND ENGINEERING EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION, AND TEACHERS CAN USE TSA ACTIVITIES DURING THE SCHOOL DAY IN THEIR CLASSROOM AND EXTEND THE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM THROUGH A TSA CHAPTER. AND WHEREAS TSA HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITIONS AND MIDDLE SCHOOL COMPETITIONS ARE CATEGORIZED BY CAREERS IN ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY, COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY, COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, LEADERSHIP, MANUFACTURING AND TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY, STEM AND THE ARTS, AND TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH. AND

[01:30:06]

WHEREAS, AS PART OF THIS INITIATIVE, THE SOCORRO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS ESTABLISHED CHAPTERS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOLS DISTRICT SYSTEM IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEIR CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM. AND WHEREAS, IN THE INAUGURAL YEAR OF THE CHAPTER AT JOHN DRUGAN MIDDLE SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER MR. HECTOR PORTILLO ENCOURAGED ALL STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN HIS CLASS TO ENROLL IN TSA TO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR COMPETITIONS, AND WHEREAS THE REGIONAL COMPETITION WAS HELD LOCALLY AT CHAPIN HIGH SCHOOL, WITH THE FIRST PLACE FINISHERS OF THE COMPETITIONS EARNING A SPOT TO COMPETE FOR THE STATE COMPETITION. JOHN DRUGAN HAD NINE STUDENTS EARN A SPOT AT THE STATE COMPETITION, AND PARTICIPATED AT THE STATE COMPETITION THAT OCCURRED ON APRIL 3RD THROUGH APRIL 6TH IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS. AND WHEREAS OUT OF THE NINE STUDENTS, THREE OF THOSE STUDENTS WERE FEMALE STUDENTS FROM THE SCHOOL, THE THREE FEMALE STUDENTS WON TWO OF THE STATE COMPETITIONS AND EARNED A SPOT TO GO ON TO NATIONALS IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA ON JUNE 25TH TO COMPETE FOR THE NATIONAL TITLE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COMPETITIONS. AND WHEREAS THE COMPETITIVE EVENTS CONSISTED OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING FIRST PLACE TEAM CELESTE HERNANDEZ AND SERENITY VALLES, AND OFF THE GRID CONSTRUCTION FIRST PLACE TEAM SAVANNAH WATERS, AND THEREFORE THE EL PASO COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT WISHES TO HONOR AND CONGRATULATE THE JOHN DRUGAN TECHNOLOGY STUDENT ASSOCIATION TEAM BY ACKNOWLEDGING THE JOHN DRUGAN TECHNOLOGY STUDENT ASSOCIATION AS STATE CHAMPIONS IN STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND OFF THE GRID CONSTRUCTION. IN OFFICIAL RECOGNITION THEREOF, THE COUNTY JUDGE AND THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE COURT HEREBY AFFIX THEIR SIGNATURES THIS 20TH DAY OF MAY 2024, IN EL PASO, TEXAS. OKAY, WE HAVE A MOTION. WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN, SECOND BY JUDGE SAMANIEGO. THE VOTING IS OPEN MOTION CARRIES.

AND I KNOW WE HAVE MR. PORTILLO HERE. AND WE ALSO HAVE SOME OF OUR STUDENTS, CELESTE HERNANDEZ, WHO I WOULD LIKE TO SAY IS THE DAUGHTER OF OUR VERY OWN FERN HERNANDEZ, WHO WAS JUST RECOGNIZED DURING PUBLIC WORKS WEEK. AND SERENITY VILLAS AND SAVANNAH WATERS, IF YOU ALL COULD ALL PLEASE MAKE IT UP TO THE PODIUM. THANK YOU. CLOSER TO THE MIC. YEAH, WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE TO BE HERE TODAY, THANK YOU FOR HONORING US. WE WANT TO THANK OUR TEACHER, OUR PRINCIPAL AND OUR SCHOOL, OUR PARENTS, FOR SUPPORTING US ALONG THE WAY. AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO GO TO NATIONALS TO REPRESENT OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. HELLO MY NAME IS SAVANNAH WATERS, AND I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR HONORING US AND GIVING US THIS OPPORTUNITY. THANK YOU. HI, I'M TRINITY VICE AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU ALL TO EVERYONE WHO'S PUTTING US THROUGH THIS JOURNEY. AND WE CAN'T MAKE WE CAN'T WAIT TO GO TO FLORIDA. GOOD FOR YOU. GOOD FOR YOU. GOOD MORNING, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS FRENDA SADA GERARDO. I'M THE PROUD PRINCIPAL OF JOHN DRAGON SCHOOL, AND I'M THE PROUD PRINCIPAL OF THESE LOVELY GIRLS. NOT ONLY ARE THEY BEAUTIFUL, BUT THEIR BRAINS AND THEIR MULTI, WELL-ROUNDED STUDENTS. NOT ONLY DO THEY EXCEL IN ROBOTICS, BUT THEY ALSO EXCEL IN FINE ARTS, ORCHESTRA AND ATHLETICS. SO AND THEIR PARENTS ARE A BIG PART OF THEIR SUCCESS. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR HONORING US BECAUSE WE NEED SOME OF THIS. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, MY NAME IS CYNTHIA MCCOWAN, ONE OF THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS. AND I'M VERY EXCITED AND PROUD TO BE STANDING NEXT TO THESE, VERY, VERY INTELLIGENT YOUNG LADIES. AND THANK YOU FOR REPRESENTING JOHN DRAGON. THANK YOU. WE GOT TO HEAR FROM FERNEY.

YES, WE NEED THERE FROM A PROUD DAD. GOOD MORNING. JUDGE. COMMISSIONERS. FERDINANDUS. WITH THE PUBLIC WORKS. BUT HERE TODAY, ON A PROUD MOMENT, YOU KNOW, TO CELEBRATE AND, THANK YOU ALL FOR THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF ALL THE HARD WORK THAT OUR DAUGHTERS DID THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE WITH US, I MEAN, FOR US AND REPRESENT THE, THE COMMUNITY, I KNOW THAT THEY ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS COMPETITION IN FLORIDA TO SHOW WHAT EL PASO CAN ACTUALLY DO IN THE NATIONAL MEASURES. RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. VERY I WOULD MENTION YOUR MOTHER IN LAW BECAUSE THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO GO HOME AND. RIGHT, RIGHT, I HAVE MY MOTHER IN LAW HERE. ROSA DIAZ. AND THEN MY WIFE, BETTY DIAZ. SORRY I ALMOST DREW A BLANK THERE. THANK YOU. AND THEN I THINK THE OTHER PARENTS ARE HERE. IF YOU WANT TO COME UP AND ACKNOWLEDGE. HI. MY NAME IS TANYA WATERS, SAVANNAH'S MOM, AND I'M JUST VERY PROUD OF ALL THREE OF THEM. OH, AMAZING. MY

[01:35:02]

NAME IS RICK. I'M SAVANNAH'S DAD. THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS. YOU. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS SAMANTHA VIDALES AND I'M THE PROUD MOTHER OF SERENITY. EXCELLENT HELLO, I'M ARMANDO, AND I'M HER FATHER. OH. THAT'S EXCELLENT. YOU KNOW, AS A SAFE FOR ME. BEHIND EVERY GREAT WOMAN IS A VERY SURPRISED MOTHER IN LAW. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THIS IS VERY SPECIAL, ONCE AGAIN, HAVING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. BUT ALSO, THANK YOU FOR THE PARENTS. YOU KNOW, THE FRUIT DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE. AND WE THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO AND THE SUPPORT THAT YOU GIVE THEM. AND I'VE BEEN SAYING THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT, WE'RE ALWAYS WE'RE DEPENDING A LOT ON ON OUR YOUNG ADULTS, THE NEXT GENERATION. AND WE'RE JUST SO PROUD WHEN WE SEE AND CONGRATULATIONS GOING FORWARD. SO COMMISSIONER ELGIN, I JUST WANTED TO LET THE THREE OF YOU KNOW HOW INCREDIBLY PROUD WE ARE OF YOU AND THAT WE KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO BLOW EVERYONE OUT OF THE WATER IN ORLANDO.

GOOD LUCK OUT THERE. FIRST.

ON THE BACK. JUST A LITTLE BIT . SO. SPEAKING CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN. YES, YES I DO. YES DOESN'T HAPPEN AROUND. ME THANK YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU. BETTER KNOW THAT I SAY THANK YOU ALL.

[F. Approve and adopt a resolution recognizing the accomplishments of Mr. Riddle, Horizon High School colleagues and the Horizon High School student Scorpion Writers Guild on the successful publication of “Migrant 915: A View from the Border”. Iliana Holguin, Commissioner, Precinct 3, 915-546-2144]

[01:40:02]

ITEM FIVE F APPROVE AN ADOPT A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MISTER RIDDLE. HORIZON HIGH SCHOOL COLLEAGUES, AND THE HORIZON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. SCORPION WRITERS GUILD ON THE SUCCESSFUL PUBLICATION OF MIGRANT 915A VIEW FROM THE BORDER COMMISSIONER.

THANK YOU. JUDGE, HERE WE HAVE ANOTHER INCREDIBLE GROUP OF STUDENTS WHO WE ARE VERY PROUD TO HONOR TODAY. IF I COULD, WHILE I READ THE RESOLUTION, HAVE MISTER RIDDLE AND ALL OF YOUR STUDENTS AND EVERYONE START COMING UP TO THE PODIUM. WHEREAS MISTER JAMES RIDDLE FROM HORIZON HIGH SCHOOL SET OUT ON A MISSION TO PROVE TO HIS STUDENTS THAT ALL STUDENTS, INCLUDING MIGRANTS, SHOULD BE TREATED WITH RESPECT. AND WHEREAS THE CURRICULUM HE CREATED WAS TO HELP THEM DISCOVER THEIR TRUE POTENTIAL AND THEN DISPLAY IT IN REAL TIME BEFORE THE WORLD, AND THE END PRODUCT WOULD THEN BECOME THE NOW PUBLISHED BOOK CALLED MIGRANT 915, A FEW A VIEW FROM THE BORDER. AND WHEREAS HE STARTED WITH INTRODUCTIONS AND BY HAVING EVERY STUDENT INTERVIEW HIM IN FRONT OF THE CLASS WITH AN OPEN ENDED QUESTION, AND HE DID THE SAME TO THEM, THE NEXT STEP WAS TO SHOW THEM THEIR OWN UNIQUE STRENGTHS, AND HOW THEY CAN USE THOSE STRENGTHS TO GAIN AN ADVANTAGE IN LIFE. AND WHEREAS MISTER RIDDLE DID A SERIES, A SERIES OF ASSESSMENTS, THEN POSTED THOSE STRENGTHS OUTSIDE OF THEIR CLASSROOM, THIS CAUSED MANY OF THE STUDENTS TO SEE THEMSELVES A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY. AND WHEREAS MISTER RIDDLE INTRODUCED THEM TO THE MIGRANT 915 BOOK PROJECT, HE TOLD THEM THAT THEY ARE THE VOICES OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING IMMIGRATION ISSUES FIRST HAND. HE TOLD THEM THAT NO ONE IN THE COUNTRY UNDERSTANDS THE ISSUE QUITE LIKE THEY DO, AND IF THEY WILL MAKE A SOLID EFFORT, HE WOULD PROVE THAT THEY CAN MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD. AND WHEREAS AFTER A SERIES OF DRAFTS AND A FINAL SET OF SUBMISSIONS WERE ACCEPTED, MISTER RIDDLE COLLEAGUES AND THE STUDENT GROUP CALLED THE SCORPION WRITERS GUILD ASSEMBLED THE BOOK, AND BY MARCH 23RD, 2024, IT WAS OFFICIALLY PUBLISHED. AND I HAVE A COPY RIGHT HERE IF ANYONE WANTS TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT. AND WHEREAS IN LESS THAN ONE MONTH, THE BOOK WAS LISTED AS THE NUMBER ONE NEW RELEASE IN ITS CATEGORY ON AMAZON. AND WHEREAS SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ WENT VIRAL ON THE BOOK'S RELEASE, INCLUDING 27,000 LIKES UPON ITS RELEASE ON THE REAL FIT FAM EL PASO PAGE. AND WHEREAS MEDIA INTERVIEWS HAVE BEEN SCHEDULED WITH KTSM, CHANNEL NINE, KVIA, CHANNEL SEVEN, TELEMUNDO, CANAL OCHO AND UTEP'S, PROSPECTOR IS WRITING A STORY CALLED STUDENTS EYES, STUDENTS LIVES, LIFE ON THE BORDER AND WHEREAS CLINT ISD BOARD OFFICIALS HAVE HONORED THE 150 PLUS STUDENTS OF THE SCORPION WRITERS GUILD, AND WHEREAS SPECIAL RECOGNITION WAS GIVEN TO THE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SCORPION WRITERS GUILD, WHICH INCLUDES ANDRES GUERECA, MARIA ORTIZ, VALERIA SUAREZ, DOMINIC ENRIQUEZ, JONATHAN LARA, JASON GONZALEZ, AND DANIEL URRUTIA, AND WHEREAS, THE SUPPORT AND COLLABORATION OF TEACHERS MELISSA CONTRERAS, PAMELA VALVERDE, ISRAEL ARIAS AND ALFREDO GUTIERREZ, AND ADMINISTRATORS PRINCIPAL ROBERT TREJO AND ALEX NAVARRO WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE BOOK BEING PUBLISHED AND WHEREAS MISTER RIDDLE SET OUT TO PROVE TO THESE KIDS THAT THEIR VOICES COUNT AND THAT THEY CAN MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE ON THIS ISSUE, NOW THEY ARE SEEING IT ALL UNFOLD BEFORE THEIR VERY EYES. PEOPLE ARE LISTENING TO WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY NOW. THEY KNOW THAT THEY ARE NOT SECOND CLASS CITIZENS, BUT ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS ANYONE AND EVERYONE ELSE. AND IF THEY SET THEIR MINDS TO IT, THEY CAN CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF THIS COUNTRY. THE STUDENTS ARE TRULY WORTHY OF THE HONORS BEING BESTOWED UPON THEM. MISTER RIDDLE EXPECTS THEIR VOICES WILL CARRY FARTHER THAN ANY OF US HAVE EVER DREAMED. AND NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, THAT THE EL PASO COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZES THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MISTER RIDDLE, HORIZON HIGH SCHOOL COLLEAGUES, AND THE HORIZON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. SCORPION WRITERS GUILD ON THE SUCCESSFUL PUBLICATION OF THEIR BOOK CALLED MIGRANT 915A VIEW FROM THE BORDER, AN OFFICIAL RECOGNITION THEREOF. THE COMMISSIONERS COURT HEREBY AFFIXES THEIR SIGNATURE. THIS 20TH DAY OF MAY 2024. WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN, SECOND BY JUDGE SAMANIEGO. THE VOTING IS OPEN. COMMISSIONER CORONADO, I JUST NEED YOUR VOTE. OKAY. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. THIS IS OUR. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING.

FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK COMMISSIONER HOLGUIN FOR HIS GREAT HONOR. I ALSO LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR TEACHER, MISTER RIDDLE, OUR CRAZY TEACHER, MISTER RIDDLE, FOR GIVING US A VOICE IN A WORLDWIDE COMMUNITY. MOST OF US DIDN'T KNOW WE COULD DO THIS, BUT HE ALWAYS KNEW WE COULD. I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO THANK OUR PRINCIPAL, MR. TREJO, FOR SHOWING US FOR SUPPORTING US SO MUCH AS WE BROUGHT IT ALL TOGETHER. THERE IS NO BORDER TO THIS MAN'S VISION. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AS A STUDENT AND PROUD CONTRIBUTOR TO MIGRANT 905 A VIEW FROM THE BORDER, I STAND BEFORE FOR YOU. WITH A HEART FULL OF HOPE AND A VISION FOR A CHANGE. THIS BOOK ISN'T JUST A

[01:45:08]

COLLECTION OF STUDENTS ASSIGNMENTS. IT'S A TESTAMENT TO RESILIENCE, STRUGGLES, AND DREAMS OF COUNTLESS INDIVIDUALS WHO DARE TO SEEK A BETTER LIFE. FOR ME, THIS BOOK IS PERSONAL.

IT'S A REFLECTION OF FACES I SEE EVERY DAY, THE STORIES I HEAR WHISPERING IN THE HALLS, AND THE DREAMS OF THAT. MY FRIENDS WHO ARE IMMIGRANTS OR CHILD OF IMMIGRANTS HOLD DEAR. IT IS A REMINDER BEHIND EVERY STATISTIC POLITICAL DEBATE, AND EVERY BORDER WALL THAT THERE ARE HUMAN WHO BELONG, WHO ARE LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES, SAFETY AND DIGNITY. HOW CAN WE JUDGE THOSE WHO ARE STRIVING FOR A BETTER TOMORROW? HOW CAN WE TURN A BLIND EYE TO THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE INDIVIDUALS LIKE YOU AND ME? SEEK NOTHING MORE THAN A CHANCE FOR A BETTER LIFE. THROUGH MIGRANT 915 WE HAVE THE POWER TO CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES, BRIDGE DIVIDES, AND BRING EMPATHY TO THE ISSUE. THIS BOOK SERVES AS A BEACON OF HUMANITY IN A WORLD OFTEN CLOUDED BY FEAR AND MISUNDERSTANDING. INVITES US TO WALK IN THE SHOES OF THE MARGINALIZED, TO LISTEN TO THE VOICE, AND TO RECOGNIZE THE SHARED HUMANITY THAT UNITES US ALL. BUT OUR WORK DOESN'T END ON TURNING THE LAST PAGE. IT BEGINS WITH CONVERSATION SPARKED, PERSPECTIVE SHIFTED, AND THE ACTIONS INSPIRED. IT BEGINS WITH EACH OF US COMMITTING TO CHAMPIONING THE CAUSE OF THE FREEDOM, EQUALITY, JUSTICE. AND COMPASSION IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND BEYOND. SO LET US CARRY THE SPIRIT OF 915 WHEREVER WE GO. LET US AMPLIFY THE VOICES OF THE. LET US AMPLIFY THE VOICES OF THE VOICELESS. STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE MARGINALIZED, AND STRIVE FOR A WORLD WHERE EVERYONE, REGARDLESS OF BACKGROUND, HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE TOGETHER, LET US WRITE A NEW CHAPTER, ONE NOT DEFINED BY BORDERS OR BARRIERS, BY, BUT BY EMPATHY, UNDERSTANDING, AND THE RELENTLESS PURSUIT FOR A BETTER TOMORROW. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

EXCELLENT JOB. THAT'S THAT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE OF THE KIND OF STUDENTS THAT WE HAVE HERE, IT'S FUNNY, THAT THAT RESOLUTION IS MY SPEECH, I JUST WANT TO FIRST AND FOREMOST, ALWAYS. AND ABOVE ALL, I WANT TO THANK GOD FOR ALL THE STRENGTH AND GUIDANCE I WAS GIVEN THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT, I WANT TO THANK, REPRESENTATIVE URRUTIA URRUTIA. I NEVER GET THAT RIGHT. FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT. IT'S BEEN AWESOME. AND, AND I WANT TO EXPRESS MY DEEPEST GRATITUDE TO COMMISSIONER HOLGUIN AND THE ENTIRE COMMISSIONERS COURT FOR HONORING THESE YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY. THEY ARE AMAZING YOUNG PEOPLE, AS AS THE RESOLUTION SAYS, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN MY CONVICTION THAT THERE'S GREATNESS WITHIN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY STUDENTS WHO ENTERED MY CLASSROOM, FOR YEARS, IT SADDENED MY HEART THAT SO MANY OF MY STUDENTS CAN'T SEE IT HERE. WE ESPECIALLY THE MIGRANT STUDENTS WHO ALWAYS SEEM TO FEEL THAT THEY'RE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS. TOO MANY OF THEM THINK THAT BECAUSE OF THEIR BACKGROUND, THEIR ECONOMIC STATUS, OR EVEN THEIR ETHNICITY, THEY'RE DESTINED TO BE DISREGARDED OR EVEN CAST ASIDE. SOME OF THEM HAVE LIVED THEIR WHOLE LIVES FEELING UNWORTHY AND UNWANTED. WHEN I WOULD TELL THEM THAT THEY'RE MORE POWERFUL THAN THEY REALIZE THEY WOULD RESPOND, YEAH, I WAS JUST SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT ALL TEACHERS ALWAYS SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE POWERFUL. YOU CAN BE PRESIDENT. YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT THEY TYPICALLY EXPECT. BUT I WANTED TO SHOW THEM SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I WANTED THEM TO SHOW THEM THAT THEY ARE TRULY POWERFUL. AND I WAS GOING TO SHOW IT TO THEM IN REAL TIME. SO I SAID ON THE COMMISSION TO SET OUT ON A MISSION TO PROVE IT TO THEM. I PROMISED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM THAT THEY WOULD SEE THEIR POWER UNFOLD RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM, IN REAL TIME, LIKE THE RESOLUTION SAYS, THE CURRICULUM I CREATED WAS TO HELP THEM DISCOVER THEIR TRUE POTENTIAL AND DISPLAY IT IN REAL TIME TO THE WORLD AND LIKE, LIKE, LIKE THE RESOLUTION SAYS, WE STARTED WITH INTRODUCTIONS. WE GOT TO KNOW EACH OTHER REAL WELL. WE, THEY GOT TO, TO DO SOME STRENGTH ASSESSMENTS TO WHERE THEY WOULD THEY GOT TO UNDERSTAND THAT, HEY, THEY ARE POWERFUL. THEY, THEY DO HAVE SOMETHING TO OFFER TO THE WORLD.

AND SO THEY STARTED SEEING THEMSELVES A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY THEN WHEN I INTRODUCED THEM TO THE MIGRANT 915 BOOK PROJECT, I TOLD THEM THAT THAT THEY ARE THE VOICES OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THESE THINGS FIRSTHAND, THAT THEY KNOW, THIS LIKE LIKE NO ONE IN THE COUNTRY KNOWS IT. NO, THEY KNOW IT, DIFFERENTLY FROM WHAT ALL OF US KNOW IT. THEY'RE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO SEE IT EVERY DAY, AND THEY'RE YOUNG PEOPLE WITH POWERFUL VOICES AND SO I WANTED TO PROVE TO THEM THAT THAT WE COULD MAKE THEIR VOICES BE HEARD. BUT EVEN THEN, WHEN I, WHEN I INTRODUCED THE PROJECT, THERE WAS VERY LITTLE EXCITEMENT, YOU KNOW, THEY THEY DESPITE ALL MY PROMISES THAT WOULD BE PROFESSIONALLY CREATED BOOK AND THAT IT WOULD TURN THE

[01:50:02]

HEADS OF THE COMMUNITY, MANY OF THEM KIND OF BLEW IT OFF, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE LIKE NOTHING.

THAT'S LIKE THAT'S EVER BEEN DONE BEFORE IN THE CLASSROOM. SO IT WAS HARD FOR THEM TO BELIEVE THAT, IT COULD MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. I LOVE TO KNOW THAT FOR ALMOST TWO GRADING PERIODS, WE'D BE FOCUSING ON THREE SECTIONS OF WRITING. THE FIRST SECTION WOULD BE PERSONAL STORIES. HOW IMMIGRATION AFFECTED THEM PERSONALLY OR OR THEIR FAMILY OR THEIR FRIENDS, OR THEIR COMMUNITY, THE SECOND SECTION WOULD BE CREATIVE WRITING, WHERE THEY WOULD EXPRESS HOW HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT IMMIGRATION IN A FREER AND MORE INCLUSIVE FORMAT. AND THEN THE THIRD SECTION, THE SCORPION STING. THEY THAT WAS FOR ARGUMENTS AND ARTICLES FOR CHANGE AND HAVING SOME EXPERIENCE WITH THE PUBLICATION PROCESS. I TOLD THEM THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS AS IF THEY WERE WRITING FOR A MAJOR PUBLISHING COMPANY. AND SO I BEGAN BY TO REFER THEM AS AUTHORS. THEY'RE THE AUTHORS, AND I WAS THEIR EDITOR AND PUBLISHER. WHEN THEY WOULD SUBMIT A PIECE OF WRITING, IT WOULD BE SUBJECTED TO PEER REVIEWS. THE EDITORIAL STAFF, OKAY, WHO WOULD SUGGEST REVISIONS AND THEN. THEY WOULD SEND A FINAL COPY TO THEIR EDITOR. ME WHO WOULD EVALUATE IT AND SEND IT BACK TO THEM WITH FINAL SUGGESTIONS. IF NEEDED.

AND WHAT THEY SENT BACK, FINALLY, WAS THE MANUSCRIPT FOR WHICH I WOULD OFFER THEM A CONTRACT FOR PUBLICATION, AND SO THE FINAL SUBMISSIONS WERE ACCEPTED BY FEBRUARY, AND I SPENT THE ENTIRE SPRING BREAK CREATING CREATING THE BOOK. AND BY MARCH 23RD, 2024, IT WAS OFFICIALLY PUBLISHED. WHEN I SHOWED THEM THE AUTHOR'S COPY OF THE BOOK, THEY WERE STUNNED.

THEY COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT WHAT? THAT THEY CREATED THIS BOOK AND THEY THEY HAD NO IDEA THAT SOMETHING OF THIS QUALITY AND CALIBER WAS GETTING READY TO BE UNLEASHED ON THE WORLD, STILL, HOWEVER, IT WAS HARD FOR ME TO MAKE THEM REALIZE THAT THEY WERE ABOUT TO SEE HOW POWERFUL THEY REALLY ARE. BOTH STAFF AND STUDENTS WILL VOUCH THAT. I WOULD OFTEN SAY, ARE YOU READY FOR WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN? AND SO ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR VOICE TO BE HEARD ACROSS THE COUNTRY? WHEN I SHOWED THE DRAFT COPY TO MR. TREJO, OUR PRINCIPAL, HE GOT TO WORK RIGHT AWAY AND GOT THE DISTRICT INVOLVED IN WHAT WE WERE DOING. NOW IT WAS TIME FOR ME TO BE STUNNED IN IN DAYS.

THEY RESPONDED WITH UTMOST PROFESSIONALISM, CREATING THE A MEDIA RELEASE OF UNPRECEDENTED QUALITY. I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THAT IF IT WASN'T FOR MR. TREJO AND THE CLINT INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, A TRUE DISTRICT OF INNOVATION, THIS PROJECT NEVER WOULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE. THEN WE BEGAN THE LAST STAGE OF THE PROJECT AFTER THE PUBLICATION, WHICH WAS BUSINESS WRITING. THE KIDS WROTE EMAILS, WROTE BUSINESS LETTERS, DID SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING CAMPAIGNS, AND WROTE REPORTS TO THEIR MARKETING MANAGER. ME AND WE BRAINSTORMED WHO WOULD WHO WOULD CONTACT AND WE SENT OUT EMAILS, SNAIL MAILS AND OTHER MESSAGES. THEN WHEN WE THOUGHT WOULD BE INTERESTED, I TOLD THE STUDENTS THAT. EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE IN REAL TIME. SO EXPECT ME TO TAKE CALLS IN THE MIDDLE OF CLASS, AND I WOULD MAKE THEM A PART OF THE CALL, BECAUSE I WOULD PUT IT ON SPEAKERPHONE FOR THEM. ONE PARTICULAR CALL CAUSED MILES TO DROP WIDE OPEN ALL OVER THE ROOM . YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO SEE IT. IT WAS CONGRESSWOMAN VERONICA ESCOBAR'S OFFICE. SHE CALLED TO CONGRATULATE THE STUDENTS ON WHAT THEY ACCOMPLISHED AND SAID THAT EVERY ONE OF THEM WOULD RECEIVE AN OFFICIAL LETTER OF RECOGNITION FROM THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS. WHEN? WHEN I POSTED THE PRESS RELEASE ON INSTAGRAM. LIKE LIKE THE RESOLUTION SAYS, THE REAL FIT FAM EL PASO REPOSTED IT AND RECEIVED AND IT RECEIVED 27,000 VIEWS. MR. TREJO THEN CREATED AN OFFICIAL BOOK RELEASE ASSEMBLY THAT WAS FAR BEYOND ANYTHING I'D IMAGINED. THE PRESENTATION. THE PRESENTATION WAS SPECTACULAR. THE LOCAL MEDIA WAS INVITED, AND KTSM, CHANNEL NINE AND TELEMUNDO DID STORIES ON THE BOOK RELEASE THAT THAT AIRED THAT WEEK. IN LESS THAN A MONTH, THE BOOK WAS LISTED LIKE LIKE THE RESOLUTION SAYS IS THE NUMBER ONE NEW RELEASE IN ITS CATEGORY ON AMAZON. AND LIKE THE RESOLUTION, SAYS UTEP'S. PROSPECTOR WROTE A STORY ON THE BOOK ON THESE AMAZING STUDENTS. I WISH I WOULD HAVE HAD IT RECORDED WHEN I GOT THE PROSPECTOR AND I HANDED IT TO THE STUDENTS WHO WERE INVOLVED IN IT. I WISH YOU COULD HAVE SEEN THEM JUMPING UP AND DOWN. THEY WERE SO THRILLED. THEY WERE SCREAMING. IT WAS REALLY AWESOME, I COULD SEE IT IN THEIR EYES THAT IT WAS BEGINNING TO DAWN ON THEM. THAT I WAS TELLING THEM THE TRUTH, THAT THEY ARE TRULY POWERFUL AND THEIR VOICES WERE BEING HEARD. I WAS THEN CONTACTED BY COMMISSIONER HOGAN'S OFFICE ANNOUNCING THEY WERE HONORING THE STUDENTS WITH A RESOLUTION. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, ON A SUNDAY MORNING, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM

[01:55:04]

IRIS GARCIA BARAHONA OF KVEA CHANNEL SEVEN NEWS INFORMING US THAT THEY WOULD WANT TO DO A STORY ON US ON A SUNDAY FUN DAY PROGRAM. THAT PROGRAM WAS AIRED ON MOTHER'S DAY, WHICH WAS THRILLING TO ALL THE MOTHERS OF THESE AMAZING AND POWERFUL YOUNG PEOPLE. AS I WAS WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT OF THIS SPEECH, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM STATE REPRESENTATIVE MARY GONZALEZ, WHO WILL ALSO GIVE THESE KIDS A RESOLUTION. IT HAS ONLY BEEN A MONTH AND A HALF SINCE THE PUBLICATION. YOU CAN EXPECT MORE TO COME, I SET OUT TO PROVE TO THESE KIDS THAT THEIR VOICES COUNT AND THAT THEY CAN MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE ON THIS ISSUE. NOW THEY'RE SEEING IT ALL UNFOLD BEFORE THEIR VERY EYES. PEOPLE ARE LISTENING TO WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY NOW. THEY KNOW THAT THEY ARE NOT SECOND CLASS CITIZENS, BUT ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS ANYONE AND EVERYONE ELSE. AND IF THEY SET THEIR MINDS TO IT, THEY CAN LITERALLY CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF THIS COUNTRY. THEY ARE TRULY WORTHY OF THE HONORS BEING BESTOWED UPON THEM. YOU STOP AND THINK ABOUT IT. THESE KIDS NOW REALIZE THAT THERE'S NOTHING SECOND CLASS ABOUT THEM. THEY HAD THE PRIVILEGE AND HONOR OF GRADUATING FROM A DISTRICT OF TRUE INNOVATION THAT BROUGHT OUT THE BEST IN THEM. EVERY ONE OF THEM KNOWS THAT THEY HAVE GREATNESS WITHIN THEM. SO THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING. I EXPECT THEIR VOICES WILL CARRY FARTHER THAN ANY OF US EVER DREAMED. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING ME SOME. THANK YOU TO INTRODUCE YOURSELVES, PLEASE. MY NAME IS JASON GONZALEZ. I'M ONE OF THE WRITERS IN THE BOOK. I HAVE THREE PAGES AND IT WAS IT WAS AMAZING WRITING THE BOOK. I DIDN'T EXPECT IT TO BE THIS POPULAR IN SUCH A SHORT TIME OR LIKE MR. RIDDLE SAID, WE, MOST OF OUR CLASSROOMS WERE NOT REALLY THAT EXCITED FOR THIS. WE THOUGHT IT WAS ANOTHER ASSIGNMENT, BUT TO THE DAY OF THE BOOK BEING PUBLISHED, IT WAS A GREAT DAY. AND WE ARE ALL VERY EXCITED. WHEN EVERYBODY STARTED COMING TO OUR SCHOOL AND VIEWING US FOR OUR BOOK. IT'S A VERY, EXCITING DAY. THANK YOU GUYS FOR HAVING US HERE. THANK YOU HORDERN. THANK YOU. WELCOME.

GOOD MORNING, MY NAME IS DOMINIC ENRIQUEZ. I AM AN AUTHOR AND A POET. IN THE BOOK, I'D LIKE TO THANK OUR TEACHER FOR DOING THIS FOR US AS, JASON SAID, WE DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT WAS GOING TO BLOW UP AS WE THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ANOTHER ASSIGNMENT. BUT I'D LIKE TO THANK HIM AS WE GOT OUR VOICES HEARD AND PEOPLE GET TO HEAR OUR STORIES AROUND THE WORLD. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS, JONATHAN LARA. I'D JUST LIKE TO THANK MISTER RIDDLE FOR OPENING UP OUR MINDS AND SHOWING US THAT, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE WHEN WRITING, EVEN THOUGH AT THE BEGINNING, MAYBE WE WEREN'T AS MOTIVATED BECAUSE WE WERE LIKE, OH, IT'S ANOTHER ASSIGNMENT, ANOTHER GRADE. JUST GET IT OVER WITH. BUT THEN WE STARTED SEEING THE POTENTIAL AND THEN THE OUTCOME, AND NOW WE'RE EXCITED BECAUSE WE KNOW THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING AND HOPEFULLY, WELL, WE'RE HERE. MORE ABOUT US. AND THIS, GETS BIGGER. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. HELLO. MY NAME IS KELLY GALINDO. I WROTE TWO PAGES IN THE BOOK. I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR ACKNOWLEDGING IT BECAUSE PERSONALLY, I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BE ANY BIG AT ALL. I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ANOTHER ASSIGNMENT THAT WOULD BE PROBABLY BIG AROUND THE SCHOOL, AND THAT WAS IT. BUT THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING EVERYTHING AND READING THE BOOK. THANK YOU, MRS. URRUTIA. WELCOME GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS. JUDGE, MY NAME IS LAURA URRUTIA. I'M TOWN OF HORIZON CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE, AND MY SON IS DANIEL URRUTIA, WHICH HE'S NOT HERE BECAUSE IT'S SENIOR WEEK. SO HE HAD A, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A LITTLE BIT IMPORTANT TO DO SENIOR ACTIVITIES, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER LEON, FOR BRINGING THIS UP. AND THANK YOU, MR. JAMES RIDDLE AND THE CISD, FOR ALLOWING YOU AND OUR STUDENTS TO BE A PART OF THIS.

AND IT'S AMAZING. GO OUT AND GET YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON AND MAKE SURE WHEN YOU DO BUY IT, IF YOU COULD PLEASE GIVE US A REVIEW. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. RIDDLE. I JUST, IT'S AMAZING YOU WERE ABLE TO REFLECT TO THEM WHO THEY REALLY ARE, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT SOMETIMES HAPPENS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN'T SEE WHO THEY ARE. BUT THEN YOU'RE ABLE TO REFLECT THAT BACK TO THEM, GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY. AND AS YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE EMPOWERING THEM. BUT ALSO YOU'RE GOING TO BE I MEAN, THIS IS GOING TO BE PROBABLY THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FEEL AND UNDERSTAND AND THE IMPACT IT HAS ON OUR COMMUNITY. ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT THINGS THAT THAT WE DO IS IN OUR COMMISSIONERS, IS THAT PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE LIFE OF THE MIGRANT, AND SO

[02:00:03]

THEY SEE THEM BY THE NAME MIGRANT, NOT NOT AS AN INDIVIDUAL, NOT AS A PERSON. AND I THINK BRINGING IT TO LIFE, BECAUSE THAT'S OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE WHEN PEOPLE REALIZE AND GET CLOSE TO MIGRANTS AND FEEL AND SENSE THEIR STORY AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS, IT'S LIKE THEY'RE DIFFERENT. AND SO THIS IS NOT ONLY GOING TO PUT THE, YOU KNOW, US ON THE MAP, OBVIOUSLY YOUR SCHOOL, BUT OUR WHOLE COUNTY ON THE MAP. BUT I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR INDIVIDUALS TO REALLY SEE, YOU KNOW, FIRSTHAND THE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT MIGRANTS HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO MANY THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED, GREAT THINGS AND RESEARCH AND SCIENCE.

AND EVERYTHING COMES FROM MIGRANTS, THERE'S SOME REASON WE HAVE SORT OF LIKE A WALL ABOUT THAT. SO HOPEFULLY YOU'LL BREAK THAT BARRIER AND IT'LL MAKE THINGS A LITTLE EASIER FOR US TO BE SUPPORTIVE. EL PASO IS VERY HUMANITARIAN. WE'RE VERY GENEROUS, BUT WE NEED NOT ONLY US TO BE LIKE THAT BECAUSE THEY'LL COME HERE AND HAVE A DIGNIFIED EXPERIENCE, BUT THEN THEY GO TO OTHER COMMUNITIES AND THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCE. BUT MAYBE SOMEBODY READING THE BOOK OUT THERE WILL BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SENSITIVE. SO MR. CYRIL, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THIS IS VERY SPECIAL, FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AND THANK ALL OF YOU AND THE PARENTS AS WELL, THAT THAT HAVE SUPPORTED THESE YOUNG ADULTS. THANK YOU, MISS RUTH. THANK YOU FOR THE ADVOCACY.

THANK YOU. JUDGE. YES, COMMISSIONER, THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER, FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. AND TO THE STUDENTS, THEIR TEACHER AND, MR. RUSSIA, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH, YOU KNOW WHAT? THIS IS JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT REALLY POPS UP THAT, REMINDS, BINDS US, AND IT SHOULD REMIND US OF YOU KNOW, THE PHILOSOPHIES AND SOME OF PEOPLE IN OUR LEADERSHIP AND OUR STATE AND EVEN OUR COUNTRY SEEM TO FORGET THE PHILOSOPHIES THAT FOUNDED OUR COUNTRY. SOME OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, BY PEOPLE LIKE THOMAS HOBBES AND JOHN LOCKE THAT WE AS HUMANS HAVE CERTAIN RIGHTS, A UNIVERSAL RIGHTS, JUST BECAUSE OF THE MERE FACT THAT WE ARE HUMANS AND SHOULD NOT BE LOOKED UPON ANY DIFFERENTLY. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS ABOUT. I'M ANXIOUS TO READ YOUR BOOK. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU , THANK YOU COMMISSIONER. OH, THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER OLGUIN.

WELL, YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENT FROM OUR HORIZON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, IT WAS, IT WAS REALLY INSPIRATIONAL. BUT NOW ACTUALLY HOLDING THE BOOK IN MY HANDS. IT'S JUST IT'S AWE INSPIRING. AND I WANT TO THANK YOU, MR. RIDDLE, BECAUSE YOU SHOWED THESE STUDENTS THAT THEY REALLY DO HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD. AND IT WAS ONLY BECAUSE YOU BELIEVED IN THEM. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU PERSONALLY. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE STUDENTS FOR, THE INCREDIBLE, JUST BRAVERY AND COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION TO MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE ELSE KNOWS AND HEARS YOUR STORY. SO THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU

[02:05:48]

. WE'D LIKE TO GO TO ITEM FIVE H. NEXT, APPROVE AND ADOPT A

[H. Approve and adopt a resolution celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week in El Paso County, Texas. Ricardo A. Samaniego, County Judge, County Judge's Office, 915-546-2098]

RESOLUTION CELEBRATING NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK IN EL PASO COUNTY, TEXAS. OKAY. YOU WANT TO JOSE AND COMPANY AND. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. SO IT'S MY HONOR AND PLEASURE. GREAT. GREAT TEAM. YOU GUYS DO GREAT THINGS. SO I JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE THIS. WHEREAS VISIT EL PASO IS TASKED WITH DESTINATION MARKETING FOR EL PASO, TEXAS, ENCOMPASSING A VARIETY OF KEY AREAS. THEY INCLUDE CONVENTION DEVELOPMENT, MEETING PLAN, SERVICE AND SPORTS TOURISM.

ADDITIONALLY THE EL PASO FILM AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES COMMISSION FALLS UNDER ITS PURVIEW. THE ORGANIZATION IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT, WHICH INVOLVES MANAGING VISITOR INFORMATION CENTERS ALONG WITH OVERSEEING ADVERTISING AND MEDIA RELATIONS.

WHEREAS AS A RESULT OF SECURING PROMINENT NATIONAL EVENTS SUCH AS THE UPCOMING TEXAS DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION IN JUNE 2020 FOR OUTDOOR WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN SEPTEMBER 2020 FOR JUSTICE OF THE PEACE AND CONSTABLE ASSOCIATION OF TEXAS CONFERENCE.

IN 2025, THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OF TEXAS CONFERENCE IN 2026, AND THE WARNER BROTHERS PRODUCTION, WHICH WILL HAVE A $3.9 MILLION ECONOMIC IMPACT IN ITS 20 DAYS OF PRODUCTION. WHEREAS VISIT EL PASO IS GREATLY BOLSTERED, THE ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE OF BOTH THE CITY AND THE COUNTY OF EL PASO AND CONTINUES TO MARKET THE DESTINATIONS UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, THANKS TO PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INVESTMENT PROJECTS, POSITIONING EL PASO AS THE NATION'S NEXT GREAT MEETING HUB. WHEREAS DESTINATION EL PASO CELEBRATES NATIONAL AND TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK BY ORGANIZING VARIOUS LOCAL AWARENESS ACTIVITIES TO HONOR THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY. IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT THE DOMESTIC TRAVELERS HAVE MADE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON EL PASO'S ECONOMY, CONTRIBUTING A TOTAL OF 2.2 BILLION. AND WHERE'S EL PASO'S HOTEL OCCUPANCY RATE OF 69% SURPASSES THE STATE AND NATIONAL AVERAGES, WHICH STAND AT 62, RESPECTIVELY, AND WHEREAS THESE LAUDABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL WELL-BEING OF THE CITIZENS OF EL PASO, IT IS FITTING THAT WE RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAVEL AND TOURISM AND ENCOURAGE A CITIZEN OF EL PASO TO OBSERVE THIS WEEK BY PARTICIPATING WITH APPROPRIATE CEREMONIES AND ACTIVITIES. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED NOW THAT THE EL PASO COUNTY JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS COURT DO HEREBY DECLARE THE WEEK OF MAY 18TH THROUGH 18TH, 25 THROUGH 20 AND 24, NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK SIGNED THIS 24TH DAY OF MAY, 2024. WE JUDGE COMMISSIONERS. OH, DOES SHE HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING? WE HAVE TO VOTE UNANIMOUS. UNANIMOUS. IT MIGHT NOT PASS. I CAN GET IT. IT WAS UNTIL YOU SAID THAT I HAVE A MOTION BY JUDGE SAMANIEGO, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. AND MOTION CARRIES. YEAH. WE REALLY WE DONE WITH ALL THE FORMALITIES. HE'S ALL ENERGETIC. HE WANTS TO BE LIKE. IT'S SO EXCITING. JUDGE. COMMISSIONER, WELCOME. A GOOD FRIEND. JOSE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU GUYS, BUT I JUST GOT MY EYESIGHT BACK FROM THE GROG FROM SATURDAY NIGHT, SO, IT'S A LITTLE INSIDE JOKE, BUT ANYHOW. SO, JUDGE, COMMISSIONERS JOSE GARCIA, PRESIDENT AND CEO FOR DESTINATION EL PASO, FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE APPRECIATE THE RECOGNITION, BUT ALSO WE APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH THE COUNTY. IT'S OFTEN THAT WE HAVE AN INITIATIVE , THAT WE WANT TO PARTNER WITH. AND THE COUNTY YOU ALL COME THROUGH AND YOU'VE ACCOMPANIED US ON SOME OF OUR SALES MISSIONS AND HAVE HELPED CONTRIBUTE TO US , BRINGING VISITORS TO EL PASO.

[02:10:04]

AND THE JUDGE, YOU SAY THAT TO KNOW US IS TO LOVE US, AND IT'S OUR ROLE TO GET THEM HERE TO EL PASO SO THAT THEY CAN TRULY FALL IN LOVE WITH EL PASO. AND PART OF THE PROCLAMATION WAS THE INCREDIBLE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT TOURISM HAS TO EL PASO. RIGHT 2.2 BILLION. AND THAT'S BE WITH $1 BILLION ECONOMIC IMPACT, THAT ECONOMIC IMPACT WHAT PEOPLE DON'T KNOW, TAKES AWAY ABOUT $750 FROM EL PASO HOUSEHOLDS FOR PROPERTY TAXES. SO THAT RELIEVES A BURDEN ON EVERY SINGLE EL PASO HOUSEHOLD, ANOTHER THING IS 43,000 EL PASOANS WORK IN TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY, AND THAT'S AN INCREDIBLE, INCREDIBLE NUMBER. YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT AN INDUSTRY THAT REALLY TOUCHES SO MANY DIFFERENT EL PASOANS, IN HERE IN THE COUNTY. AND THEN YOU HAD MENTIONED, THE OCCUPANCY 69.

AND WE DO LEAD TEXAS. AND TEXAS IS A ROBUST STATE WHEN IT COMES TO TOURISM. BUT WE ALSO LEAD THE REST OF THE COUNTRY AS WELL IN TERMS OF AVERAGES, SOME GOOD NEWS. EL PASO WAS NAMED NUMBER NINE BEST PLACE TO TRAVEL THIS SUMMER. OUT OF 80 DIFFERENT DESTINATIONS. WE'RE VERY, VERY PROUD OF IT. AND WE WERE THE TOP, THE TOP DESTINATION IN TEXAS, AND THEN I THINK JUST AS AN ASIDE AND, I'M ACCOMPANIED HERE, OBVIOUSLY, BY THE INFAMOUS BROOKE UNDERWOOD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INFAMOUS, INFAMOUS. SHE, SHE, SHE KNOWS THE COUNTY HALLWAYS. I DON'T KNOW HOW. AND THEN, OF COURSE, VERONICA CASTRO IS OUR, DIRECTOR OF TOURISM AND STAKEHOLDER OR STRATEGIC STAKEHOLDER. EVERYTHING MISCELLANEOUS. ELLIPSE. ELLIPSE. ELLIPSE AND THEN VAL GARCIA, OUR DIRECTOR OF SALES. BUT THANK YOU , JUST KIND OF. IN CLOSING, I JUST WANTED TO REMIND FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT WEREN'T AT THE LUNCH, ON THURSDAY, WHERE WE DID TRAVEL, WE DID, CELEBRATE NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK THAT MAY 16TH, 2024, WAS IS VERONICA CASTRO DAY, THIS YEAR SHE CELEBRATED. THIS YEAR SHE CELEBRATED 20 YEARS WITH DESTINATION EL PASO AND, REALLY JUST AN INCREDIBLE, RESOURCE AND ASSET. NOT ONLY WHEN YOU WERE FIVE YEARS OLD, VERONICA. DID I DID. THE LAWS WERE DIFFERENT BACK THEN THERE, COMMISSIONER. YES BUT JUST AN INCREDIBLE ASSET, NOT ONLY TO DESTINATION EL PASO, BUT EL PASO, EL PASO COUNTY. AND SO WE JUST I JUST WANTED TO, SEE IF WE DON'T HAVE FLOWERS FOR HER THIS TIME, BUT JUST AS KIND OF A REMINDER. SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO BROOKE SO SHE CAN SAY A FEW WORDS. COME ON, SHE JUST, DENIED YOU GUYS. I'M SORRY. BECAUSE SHE KNEW I WAS GOING TO MAKE FUN OF HER IF SHE SPOKE BECAUSE SHE WAS MAKING FUN OF ME EARLIER. IT WAS NOT. IT WAS JUST MY FACE. AND I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER MY FACE, TO ECHO JOSE'S SENTIMENTS, WE'RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO CELEBRATE TRAVEL AND TOURISM THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, BUT THIS IS THE ONE WEEK WE REALLY GET TO BRING ATTENTION TO THE LAUDABLE DETAILS OF WHAT IT DOES FOR OUR COMMUNITY. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS OUR CAREER. THIS ISN'T A SUMMER JOB FOR US.

WE TAKE IT VERY SERIOUSLY AND PASSIONATE ABOUT IT, MANY OF US ARE BORN AND RAISED IN EL PASO.

SOME OF US WERE NOT AS LUCKY, BUT WE, WE ARE QUITE PASSIONATE ABOUT SPREADING THE GOOD NEWS AND CONVERTING PEOPLE AS AMBASSADORS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. SO AND THEN, OF COURSE, CELEBRATING VERONICA CASTRO AND THE IMPACT SHE'S HAD ON TOURISM IN THIS INDUSTRY WAS SUPER IMPORTANT TO US. SO, MAY FOREVER MAY 16TH BE KNOWN AS VERONICA CASTRO DAY. WELL, THANK YOU FOREVER. WELL, AND THANK YOU ALL. YOU HAVE A GREAT TEAM. BUT, VERONICA, OF COURSE WE HAVE MORE CONTACT. AND YOU'VE BEEN WITH US. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WERE DESCRIBING BECAUSE I DIDN'T SEE HER NAME AT FIRST. AND THEY STARTED WITH ABLE TO LEAP TALL BUILDINGS FASTER, FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET. I SAID, MAYBE IT'S SUPERMAN. I DON'T KNOW, BUT BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND ALL OF YOU. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN VERY KIND TO EL PASO. AND LIKE YOU SAID, WE JUST GOT TO OUR JOB IS TO GET THEM HERE. AND THEN THE PEOPLE, THE COMMUNITY WILL KEEP THEM HERE AND THEY'LL GO TELL ANOTHER 10,000 PEOPLE. SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. IT OFFSETS A LOT OF SOME OF THE NARRATIVES THAT WE GET AND THINGS THAT ARE FALSE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY AND THEN YOU MAKE THAT DIFFERENCE.

SO WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO, JOSE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP AS WELL. AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ARE THEY ALL ATTACHED

[02:16:09]

? I HEARD. THANK YOU. YOU. KNOW.

[G. Approve and adopt a resolution recognizing Tom Beard’s Football Officials Clinic that will be sponsored by El Paso Sports Commission May 23 -25, 2024, in El Paso County, Texas. Ricardo A. Samaniego, County Judge, County Judge's Office, 915-546-2098]

ITEM 5GA PROVEN. ADOPT A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING TOM BEARD'S FOOTBALL OFFICIALS CLINIC. THAT WILL BE SPONSORED BY EL PASO SPORTS COMMISSION. MAY 23RD THROUGH 25TH, 2024. AND EL PASO COUNTY, TEXAS. THANK YOU. GENTLEMEN. TONY, DON'T STAY BACK THERE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. ONE MORE THING THAT BRINGS, PUTS US ON THE MAP AND SOMETHING WE'RE VERY PROUD OF, THAT IT'S JUST NOT HERE, BUT THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. SO WE'RE. TOM BEARD WAS RENOWNED IN THE WASHINGTON, DC METROPOLITAN AREA FOR HIS COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION TO FOOTBALL, OFFICIATING AT THE FEDERATION, COLLEGIATE AND PROFESSIONAL LEVELS. TOM HAD A SINCERE PASSION FOR TRAINING AND DEVELOPING FOOTBALL OFFICIALS TO BECOMING THE VERY BEST THEY CAN WEAR. AS TOM ORGANIZED WEEKLY TRAINING SESSIONS FOR FOOTBALL OFFICIALS FROM WASHINGTON DC, MARYLAND AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA. THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THIS SESSION WAS TO TRAIN AND DEVELOP FOOTBALL OFFICIALS SO THAT THEY ARE HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND WELL PREPARED. THE SESSIONS WERE HELD ON THE CAMPUS OF HOWARD UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, DC AND CONSISTED OF RULES, MECHANICS, DISCUSSIONS, VIDEOS, REVIEWS AND SCRIMMAGES SESSIONS. ATTENDEES HAD THE ADVANTAGE OF RECEIVING REGULAR INSTRUCTIONS AND ASSESSMENTS FROM SOME OF THE TOP RESOURCES WITHIN ALL LEVELS OF OFFICIATING. MANY OF THE OFFICIALS ATTENDING THE SESSIONS HAVE PROGRESSED WITH SUCCESSFUL CAREERS IN THE NCAA AND NFL, WHEREAS THE TOM BEARD'S FOOTBALL OFFICIAL CLINIC TB FOC CONSIST OF A GROUP OF EXPERIENCED FOOTBALL OFFICIALS WHO, RECITING WASHINGTON DC METRO AREA INDIVIDUALS IN THE GROUP HAVE VARYING LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE, RANGING FROM HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE ARENA, NFL EUROPE, AND THE NFL. THE GROUP'S PRIMARY FOCUS IS TO TRAIN AND DEVELOP THE BEST FOOTBALL OFFICIALS IN THE REGION, WHEREAS TB, FOC HAS PARTNERED WITH VICTOR FIRTH AND RICHARD CORONA TO FROM TOM BEARD'S CLINIC, WEST EL PASO, TEXAS. THE EL PASO CAMP HAS BEEN AN EXCELLENT CAMP FOR OVER 15 YEARS, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO JOINING FORCES TO ENSURE IT WILL CONTINUE TO THRIVE FOR MANY MORE. THE DATES OF THE CAMP FOR 2024 ARE MAY 23RD THROUGH THE 25TH, WITH PLANS FOR FULL CONTACT FOOTBALL AND CLASSROOM OCCURRING ALL DAYS. WHEREAS THE TB FOC BEGAN BETWEEN 50 TO 60 PARTICIPANTS AND HAS NOW GROWN TO OVER 200 INDIVIDUALS WANTING TO TAKE TAKE THEIR SKILLS TO THE NEXT LEVEL. PARTICIPANT ARE FROM ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES. LAST YEAR, THE NFL DESIGNATED THIS CAMP AS ONE OF ONLY THREE ELITE TRAINING CAMPS IN THE UNITED STATES. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE EL PASO COUNTY

[02:20:04]

JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS COURT ENCOURAGES ALL FUTURE ATHLETES IN EL PASO TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY. SIGNED THIS 20TH DAY OF MAY 2024, WE HAVE A MOTION BY JUDGE SAMANIEGO , SECOND BY COMMISSIONER STOUT. THE VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES. WELCOME, WELCOME. I'M RICHARD CORONA, MY BUSINESS PARTNER, VICTOR FIRTH, PASSED AWAY LAST YEAR OF LUNG CANCER.

SO WE HAVE, WE STARTED THIS 20 YEARS AGO. VICTOR AND I, WE DID AS A LITTLE GROUP HERE, AND, IT IT ACTUALLY MORPHED TO WHAT IT IS TODAY, TOM BEARDS, WE CALL THEM EAST. WE'RE CALLED WEST, WE GREW TOGETHER THREE YEARS AGO, RIGHT AFTER COVID. WE CAME TOGETHER, WE'VE BEEN WITH THE SPORTS COMMISSION FOR 15 YEARS. I MEAN, THEY'VE FUNDED US FOR 15 YEARS. I MEAN, THEY'VE GIVEN US MONEY THAT WE NEEDED TO DO CERTAIN THINGS AT OUR CAMP. YOU KNOW, WE WORK WITH, SQUIRREL INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT. WE HAVE ALL THEIR ALL THEIR SPRING GAMES. WE'VE BEEN DOING IT WITH THEM FOR FIVE YEARS. AND I DON'T KNOW, THIS GENTLEMAN IS TONY. TONY FROM SPORTS COMMISSION AND YOU KNOW, AND AYMAN ABU HAMMU, I CANNOT SAY MORE ABOUT THAT MAN. WE'VE SOLD HIS HOTEL OUT FOR THE PAST 15 YEARS. I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN WITH HIM FOR 20 YEARS. THE FIRST FIVE WAS JUST LOCAL. AND THEN IT PEOPLE SAY, HEY, LET'S DO LET'S OPEN IT UP TO THE UNITED STATES. AND WE KIND OF VICTOR AND I KIND OF WE WANTED LOCAL GUYS TO COME OUT AND HELP AND LOCAL GUYS WEREN'T SUPPORTING IT. THEY DIDN'T WANT TO THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON. SO WE OPENED IT NATIONALLY. IT ALWAYS SELLS OUT. PROBABLY IN THE FIRST THREE HOURS THAT WE OPEN IT UP AND THIS YEAR IT TOOK A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO SELL OUT, THE NFL WANTED US TO HOLD SLOTS FOR THEM THIS YEAR, WHICH WE DID. AND THE NFL'S BEEN WITH US FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. WELL, AND, IF YOU GUYS GO TO GO TO SAC OR COME TO THE RADISSON ON THURSDAY, YOU'LL SEE TROY VINCENT, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, NFL WILL BE HERE. WALT ANDERSON, THE VICE PRESIDENT, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF OFFICIATING, WILL BE HERE, HARRY FULE, THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF OFFICIATING. WE HAVE MORE. WE HAVE A STAFF OF ABOUT 25 PEOPLE FROM THE NFL. THEY'RE DOING ALL THE FILMING FOR US THIS YEAR. WE DON'T YOU KNOW, THEY'RE FILMING ALL THE GAMES. THAT'S AMAZING. AND OUR SINCERE CONDOLENCES TO VICTOR'S FAMILY, WHAT A GENTLEMAN. YES, HE WAS A VERY WELL KNOWN HERE IN EL PASO, SO WE'LL MISS SORELY. SYLVIA WAS OUT OF TOWN. I MEAN, SYLVIA STILL TALK, SHE'S OUT OF TOWN THIS WEEK, AND I WAS HOPING HER TO HAVE HER WITH US HERE TODAY. YEAH THANK YOU. HI, EVERYBODY. OMAR RAPEL WITH THE EL PASO SPORTS COMMISSION. SOMEBODY THAT, COULDN'T BE WITH US TODAY WAS THEA CHAMBERS FROM OUR SPORTS TOURISM DIRECTOR, SHE'S IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT SHE'S WATCHING US LIVE, SHOUT OUT TO HER. AND SHE'S, SHE'S PART OF A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE OF THIS. AND A GOOD FRIEND OF RICHARD AS WELL. AND, FOR 15 YEARS NOW, THE EL PASO SPORTS COMMISSION HAS BEEN PART OF THIS . AND TO SEE IT GROW TO WHERE IT IS AND UNDER THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE, YOUR GUIDANCE, RICHARD, IT'S JUST AMAZING. AND IT'S IT JUST BLOWS OUR MIND TO BE ELITE AND BE TOP IN THE COUNTRY. THANK YOU. JAMES NUNN, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS FOR SOCORRO ISD, JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU. AND THE COMMISSIONERS COURT JUDGE SAMANIEGO, FOR YOUR UNWAVERING SUPPORT OF ATHLETICS IN THE EL PASO COMMUNITY. IT'S JUST ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO SHOWCASE ALL THE AMAZING THINGS THAT GO ON IN OUR COMMUNITY DAILY. AND I DON'T THINK ENOUGH OF EL PASO UNDERSTANDS OR ENOUGH OF THE COUNTRY TRULY UNDERSTANDS THE AMAZING PEOPLE AND THINGS THAT GO ON HERE DAILY. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU TONY. I'LL MAKE THIS WEEK NOT A GREAT EVENT.

WE'VE COVERED IT. I KNOW WHEN, WORKING AT KFOX, MY COLLEAGUES THERE, WE WOULD ALWAYS COVER THIS EVENT. WHEN YOU BRING NFL PLAYERS HERE TO HELP, EL PASO, THE OFFICIALS THAT SAYS SOMETHING AND JUST LIKE YOU SAID TO US, THEY KEEP COMING BACK. SO THEY DO LOVE US. AND IT'S A GOOD NARRATIVE THAT YOU SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT. OBVIOUSLY THE NFL COULD GO ANYWHERE THEY WANT.

THEY CHOOSE EL PASO, AND THAT'S PRETTY COOL. THANKS. YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S SO IMPORTANT TO US. I MEAN EVERYTHING LIKE THIS JAMES AND RICHARD THAT BRINGS CREDIBILITY TO OUR COMMUNITY.

AND THAT'S I MEAN IT'S WE'RE IN DESPERATELY NEED OF THAT. WE DON'T WE DON'T LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT. WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD GO TO EL PASO. THEN THEY COME HERE AND THEY SAY THE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, THEY FALL IN LOVE. BUT LIKE YOU SAID, WHEN WE GOT TO BRING THEM IN HERE AND THEN THE REST IS A LOT EASIER BECAUSE OF THIS GREAT COMMUNITY. BUT GREAT ATHLETES ALSO. THERE ARE SO MANY AMAZING ATHLETES IN IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO WE THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

YOU'LL GET TO SEE THE NEXT FEMALE HIRE. HER NAME IS KARINA TOVAR. THEY HIRED HER ABOUT FIVE

[02:25:02]

WEEKS AGO. SHE WILL BE HERE THIS WEEK. THIS WEEKEND IN EL PASO. OH, AND WHATEVER MYSELF AND THE COMMISSIONERS CAN DO TO FACILITATE OR TO ANYTHING WE COULD DO. SPEAK TO THEM. I MEAN, WE JUST WANT TO WELCOME, SIR. WE OPEN, WE HAVE AN OPENING SESSION ON ON THURSDAY. WE START AT 12 NOON, WE GO FOR ABOUT AN HOUR AND 30 MINUTES. WE'RE GOING TO INTRODUCE EVERYBODY, FROM OUR STAFF. OUR STAFF GOES FROM WE HAVE NFL GUYS THERE. WE HAVE COLLEGE SUPERVISORS THERE. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE GUYS WHO ARE WORKING ON THE FIELD. THANK YOU. WORK THE SUPER BOWL WILL BE THERE ALSO. I'M SURE TONY ALREADY HAS ME ON THE SCHEDULE SOMEHOW SOME WAY. AND IT WAS WELL THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. I JUST HEARD IT'S TONY'S BIRTHDAY. YES. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TONY. I'M SUPPOSED TO BE AT THE GOLF COURSE TODAY, BUT NO, NO WONDER HE CAME. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEET YOU. SIR AND I, WE'RE GOOD FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES, AND WE ACTUALLY PRACTICE TOGETHER AT GRAHAM.

TONY.

SO YOU'LL HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY. HAVE A GREAT WEEK. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

130. YEAH, SHE'S ACTUALLY RIGHT THERE

[PUBLIC COMMENT]

. ITEM NUMBER SIX IS PUBLIC COMMENT. WE DO HAVE TWO SPEAKERS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. CAN WE TAKE OUR FIRST SPEAKER WE HAVE IS MISS ELIZABETH CRAWFORD.

AND JUST AS A REMINDER, THERE IS A FIVE MINUTE TIME LIMIT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. WELCOME, ELIZABETH. THANK YOU SIR. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GOOD MORNING, I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK BRIEFLY ABOUT THE MIGRANT SITUATION. THE IN LIGHT OF THE MURAL PROJECT, THAT QUOTE SEEKS TO HUMANIZE THROUGH ART THE PLIGHT OF MIGRANT DEPORTATION. I WANT TO SPEAK BRIEFLY, NOT ABOUT THOSE WHO ARE DEPORTED, BUT ABOUT THOSE WHO ARE HERE IN OUR COUNTRY. AND I WANT TO SPEAK NOT FROM A POLITICAL POINT OF VIEW, AS WE KNOW, THERE'S, CRAZINESS, ON COMING FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE POLITICALLY, IN TERMS OF POLICY, IN TERMS OF RHETORIC, BUT I WANT TO SPEAK FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THOSE WHO ARE HERE, THOSE WHO CROSS THE BORDER ILLEGALLY, AND THE SITUATION IN, FROM WHAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO OBSERVE, I'VE GOTTEN TO SPEND HOURS AND HOURS WITH A NUMBER OF THEM. I HAVE FRIENDS WHO WORK WITH THEM TEACHING ENGLISH AND HELPING, THEM IN OTHER WAYS TO SETTLE IN OUR COUNTRY. AND, WE HAVE BEEN INVITED NUMEROUS TIMES TO TAG ALONG AND, AND JUST LISTEN CAREFULLY TO WHAT THEY'RE SAYING, PEOPLE FROM VENEZUELA, FROM INDIA, PEOPLE WHO WOULD IDENTIFY AS MUSLIM FROM, AREAS OF TURKEY, KURDISH PEOPLE, I'VE LISTENED AND LISTENED AND LISTENED, AND THE SITUATION TRULY IS, IS VERY SAD. WE'RE TOLD IN GOD'S WORD, IN PROVERBS.

[02:30:04]

THERE'S, THERE IS A WAY WHICH SEEMS RIGHT TO A MAN, BUT THE END THEREOF ARE THE WAYS OF DEATH, LEAVING YOUR HOME COUNTRY DESPERATELY IN PURSUIT OF THE AMERICAN DREAM, BUT IT OFTEN TURNS OUT TO BE AN AMERICAN NIGHTMARE. THE BOTH THE JOURNEY HERE AND THE STRUGGLE ONCE YOU ARE HERE. I RECENTLY LISTENED TO AN ELDERLY BLACK LADY IN A CITY ON THE EAST COAST WHO COULDN'T STOP SAYING, THIS IS BAD. PEOPLE ARE GETTING GOING TO GET KILLED. I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. OUR CITIES ARE BASICALLY PRESSURE COOKERS. THERE ARE THREE GROUPS DESPERATE FOR RESOURCES. THE AMERICAN CITIZENS, MANY LOW INCOME, INCLUDING THE ELDERLY AND VETERANS. THE IMMIGRANTS WHO HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE. SOME DOCUMENTED, SOME UNDOCUMENTED, AND THE NEWLY ARRIVED MIGRANTS, BACK IN THE FALL, I WAS APPROACHED FOR HELP BY A MAN IN EL PASO WHO NEEDED A PLACE TO STAY OVERNIGHT. HE TOLD ME HE WAS FROM OUT OF STATE, WHICH I LATER REALIZED WAS PROBABLY NOT TRUE, I CALLED SEVERAL SHELTERS AND EVENTUALLY, WALKED WITH HIM TO A SHELTER THAT HAD A SPOT FOR HIM. NOT FAR FROM DOWNTOWN, EXCUSE MY PRONUNCIATION. I WAS HEADING OUT OF SEGUNDO BARRIO, TOWARDS CHAMIZAL THAT AREA, AND I WAS IN SHOCK, SOMEONE TRIED TO SELL HIM DRUGS TWO BLOCKS FROM THE SHELTER. WHEN WE GOT TO THE SHELTER, I REALIZED THE AREA JUST BEHIND THE SHELTERS BUILDING IS BASICALLY THE DRUG EPICENTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I TOLD A FRIEND WHO'S A NATIVE EL PASO, AND SHE SAID, OF COURSE, EVERYONE KNOWS THAT'S A BAD AREA. I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, WOW, IF SOMEONE WASN'T A DRUG USER BEFORE GOING TO THAT SHELTER, THERE SURE WOULD BE LOTS OF PRESSURE TO GET INVOLVED WITH DRUGS. IF I WERE A PARENT FROM LATIN AMERICA, THE VERY LAST PLACE I WOULD WANT TO BRING MY CHILDREN TO RAISE THEM IS THIS NATION. WE IN THE US ARE A NATION OFF THE RAILS, WE'RE A MORAL CESSPOOL AT THIS POINT, THE MURALS IN EL PASO AND JUAREZ MAY PRESENT DEPORTATION AS THE WORST IMAGINABLE PLIGHT FOR A MIGRANT PERSON OR FAMILY. BUT REALLY FAR WORSE FROM THAN DEPORTATION, WHICH HAS SIGNIFICANT TEMPORAL CONSEQUENCES. IS THE ABSENCE OR DETERIORATION OF A MORAL COMPASS IN ONE'S LIFE, WHICH HAS ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES. THANK GOD FOR THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE REMEDY AVAILABLE FOR THE LOSS OF A MORAL COMPASS AVAILABLE FOR ANY MIGRANT PERSON OR FAMILY, AVAILABLE FOR ANY ONE OF US WHO WOULD REPENT AND BELIEVE. WE'RE TOLD IN GOD'S WORDS, FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH. BUT THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.

AND IN THE WORDS OF JESUS REFERENCING SATAN, HE SAID, THE THIEF COMES ONLY TO STEAL AND TO KILL AND TO DESTROY. BUT HE SAID, I AM COME THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE LIFE, AND THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY. IN THE MIDST OF THE MORAL CESSPOOL THAT AMERICA HAS BECOME, CHRIST STANDS AS THE ONE AND ONLY HOPE FOR THE MIGRANTS AND FOR US. THANK YOU SO MUCH. HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ELIZABETH. HAVE A GOOD DAY. THANK YOU SIR. OUR NEXT SPEAKER, WE HAVE MISS LORENA RODRIGUEZ. GOOD MORNING, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS, LORENA RODRIGUEZ, COUNTY ADMINISTRATION , THE INTERNATIONAL CITY COUNTY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, ALSO KNOWN AS ICMA, IS THE LEADING ORGANIZATION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROFESSIONALS DEDICATED TO CREATING AND SUSTAINING THRIVING COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. MANY MILITARY INSTALLATIONS OPERATE AS SMALL TOWNS OR CITIES WITH MANY OF THE SAME CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES AS THEIR CIVILIAN COUNTERPARTS. ICMA IS PARTNERING WITH THE ARMY TO PREPARE INDIVIDUALS TO MANAGE MILITARY INSTALLATIONS THROUGH A CITY COUNTY MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP.

ONE OF THOSE FELLOWSHIPS IS THE VETERAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP. THE VVMF IS A 12 TO 25 WEEK DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SKILLBRIDGE PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES TRANSITIONING SERVICE MEMBERS WITH MANAGEMENT, TRAINING AND A HANDS ON EXPERIENCE IN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT TO PREPARE THEM FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION INTO LOCAL GOVERNMENT CAREERS. THERE IS NO DIRECT COST TO THE HOSTS. WE COMMIT OUR TIME AND RECEIVE THE BENEFIT OF THEIRS. EL PASO COUNTY HAS BEEN CHOSEN FOR HOSTING TWO OF THE VMF CANDIDATES. WE WILL BE INTRODUCING ONE TODAY. WE WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE INTRODUCE TO YOU OUR VMF FELLOW MR. MICHAEL ALSO GOES BY MIKE PERRY. MR. PERRY IS A DISTINGUISHED MILITARY VETERAN WITH TWO DECADE HR CAREER, RENOWNED FOR CATALYZING POSITIVE TRANSFORMATIONS AMONG INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS, LEADERS, TEAMS AND CROSS-FUNCTIONAL STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS DIVERSE GLOBAL MATRIX ENVIRONMENTS. MIKE IS A PROVEN LEAN SIX SIGMA GREEN BELT EQUIPPED WITH EXCEPTIONAL ANALYTICAL POWER. PARIS COMMITTED TO DELIVERING SOLUTIONS WITH ASSURED RESULTS.

HE'S ALSO A DYNAMIC MEDIATOR, EXEMPLIFYING SUCCESS THROUGH EFFECTIVE COLLABORATION AND TEAM

[02:35:04]

BUILDING. HE HAS A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN POLITICAL SCIENCE AND A MASTER'S DEGREE IN HR MANAGEMENT. HE'S ALSO A CERTIFIED JOHN MAXWELL COACH. IN HIS FREE TIME, MIKE ENJOYS READING, PHYSICAL FITNESS AND PHOTOGRAPHY, BUT MOST OF ALL, TRAVELING WITH HIS WIFE. COUNTY ADMINISTRATION IS EXCITED TO HAVE MR. PERRY AND WILL BE ASSISTING THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MANAGER WITH ANALYZING EFFECTIVE PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES OF THE BOARDS.

PARTICIPATE IN STRATEGIC PLANNING AND ASSIST OTHER COUNTY COUNTY ADMINISTRATION WITH COUNTY PROJECTS. JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS, PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING MR. PERRY. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. MICHAEL, QUITE A RÉSUMÉ, THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO, BE A PART OF EL PASO COUNTY, BEING IN THE MILITARY FOR OVER 30 YEARS, GETTING THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE BACK IN A LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS I'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO. THANK YOU.

WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. BETSY. ANY COMMENTS? I KNOW I MET HIM EARLIER THIS MORNING THROUGH HER TEAMS. THANK YOU JUDGE. JUST WE'RE REALLY EXCITED. THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT AS LORENA EXPLAINED, WE ACCESS THROUGH ICMA. IT GIVES US A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM AND ALSO BENEFIT FROM THEIR PRIOR MILITARY EXPERIENCE AND SOME OF WHAT THEY'VE LEARNED THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREER. IT GIVES US A CHANCE TO CONNECT THEM TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND HOPEFULLY, MAKE US ALL AWARE OF THE VALUE OF HIRING OUR VETERANS AND OUR VETERANS SPOUSES OR OUR MILITARY SPOUSES. AND SO THIS WILL GIVE US A CHANCE FOR EXPOSURE TO MR. PERRY AND OUR OTHER FELLOW AS WELL. AND THEN WE CAN SEE THE BENEFITS OF WORKING TOGETHER AND LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER'S EXPERIENCE. ALSO, JUST REALLY QUICKLY, I WANT TO THANK LORENA, I I'LL SEE THESE OR SHE'LL SEE THESE AND I'LL SAY, LORENA, DO YOU THINK WE COULD DO THIS? AND SHE KNOWS THAT MEANS DO YOU THINK YOU COULD DO THIS? AND SHE'S ALWAYS SO WILLING. AND SO, I ALSO WANT TO EMPHASIZE WHAT A GREAT LIAISON AND, PARTNER YOU HAVE TO TRANSITIONING TO LEARNING MORE ABOUT PUBLIC SERVICE THROUGH AT THE LOCAL COUNTY LEVEL, THROUGH BOTH LORENA AND MICHELLE, WHO YOU'LL BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH. SO JUST THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. WE JUDGE COMMISSIONERS AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AS WE ALWAYS, DELVE INTO THESE THESE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS THROUGH ICMA . WELL, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING ALL THAT BACKGROUND AND, I'M PRETTY CLOSE TO SIX SIGMA AND MANUFACTURING, AND IT IS EXTREMELY HELPFUL. AND YOU HAVING THAT THOSE ABILITIES ARE GOING TO BE EXCEPTIONAL FOR US. SO ONCE AGAIN, MICHAEL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, LORENA. THANK YOU FOR THE INTRODUCTION. THANK YOU. WELCOME, WELCOME. THANK YOU. JUDGE AND COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU JUDGE. CAN I MAKE A REALLY QUICK REQUEST? JUDGE. SURE, SO I SEE MR. FULTON WITH PARKS AND RECS IS HERE, AND I IMAGINE HE'S HERE FOR ITEM. ADD THAT WE PULLED FROM CONSENT. IS THERE ANY WAY WE COULD DO THAT ONE REALLY QUICKLY? ABSOLUTELY ABSOLUTELY.

[AD. GRANT AMENDMENT – Approve and authorize the County Judge to sign the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Recreation Grant Agreement Federal Sub Award for the San Felipe Park Off-Highway Vehicle Trails project to request a one- year extension through June 30, 2025. (Contract No. 2024-0401) Timothy Fulton, Interim Director, Parks and Recreation, 915-771-2380]

OKAY. ITEM FOR ADD PULLED BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. GRANT AMENDMENT APPROVE AND AUTHORIZE THE COUNTY JUDGE TO SIGN THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT RECREATION GRANT AGREEMENT. FEDERAL SUB AWARD FOR THE SAN FELIPE SAN FELIPE PARK, OFF HIGHWAY VEHICLE TRAILS PROJECT TO REQUEST A ONE YEAR EXTENSION THROUGH JUNE 30TH, 2025. CONTRACT NUMBER 2024 0401.

HI, TIM, GOOD AFTERNOON. I KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD CHALLENGES WITH THIS GRANT, WITH THE BIDS THAT CAME IN AND JUST THE EXORBITANT COST OF EVERYTHING NOW NOWADAYS. BUT I WAS JUST HOPING TO GET A REALLY QUICK, JUST UPDATE FROM YOU ON WHAT WE EXPECT THE TIMELINE CAN BE FOR SAN FELIPE, ONCE WE, APPROVE OF THE EXTENSION OF THE ONE YEAR EXTENSION COMMISSIONER, AS YOU KNOW, THIS IS A PRIORITY, AND AGAIN, BECAUSE OF CERTAIN DELAYS, SOME OF THOSE COSTS, YOU KNOW, WERE CAUSED BY THE COST ESTIMATES THAT HAD CHANGED SINCE COVID. THE IMPACT OF THAT, BUT OUR, OUR GOAL IS TO REACH THAT JUNE 2025 DEADLINE. I HAVE LYDIA ORTIZ HERE WITH ME AS WELL, BECAUSE SHE'S SHE'S OUR PROJECT MANAGER. AND ACTUALLY THIS WEEKEND, WITH THE ALL ABILITIES PLAYGROUND KIND OF SHOWS HER SKILL LEVEL, GETTING THOSE PROJECTS DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER . SO OUR GOAL IS WE'LL BE MEETING AS A GROUP, WITH PUBLIC WORKS HERE THIS WEEK TO DISCUSS WHAT WE CAN ACTUALLY DO IN-HOUSE AND WHAT WE CAN DO WITH OUR CONTRACTING PARTNERS, IF BE SO.

BUT AGAIN, IT'S A HIGH PRIORITY FOR OUR DEPARTMENT. I KNOW IT'S A HIGH PRIORITY FOR LYDIA AS WELL TO GET THIS DONE. AND OF COURSE, MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT'S A HIGH PRIORITY FOR THE COMMUNITY

[02:40:06]

BECAUSE YOU WERE AT THE RIBBON CUTTING AND WE HAD A VERY INCREDIBLE TURNOUT OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SEE THIS PARK DONE. LYDIA WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND ADDRESS SOME OF THE QUESTIONS, YES. I MEAN, JUST KIND OF REITERATE WHAT WHAT TIM'S TALKING ABOUT. I KNOW WE'VE BEEN IN, CONVERSATIONS WITH TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT OUR PRIORITY ALSO TO THEM AS PART OF THE GRANT. SO WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, START THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS IS THE FENCING IS A PRIORITY FOR THEM. SO WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF PROBABLY STARTING THAT BEFORE WE EVEN GO BACK OUT TO BID, THE OTHER, WHEN WE WENT OUT TO BID ORIGINALLY, IT WAS A DESIGN BUILD. WE'RE LOOKING INTO THAT.

WE'RE GOING TO TALK TO OUR CONSULTANT AGAIN TO SEE IF MAYBE IF WE DID A TRADITIONAL BID, IF WE HAD, MAYBE A HIGHER TURNOUT FOR BIDDERS. SO WE'RE LOOKING INTO EVERYTHING. SO WHEN DO WE EXPECT THE BID TO BE, PUBLISHED AGAIN, TO GO OUT AGAIN, RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE AN ACTUAL, DATE OF WHEN WE CAN IF WE NEED TO REVISE SPECIFICATIONS OR IF WE ARE GOING TO GO THE SAME ROUTE AND MAYBE JUST MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT LESS STRINGENT. I KNOW WE DID THAT WITH SKATE PARKS. WE WERE VERY, VERY STRINGENT AT THE BEGINNING. SO WE DIDN'T RECEIVE RECEIVE ANY, BIDS. BUT WHEN WE REVISED THEM A BIT, WE WERE ABLE TO WE WERE SUCCESSFUL. SO WE'RE LOOKING INTO THAT AGAIN. SO ONCE WE HAVE THAT, WE WOULD DEFINITELY COME BACK, SEND YOU THAT INFORMATION ON AN ACTUAL TIMELINE. OKAY THIS PROJECT, I'M SORRY IF I COULD ALSO ADD ON THIS PROJECT ALSO IS ON OUR GEO BOND LIST AND IT IS ON THE LIST OF RECOMMENDED PROJECTS FOR YOU ALL TO DISCUSS TODAY. IF IT STAYS ON THAT LIST, IT WOULD GO OUT TO THE PUBLIC. EITHER WAY, IT'LL GO OUT TO THE PUBLIC FOR THEIR INPUT, BUT THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING THAT WAS NEEDED IS ALSO ON OUR OUR BOND LIST. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONERS. IS THERE A MOTION? YES, THERE IT IS. I HAVE A MOTION BY JUDGE SAMANIEGO, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. THE VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. OKAY. AT THIS TIME, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND RECESS, JUDGE? I BELIEVE SO, YES. COMMISSIONERS, COURT WILL RECESS FOR ONE HOUR. IT IS 12:12 P.M.

[02:45:06]

WE.

NEED.

TO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOUR CHILDREN TO STAY CURRENT ON ALL THEIR ROUTINE VACCINES. ALSO, CHILDREN FIVE AND OLDER ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE COVID 19 VACCINE. I'M CURRENT AND ALL MY VACCINES, AND I ALSO GET THE COVID VACCINE. SO I AND MY LOVED ONES CAN BE PROTECTED. YOU AND YOUR KIDS SHOULD GET THE VACCINE TOO. AND IF YOU'VE ALREADY GOTTEN THE VACCINE, YOU SHOULD GET YOUR BOOSTER FOR YOUR CHILD'S ROUTINE VACCINES. VISIT EP HEALTH.COM.

WE KNOW HOW MUCH YOU LOVE YOUR CHILDREN, SO REMEMBER, DON'T HESITATE, VACCINATE AS IMPOTENT.

SUS HIJOS TENGAN TODAS SUS VACUNAS. ADEMAS DE LAS VACUNAS RUTINAS DE LOS NINOS MARES DE CINCO ANOS, AHORA SON ELEGIBLES PARA LA VACUNA DE COVID 19. NUEVE LA VACUNA COVID ES GRATIS PARA LAS VACUNAS RUTINAS DE SUS HIJOS. VISITA EP HEALTH.COM SABEMOS CUANTO AMASA TUS HIJOS, ASI RECUERDA NO LO DUDES VACCINATE . THE EL PASO COUNTY ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT WANTS YOU TO KNOW HOW QUICK AND EASY IT IS TO VOTE. OUR ELECTIONS ARE SAFER AND MORE SECURE THAN EVER. AFTER BEING CHECKED IN, YOU WILL RECEIVE AN ACTIVATION CARD. NOW, ALL YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER IS THAT YOU'RE DONE IN FOUR AND YOU'RE OUT THE DOOR FIRST AND THIRD. THE ACTIVATION CARD INTO THE VOTING MACHINE. SECOND, MAKE YOUR SELECTIONS USING THE TOUCH SCREEN OR AUDIO TACTILE KEYPAD.

IT'S ABOUT TO GIVE ME. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT EPI COUNTY VOTES COM. ANDI. MONICA. MY PARENTS ALWAYS USED TO TAKE US WHEN WE WERE LITTLE TO THE LITTLE DINER FOR THEIR INFAMOUS GORDITAS. NOW, YEARS LATER, I WAS ABLE TO RETURN AND TALK TO THE GENERAL MANAGER ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE RESTAURANT. THOSE WHO ARE ON THE HUNT FOR AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CUISINE IN THE BORDERLAND MIGHT BE SURPRISED THAT OFF THE BEATEN PATH IN CANUTILLO, TEXAS, LITTLE DINER HAS BEEN OFFERING THAT FOR OVER 40 YEARS. THE ORIGINAL OWNERS, IRENE AND RAY, OPENED IT UP IN 76. THEY SOLD IT TO THEIR DAUGHTER, LOURDES IN THE LATE 80S. SHE SOLD IT TO MY FAMILY IN

[02:50:08]

2016. WITH EVERY RESTAURANT, THEY HAVE WHAT THEY CALL THE HEART. THE MAIN PLACE. AND YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YOU ALL HAVE ONE? CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO WE'RE KNOWN FOR OUR GORDITAS. THAT'S OUR SPECIALTY. THAT'S WHY WE WERE OPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THIS AREA RIGHT HERE IS WHERE WE ACTUALLY PREPARE THE MASA FOR OUR GORDITAS. WE COOK THE CORN IN HERE. IT COMES IN, YOU KNOW, IT'S COMPLETELY RAW. WE DO IT JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, THEY USED TO DO IT WAY BACK IN THE DAY. IT'S THIS BIG OLD MACHINE HERE THAT DOES IT FOR US. AND THEN ONCE IT GRINDS THE CORN, THEN WE CAN TAKE IT TO OUR MIXMASTER WHERE WE'RE MAKING THE MASA FOR OUR GORDITAS AND ALSO OUR TAMALES THAT WE MAKE HERE COMPLETELY FROM SCRATCH.

TRADITIONAL MEXICAN COOKING DOES NOT STOP THERE. MIXING OLD SCHOOL METHODS WITH NEW AND IMPROVED TECHNIQUES. LITTLE DINER HAS PERFECTED THEIR ALREADY DELICIOUS GORDITAS. THIS IS WHERE WE MAKE OUR TORTILLAS NOW. SO BEFORE THEY JUST JUST USED TO RUN ON THE CONVEYOR BELT . NOW WE'VE GOT SOMEONE, MOVING THEM ALONG THROUGH HERE COOKING THEM. IT'S USUALLY A ONE PERSON JOB, BUT, YOU KNOW, TWO PEOPLE CAN KNOCK IT OUT A LOT FASTER. WE USE THIS TO MAKE OUR SALSA FRESH JUST ABOUT EVERY DAY. WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO MAKE SOME IN IN ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. WE HAD POTS AND POTS AND PANS, A BUNCH OF THESE STOVES THAT YOU SEE OVER HERE. THAT'S HOW WE WOULD KEEP EVERYTHING HOT AND WARM. EVERYTHING UP. NOW THIS STEAM, THIS STEAM TABLE ALLOWS US TO KEEP A LOT MORE FOOD. HOT LITTLE DINER HAS GROWN FROM A SMALL BUILDING OFF THE BEATEN PATH TO ONE OF THE MAINSTAYS IN CANUTILLO THAT HAS SERVED GENERATIONS OF FAMILIES. I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE'S MOMS THAT I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH, BUT I KNEW THEM HERE, YOU KNOW, I GOT TO KNOW THEM HERE. SO WE I GET TO KNOW A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY AND DIFFERENT GENERATIONS OF THAT COMMUNITY. IT'S REALLY NICE LOOKING BACK ON THEIR HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AND HOW THEY ARE KEEPING TRADITIONS ALIVE. THE LITTLE DINER IS NOW LOOKING TOWARDS THEIR FUTURE. WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT, SHIPPING OUR TAMALES, OUR GORDITA MASA OUT OF STATE. ALSO, EVEN TO OTHER BUSINESSES THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN USE THAT. IT'S, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE MORE AUTHENTIC THAN WHAT THEY MAY BE SELLING AT THE MOMENT. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE WAYS WE'RE GROWING. LOPEZ SAYS THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE TO HONOR THE TRADITIONS THAT HAS MADE LITTLE DINER WHAT IT IS TODAY, BUT WE'LL BE BRINGING IN NEW TECHNIQUES TO FURTHER THEIR SUCCESS. I'M TONY DAVIS, BACK TO YOU. ANDY AND MONICA . THE HONORABLE ROBERT J. GALVAN COUNTY LAW LIBRARY IS A PUBLIC LEGAL RESEARCH FACILITY THAT COUNTY RESIDENTS CAN USE IN ORDER TO FACILITATE ACCESS TO LEGAL INFORMATION AND ENHANCE THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE. AS PART OF THE COUNTY'S DOMESTIC RELATIONS OFFICE AND EL PASO COUNTY PRIVATE BAR ASSOCIATION, THE LAW LIBRARY'S ACCESS TO JUSTICE COMMITMENT IS MADE THROUGH AN AVAILABILITY OF EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF LEGAL RESOURCES, ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY, AND AVAILABILITY OF IMPORTANT LEGAL FORMS AND OTHER RESOURCES WITH A CONNECTION TO THE PAST, DELIVERING PRESENT SERVICES, AND ENVISIONING THE FUTURE. THE LAW LIBRARY IS A UNIQUE COUNTY RESOURCE. KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION IS POWER. EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO ARM THEMSELVES WITH INFORMATION ACCURATE, CURRENT, FREELY ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION WHICH YOU WILL FIND HERE. ESTABLISHED IN 1950, THE LAW LIBRARY GREW FROM THE TEXAS'S EIGHTH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS COLLECTION OF CASE LAW AND PRACTICE MATERIALS. THE EIGHTH COURT OF APPEALS, WHICH IS LOCATED NEXT TO THE LAW LIBRARY ON THE 12TH FLOOR OF THE ENRIQUE MORENO EL PASO COUNTY COURTHOUSE, STILL SHARES CUSTODY OF THE COLLECTION AND CONTINUES TO UPDATE SEVERAL RESOURCES. THE LAW LIBRARY WAS NAMED AFTER LAW LIBRARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN JUDGE ROBERT J. GALVAN IN 2004. THE LAW LIBRARY ENSURES THAT OUR LEGAL PRACTITIONERS CAN PROVIDE EXCEPTIONAL REPRESENTATION TO THEIR CLIENTS, AND IS A RESOURCE FOR ALL COUNTY CITIZENS TO ACCESS JUSTICE, BUT SELF-REPRESENTED IN BECAME SOMETHING TO WHERE PEOPLE ACTUALLY COULDN'T AFFORD AN ATTORNEY, AND IT GAVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO AND LOOK UP THINGS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THEIR CASE. AND I'M TALKING ANYWHERE FROM MUNICIPAL COURT TICKETS, SPEEDING TICKETS, JP TICKETS, LANDLORD TENANT ISSUES TO CASES THAT WERE IN OUR COUNTY COURTS AND DISTRICT COURTS. WE HAVE BUILT OUR COLLECTION AND CURATE THE RESOURCES SO THAT THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL IN ACCOMPLISHING WHAT THEY NEED TO DO WITHIN THE COURT SYSTEM. THE TWO FLOOR LIBRARY FACILITY HAS A COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF PRINT AND ELECTRONIC RESOURCES COVERING FEDERAL, REGIONAL, STATE, AND LOCAL JURISDICTIONS. CONFERENCE ROOMS TO ACCOMMODATE ATTORNEYS AND THEIR CLIENTS, OR FOR MEETING SPACE. THERE ARE COMPUTERS WITH WEBCAM

[02:55:02]

CAPABILITIES AND PRIVATE STUDY ROOMS, PRINTING, COPYING SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR A FEE. THERE IS ALSO TECHNOLOGY ON HAND TO SCAN AND FAX DOCUMENTS. THIS IS AN ACCESS TO JUSTICE INITIATIVE. THIS IS SO IMPERATIVE TO THOSE MANY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WHO LIVE IN EL PASO BECAUSE WITHOUT THAT, WITHOUT THEIR ABILITY TO HAVE ACCESS TO INFORMATION, ACCESS TO BOOKS, ACCESS TO COMPUTERS, ACCESS TO BE ABLE TO USE THE JUSTICE SYSTEM, THEY'RE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD. THE LAW LIBRARY IS A GREAT LOCATION TO ACCESS IMPORTANT LEGAL RESOURCES TO INCLUDE PUBLISHED CASES, FORMS, COURT RULES, PRACTICE GUIDES, PLUS HISTORICAL LEGAL BOOKS NOT AVAILABLE DIGITALLY WHILE GUIDED BY EXPERIENCED STAFF. WE'RE OPEN. WE HAVE COMPUTERS THAT YOU CAN USE. YOU HAVE PRINTERS. LAW LIBRARY STAFF PERFORMS OUTREACH IN ORDER TO HELP ENSURE THE MOST VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY IS AWARE OF THE SERVICES OFFERED. THE LAW LIBRARY STAFF IS ALSO KEY IN PROVIDING THE PUBLIC IN PERSON INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY COURTHOUSE BY PROVIDING GUIDED TOURS TO THE PUBLIC. PRIVACY ISSUES ARE BLINDFOLDED AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHERE THE BLINDFOLD. THE LAW LIBRARY IS OPEN FROM 8 A.M. TO 5 P.M. WEEKDAYS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL (915) 546-2245 OR EMAIL EP LAW LIBRARY AT EP COUNTY.COM. YOU WILL FIND THE LIBRARY TO BE A WELCOMING AND JUDGMENT FREE PLACE WHERE YOU WILL BE MET WITH DIGNITY, RESPECT AND DISCRETION. THE ROBERT J GALVAN COUNTY LAW LIBRARY IS COMMITTED TO FACILITATE ACCESS TO LEGAL INFORMATION FOR THE CITIZENS OF EL PASO COUNTY. AND YOU KNOW WHAT, ANDY? I THINK WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR, WHAT, 27 DAYS STRAIGHT NOW? FOR SURE. TRIPLE DIGIT HIGHS. IT IS JUST AWFULLY BRUTAL. BUT I FEEL LIKE THERE'S ANOTHER WAY TO BEAT THE HEAT. AND THAT IS WITH A SHAVED ICE. RIGHT. AND WHAT I WOULD DO RIGHT NOW FOR, FOR ONE OF THOSE, IT'S SUPER POPULAR FROM WHAT I HEAR. IN FACT, A COUPLE OF OUR PRODUCERS, BEFORE WE HEADED OUT THE DOOR, THEY WERE JUST LIKE, BRINGING US, YES. BRING US BACK ONE OF THOSE. WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TRY IT OUT. SOME OF THAT POPULARITY, TOO, IS BECAUSE THE OWNER, THEY SAY A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT SHE TREATS HER CUSTOMERS LIKE FAMILY. OH, WOW, I LOVE THAT. I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. THAT'S THE BIG CONCEPT BEHIND THIS. TAKE A LOOK AT IT.

CHICA CHERRY WELL, I HAVE THIS SPECIAL MACHINE, SINCE, LIKE I SAID, LIKE 30, 30 YEARS, 35 YEARS. AND IT'S BEEN VERY GREAT BECAUSE I HAVE RAISED MY KIDS THROUGH MY SNOW CONE PLACE. A LOT OF PEOPLE TALKS ABOUT THE MANGONADA. THEY'RE FROZEN, BUT MINE IS SNOW CONES. THIS IS A DIFFERENT TYPE OF FLAVOR AND TASTE THAT THEY BRING. IT JUST BRINGS A LITTLE TASTE FROM BACK, FROM HOME, FROM MEXICO. YEAH. THIS IS MY FAVORITE. THIS IS THE MANGONADA RIGHT HERE. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS ONE OF THE CUSTOMER FAVORITES HERE. AND THE MANGONADA IS WITH FRESH MANGO WHICH I MAKE. THAT'S AWESOME. THAT'S REALLY COOL. WHEN I LIVE IN MEXICO, THEY DO THE SAME WAY.

THE QUALITY AND THE FACT THAT THEY'RE OPEN EVERY DAY. I GIVE THEM A LOT OF RESPECT FOR THAT.

I TRY TO KEEP MY PRODUCT GOOD AND AT GOOD PRICES, YOU KNOW? SO LIKE IN THE EVENINGS, LIKE IF YOU COME IN THE EVENING, YOU HAVE LIKE 20, 30 PEOPLE IN LINE WAITING. AND THAT MAKES ME FEEL VERY HAPPY. LA DONA BRINGS LIKE TWO CULTURES TOGETHER, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE NOT IN MEXICO, THIS MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE IN. JUST LIKE THE LITTLE. LIKE THE SHAPE OF IT REMINDS YOU OF BACK HOME. I'M VERY GRATEFUL AND I'M VERY THANKFUL TO MY CUSTOMERS. I TRY TO TREAT MY CUSTOMERS AS MY FAMILY. LIKE EVER SINCE I WAS A KID, I'VE BEEN COMING HERE PROBABLY FOR MORE THAN OVER, LIKE TEN YEARS NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MY CUSTOMERS, FOR COMING TO MY PLACE. AND I INVITE YOU, EVERYBODY, TO COME AND HAVE A SNOW CONE. GRACIAS. MR. THANK YOU. HASTA LUEGO.

[03:00:14]

ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT VOLUNTEERING WITH THE COUNTY IS THE COUNTY DOES SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS. IT GIVES PEOPLE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON IN THEIR COUNTY GOVERNMENT. WHEN I ENGAGE WITH THE FAMILIES AND I GIVE MY TIME TO THEM, I FEEL LIKE I WAS STILL ABLE TO SERVE THEM. I JUST THINK IT'S FASCINATING SEEING ALL THE COMMUNITY GETTING TOGETHER, PEOPLE FROM ALL AGES, FROM YOUNG KIDS TO ADULT PEOPLE, THE WAY IT IS, VOLUNTEERING HAS IMPACTED ME PERSONALLY IS THE FACT THAT I'M STILL DOING WHAT I USED TO DO, AND I GET TO USE ALL THOSE TRAINING SKILLS THAT THE DEPARTMENT GAVE ME AND PUT THEM BACK INTO PLAY. BUT THEY REALLY ENJOY, PARTICULARLY GAINING NEW SKILLS. SO SOME OF OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE YOUNGER AND THEY ENJOY THE CONFIDENCE BUILDING, THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE IN A DIFFERENT WAY, WELL, EVERYONE IS SO FRIENDLY, EVERYONE IS WILLING TO HELP EACH OTHER. I THINK IT'S SEEING VOLUNTEERS WHO OTHERWISE NEVER WOULD HAVE MET BEFORE, THEY LIVE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF EL PASO.

THEY'RE DIFFERENT AGES, DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, AND SEE THEM COME TOGETHER AND REALIZE NOW THEY'RE FRIENDS. ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, I'M AN ADVOCATE FOR VETERANS TO GET OUT AND GET ABOUT IN THE COMMUNITY. DEFINITELY JOIN TO THE VOLUNTEERING PROGRAM, BECAUSE YOU'RE JUST HELPING IN THE COMMUNITY AND IT'S GOOD FOR US, FOR ALL OF US. VOLUNTEERS GIVE THEIR TIME AND THERE'S NOTHING MORE VALUABLE THAN THAT. SO WE TRULY APPRECIATE ALL THAT OUR VOLUNTEERS DO TO SERVE WITH US IS TO STRENGTHEN US. SO THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS, FOR HELPING MAKE THIS A STRONG AND VIBRANT COMMUNITY . FOR THE ENEMY, IT'S THE BEST PET PARTY BEING SPONSORED BY EL PASO COUNTY. OUR PARTY WITH OUR PUPPIES. THAT'S LIKE THE BEST WAY TO SPEND A SATURDAY MORNING.

RIGHT NOW, OUR PET WALK IS OCCURRING. THEN, OF COURSE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OUR COSTUME CONTEST. THIS IS COCO. AND SO HE IS DRESSED UP AS RAFAEL FROM THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.

CHIMBLEY. HE'S A YEAR OLD, SO HE'S HAVING A BLAST, MEETING ALL THE PUPPIES. I THINK IT'S A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO SPEND TIME WITH OUR FUR BABIES. YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD BOY. SO WE'RE TRYING TO ACTUALLY CREATE THE FIRST MEGA ADOPTION EVENT HERE IN EL PASO. WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY SEVEN ADOPTABLE PETS. THOSE ARE JUST PUPPIES. THEY'RE ALREADY POTTY TRAINED, CRATE TRAINED, FULLY VACCINATED, SPAYED AND NEUTERED. SO WE TAKE THE HARD PART OUT OF, YOU KNOW, TRAINING THE PET. I MEAN, THEY'LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING, AND ALL THEY'RE ASKING FOR IS FOOD, WATER, A PLACE TO SLEEP AND TO HAVE LOVE. AND THEY'LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING. YES. WE'RE WAITING FOR THE BUNNY. IT IS SO NICE TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE WITH THEIR PETS HERE AT ASCARATE PARK ENJOYING THIS BEAUTIFUL DAY. WE NEED TO HAVE MORE EVENTS LIKE THIS. MORE EVENTS LIKE THIS HERE IN EL PASO. EVERYONE, ALL OF US LOVE OUR PETS. WE LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THEM OUT.

LET THEM PLAY, LET THEM MAKE NEW FRIENDS, SO IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY. WE GOT REALLY LUCKY WITH THE WEATHER. OF COURSE, ASCARATE IS A BEAUTIFUL LOCATION TO HAVE THIS EVENT AND WE HOPE THAT THIS IS AN EVENT THAT WILL CONTINUE FOR YEARS IN THE FUTURE. I LOVE YOU ! VISIT THE MISSION TRAIL FOR MANY REASONS A WEALTH OF HISTORY, CULTURE AND ARTS. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO TASTE IT. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO HEAR IT. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE IT. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DANCE TO IT. TO KNOW US IS TO LOVE US. YOU'RE GOING TO MEET PEOPLE AS IF THEY'RE YOUR FRIENDS. IF YOU COME HERE TO THE MISSION TRAIL, YOU'RE GOING TO GET A REALLY DEEP SENSE OF THE UNITY THAT WE HAVE BECAUSE OF THIS CONNECTION THAT WE ALL HAVE. I THINK THE MISSION TRAIL HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. OH, IT HAS HISTORY. IT HAS CULTURE. YOU CAN LEARN, YOU CAN RELAX AND YOU CAN CONNECT. IT JUST KIND OF FILLS YOUR SOUL. YOU DEFINITELY WANT TO SEE EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE TO OFFER. IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE TO SEE AND EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF. WE HAVE SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL GOING ON HERE AND IT'S JUST STARTING. THE PEOPLE HERE ARE VERY WELCOMING. WE WELCOME YOU TO THE HISTORIC MISSION TRAIL. WELCOME, EVERYONE. IT'S TIME TO COME DOWN AND CHECK US OUT.

[03:05:41]

I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW. AS MONICA MENTIONED, WE'RE AT THE CAMINO REAL TERMINAL HERE. LOTS OF REALLY TRAIN INSPIRED THEMES HERE. YOU GOT SOME OF THE BOX CARS AND SOME OF THE TRAINS AND WHATNOT, AND IT'S BEEN A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY FOR DOZENS OF YEARS. YEAH. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? THE OWNER KEEPS RENOVATED RENOVATING IT ACTUALLY, ANDY, WHERE WE'RE AT, HE ADDED THIS STRETCH. SO IT ENDED RIGHT BEHIND US. AND HE ADDED MORE TO ACCOMMODATE THE VENUES. AND WE ACTUALLY GOT TO SPEAK WITH HIM. AND HE TELLS A LITTLE BIT, A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE VENUE. CHECK IT OUT. IT'S A VERY SHORT DRIVE AND YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE IN THE COUNTRY. IT FEELS LIKE IT IS NOT AS HOT AS THE CITY. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF GRASS, WE HAVE SOME FOUNTAINS, WE HAVE A POND. SO IT'S A IT'S A VERY NICE PLACE TO COME AND LOOK AROUND BECAUSE THIS PLACE HAS BEEN HERE FOR, I DON'T KNOW, 40, 50 YEARS. AND, A LOT OF PEOPLE PASSES BY HERE ON DONOVAN AND THEY JUST LOOK. BUT THEY HAVEN'T COME. YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE THREE TRAIN CARS. ONE, IT'S LIKE AN OBSERVATORY AND TWO CABOOSES. IT'S AN EVENT CENTER.

IT'S A VENUE. OKAY. SO WE HAVE, FROM WEDDINGS, QUINCEANERA DRESS, BIRTHDAY PARTIES, RETIREMENT PARTIES, PINATAS, WHATEVER ANNIVERSARY IS. AND WE DO OFFER CATERING TABLES, CHAIRS, LINENS, WE HAVE VALET PARKING, WAITERS, BARTENDERS, EVERYTHING. SO WE CAN HELP YOU WITH THE PARTY. YOU KNOW, IN EVERYTHING YOU NEED. AND WE HAVE A LOT OF ANTIQUES. OLD STUFF, SOME, NICE STUFF. FROM HIGH END PRICES TO A PIECE OF WOOD. A PIECE OF IRON. IT'S SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY. WE'RE IN THE BUSINESS OF RESTORING CLASSIC CARS AND SELLING THEM. SO WE GOT EVERYTHING HERE. WE GOT OUR OUR SHOP, THE ANTIQUE PLACE, THE VENUE AND OUR OUR HOME. WE WORK HERE. WE LIVE HERE NOW. WE ARE COUNTY RESIDENTS. WE FEEL REAL BLESSED. WE THANK GOD A LOT TO PUT US HERE. WE DON'T KNOW WHY AND HOW AND WHAT THE PURPOSE, BUT WE ARE HERE. WE'RE VERY HAPPY AND, WELL, HOPING AND WAITING FOR WHOEVER WANTS TO COME AND VISIT. WELCOME BACK TO KTSM NINE NEWS, A SMALL TOWN SPOTLIGHT SHOW LIVE FROM CAMINO REAL TERMINAL HERE IN CANO TEAL.

NOW, ABOUT TEN MINUTES AWAY FROM HERE, YOU'LL FIND CANO TEAL HIGH SCHOOL, AND IT'S A MUST SEE SITE FOR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL. TWO REASONS THEY'VE CRANKED OUT SOME REALLY GREAT FOOTBALL TEAMS IN RECENT YEARS, AND THEY HAVE A REALLY, REALLY, REALLY UNIQUE FOOTBALL FIELD. KTSM NINE SPORTS DIRECTOR COLIN DEAVER BRINGS YOU THE ORIGIN STORY OF THE TURF THEY CALL CANO TEAL BLUE.

CANUTILLO FOOTBALL COACH SCOTT BROOKS HASN'T FORGOTTEN HIS INITIAL REACTION TO THE IDEA OF A BLUE FOOTBALL FIELD AT LOEWENBERG STADIUM. WHAT DID YOU FIRST THINK? I MEAN, WHEN THEY WERE LIKE, WE'RE WE'RE GOING TO PUT BLUE TURF IN. I THOUGHT IT WAS CRAZY. THE POSSIBILITY WAS FIRST BROUGHT UP AT A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING IN 2011. THE SUPERINTENDENT AT THE TIME, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT, TOOK A PICTURE AND HAD OUR EMBLEM SUPERIMPOSED ON BLUE TURF. THE IDEA TOOK OFF FROM THERE. THE SCHOOL BOARD, PLAYERS, PARENTS AND FANS IMMEDIATELY GOT BEHIND IT, AND 12 YEARS LATER IT'S CANUTILLO CALLING CARD. IT'S UNIQUE TO US. IT GIVES US OUR OWN KIND OF BRAND, I GUESS, AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS ON ON THE BLUE, SO I DON'T I DON'T THINK I'D EVER WANT TO CHANGE IT. THE EAGLES BLUE TURF WAS, OF COURSE, INSPIRED BY THE ORIGINAL BLUE TURF AT ALBERTSONS STADIUM IN IDAHO, THE HOME OF THE BOISE STATE BRONCOS. IT'S THE GREATEST MARKETING TOOL IN THE HISTORY OF COLLEGE ATHLETICS. IN MY OPINION. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CANUTILLO AND BOISE STATE IS EVEN DEEPER NOW BECAUSE CURRENT BRONCOS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR JEREMIAH DICKEY IS IN EL PASO NATIVE AND A FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE. DICKEY SAYS HE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT CANUTILLO BLUE TURF UNTIL WE CALLED HIM UP FOR THIS STORY, BUT HE'S PLEASED TO HEAR THAT BOISE'S INFLUENCE HAS FOUND HIS HOME TOWN. YOU KNOW, IT'S A POINT OF PRIDE FOR ME.

YOU KNOW, I LOVE EL PASO AND IT'S ACTUALLY ON MY LIST NOW WHEN I GO HOME TO GO CHECK IT OUT. BOISE SHTICK SINCE 1986 IS NOW A REAL PATENT AND TRADEMARK. ANYONE THAT WANTS A NON-GREEN FIELD ACTUALLY HAS TO ASK FOR BOISE STATE'S PERMISSION TO DO SO. I GOT A LETTER WITHIN A

[03:10:01]

COUPLE OF DAYS THAT WE COULD NOT CALL IT BOISE BLUE, THAT IT HAD TO BE BLUE TURF, AND I MOVED OFF. I WISH I STILL HAD IT BECAUSE WE HAD A POSTER OF THE LETTER. THEY USUALLY DON'T CHARGE ANY MONEY, BUT THEY DO WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW WHO DID IT FIRST. BOISE STATE'S PATENT INCLUDES BLUE FIELDS LIKE CANUTILLO, BUT IT EXTENDS TO RED FIELDS LIKE EASTERN WASHINGTON, PURPLE AND GRAY LIKE CENTRAL ARKANSAS, AND EVEN TEAL GRIDIRONS LIKE COASTAL CAROLINA.

IT'S SO MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN JUST A FOOTBALL FIELD, IT'S WHO WE ARE. AND IT DEFINITELY REPRESENTS SOMETHING THAT THAT, I THINK WE'RE, REALLY PROUD OF IN TERMS OF OUR INNOVATION OFF THE WALL FIELDS, SUCCESSFUL FOOTBALL TEAMS AND DISPELLING URBAN MYTHS. HAVEN'T HAD A BIRD LAND ON IT YET. I MEAN, WE HAD A BIRD, BUT NOT THINKING IT'S WATER. SCOTT BROOKS AND JEREMIAH DICKEY WILL HAVE PLENTY TO TALK ABOUT WHEN THEY FINALLY GET TO MEET IN PERSON. REPORTING FROM THE BLUE TURF. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE BOISE BLUE. COLIN DEAVER, KTSM NINE SPORTS.

WE.

IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOUR CHILDREN TO STAY CURRENT ON ALL THEIR ROUTINE VACCINES. ALSO, CHILDREN FIVE AND OLDER ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE COVID 19 VACCINE. I'M CURRENT AND ALL MY VACCINES AND I ALSO GET THE COVID VACCINE. SO I AND MY LOVED ONES CAN BE PROTECTED. YOU AND YOUR KIDS SHOULD GET THE VACCINE TOO. AND IF YOU'VE ALREADY GOTTEN THE VACCINE, YOU SHOULD GET YOUR BOOSTER FOR YOUR CHILD'S ROUTINE VACCINES, VISIT EPI HEALTH.COM. WE KNOW HOW MUCH YOU LOVE YOUR CHILDREN, SO REMEMBER, DON'T HESITATE. VACCINATE IT IS IMPORTANT TO SUS HIJOS TENGAN TODAS SUS VACUNAS. ADEMAS DE LA VACUNA SALTENAS LOS NINOS DE CINCO ANOS. AHORA SON ELEGIBLES PARA LA VACUNA DE COVID. NUEVE LA VACUNA COVID-19 ES GRATIS PARA LAS VACUNAS RUTINA DE SUS HIJOS. VISITA EPI HEALTH.COM SABEMOS CUANTO AMASA TUS HIJOS, ASI QUÉ RECUERDA NO LO DUDES VACCINATE

[03:15:09]

. THE EL PASO COUNTY ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT WANTS YOU TO KNOW HOW QUICK AND EASY IT IS TO VOTE. OUR ELECTIONS ARE SAFER AND MORE SECURE THAN EVER. AFTER BEING CHECKED IN, YOU WILL RECEIVE AN ACTIVATION CARD. NOW, ALL YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER IS THAT YOU'RE DONE IN FOUR AND YOU'RE OUT THE DOOR FIRST AND THIRD. THE ACTIVATION CARD INTO THE VOTING MACHINE. SECOND, MAKE YOUR SELECTIONS USING THE TOUCH SCREEN OR AUDIO TACTILE KEYPAD.

THIRD, PRINT AND REVIEW YOUR CHOICES. IF YOU SEE A MISTAKE OR YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT A CHOICE, TELL AN ELECTION WORKER YOU CAN CORRECT YOUR BALLOT UP TO TWO MORE TIMES SO THAT IT IS EXACTLY THE WAY YOU WANT IT. STEP NUMBER FOUR YOUR VOTE IS OFFICIALLY CAST WHEN YOU INSERT YOUR REVIEWED BALLOT INTO THE BALLOT SCANNER. WHEN THE SCREEN DISPLAYS THE AMERICAN FLAG THAT INDICATES YOUR BALLOT WAS SCANNED AND YOUR VOTE HAS BEEN COUNTED. REMEMBER THAT VOTERS IN EL PASO COUNTY ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE AT ANY POLLING LOCATION DURING THEIR EARLY VOTING PERIOD OR ON ELECTION DAY FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO FIND YOUR CLOSEST POLLING LOCATION, PLEASE VISIT THE EPI COUNTY VOTES.COM. IF A VOTER IS PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO ENTER THE POLLING PLACE WITHOUT ASSISTANCE OR LIKELIHOOD OF INJURY TO HIS OR HER HEALTH, THEY MAY ASK THAT AN ELECTION WORKER BRING A VOTING MACHINE DURING THE EARLY VOTING PERIOD, OR ON ELECTION DAY, TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE POLLING PLACE, AND CAST THEIR VOTE FROM THEIR VEHICLE. IF YOU ARE A VOTER REQUESTING CURBSIDE VOTING, LOOK FOR THE CURBSIDE VOTING SIGN. PARK IN FRONT OF THE SIGN AND YOU MAY CALL OR TEXT THE NUMBER DISPLAYED ON THE SIGN TO REQUEST ASSISTANCE. HELLO HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. I WAS REQUIRED BY TEXAS LAW. YOU WILL BE ALLOWED THE SAME VOTING EXPERIENCE AND PRIVACY WHEN CASTING YOUR VOTE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR VOTING, MA'AM. GIVE ME A STICKER. IT'S FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT EPI COUNTY VOTES COM. ANDY MONICA. MY PARENTS ALWAYS USED TO TAKE US WHEN WE WERE LITTLE TO THE LITTLE DINER FOR THEIR INFAMOUS GORDITAS. NOW, YEARS LATER, I WAS ABLE TO RETURN AND TALK TO THE GENERAL MANAGER ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE RESTAURANT. THOSE WHO ARE ON THE HUNT FOR AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CUISINE IN THE BORDERLAND MIGHT BE SURPRISED THAT OFF THE BEATEN PATH IN CANUTILLO, TEXAS, LITTLE DINER HAS BEEN OFFERING THAT FOR OVER 40 YEARS. THE ORIGINAL OWNERS, IRENE AND RAY, OPENED IT UP IN 76. THEY SOLD IT TO THEIR DAUGHTER LOURDES IN THE LATE 80S. SHE SOLD IT TO MY FAMILY IN 2016. WITH EVERY RESTAURANT, THEY HAVE, WHAT THEY CALL THE HEART, THE MAIN PLACE. AND YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YOU ALL HAVE ONE? CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO WE'RE KNOWN FOR OUR GORDITAS. THAT'S OUR SPECIALTY. THAT'S WHY WE WERE OPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THIS AREA RIGHT HERE IS WHERE WE ACTUALLY PREPARE THE MASA FOR OUR GORDITAS. WE COOK THE CORN IN HERE, IT COMES IN, YOU KNOW, IT'S COMPLETELY RAW. WE DO IT JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, THEY USED TO DO IT WAY BACK IN THE DAY.

[03:20:15]

. THE HONORABLE ROBERT J. GALVAN COUNTY LAW LIBRARY IS A PUBLIC LEGAL REALITY THAT COUNTY RESIDENTS CAN USE IN ORDER TO FACILITATE ACCESS TO LEGAL INFORMATION AND ENHANCE THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE. AS PART OF THE COUNTY'S DOMESTIC RELATIONS OFFICE AND EL PASO COUNTY PRIVATE BAR ASSOCIATION, THE LAW LIBRARIES ACCESS TO JUSTICE COMMITMENT IS MADE THROUGH AN AVAILABILITY OF EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF LEGAL RESOURCES, ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY, AND AVAILABILITY OF IMPORTANT LEGAL FORMS AND OTHER RESOURCES WITH A CONNECTION TO THE PAST. DELIVER PRESENT SERVICES AND ENVISIONING THE FUTURE. THE LAW LIBRARY IS A UNIQUE COUNTY RESOURCE. KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION IS POWER. EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO ARM THEMSELVES WITH INFORMATION, ACCURATE, CURRENT, FREELY ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION WHICH YOU WILL FIND HERE. ESTABLISHED IN 1950, THE LAW LIBRARY GREW FROM THE TEXAS'S EIGHTH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS COLLECTION OF CASE LAW AND PRACTICE MATERIALS. THE EIGHTH COURT OF APPEALS, WHICH IS LOCATED NEXT TO THE LAW LIBRARY ON THE 12TH FLOOR OF THE ENRIQUE MORENO EL PASO COUNTY COURTHOUSE, STILL SHARES CUSTODY OF THE COLLECTION AND CONTINUES TO UPDATE SEVERAL RESOURCES. THE LAW LIBRARY WAS NAMED AFTER LAW LIBRARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN JUDGE ROBERT J. GALVAN. IN 2004, THE LAW LIBRARY ENSURES THAT OUR LEGAL PRACTITIONERS CAN PROVIDE EXCEPTIONAL REPRESENTATION TO THEIR CLIENTS, AND IS A RESOURCE FOR ALL COUNTY CITIZENS TO ACCESS JUSTICE, BUT SELF-REPRESENTATION BECAME SOMETHING TO WHERE PEOPLE ACTUALLY COULDN'T AFFORD AN ATTORNEY, AND IT GAVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO AND LOOK UP THINGS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THEIR CASE. AND I'M TALKING ANYWHERE FROM MUNICIPAL COURT TICKETS, SPEEDING TICKETS, JP TICKETS, LANDLORD TENANT ISSUES TO CASES THAT WERE IN OUR COUNTY COURTS AND DISTRICT COURTS. WE HAVE BUILT OUR COLLECTION AND CURATE THE RESOURCES SO THAT THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL IN ACCOMPLISHING WHAT THEY NEED TO DO WITHIN THE COURT SYSTEM. THE TWO FLOOR LIBRARY FACILITY HAS A COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF PRINT AND ELECTRONIC RESOURCES COVERING FEDERAL, REGIONAL, STATE, AND LOCAL JURISDICTIONS. CONFERENCE ROOMS TO ACCOMMODATE ATTORNEYS AND THEIR CLIENTS, OR FOR MEETING SPACE. THERE ARE COMPUTERS WITH WEBCAM CAPABILITIES AND PRIVATE STUDY ROOMS, PRINTING, COPYING SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR A FEE. THERE IS ALSO TECHNOLOGY ON HAND TO SCAN AND FAX DOCUMENTS. THIS IS AN ACCESS TO JUSTICE INITIATIVE. THIS IS SO IMPERATIVE TO THOSE MANY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WHO LIVE IN EL PASO, BECAUSE WITHOUT THAT , WITHOUT THEIR ABILITY TO HAVE ACCESS TO INFORMATION, ACCESS TO BOOKS, ACCESS TO COMPUTERS, ACCESS TO BE ABLE TO USE THE JUSTICE SYSTEM, THEY'RE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD. THE LAW LIBRARY IS A GREAT LOCATION TO ACCESS IMPORTANT LEGAL RESOURCES TO INCLUDE PUBLISHED CASES, FORMS, COURT RULES, PRACTICE GUIDES, PLUS HISTORICAL LEGAL BOOKS NOT AVAILABLE DIGITALLY WHILE GUIDED BY EXPERIENCE. STAFF. WE'RE OPEN. WE HAVE COMPUTERS THAT YOU CAN USE. YOU HAVE PRINTERS, LAW, LIBRARY STAFF PERFORMS OUTREACH IN ORDER TO HELP ENSURE THE MOST VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY IS AWARE OF THE SERVICES OFFERED. THE LAW LIBRARY STAFF IS ALSO KEY IN PROVIDING THE PUBLIC IN-PERSON INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY COURTHOUSE BY PROVIDING GUIDED TOURS TO THE PUBLIC, YOU CAN SEE SHE'S NOT BLINDFOLDED, AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY, THERE'S BEEN TIMES WHERE SHE BLINDFOLDED THE LAW LIBRARY IS OPEN FROM 8 A.M. TO 5 P.M. WEEKDAYS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL (915) 546-2245 OR EMAIL EP LAW LIBRARY AT EP COUNTY.COM. YOU WILL FIND THE LIBRARY TO BE A WELCOMING AND JUDGMENT FREE PLACE WHERE YOU WILL BE MET WITH DIGNITY, RESPECT AND DISCRETION. THE ROBERT J GALVAN COUNTY LAW LIBRARY IS COMMITTED TO FACILITATE ACCESS TO LEGAL INFORMATION FOR THE CITIZENS OF EL PASO COUNTY. AND YOU KNOW WHAT, ANDY? I THINK WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR, WHAT, 27 DAYS STRAIGHT NOW? FOR SURE. TRIPLE DIGIT HIGHS. IT IS JUST AWFULLY BRUTAL. BUT I FEEL LIKE THERE'S ANOTHER WAY TO BEAT THE HEAT, AND THAT IS WITH LA DUENA. RIGHT. AND WHAT I WOULD DO RIGHT NOW FOR, FOR ONE OF THOSE, IT'S SUPER POPULAR FROM WHAT I HEAR. IN FACT, A COUPLE OF OUR PRODUCERS BEFORE WE HEADED OUT THE DOOR, THEY WERE JUST LIKE, BRING US SOME. YES, BRING US BACK ONE OF THOSE. WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TRY IT OUT. SOME OF THAT POPULARITY, TOO, IS BECAUSE THE

[03:25:04]

OWNER, THEY SAY A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT SHE TREATS HER CUSTOMERS LIKE FAMILY. OH, WOW, I LOVE THAT. I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. THAT'S THE BIG CONCEPT, BEHIND THIS. TAKE A LOOK AT IT.

UNA CHICA CHERRY. WELL, I HAVE THIS SPECIAL MACHINE, SINCE, LIKE I SAID, LIKE 30, 30 YEARS, 35 YEARS. AND IT'S BEEN VERY GREAT BECAUSE I HAVE RAISED MY KIDS THROUGH MY SNOWCONE PLACE.

A LOT OF PEOPLE TALKS ABOUT THE MANGONADA. THEY'RE FROZEN, BUT MINE IS SNOW CONES. THIS IS A DIFFERENT TYPE OF FLAVOR AND TASTE THAT THEY BRING. IT JUST BRINGS A LITTLE TASTE FROM BACK, FROM HOME, FROM MEXICO. SO YEAH, THIS IS MY FAVORITE. THIS IS THE MANGONADA RIGHT HERE. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS ONE OF THE CUSTOMER FAVORITES HERE. AND THE MANGONADA IS WITH FRESH MANGO WHICH I MAKE. THAT'S AWESOME. THAT'S REALLY COOL. WHEN I LIVE IN MEXICO, THEY DO THE SAME WAY.

WELL, AS WHAT PEOPLE TELLS ME IS VERY POPULAR BECAUSE I HAVE PEOPLE, NOT JUST LOCAL PEOPLE FROM EL PASO. WE LIVE IN FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA, AND I WOULD SAY COME AND BUY MY MANGONADA BECAUSE IT'S SO GOOD. THEY TELL ME THAT WHEN THEY COME ON I-10, WHAT THEY DO, THEY STOP HERE BEFORE THEY GO ANYWHERE ELSE AND GET THEIR SNOW CONES. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE IN CANUTILLO, TEXAS THAT WANTS TO GET A RASPA OR A GOOD TREAT. I TAKE CARE OF THIS PLACE MYSELF. I MANAGE THIS PLACE. I MADE SURE MY CUSTOMERS ARE HAPPY. MY CUSTOMERS ARE SATISFIED. THE QUALITY AND THE FACT THAT THEY'RE OPEN EVERY DAY. I GIVE THEM A LOT OF RESPECT FOR THAT. I TRY TO KEEP MY PRODUCT GOOD AND AT GOOD PRICES, YOU KNOW? SO LIKE IN THE EVENINGS, LIKE IF YOU COME IN THE EVENING, YOU HAVE LIKE 20, 30 PEOPLE IN LINE WAITING. AND THAT MAKES ME FEEL VERY HAPPY. LA DONA BRINGS LIKE TWO CULTURES TOGETHER, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE NOT IN MEXICO, THIS MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE IN. JUST LIKE THE LITTLE. LIKE THE SHAPE OF IT REMINDS YOU OF BACK HOME. I'M VERY GRATEFUL AND I'M VERY THANKFUL TO MY CUSTOMERS. I TRY TO TREAT MY CUSTOMERS AS MY FAMILY. EVER SINCE I WAS A KID, I'VE BEEN COMING HERE PROBABLY FOR MORE THAN OVER, LIKE TEN YEARS NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MY CUSTOMERS, FOR COMING TO MY PLACE. AND I INVITE YOU, EVERYBODY, TO COME AND HAVE A SNOW CONE. THANK YOU. HASTA LUEGO.

ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT VOLUNTEERING WITH THE COUNTY IS THE COUNTY DOES SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS. GIVES PEOPLE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON IN THEIR COUNTY GOVERNMENT. WHEN I ENGAGE WITH THE FAMILIES AND I GIVE MY TIME TO THEM, I FEEL LIKE I WAS STILL ABLE TO SERVE THEM. I JUST THINK IT'S FASCINATING SEEING ALL THE COMMUNITY GETTING TOGETHER, PEOPLE FROM ALL AGES, FROM YOUNG KIDS TO ADULT PEOPLE, THE WAY IT HAS, VOLUNTEERING HAS IMPACTED ME PERSONALLY IS THE FACT THAT I'M STILL DOING WHAT I USED TO DO, AND I GET TO USE ALL THOSE TRAINING SKILLS THAT THE DEPARTMENT GAVE ME AND PUT THEM BACK INTO PLAY. BUT THEY REALLY ENJOY, PARTICULARLY GAINING NEW SKILLS. SO SOME OF OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE YOUNGER AND THEY ENJOY THE CONFIDENCE BUILDING, THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE IN A DIFFERENT WAY, WELL, EVERYONE IS SO FRIENDLY, EVERYONE IS WILLING TO HELP EACH OTHER. I THINK IT'S SEEING VOLUNTEERS WHO OTHERWISE NEVER WOULD HAVE MET BEFORE, THEY LIVE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF EL PASO.

THEY'RE DIFFERENT AGES, DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, AND SEE THEM COME TOGETHER AND REALIZE NOW THEY'RE FRIENDS. ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, I'M AN ADVOCATE FOR VETERANS TO GET OUT AND GET ABOUT IN THE COMMUNITY. DEFINITELY JOIN TO THE VOLUNTEERING PROGRAM, BECAUSE YOU'RE JUST HELPING IN THE COMMUNITY. AND IT'S GOOD FOR US, FOR ALL OF US. VOLUNTEERS GIVE THEIR TIME AND THERE'S NOTHING MORE VALUABLE THAN THAT. SO WE TRULY APPRECIATE ALL THAT OUR VOLUNTEERS DO. TO SERVE WITH US IS TO STRENGTHEN US. SO THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS, FOR HELPING MAKE THIS A STRONG AND VIBRANT COMMUNITY. FOR THE ELDERLY, IT'S THE BEST PET PARTY BEING SPONSORED BY EL PASO COUNTY. OUR PARTY WITH OUR PUPPIES. THAT'S LIKE THE BEST WAY TO SPEND A SATURDAY MORNING. RIGHT NOW, OUR PET WALK IS OCCURRING. THEN, OF COURSE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OUR COSTUME CONTEST. THIS IS COCO. AND SO HE IS DRESSED UP AS RAFAEL FROM THE

[03:30:01]

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. CHIMBLEY. HE'S A YEAR OLD, SO HE'S HAVING A BLAST, MEETING ALL THE PUPPIES. I THINK IT'S A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO SPEND TIME WITH OUR FUR BABIES.

YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD BOY. SO WE'RE TRYING TO ACTUALLY CREATE THE FIRST MEGA ADOPTION EVENT HERE IN EL PASO. WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY SEVEN ADOPTABLE PETS. THOSE ARE JUST PUPPIES.

THEY'RE ALREADY POTTY TRAINED, CRATE TRAINED, FULLY VACCINATED, SPAYED AND NEUTERED. SO WE TAKE THE HARD PART OUT OF, YOU KNOW, TRAINING THE PET. AND, I MEAN, THEY'LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING, AND ALL THEY'RE ASKING FOR IS FOOD, WATER, A PLACE TO SLEEP AND TO HAVE LOVE. AND THEY'LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING. YES WE'RE WAITING FOR THE BUNNY. IT IS SO NICE TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE WITH THEIR PETS HERE AT ASCARATE PARK. ENJOYING THIS BEAUTIFUL DAY. WE NEED TO HAVE MORE EVENTS LIKE THIS. MORE EVENTS LIKE THIS HERE IN EL PASO. EVERYONE, ALL OF US LOVE OUR PETS. WE LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THEM OUT. LET THEM PLAY, LET THEM MAKE NEW FRIENDS. SO IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY. WE GOT REALLY LUCKY WITH THE WEATHER. OF COURSE, ASCARATE IS A BEAUTIFUL LOCATION TO HAVE THIS EVENT AND WE HOPE THAT THIS IS AN EVENT THAT WILL CONTINUE FOR YEARS IN THE FUTURE. I'D LOVE. TO. VISIT THE MISSION TRAIL FOR MANY REASONS A WEALTH OF HISTORY, CULTURE AND ARTS. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO TASTE IT. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO HEAR IT. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE IT. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DANCE TO IT. TO KNOW US IS TO LOVE US. YOU'RE GOING TO MEET PEOPLE AS IF THEY'RE YOUR FRIENDS. IF YOU COME HERE TO THE MISSION TRAIL, YOU'RE GOING TO GET A REALLY DEEP SENSE OF THE UNITY THAT WE HAVE BECAUSE OF THIS CONNECTION THAT WE ALL HAVE. I THINK THE MISSION TRAIL HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. OH, IT HAS HISTORY. IT HAS CULTURE. YOU CAN LEARN, YOU CAN RELAX, AND YOU CAN CONNECT. IT JUST KIND OF FILLS YOUR SOUL. YOU DEFINITELY WANT TO SEE EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE TO OFFER. IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE TO SEE AND EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF. WE HAVE SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL GOING ON HERE AND IT'S JUST STARTING. THE PEOPLE HERE ARE VERY WELCOMING. WE WELCOME YOU TO THE HISTORIC MISSION TRAIL MARIMBA. WELCOME EVERYONE. IT'S TIME TO COME DOWN AND CHECK US OUT.

YOU WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW? AS MONICA MENTIONED, WE'RE AT THE CAMINO REAL TERMINAL HERE. LOTS OF REALLY TRAIN INSPIRED THEMES HERE. YOU GOT SOME OF THE BOX CARS AND SOME OF THE TRAINS AND WHATNOT, AND IT'S BEEN A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY FOR DOZENS OF YEARS. YEAH. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? THE OWNER KEEPS RENOVATED RENOVATING IT ACTUALLY , ANDY, WHERE WE'RE AT, HE ADDED THIS STRETCH. SO IT ENDED RIGHT BEHIND US. AND HE ADDED MORE TO ACCOMMODATE THE VENUES. AND WE ACTUALLY GOT TO SPEAK WITH HIM. AND HE TELLS A LITTLE BIT OF A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE VENUE. CHECK IT OUT. IT'S A VERY SHORT DRIVE AND YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE IN THE COUNTRY. IT FEELS LIKE IT IS NOT AS HARD AS THE CITY. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF GRASS. WE HAVE SOME FOUNTAINS, WE HAVE A POND. SO IT'S A IT'S A VERY NICE PLACE TO COME AND LOOK AROUND BECAUSE THIS PLACE HAS BEEN HERE FOR, I DON'T KNOW, 40, 50 YEARS. AND, A LOT OF PEOPLE PASSES BY HERE ON DONOVAN AND THEY JUST LOOK. BUT THEY HAVEN'T COME. YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE THREE TRAIN CARS. ONE, IT'S LIKE AN OBSERVATORY AND TWO CABOOSES. IT'S AN EVENT CENTER.

IT'S A VENUE. OKAY. SO WE HAVE, FROM WEDDINGS, QUINCEANERA DAYS, BIRTHDAY PARTIES, RETIREMENT PARTIES, PINATAS, WHATEVER. ANNIVERSARIES AND WE DO OFFER CATERING TABLES, CHAIRS, LINENS, WE HAVE VALET PARKING, WAITERS, BARTENDERS, EVERYTHING. SO WE CAN HELP YOU WITH THE PARTY. YOU KNOW, IN EVERY THING YOU NEED. AND WE HAVE A LOT OF ANTIQUES. OLD STUFF, SOME, NICE STUFF.

[03:35:06]

FROM HIGH END PRICES TO A PIECE OF WOOD. A PIECE OF IRON. IT'S SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY. WE'RE IN THE BUSINESS OF RESTORING CLASSIC CARS AND SELLING THEM. SO WE GOT EVERYTHING HERE. WE GOT OUR OUR SHOP, THE ANTIQUE PLACE, THE VENUE AND OUR OUR HOME. WE WORK HERE. WE LIVE HERE NOW. WE ARE COUNTY RESIDENTS. WE FEEL REAL BLESSED. WE THANK GOD A LOT TO PUT US HERE. WE DON'T KNOW WHY AND HOW AND WHAT THE PURPOSE, BUT WE ARE HERE. WE'RE VERY HAPPY AND, WELL, HOPING AND WAITING FOR WHOEVER WANTS TO COME AND VISIT. WELCOME BACK TO KTSM NINE NEWS, A SMALL TOWN SPOTLIGHT SHOW LIVE FROM CAMINO REAL TERMINAL. HERE IN CANO TEAL. NOW, ABOUT TEN MINUTES AWAY FROM HERE, YOU'LL FIND CANO TEAL HIGH SCHOOL, AND IT'S A MUST SEE SITE FOR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL. TWO REASONS THEY'VE CRANKED OUT SOME REALLY GREAT FOOTBALL TEAMS IN RECENT YEARS, AND THEY HAVE A REALLY, REALLY, REALLY UNIQUE FOOTBALL FIELD. KTSM NINE SPORTS DIRECTOR COLIN DEAVER BRINGS YOU THE ORIGIN STORY OF THE TURF THEY CALL CANO TEAL BLUE. CANUTILLO FOOTBALL COACH SCOTT BROOKS HASN'T FORGOTTEN HIS INITIAL REACTION TO THE IDEA OF A BLUE FOOTBALL FIELD AT LOEWENBERG STADIUM. WHAT DID YOU FIRST THINK? I MEAN , WHEN THEY WERE LIKE, WE'RE WE'RE GOING TO PUT BLUE TURF IN. I THOUGHT IT WAS CRAZY. THE POSSIBILITY WAS FIRST BROUGHT UP AT A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING IN 2011. THE SUPERINTENDENT AT THE TIME, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT, TOOK A PICTURE AND HAD OUR EMBLEM SUPERIMPOSED ON BLUE TURF. THE IDEA TOOK OFF FROM THERE. THE SCHOOL BOARD, PLAYERS, PARENTS AND FANS IMMEDIATELY GOT BEHIND IT AND 12 YEARS LATER IT'S CANUTILLO CALLING CARD. IT'S UNIQUE TO US. IT GIVES US OUR OWN KIND OF BRAND, I GUESS, AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS ON ON THE BLUE, SO I DON'T I DON'T THINK I'D EVER WANT TO CHANGE IT. THE EAGLES BLUE TURF WAS, OF COURSE, INSPIRED BY THE ORIGINAL BLUE TURF AT ALBERTSONS STADIUM IN IDAHO, THE HOME OF THE BOISE STATE BRONCOS. IT'S THE GREATEST MARKETING TOOL IN THE HISTORY OF COLLEGE ATHLETICS, IN MY OPINION. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CANUTILLO AND BOISE STATE IS EVEN DEEPER NOW BECAUSE CURRENT BRONCOS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR JEREMIAH DICKEY IS AN EL PASO NATIVE AND A FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE. DICKEY SAYS HE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT CANUTILLO BLUE TURF UNTIL WE CALLED HIM UP FOR THIS STORY, BUT HE'S PLEASED TO HEAR THAT BOISE'S INFLUENCE HAS FOUND HIS HOME TOWN. YOU KNOW, IT'S A POINT OF PRIDE FOR ME.

YOU KNOW, I LOVE EL PASO, AND IT'S ACTUALLY ON MY LIST NOW WHEN I GO HOME TO GO CHECK IT OUT. BOISE STICKS SINCE 1986 IS NOW A REAL PATENT AND TRADEMARK. ANYONE THAT WANTS A NON-GREEN FIELD ACTUALLY HAS TO ASK FOR BOISE STATE'S PERMISSION TO DO SO. I GOT A LETTER WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS THAT WE COULD NOT CALL UP BOISE BLUE, THAT IT HAD TO BE BLUE TURF, AND I MOVED OFF. I WISH I STILL HAD IT BECAUSE WE HAD A POSTER OF THE LETTER. THEY USUALLY DON'T CHARGE ANY MONEY, BUT THEY DO WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW WHO DID IT FIRST. BOISE STATE'S PATENT INCLUDES BLUE FIELDS LIKE CANUTILLO, BUT IT EXTENDS TO RED FIELDS LIKE EASTERN WASHINGTON, PURPLE AND GRAY LIKE CENTRAL ARKANSAS, AND EVEN TEAL GRIDIRONS LIKE COASTAL CAROLINA.

IT'S SO MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN JUST A FOOTBALL FIELD, IT'S WHO WE ARE, AND IT DEFINITELY REPRESENTS SOMETHING THAT THAT, I THINK WE'RE, REALLY PROUD OF IN TERMS OF OUR INNOVATION OFF THE WALL FIELDS, SUCCESSFUL FOOTBALL TEAMS AND DISPELLING URBAN MYTHS. HAVING HAD A BIRD LAND ON IT YET. I MEAN, WE HAD A BIRD, BUT NOT THINKING IT'S WATER. SCOTT BROOKS AND JEREMIAH DICKEY WILL HAVE PLENTY TO TALK ABOUT WHEN THEY FINALLY GET TO MEET IN PERSON. REPORTING FROM THE BLUE TURF. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE BOISE BLUE COLIN DEAVER KTSM NINE SPORTS.

[03:41:24]

IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOUR CHILDREN TO STAY CURRENT ON ALL THEIR ROUTINE VACCINES. ALSO, CHILDREN FIVE AND OLDER ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE COVID 19 VACCINE. I'M CURRENT, AND ALL MY VACCINES, AND I ALSO GET THE COVID VACCINE. SO I AND MY LOVED ONES CAN BE PROTECTED. YOU AND YOUR KIDS SHOULD GET THE VACCINE TOO, AND IF YOU'VE ALREADY GOTTEN THE VACCINE, YOU SHOULD GET YOUR BOOSTER FOR YOUR CHILD'S ROUTINE VACCINES, VISIT EPI HEALTH.COM. WE KNOW HOW MUCH YOU LOVE YOUR CHILDREN, SO REMEMBER, DON'T HESITATE. VACCINATE AS IMPORTANT Q SUS HIJOS TENGAN TODAS SUS VACUNAS. ADEMAS DE LA VACUNA SALTENAS LOS NINOS MAYORES DE CINCO ANOS, AHORA SON ELIGIBLES PARA LA VACUNA DE COVID-19 LA VACUNA COVID-19 GRATIS PARA LAS VACUNAS RUTINAS DE SUS HIJOS.

VISITA EPI HEALTH.COM. SABEMOS CUANTO AMASA TUS HIJOS, ASI RECUERDA NO LO DUDES VACCINATE . THE EL PASO COUNTY ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT WANTS YOU TO KNOW HOW QUICK AND EASY IT IS TO VOTE. OUR ELECTIONS ARE SAFER AND MORE SECURE THAN EVER. AFTER BEING CHECKED IN, YOU WILL RECEIVE AN ACTIVATION CARD. NOW, ALL YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER IS THAT YOU'RE DONE IN FOUR AND YOU'RE OUT THE DOOR FIRST. IN THIRD. THE ACTIVATION CARD INTO THE VOTING MACHINE. SECOND, MAKE YOUR SELECTIONS USING THE TOUCH SCREEN OR AUDIO TACTILE KEYPAD.

[03:45:04]

WHO ARE ON THE HUNT FOR AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CUISINE IN THE BORDERLAND MIGHT BE SURPRISED THAT OFF THE BEATEN PATH IN CANUTILLO, TEXAS, LITTLE DINER HAS BEEN OFFERING THAT FOR OVER 40 YEARS. THE ORIGINAL OWNERS, IRENE AND RAY, OPENED IT UP IN 76. THEY SOLD IT TO THEIR DAUGHTER, LOURDES IN THE LATE 80S. SHE SOLD IT TO MY FAMILY IN 2016. WITH EVERY RESTAURANT, THEY HAVE WHAT THEY CALL THE HEART. THE MAIN PLACE. AND YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YOU ALL HAVE ONE? CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO WE'RE KNOWN FOR OUR GORDITAS. THAT'S OUR SPECIALTY. THAT'S WHY WE WERE OPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THIS AREA RIGHT HERE IS WHERE WE ACTUALLY PREPARE THE MASA FOR OUR GORDITAS. WE COOK THE CORN IN HERE, IT COMES IN, YOU KNOW, IT'S COMPLETELY RAW. WE DO IT JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, THEY USED TO DO IT WAY BACK IN THE DAY.

IT'S THIS BIG OLD MACHINE HERE THAT DOES IT FOR US. AND THEN ONCE IT GRINDS THE CORN, THEN WE CAN TAKE IT TO OUR MIXMASTER WHERE WE'RE MAKING THE MASA FOR OUR GORDITAS AND ALSO OUR TAMALES THAT WE MAKE HERE COMPLETELY FROM SCRATCH. TRADITIONAL MEXICAN COOKING DOES NOT STOP THERE, MIXING OLD SCHOOL METHODS WITH NEW AND IMPROVED TECHNIQUES, LITTLE DINER HAS PERFECTED THEIR ALREADY DELICIOUS GORDITAS. THIS IS WHERE WE MAKE OUR TORTILLAS NOW SO BEFORE THEY JUST JUST USED TO RUN ON THE CONVEYOR BELT. NOW WE'VE GOT SOMEONE, MOVING THEM ALONG THROUGH HERE COOKING THEM. IT'S USUALLY A ONE PERSON JOB, BUT, YOU KNOW, TWO PEOPLE CAN KNOCK IT OUT A LOT FASTER. WE USE THIS TO MAKE OUR SALSA FRESH JUST ABOUT EVERY DAY. WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO MAKE SOME IN IN ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. WE HAD POTS AND POTS AND PANS, A BUNCH OF THESE STOVES THAT YOU SEE OVER HERE. THAT'S HOW WE WOULD KEEP EVERYTHING HOT AND WARM. EVERYTHING UP. NOW, THIS STEAM, THIS STEAM TABLE ALLOWS US TO KEEP A LOT MORE FOOD HOT LITTLE DINER HAS GROWN FROM A SMALL BUILDING OFF THE BEATEN PATH TO ONE OF THE MAINSTAYS IN CANUTILLO THAT HAS SERVED GENERATIONS OF FAMILIES. I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE'S MOMS THAT I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH, BUT I KNEW THEM HERE, YOU KNOW, I GOT TO KNOW THEM HERE. SO WE I GET TO KNOW A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY AND DIFFERENT GENERATIONS OF THAT COMMUNITY. IT'S REALLY NICE LOOKING BACK ON THEIR HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AND HOW THEY ARE KEEPING TRADITIONS ALIVE. THE LITTLE DINER IS NOW LOOKING TOWARDS THEIR FUTURE. WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT, SHIPPING OUR TAMALES , OUR GORDITA MASA OUT OF STATE ALSO EVEN TO OTHER BUSINESSES THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN USE THAT. IT'S, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE MORE AUTHENTIC THAN WHAT THEY MAY BE SELLING AT THE MOMENT. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE WAYS WE'RE GROWING. LOPEZ SAYS THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE TO HONOR THE TRADITIONS THAT HAS MADE LITTLE DINER WHAT IT IS TODAY, BUT WE'LL BE BRINGING IN NEW TECHNIQUES TO FURTHER THEIR SUCCESS. I'M TONY DAVIS, BACK TO YOU. ANDY AND MONICA . THE HONORABLE ROBERT J. GALVAN COUNTY LAW LIBRARY IS A PUBLIC LEGAL RESEARCH FACILITY THAT COUNTY RESIDENTS CAN USE IN ORDER TO FACILITATE ACCESS TO LEGAL INFORMATION AND ENHANCE THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE. AS PART OF THE COUNTY'S DOMESTIC RELATIONS OFFICE AND EL PASO COUNTY PRIVATE BAR ASSOCIATION, THE LAW LIBRARY'S ACCESS TO JUSTICE COMMITMENT IS MADE THROUGH AN AVAILABILITY OF EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF LEGAL RESOURCES, ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY, AND AVAILABILITY OF IMPORTANT LEGAL FORMS AND OTHER RESOURCES WITH A CONNECTION TO THE PAST, DELIVERING PRESENT SERVICES AND ENVISIONING THE FUTURE. THE LAW LIBRARY IS A UNIQUE COUNTY RESOURCE, NOT KNOWLEDGE, AND INFORMATION IS POWER. EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO ARM THEMSELVES WITH INFORMATION, ACCURATE CURRENT, FREELY ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION WHICH YOU WILL FIND HERE. ESTABLISHED IN 1950, THE LAW LIBRARY GREW FROM THE TEXAS'S EIGHTH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS COLLECTION OF CASE LAW AND PRACTICE MATERIALS. THE EIGHTH COURT OF APPEALS, WHICH IS LOCATED NEXT TO THE LAW LIBRARY ON THE 12TH FLOOR.

JESSICA, GO AHEAD. COMMISSIONERS COURT HAS RECONVENED TO REGULAR OPEN SESSION. ITEM NUMBER SEVEN

[A. Receive a presentation and discuss and take appropriate action regarding El Paso County’s 89th Texas Legislative Session Agenda to be delivered to the El Paso State Delegation. Melissa M. Carrillo, PHR, Executive Director, County Operations, County Operations]

FROM COUNTY ADMINISTRATION SEVEN A RECEIVE A PRESENTATION AND DISCUSS AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION REGARDING EL PASO COUNTY'S 89TH TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION. AGENDA TO BE DELIVERED TO THE EL PASO STATE DELEGATION. GOOD AFTERNOON, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS, WHILE ELISE IS MAKING HER WAY FORWARD, WE JUST WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY WE'RE STARTING THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION PREPARATIONS. WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THESE. AND OF COURSE, OUR DELEGATION IS ASKING THAT WE GET THESE IN AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. SO TODAY WE HAVE SOME FIRST PROPOSALS. FIRST ROUND OF PROPOSALS, BUT WE'LL STILL BE ABLE TO ADD OR AMEND. BUT AGAIN OUR OUR DELEGATION IS ASKING THAT WE GET THESE IN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE THERE'S A MAJOR BACKLOG OF ITEMS FOR THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. SO WITH THAT I'LL TURN IT OVER TO ELISA. THANK YOU. BUENAS TARDES. GOOD

[03:50:03]

AFTERNOON, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS, ELISA TAMAYO, GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS MANAGER.

AND WE'LL BE QUICK, TODAY WE LIKE BETSY, SAID WE DID OUR INITIAL, MEETINGS AND REQUESTS FOR DEPARTMENTS TO PROVIDE THEIR PRIORITIES AND THIS IS THESE ARE SOME OF THE ONES THAT WERE SUBMITTED, WELL, THIS IS JUST A REMINDER TO BEGIN WITH. REMINDER OF WHAT THE LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS HAVE LOOKED LIKE. AS YOU CAN SEE. I MEAN, THEY USUALLY INCREASE THE NUMBER OF BILLS FILED. ALSO THE NUMBER OF VETOES. AND, I CANNOT TELL WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AFTER THE RUNOFF. YOU KNOW, OUR OWN SPEAKERS IN A RUNOFF RIGHT NOW. BUT, BUT WE CAN JUST EXPECT THAT, THAT THE NUMBER OF BILLS WILL INCREASE NEXT SESSION. AND WITH THAT, THAT MEANS, LIKE, USUALLY LESS AND LESS TIME FOR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES, ALSO FOR DELEGATION. SO WE WANT TO BRING THIS, PRESENT, YOU KNOW, JUST PRESENT TO YOU LIKE THE DIFFERENT PRIORITIES THAT WE'RE GETTING. AND THEN WORK WITH OUR LOBBY TEAM TO PRIORITIZE THESE, AN AGENDA THAT IS MORE CONDENSED THAN WHAT WE'VE DONE IN PREVIOUS YEARS SO THAT WE HAVE BETTER OPPORTUNITY WITH A MORE LIKE LASER FOCUS ON ON PRIORITIES. BUT FOR NOW, I DO WANT TO LIKE, BEGIN WITH THE FIRST AID PROPOSALS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED, THE FIRST ONE FROM OUR COUNTY ADMINISTRATION. IT'S ABOUT POSTING SALARIES FOR OPEN SEATS, AT A RATE THAT IS FAIR INSTEAD OF WHAT THE CURRENT ELECTED OFFICIAL IS MAKING, FIND A WAY TO WORK WITH OUR OUR LEGISLATORS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE IT LIKE A TO POST AT A FAIR LEVEL SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO LET'S SAY SOMEBODY HAS BEEN, IN AN ELECTED OFFICE FOR 20 PLUS YEARS AND THEY'VE EARNED OBVIOUSLY, LIKE THEIR COMPENSATION AND THEY'VE HAD INCREASES AND EXPERIENCE. BUT THEN WHEN WE'RE POSTING FOR THIS POSITION IS THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO RUN FOR THAT, THEY CAN RUN FOR THEM AT A MORE EQUITABLE AND FAIR LEVEL, AND NOT WHAT THE MAYBE 20 PLUS YEAR ELECTED OFFICIAL WAS MAKING , DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? NO. THEN WE HAVE OUR SECOND, PROPOSAL THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM, FROM YOU ALL DURING ESPECIALLY DURING THE MONTANA VISTA FIRE, WE WANT MORE ZONING AUTHORITY FOR COUNTIES BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THAT WAS, AN ISSUE THAT WE CANNOT FIX UNTIL THE STATE SPECIFICALLY ALLOWS COUNTIES, MORE ZONING AUTHORITY OR REGULATIONS, TO PREVENT FIRES LIKE THE ONE THAT HAPPENED IN MONTANA VISTA. BECAUSE WHAT WE CONCLUDED FROM FROM THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND HEARING LOTS OF PUBLIC TESTIMONY FROM, FROM OUR NEIGHBORS IS THAT THE COUNTY HAS THEIR HANDS TIED, BASICALLY. SO WORKING WITH OUR COUNTY ATTORNEYS, WORKING WITH, WITH OUR LEGISLATORS TO SEE WHAT KIND OF AUTHORITY WE CAN GET FROM THE STATE TO PREVENT THOSE THINGS FROM HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE, WE'VE ALSO HEARD FROM THIS COURT SAY THAT, FROM COMMISSIONERS SPECIFICALLY, DECRIMINALIZING FENTANYL STRIPS TO ALLOW US TO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A BIG PRIORITY FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY FOR SUBSTANCE USE COMMUNITY. AND I KNOW THAT THIS MIGHT NOT BE LIKE AN EL PASO SPECIFIC, LEGISLATION, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ADD TO OUR LEGISLATIVE VALUES STATEMENTS AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TRACKING IT SO THAT WE CAN SUPPORT IT WHEN IT COMES A TIME, IN THE NEXT SESSION. SO THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN ADD AS A LEGISLATIVE VALUE.

INSTEAD OF LIKE HAVING EL PASO DRIVE, THAT, THAT PROPOSAL, IF THAT'S OKAY WITH YOU, WE'VE ALSO RECEIVED A PROPOSAL FROM OUR, JUSTICE SUPPORT DEPARTMENT ABOUT SHARING DATA. LAST SESSION, WE WERE SUCCESSFUL WITH A LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL TO ASK STATE AGENCIES SUCH AS DPS, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO SHARE DATA. WHEN WE'RE APPLYING FOR GRANTS AND DATA ON ON RE-ARREST AND RECIDIVISM. AND JUST WE DIDN'T GIVE THEM A TIMELINE LIKE THE BILL THAT PASSED, DIDN'T GIVE DPS A TIMELINE TO SHARE THAT DATA. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S SPECIFIED ON THE CODE SO THAT WE CAN, RECEIVE THE SUPPORT THAT WE NEED FROM, FROM ANY AGENCY. BUT IN THIS CASE, WE REALLY THINK THAT, IT'S CRUCIAL FOR DPS TO SHARE THOSE THINGS WHEN APPLYING FOR MENTAL HEALTH GRANTS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, NUMBER FIVE, WE'VE ALSO HEARD IT DURING OPEN MEETINGS PLENTY OF TIMES ABOUT COLLECTING THE HOT TAGS FOR THE SHORT TERM RENTALS FOR, STRS, SO ASKING, WORKING WITH EITHER, THE PLATFORMS LIKE AIRBNB, VRBO, TO COLLECT THAT FROM THE HOST OR ASKING THE HOST FOR MAKING OR YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH OUR LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION TO SEE IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THAT WE CAN ASK FOR. AND THE OTHER THING IS, IF OTHER COUNTIES ARE DOING THIS, THAT WE CAN ADD THIS AS A LEGISLATIVE VALUE STATEMENT AS WELL. SO JUST YOU KNOW, PUTTING OPTIONS ON HERE, THEN WE HAVE THE, EXPANSION OF MEDICAID. I KNOW, COMMISSIONER CORONADO, YOU MENTIONED THAT THIS IS A BIG THING FOR YOU BRINGING THOSE

[03:55:01]

DOLLARS TO TEXAS, I KNOW THAT IF EL PASO COUNTY JUST, YOU KNOW, ASKS, WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE KIND OF SMALL, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET IT JUST BECAUSE EL PASO COUNTY IS ASKING. BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY ADD THIS TO OUR LEGISLATIVE VALUES. THE STATEMENTS THAT WE PUT OUT THERE WHENEVER THIS TYPE OF LEGISLATION COMES UP, WHICH, YOU KNOW, COMES UP EVERY SESSION, TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TESTIFYING, THAT WE'RE SHOWING SUPPORT, ON THIS BILL.

SO IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE SPECIFICALLY DRIVEN BY EL PASO COUNTY, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TRACK AND THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT THAT WE'RE THROWING SUPPORT. COUNTY SUPPORTED THIS IN THE PAST. I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE TO SEE MAY MAY HAVE THE URBAN COUNTY COUNTIES. WE MAY WANT TO REACH OUT TO THEM AS WELL TO SEE ABOUT. AND DO WE HAVE ANY ANY INFORMATION, INSOFAR AS HOW MANY OTHER COUNTIES HAVE, CONTINUOUSLY PUSHED THE STATE TO DO THIS, I DON'T THINK I CAN FIND OUT, COMMISSIONER, BUT I, I THINK, LIKE, IT'S BEEN A LOT OF GROUPS, I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF NONPROFITS THAT TYPICALLY ASK FOR THE MEDICAID EXPANSION THAT THEY ADVOCATE FOR, THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN A LOT OF COUNTIES DO THIS. I THINK THAT IT'S ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THE HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY, BUT WE CAN WE CAN DEFINITELY ADD IT TO THE AGENDA TO OR TO THE VALUE STATEMENT SO THAT WE CAN THROW OUR SUPPORT BEHIND THIS WHEN IT COMES AROUND OR. YEAH, I MEAN, IT'S SOMETHING THAT INDIVIDUALLY, WE'VE ADVOCATED FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, BUT, I DON'T KNOW IF TAC HAS IT. I KNOW, I KNOW ANOTHER THING THAT WE'VE ADVOCATED FOR IN THE PAST, BUT I GUESS MORE ON A FEDERAL LEVEL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT, PRISONERS AREN'T TAKEN OFF OF MEDICAID WHILE THEY'RE IN JAIL AND PRETRIAL. RIGHT YEAH. BECAUSE THAT TIES TO THE COUNTY'S FUNDING. RIGHT THAT THAT'S A GOOD WAY TO TIE IT UP. SO, YEAH, WE'LL WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE THAT I FIND OUT WHICH OTHER COUNTIES HAVE HAVE ADVOCATED FOR THIS AND THEN SEE IF THERE'S ANY TYPE OF COALITION THAT WE CAN. IT'D BE INTERESTING. YEAH. I'LL FIND OUT , I KNOW THAT WE'VE ALSO HEARD, YOU JUST MENTIONED MORE FUNDING FOR ISD'S FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES DEPARTMENTS, DURING A MEETING LAST MONTH, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW IF WE GET THE STATE TO ADEQUATELY FUND ISD'S, THEN THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO COME AS MUCH OUT OF OUR BUDGET AS, AS OR THE LOCAL TAXPAYERS, THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT WE CAN ADD AS A LEGISLATIVE VALUE STATEMENT AND SEE IF THERE'S THERE HAS TO BE MORE SUPPORT OUT THERE. I'M IMAGINING THAT THIS IS THAT WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO FEEL THIS WAY. SO THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT I'VE ALREADY ASKED, STARTED ASKING OUR OUR COUNTERPARTS IN THE URBAN COUNTIES, AND TAC, LIKE YOU MENTIONED, COMMISSIONER, TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY, ANY COALITION YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS AND OTHER COUNTIES ESD THEIR FUNDING IS JUST TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM OURS, FROM OURS. IT'S BECAUSE THEIR PROPERTY VALUES ARE HIGHER. SO THEY EVERYBODY HAS THE SAME MAXIMUM TAX RATE. BUT HERE IT JUST GENERATES LESS THAN IT DOES SOMEWHERE WITH HIGHER PROPERTY VALUES. AND WHEN WE DON'T HAVE AS MUCH IN THE IN THE COUNTY AREAS AS, AS OTHER COUNTIES DO, LIKE SOME MANY HOMES AND STUFF, SO YEAH, IF THAT'S OKAY WITH YOU, WE WOULD ADD IT TO OUR LEGISLATIVE VALUE STATEMENTS. AND THEN NUMBER EIGHT AND THE LAST ONE IS JUST SETTING A, THIS ACTUALLY CAME THROUGH OUR GOOGLE FORM. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER, FOR FILLING OUT THE FORM AND PUTTING IN ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEED TO MAKE THIS A PRIORITY. LIKE AN ACTION ITEM ON THE AGENDA, AND WE CAN EITHER MAKE IT EL PASO SPECIFIC. AND WE'VE ALREADY MET AND TALKED ABOUT THIS OR MAKE IT. OR IF THERE'S OTHER COUNTIES THAT THAT WANT THIS OR AREAS THAT WANT TO SET THIS RESIDENT RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT FOR THE MUDS, WE CAN WE CAN ALSO WORK WITH THEM. SO IF, IF THERE'S NO APPETITE, WE CAN FIND ANYBODY ELSE. WE CAN MAKE IT EL PASO SPECIFIC, AND WORK WITH OUR DELEGATION TO SEE IF, IF WE CAN CHANGE THIS REQUIREMENTS. IT TAKES A LEGISLATIVE CHANGE TO DO THAT. SO, THAT'S THE LAST PRIORITY THAT I HAVE ON FOR YOU ALL TODAY. AND THEN I PLAN ON COMING BACK, LIKE BETSY WAS SAYING ON THE JUNE 3RD MEETING TO DISCUSS THE OTHER. I KNOW PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT HAS SOME GOOD IDEAS ON THERE, AND THEY SUBMITTED PROPOSALS LIKE FORMS FOR THEIR PROPOSALS. AND, AND THEN JUST TO SUPPORT ALSO HAS SOME, SOME OTHER IDEAS. SO WE'LL COME BACK NEXT, MEETING TO TALK ABOUT THOSE, THANKS, ELISA. I ONE THING THAT I WANTED TO OR A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I WANTED TO BRING UP, BUT WE HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO MEET, BUT AND IT MAY BE COMING THROUGH PLANNING, BUT ONE ONE IS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING IN MY OFFICE HAS TO DO WITH IMPACT FEES FOR THE COUNTY. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK AT, LOOK AT AND EXPLORE, ALSO, LOOKING AT TAXING STRUCTURE FOR, PROPERTIES THAT ARE, THAT ARE OLDER AND LOOKING

[04:00:02]

AT, THE, THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN THAT AND NEWER PROPERTIES. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANY, ANY WAY WE CAN WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE MORE, BUT JUST LOOKING AT, LOOKING AT, PROPERTIES THAT ARE OLDER AND WHAT LEVEL THEY'RE BEING TAXED AT, BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S LOTS OF LEGACY NEIGHBORHOODS IN MY DISTRICT. AND, THERE, THERE, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE BEEN BASICALLY THOSE PROPERTIES AND PROPERTY OWNERS HAVE BEEN FOOTING THE BILL FOR, THE GROWTH FOR DECADES IN EL PASO COUNTY. AND SO LOOKING AT, SOME TYPE OF STRUCTURE THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME RELIEF THERE, FOR THOSE, FOR THOSE PROPERTIES AND PROPERTY OWNERS THAT HAVE BEEN BASICALLY SUBSIDIZING, GROWTH AND OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTY AND NOT REALLY GETTING MUCH OUT OF IT, OUT OF OUT OF WHAT THEY'VE, WHAT THEY'VE PUT IN. AND THEN I ALSO WANTED TO MENTION SOMETHING WITH THE, WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY. I KNOW THAT NOW THAT THE CITY'S HOUSING AUTHORITY IS NOW ABLE TO DO THINGS OUT IN THE COUNTY, AND THEY WEREN'T, I THINK IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR US TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT GETTING A BOARD MEMBER ON, ON THE HOUSING AUTHORITY'S BOARD, IF THEY'RE DOING THINGS OUT IN THE COUNTY. AND I WANTED TO LOOK AT SOMETHING. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A LEGISLATIVE CHANGE THAT WE NEED TO MAKE, BUT , YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT, AGAIN, WE NEED TO HAVE SOME OVERSIGHT, OVER, OVER, ABOVE AND BEYOND, YOU KNOW, THE STRUCTURE THAT'S SET UP RIGHT NOW.

COMMISSIONER, I ADDED THOSE, THOSE ITEMS SO THAT I CAN DO SOME RESEARCH AND THEN COME BACK TO YOU ALL AND PRESENT ON THAT. THANK YOU. ELISA COMMISSIONER, THIS THIS PROBABLY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER DOWN THE ROAD AND IS, IS ASKING FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE SMUGGLING OPERATION UNDER OPERATION LONE STAR THAT HAS CAUSED OUR COUNTY. I THINK WE'RE NUMBER ONE IN THE EFFECT THAT IT'S HAD ON OUR BUDGET. EVEN OTHER COUNTIES ALONG THE BORDER THAT HAVE APPLIED FOR OPERATION LONE STAR, IT IS STILL CRIPPLING THEIR BUDGET, I DON'T THINK IT'S , YOU KNOW, SUFFICIENT. WHAT HAS BEEN, PROGRAMED FOR OPERATION UNDER REIMBURSE COUNTIES FOR THE COMPLETE, EFFECT THAT IT'S HAD, REGARD AS A RESULT OF THOSE CASES. SO I THINK WE HAVE TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER OUR LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION IN DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT FOR US. AND LAST SESSION, THEY DID WORK. WHEN IS HB FOUR AND SB FOUR WERE ALL COMING, THEY DID WORK WITH OUR COUNTY ATTORNEYS ON AN AMENDMENT TO TRY TO REIMBURSE US. OF COURSE, THAT DID NOT PASS, BUT I'M SURE THAT THEY WOULD BE WILLING, ONCE WE SHARE OUR PRIORITIES TO DRAFT SOMETHING TO REIMBURSE US FOR, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IF IT I KNOW THAT OPERATION LONE STAR MONEY IS THERE AND THAT'S ANOTHER CONVERSATION. BUT THAT DOESN'T PREVENT US FROM OR THEM FROM FILING LEGISLATION TO TRY TO REIMBURSE US AND SEE IF IT GOES ANYWHERE. AND IF NOT, I MEAN, AND IT'S ON THE RECORD AS TO US, ALL THE COUNTIES ALONG THE BORDER, I'M SURE HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY IT, SOME MORE THAN OTHERS. BUT US, I THINK WE'RE GROUND ZERO. ABSOLUTELY THANK YOU. LISA THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GREAT JOB.

WE'LL TAKE NO ACTION FOR ITEM SEVEN BEFORE. I'M SORRY. SO ELISA, YOU DON'T WANT ANY ACTION TO MOVE THESE ITEMS FORWARD? I THINK WE DO WANT A GENERAL. I THINK WE WANT SOME KIND OF ACTION BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO START SUBMITTING THESE CORRECT. SO WE WOULD LIKE A MOTION TO INCLUDE THESE ITEMS ON OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR, EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T SET UP FOR ACTION ON THE AGENDA. OR IT DOES SAY TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION. ACTION. YEAH SO WE'D ASK FOR A MOTION TO INCLUDE THESE ITEMS ON THE 89TH TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION AGENDA . WE HAVE A MOTION BY JUDGE SAMANIEGO, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER STOUT. VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. ITEM SEVEN B RECEIVE A PRESENTATION REGARDING THE

[B. Receive a presentation regarding the ongoing FY2024 Mutliyear Capital Planning Process. Further, discuss and take appropriate action regarding the capital finance plan submitted by the Bond Advisory Committee to Commissioners Court. Jose Landeros, Director, , 915-546-2215]

ONGOING FY 2024 MULTI YEAR CAPITAL PLANNING PROCESS. FURTHER DISCUSS AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION REGARDING THE CAPITAL FINANCE PLAN SUBMITTED BY THE BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO COMMISSIONERS COURT. WELCOME, JOSE. GOOD AFTERNOON. JUDGE. COMMISSIONERS WILL NOTICE WITH COUNTY ADMINISTRATION, WE HAVE WORKED OVER THE PAST WEEK WITH OUR CONSULTANTS TO, VERIFY A FEW THINGS. WE DID UPDATE, SOME OF THE FIGURES THAT WERE, POINTED OUT TO US DURING OUR

[04:05:01]

CONVERSATION LAST WEEK, THERE WAS SOME CHANGES, BUT OVERALL, THE DOLLAR AMOUNTS REMAINED, AS A WHOLE, CONSISTENT. A LOT OF THE VARIATIONS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED WERE EITHER BECAUSE OF, SOME FORMULAS SIMPLY NOT ADDING UP IN A LOT OF THE SPREADSHEETS THAT THAT OUR CONSULTANTS AND OUR STAFF HAD BEEN WORKING ON, OR IN MOST CASES, THERE WAS A CONTINGENCY BUDGET THAT WAS THAT WAS ADJUSTED, AND SO THAT THAT HAS BEEN RECONCILED. THE AMOUNTS STILL REMAIN, REMAIN THE SAME. IT DOESN'T AFFECT THE AMOUNT OF PROJECTS THAT THE BOAC OR SI, COULD HAVE RECOMMENDED FOR THE CEO OR GEO. ADDITIONALLY ON THE COMMUNICATIONS SIDE, WE DID WORK CLOSELY WITH BARRACUDA TO DEVELOP A FEW OPTIONS. WE DID HAND THAT OUT TO, SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO YOU AND YOUR STAFFS TODAY, THAT REALLY FOCUSES ON, ON A FEW THINGS. AND PRIMARILY SOME, SOME OPTIONS FOR MAIL. IF THE COURT WANTED TO PROCEED WITH A MORE TARGETED MAIL APPROACH, AS OPPOSED TO GOING, WITH THE MAIL PIECE GOING TO EVERY SINGLE, HOME WITH A REGISTERED VOTER, THE COST OF THOSE MAIL PIECES START TO DECREASE SIGNIFICANTLY, ADDITIONALLY, ALSO SOME TEXTING OPTIONS AND THE SAME THING THERE THAT THERE'S REALLY JUST DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH TARGETING THE COMMISSIONERS COURT, WOULD LIKE TO DIRECT STAFF TO PROCEED WITH, IN TERMS OF SENDING MESSAGES REMINDING VOTERS ABOUT THE, THE UPCOMING PROCESS. AND THEN THE VERY BOTTOM OF THAT DOCUMENT, YOU ALSO SEE, THE COST FOR, FOR, ONLINE ADVERTISING AND HOW TARGETING BY ZIP CODE AND GEO FENCING WITH THOSE OPTIONS BEGIN TO LOOK LIKE. SO, MR. ISRAEL, WITH, BARRACUDA IS ON THE LINE TO WALK THE COURT THROUGH THOSE OPTIONS. I'LL GO AND TURN IT OVER TO HIM. WELCOME, MISS RULE. HEY, SIR, WE CAN'T TELL WHEN TO CALL. HOLD ON. ISRAEL.

CAN YOU TRY TALKING? ISRAEL WE CAN'T HEAR YOU. AND WE HAVE YOU UNMUTED ON OUR END . CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME NOW? YES, WE CAN. RIGHT. WE CAN HEAR YOU. YOU CAN GO AHEAD. SO GOOD AFTERNOON, JUDGE SAMANIEGO AND COMMISSIONERS COURT, I FIRST WANT TO APOLOGIZE FOR THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, I SWITCHED OVER TO MY IPHONE JUST TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER HERE, SO WHAT? I WANT TO START OUT WITH WAS JUST THE PLAN FROM THE BEGINNING, WHAT WE HAVE IN THE CURRENT PLAN IS THE TV BUDGET OF $20,000, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE SPREAD THROUGHOUT KVEA, TELEMUNDO, UNIVISION AND OTT, WE'RE ALSO GOING TO PURSUE, RADIO ADVERTISEMENTS WITHIN THIS BUDGET, AS WELL AS $3,000 FOR TARGETED SOCIAL MEDIA, ADVERTISEMENTS LOOKING AT ZIP CODES AND MEETING LOCATIONS, MAKING SURE THAT WE REALLY SATURATE THE MARKET AROUND THOSE AREAS TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO GET THERE, AS WELL AS THE PRESS RELEASES AND PITCHES, AND THEN WE'LL WRAP UP WHAT WE HAVE SO FAR WITH THE STAKEHOLDER EMAILS, I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE RECEIVED THESE EMAILS IN THE PAST, WE HAVE AMPLIFIED AND ENHANCED THESE STAKEHOLDER LISTS WITH THE INDIVIDUALS THAT PARTICIPATED IN EACH OF THE PHASE ONE MEETINGS, AS WELL AS ADDED ADDITIONAL MEMBERS THAT FELT THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO BE INCLUDED. SO THEN THAT WILL TAKE US TO TODAY. AND I REALLY JUST WANT TO FOCUS ON THE HIGHLIGHTED COMPONENTS. SO AS WE REALLY LOOK AT THE OPTIONS THAT LIE BEFORE US FOR THE, MAIL, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE OFFERING AN OPTION THAT WAS MORE PRECISE AND STRATEGIC, RECOGNIZING, YOU KNOW, THAT WE WANT TO GET AND AMPLIFY THE MESSAGE AS BEST AS WE CAN. SO THE TWO, OPTIONS THAT

[04:10:04]

ARE BEFORE YOU, REALLY FOCUS ON REGISTERED HOUSEHOLDS THAT HAVE VOTED IN THE PAST TWO GENERAL ELECTIONS, AND THE FIRST ONE IS GOING TO BE FOR UNIQUE HOUSEHOLDS. THE REASON WHY WE DON'T DO UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS IS BECAUSE THERE TENDS TO BE, COUPLES, KIDS, YOU KNOW, FOLKS, MULTIPLE FOLKS LIVING IN A HOUSE. AND SO WE WANTED TO TARGET IT TO HOUSEHOLDS. AND THAT AMOUNT WILL BE 21,131 INDIVIDUALS. AND THAT AMOUNT, YOU KNOW, IS GOING TO BE THE 13,999. THE OTHER ONE IS GOING TO BE FOR UNIQUE ADDRESSES, WHICH IS GOING TO BE THE 19,840.

AND THAT AMOUNT IS GOING TO BE THE 12,999. AND THEN BEFORE I MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PIECE, I WANTED TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS COMPONENT. YEAH. TELL ME AGAIN, PLEASE.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FIRST UNIQUE AND THE SECOND UNIQUE? SO THE FIRST UNIQUE IS GOING TO BE BASED ON THE RECORD OF THE SURNAME AT THE ADDRESS. AND THEN IT'S, THE SECOND ONE.

SO THAT MEANS, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU'RE BAILEY AND ASSAULTIVE ARE BOTH LIVE AT MY ADDRESS, THEN YOU'LL GET TWO BECAUSE THERE'S TWO UNIQUE HOUSEHOLDS THAT PIECES THERE, WHEREAS UNIQUE ADDRESS IS JUST GOING TO BE FOR THAT ONE ADDRESS. SO IT'S GOING TO BE MY ADDRESS OF MY HOME.

OKAY. THANK YOU. IT'S GOING TO BE BASED ON YOUR SURNAME AND WHO'S AT THE HOME. OKAY. THAT'S GOING TO TAKE US TO THE NEXT COMPONENT, WHICH IS GOING TO BE THE TEXT, WHICH IS ANOTHER COMPONENT, THAT WE WERE ASKED TO LOOK INTO AND SO FOR THIS ONE, THERE ARE FOUR COMPONENTS THAT GO INTO THE STRUCTURE OF THE FEE , THE FIRST ONE IS, ORIGINATING THE TEXT FROM A915 AREA CODE NUMBER, IMPORTANT BECAUSE I MEAN, AS IT'S POLITICAL SEASON RIGHT NOW, WE SEE AS THESE TEXT MESSAGES GO OUT, WHEN IT COMES FROM A915, IT ADDS A SENSE OF LEGITIMACY, LEGITIMACY AND CREDIBILITY, THE NEXT THING IS GOING TO BE THE MESSAGE PROFILE, WHICH IS GOING TO BE A FLAT FEE, ONE TIME FEE, AND THEN IT'S THE MHM'S AND SMS, CHARACTER TEXT COMBINATION, THAT IS GOING TO BE A PRICE PER TEXT THAT GOES OUT. AND THEN THE LAST FEE IS GOING TO BE THE MANAGEMENT FEE FOR THE TEXT RESPONSES OR RESPONSES TO IT. AND THAT COVERS JUST THE HUMAN STAFF THAT KIND OF RESPONDS TO THE TEXT MESSAGES FROM THE TARGET AUDIENCE. AND SO IF WE DROP THERE, YOU CAN SEE IT'S QUITE A ROBUST LIST. SO, AS OF MAY 19TH, THERE ARE 509,000 REGISTERED VOTERS. AND SO AS WE LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF VERIFIED PHONE NUMBERS AND POINTS OF CONTACT, THAT NUMBER GOES TO 100, 188,839. PHONE NUMBERS. AND SO AS WE LOOK AT THE EXAMPLE OF THE COST BREAKDOWN, THE OVERALL LIST AND THE INITIAL FOCUS OF REACHING EVERY INDIVIDUAL WHO'S A REGISTERED VOTER WITH A VERIFIED PHONE NUMBER IS GOING TO EQUAL 15,107 AND $0.12, NOW, ONCE WE PROCEED IN THAT WAY, WE'LL BE ABLE TO DWINDLE DOWN THE COST OF, OF, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT ROUND THAT WE HAVE, WE'LL BE ABLE TO BE MORE STRATEGIC, MORE ALIGNED WITH, YOU KNOW, THESE ZIP CODES ARE NOT ANSWERING THE SURVEY. THESE THESE NEIGHBORHOODS AREN'T ATTENDING THESE MEETINGS. AND THEN WE CAN BE A LITTLE BIT MORE PRECISE AND REALLY START TARGETING FOLKS AND GET MORE, MORE IN DEPTH INTO DATA. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT MESSAGING? YES, I'VE GOT A QUESTION ON, I DIDN'T REALIZE IF IT WAS TEXT OR PHONES, BUT, IT'S EIGHT $0.08 PER MESSAGE. IS THAT PHONES OR IS THAT, A TEXT MESSAGE ONLY? IT'S GOING TO BE EIGHT PER TEXTS THAT IS SENT OUT PER TEXT. OKAY, OKAY. THANK YOU. CAN I CLARIFY THAT, ISRAEL, BECAUSE I'VE HAD ONE OF THESE, TEXT MESSAGING THINGS BEFORE. SO IF IT'S $0.08 PER MESSAGE, BUT I SEND IT TO 2000 PHONES, IT'S 2000 TIMES $0.08, CORRECT? CORRECT, CORRECT. YES, MA'AM. AND THEN THE REASON WHY YOU SEE THE TOTAL COST GO UP FROM THAT 15, 107 IS BECAUSE OF THOSE THOSE OTHER COMPONENTS THAT I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING THAT GO INTO THAT TOTAL STRUCTURE. SO TO REACH EVERY INDIVIDUAL WHO IS A REGISTERED VOTER WITH A VERIFIED PHONE NUMBER IN EL PASO COUNTY, WITH THOSE ADDITIONAL SERVICES AND FEES, YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE 15,482 AND $0.12. AND THAT'S JUST FOR THE 188 839 MESSAGES. IF WE GO BACK OUT FOR A SECOND MESSAGE, YOU WOULD THEN MULTIPLY THE .08 TIMES, THE NUMBER OF MESSAGES THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEND OUT. SO IF I, IF I MAY ADD, JUDGE, SO THAT NUMBER, THAT 15,000 NUMBER, IT'S IMPORTANT TO CLARIFY THAT IT'S FOR ALL THE VERIFIED PHONE NUMBERS THAT THE VENDOR HAS ACCESS TO. AND SO THAT WOULD BE LANDING IN EVERY CELL PHONE THAT IS VERIFIED. AND EVERYONE WOULD RECEIVE THAT NOTICE AS YOU START COMING DOWN IN THAT LIST, YOU

[04:15:06]

CAN SEE THAT SAME WITH THE MAIL. IF WE START TARGETING, THE NUMBERS OBVIOUSLY START TO REDUCE QUITE SIGNIFICANTLY. AND SO IF WE WANTED TO LOOK AT KNOWN VOTERS, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO MESSAGE THEM MORE FREQUENTLY. OR AS ISRAEL MENTIONED, IN THE EVENT THAT WE HAD AN AREA THAT, DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF ATTENDANCE IN THE FIRST MEETING, AND WE REALLY WANT TO PROMOTE THE SECOND AND THIRD MEETING, WE COULD REALLY FOCUS ON THAT. SO, EFFECTIVELY, WITH THE BUDGET THAT REMAINS OF $60,000, IF THE COURT WENT WITH, WITH THE MAIL OPTION, AND WITH WITH THESE TEXT MESSAGING PRICES, AND YOU HAD A MORE TARGETED UNIVERSE, YOU COULD SEND ONE MAIL PIECE AND THREE, THREE TEXT MESSAGE BLASTS TO ALL 188,000 VOTERS AND THAT FREQUENCY OF THREE GOES UP. IF WE START TARGETING AND WE DON'T HAVE SUCH A BROAD UNIVERSE, RIGHT. IF WE SAY, VOTED IN AT LEAST TWO ELECTIONS IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS, YOU KNOW, IT'S ROUGHLY HALF A LITTLE OVER HALF OF THAT 188,000 NUMBER. WE'D BE ABLE THEN TO DO 5 OR 6. SO AND THEN I'M SORRY, JOSE, I AGREE. I THINK THAT IF YOU LOOK AT THE YOU KNOW, IF YOU GO THE FOR THE LAST 12 ELECTIONS, IF YOU NARROW IT DOWN TO THE LAST 4 OR 5, I THINK IT'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE, AND THAT WOULD MAKE, WOULD IT MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE MONEY WISE? ALSO, WE WOULD HAVE WE HAVE THE $60,000 IS A NOT TO EXCEED WHAT WOULD INCREASE REALLY IS, IS THE FREQUENCY AT WHICH, HOW MANY TIMES WE CAN MESSAGE FOLKS RIGHT. AND MAYBE DO ONE MASS TEXT AT THE BEGINNING AND THEN ONE MASS TEXT AT THE END TO SAY, WE'RE STARTING, WE'RE WRAPPING UP. AND THEN IN THE MIDDLE, A COMBINATION OF SMALLER, MORE FOCUSED TEXT MESSAGES TO EACH INDIVIDUAL PRECINCTS. AND BECAUSE THEY ARE MHM'S, WE CAN ALSO SEND A PHOTO. AND THAT PHOTO CAN HAVE THE QR CODE AUTOMATICALLY LINKING TO THE WEBSITE, AND SO WE CAN SHARE MORE INFORMATION AND NOT JUST IN TERMS OF WORDS, BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF, OF AN IMAGE AND SAY WHAT YOU KNOW, WHERE IT READS VOTED IN THE LAST SIX ELECTIONS OFF OUR BACK. IS THAT IN, YEARS, FOUR YEARS, 4:04 YEARS, RIGHT? AND SO ALL THE ELECTIONS THAT HAVE HAPPENED BETWEEN 2020 AND NOW, OKAY, SO THE 2020 PRIMARY, THE 2020 RUNOFF, THE PRIMARY RUNOFF, THE 2020 UNIFORM, ANY SPECIAL ELECTIONS IN THE SUMMER, THE GENERAL. AND THEN THAT WOULD THAT WOULD CONTINUE ON UNTIL UNTIL TODAY.

IF THERE'S NO FURTHER QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT MESSAGING COMPONENT, THIS WILL TAKE US TO THE LAST ITEM, WHICH IS ONLINE TARGETED DISPLAY. I'M SORRY. AND AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE DOCUMENT, IT'S A TARGETED DISPLAY. IT'S GOING TO BE BY ZIP CODE. SO IT'S NOT GOING TO BE GEO FENCED. SO WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE STRATEGIC HERE, AND THEN IT KIND OF GOES BACK TO WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS HAVING A CRITERIA. SO WE HAVE A CONFIRMED TARGET AUDIENCE AGAIN LIMITING IT TO HOUSEHOLDS REGISTERED VOTERS, AND THEN VOTED IN THE LAST NATIONAL STATE ELECTIONS, VOTED IN 2016, VOTED IN 2012. AND THEN THE $11 CPM. THAT'S THE COST PER 1000 IMPRESSIONS, AND THEN WE WOULD REQUEST IT REQUIRES A MINIMUM INVESTMENT OF $2,000 TO GO DOWN THIS ROUTE. AND ISRAEL, COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHICH, WHICH PLATFORM THAT THE TARGETED DISPLAY IN THE ONLINE ADVERTISING WOULD BE ON? YEAH. SO IS IT MADE THROUGH TRADE DESK , IT'S ONE OF THE VENDORS. AND SO IT'D BE A CROSS PLATFORM. SO IT WOULD BE REALLY ON THE LIKE THE, THE SEARCH MENUS. GOOGLE'S THINGS LIKE THAT, SO AS YOU SEARCH THROUGH THE INTERNET, IT'S GOING TO POP UP, NOT SPECIFIED TO SOCIAL MEDIA . THAT THAT COMPLETES THE PRESENTATION. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS . SO JUDGE COMMISSIONERS WITH THAT, WITH THAT $60,000, YOU KNOW, IN EVALUATING WHAT THESE COST ESTIMATES ARE, WE FEEL COMFORTABLE THAT WE CAN PROCEED WITH THE EXISTING BUDGET AND NOT REQUIRE ADDITIONAL FUNDING, AS

[04:20:03]

WE PREVIOUSLY, DISCUSSED AND PRESENTED LAST WEEK, THAT 60,000 WILL ALLOW US TO DO AS YOU CAN SEE HERE ON YOUR SHEET, IF WE GO WITH THE UNIQUE ADDRESS OPTION OF ABOUT 13,000, THAT IS, YOU KNOW, AS ISRAEL MENTIONED, IF YOU HAVE, A MARTINEZ AND HERNANDEZ IN THE SAME HOUSEHOLDS, BUT THEY'RE MARRIED, THEY WOULD EACH UNDER THAT MIDDLE OPTION RECEIVE A MAIL PIECE. THAT LAST OPTION GIVES THEM ONE MAIL PIECE FOR THE ENTIRE HOME. AND SO THE WAY WE WOULD ADDRESS IT WOULD BE TO OUR NEIGHBORS AT TO THE VOTERS AT, AT THAT ADDRESS, NOT SPECIFIC TO ANY ONE INDIVIDUAL, THE MAIL PIECE HAS BEEN DESIGNED BY BARRACUDA. WE SHARED A COPY OF THAT, AND WE'RE MAKING THE MODIFICATIONS IN TERMS OF THE LANGUAGE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S EMPHASIZED SPANISH ON ONE SIDE, ENGLISH ON THE OTHER, BUT THAT EFFECTIVELY IS READY TO GO. AND, AND THE TURNAROUND FOR THAT, IF WE GIVE THE PRINTER THE NEW DESIGN AND GO, YOU KNOW, COULD BE IN MAILBOXES BY BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK IN TIME FOR THE, IN TIME FOR THE MEETING SCHEDULE THAT WOULD BEGIN ON THE 29TH OF WHICH IS NEXT WEDNESDAY, WHICH WOULD BE OUR FIRST MEETING, AND THEN, WE WOULD ASK FOR SO THAT THAT'S ONE ACTION ITEM FOR THE COURT TO CONSIDER, GIVING STAFF DIRECTION ON. AND THEN ADDITIONALLY ALSO LOOKING AT, THE OTHER CHANGES TO, TO PROCEED WITH TEXTING, DOES THE COURT HAVE A PREFERENCE ON SENDING OUT ONE MASS MESSAGE TO ALL 188,000 PHONES TO BEGIN, AND THEN WE DIAL THAT BACK AND SUBSEQUENT MESSAGING, OR WOULD YOU ALL LIKE TO PROCEED? AND DO YOU HAVE ANY PREFERENCE ON HOW YOU'D LIKE TO PROCEED IN THAT ARENA WITH THE TEXT MESSAGING JUDGE. YES. SO THE PROPOSAL IS, IS TO DO A GENERAL MAIL OUT, AND THAT COST WOULD BE ABOUT 16,000. IS THAT IT, NO. THE OPTION WE'D RECOMMEND IS THAT UNIQUE ADDRESS OPTION FOR 13,000. THE ONE FOR 13,000. YES, SIR. OKAY AND THEN ALSO DO THE, TEXTING. YES, SIR.

TEXTING. HOW MANY TIMES OF THE TEXTING? THAT'S WHERE WE'RE THAT'S WHERE WE'RE ASKING FOR SOME DISCUSSION. WE COULD, YOU CAN SEE HERE THE COST TO SEND 188,000 MESSAGES IS 15,000.

10,000. AND SO WE COULD, WITH THE BALANCE WITH THE BUDGET OF 60,000, YOU TAKE OUT THAT MAIL PIECE OF 13,000, THERE'S A BALANCE OF 47,000. WE STILL WANT TO DO SOME ONLINE, ADVERTISING IN TERMS OF THE ADS THAT YOU SEE ON WEBSITES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THERE'S A MINIMUM INVESTMENT OF 2000, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING PROBABLY AT ABOUT 45,000 BEING AVAILABLE FOR TEXTING, AND SO IF WE DID THE ONLINE, IF WE DID THE TEXTING AT 45,000, YOU COULD DO ROUGHLY THREE, THREE LARGE, 188,000 MESSAGES. BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND.

WE RECOMMEND A MORE FOCUSED APPROACH, LIKE WITH THE MAIL TO ALLOW US TO DO MORE FREQUENCY, WHICH IS REALLY WHAT'S GOING TO MATTER AT THIS POINT IN THE GAME. BUT JOSE, WASN'T THAT FREQUENCY TO SMALLER NUMBERS? YES. AND THAT'S THAT'S WHAT I WAS SO WE COULD DO ONE MASS ONE TO BEGIN. AND THEN SUBSEQUENTLY WE COULD DO SMALLER MESSAGES, SMALLER BATCHES, TO MORE RELIABLE, KNOWN VOTERS AS WE MOVE FORWARD. BUT THE ONE MASS I'VE GOT A QUESTION ON THAT. WHY WOULD WE WANT TO DO IT, KNOWING THAT MOST OF THEM ARE NOT GOING TO BE VOTING. SO I BELIEVE IT'S TO ANY, ANY REGISTERED NUMBER, RIGHT. ANY OF THOSE NUMBERS. AND IT WOULD BE TO NOTIFY EVERYBODY OF LIKE WE'RE HAVING THESE MEETINGS COME OUT TO PARTICIPATE. AND IT WOULD HAVE THE A QR CODE TO TAKE THEM TO A PLACE WHERE THEY COULD GO ONLINE AND DO SURVEY. AND SO IT'D BE ONE BROAD OUTREACH AND THEN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, JOSE, THEN WE WOULD DO IF WE'RE ABOUT TO HAVE THE MEETING IN PRECINCT ONE, THE NUMBERS THAT ARE REGISTERED WITH THAT AREA, WE WOULD SEND A MESSAGE REMINDING THEM, DON'T FORGET TO ATTEND TOMORROW EVENING AT 530.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH MEETING. AND WE COULD LOOK TO SEE AND IN ISRAEL, I'M NOT SURE IF WE HAVE THIS FUNCTIONALITY. YOU CAN SPEAK TO THIS, BUT IDEALLY IT WOULD BE HERE. HERE'S THE LIST OF ALL THE PRECINCT ONE MEETINGS. AND WE ONLY SEND A MESSAGE TO THE VOTERS THAT ARE IN PRECINCT ONE, TWO, THREE, AND FOUR, THAT WAY IT'S ALREADY KIND OF FROM THE BEGINNING. WE'RE STILL SENDING 188,000 MESSAGES, BUT THEY'RE MORE FOCUSED TO THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF THE PRECINCTS, ON THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT, ISRAEL WERE ABLE TO DO THAT WITH THE VENDOR? YES, SIR. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING. UNDERSTANDING THAT ONCE WE KIND OF GET THAT BY

[04:25:01]

ACT OF THAT MASTER LIST OF THE 188, WE CAN PIECE AND PARCEL IT HOWEVER WE WANT BY PRECINCT, BY, ZIP CODE, BY RADIUS AROUND ONE OF THE MEETING LOCATIONS. SO WE CAN REALLY PICK AND CHOOSE AND PLAY WITH HOW WE WOULD LIKE TO PROCEED. AND SO THE MORE FOCUSED OPTIONS MIGHT BE SENDING OUT ONE MASS 188,000 MESSAGE AND THEN PICKING AS WE APPROACH THE MEETING DATES, PICKING, PERHAPS MORE KNOWN VOTERS THAT ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE ENGAGED, MORE LIKELY TO WANT TO COME OUT TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS PROCESS THAT ARE WITHIN A TWO MILE RADIUS OF THE MEETING LOCATION, RIGHT? OR IN THE SAME ZIP CODE TO SAY, TONIGHT THERE'S A MEETING DOWN THE STREET, OR TOMORROW NIGHT THERE'S A MEETING DOWN THE STREET. PLEASE COME OUT. SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT WHERE THE IT'S A COMBINATION OF A BROAD BRUSH TO TRY AND REACH AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN, BUT THEN ALSO REALLY FOCUSING ON THE LOCATION AND MEETING SITES AS WELL. AND THAT ONE MASS IS, THE IS ABOUT 15 TO 1. YES. SO YOU SEE THAT TOTAL COST THERE IS 15,500, AND THAT IS, SOME OF THOSE ARE FIXED COSTS THAT WON'T BE REPEATED EVERY TIME. BUT THAT TO SEND THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT 15,000 EVERY TIME WE, WE MESSAGE 188,000. THEN AS WE BREAK IT DOWN INTO PRECINCTS, ARE WE STILL GOING TO BE WITHIN THE 60,000? YES. SO WE WOULDN'T I THINK THE RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE TO SEND OUT ONE MASS MESSAGE IF THE COURT IS IN AGREEMENT WITH THAT, AND THEN AS WE START MOVING INTO THE MEETINGS, DO MORE FOCUSED TARGETING OF RESIDENTS AND PERHAPS KNOWN VOTERS THAT ARE WITHIN A CERTAIN RADIUS OF THE MEETING SITES TO LET PEOPLE KNOW, HEY, THIS MEETING IS HAPPENING DOWN THE STREET BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE FOLKS THAT ARE MORE LIKELY TO COME OUT. AND BECAUSE WE'VE ENSURED THAT WE HAVE MEETING SITES ACROSS ALL OF YOUR PRECINCTS WILL STILL ENSURE THAT WE HAVE SOME SOME GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY IN TERMS OF WHO COMES OUT TO THE MEETINGS AND FROM WHERE AND WHAT COMMUNITIES. WHAT HOW MANY MEETINGS ARE WE GOING TO HAVE IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN THE SECOND ROUND? THREE, IT'LL BE 12 TOTAL, THREE, THREE MORE PER PRECINCT. IN ADDITION TO THOSE 12, I ALSO WANT TO NOT FORGET WE ARE ALSO DOING MEETINGS AND OUTREACH WITH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS. I THINK LAST TIME THIS IS SOME OF THE FEEDBACK YOU ALL GAVE US. BUT WE WERE DOING LIKE SOME CAPTIVE AUDIENCES, GOING TO DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS, AND PRESENTING TO THOSE GROUPS AS WELL. I'M GOOD WITH THE ONE MASS TEXT AND THEN THE TARGETED, TEXT TO THE TO THE PRECINCTS BEFORE THE MEETINGS. THEN JUDGE COMMISSIONERS, I THINK WHAT WE WOULD, WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR US IS JUST A MOTION TO, DIRECT STAFF TO PRESENT THE BOAC RECOMMENDATIONS AS MODIFIED BY THE COMMISSIONERS COURT LAST WEEK. IF YOU ALL REMEMBER, THERE WAS MODIFICATIONS TO A FEW OF THE PROJECTS WE'VE MADE THAT, THOSE MODIFICATIONS TO THE PROJECT LIST AND THEN TO ADOPT THIS OUTREACH PLAN AS, AS PRESENTED TODAY. AND THAT'LL GIVE US THE GREEN LIGHT TO START RUNNING ADS AND MOVE EVERYTHING ALONG. JUDGE IDA. YES QUESTION, JUST JUST REAL QUICK. I, I WANTED TO, MENTION ONE MORE THING, REGARDING THE COLISEUM, AND I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLY BEING ABLE TO USE HOT FUNDS TO BE ABLE TO, DO A REVENUE, A REVENUE BOND. BUT, AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO ADVOCATE I THINK IT WOULD BE A MISTAKE TO NOT, MOVE FORWARD WITH THE COLISEUM. IT'S A HISTORIC BUILDING. IT'S ACCESSIBLE FROM ALL PARTS OF TOWN, FROM JUAREZ. IT'S COMPLETELY PAID FOR, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE COULD DO A LOT, FOR THAT, THAT BUILDING, YOU KNOW, AND EVEN WITH THE BRIDGE OF THE AMERICAS, WE'RE AN ISSUE.

I JUST DON'T WANT THE PUBLIC OR THE GSA TO THINK THAT WE'RE TAKING OPTIONS AT ACTIONS THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE WE'RE WE'RE GIVING. WE WANT TO GIVE IT UP OR THAT WE'RE NOT INTERESTED. I COULD DEFINITELY SEE PEOPLE SAYING, OH, THE COUNTY DIDN'T PRIORITIZE THE COLISEUM AND ITS BOND, AND THAT MEANS THAT THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT IT. AND I DON'T WANT IT TO SERVE AS, A REASON FOR THE GSA OR ANYBODY ELSE TO, TO SAY THAT THAT, THAT PROJECT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT THAT WE WANT TO PRIORITIZE, SO I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WOULD LOWER ITS VALUE IF THEY WERE TO TAKE IT FROM US. AND, YOU KNOW, THE AMOUNT OF

[04:30:07]

MONEY THAT WE THAT WE MIGHT GET FROM IT IF THEY DID TAKE IT FROM US, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST VERY CONCERNED THAT IT'S NOT THERE. I AGREE, AND I THOUGHT THAT WE HAD THAT THOSE WERE SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WERE GOING TO BE INCLUDED. BUT IN THE LIST THAT I SEE, I SEE THE CHANGES TO THE FUNDING AMOUNT, BUT I DON'T SEE THE INCLUSION OF THE ADDITIONAL PROJECTS THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT. THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH, THAT WAS MISSING FROM THE BACKUP. AND SO THE ADDITIONAL PROJECTS FOR THE COLISEUM, THE EAST SIDE ANNEX IMPROVEMENTS, THE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE TO GALLEGOS PARK AND THEN THE SHERIFF'S SUBSTATION ALONG MISSION RIDGE. SO THOSE FOUR PROJECTS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE BOARD'S. SO THOSE THOSE BOARDS ARE GOING TO BE PRODUCED AND AVAILABLE AT THE MEETINGS, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE INCLUDED. WE ARE GOING TO GET THE FEEDBACK, FROM THE PUBLIC, IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS THAT WE'VE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED WITH THE COURT. OKAY. YES, MA'AM. GREAT. OKAY. SO SO IT WILL BE PRESENTED THEN? YES.

OKAY AND SO JUST TO CLARIFY, THESE ARE NOT NO PROJECTS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN, BUT JUST SO THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS THESE ARE THE PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING TO BE BROUGHT BACK OUT TO THE PUBLIC FOR MORE INPUT AND INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLIC. SO WE'VE NARROWED THE, THE, THE, THE LIST DOWN TO THESE. THESE HAVE RISEN TO THE TOP, BUT WE STILL WANT MORE FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC, AND THEN WHEN FOLKS COME TO THE MEETING, THEY'RE ALSO BEING GIVEN A TAKEAWAY THAT EXPLAINS THE FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS THE COUNTY HAS WITH SOME OF THE TERMS THAT THEY'LL USE DURING THE MEETINGS, ARE, SO THAT RESIDENTS CONTINUE TO HAVE THAT PIECE OF INFORMATION AS THEY MOVE FORWARD THROUGH THROUGH THIS PROCESS, ULTIMATELY INTO NOVEMBER, IF THE ELECTION IS CALLED. AND, ONE MORE, ONE MORE QUESTION, JOSE, I KNOW WE'VE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A NUMBER OF DOWNTOWN PROPERTY OWNERS, THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT THAT HAVE EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN A CAPITAL FUND THAT COULD BE REPAID WITH HISTORIC TAX CREDITS, WHICH ARE ONLY PAID BACK AFTER THE WORK IS DONE, SO MANY TIMES, THE IMPEDIMENT TO RENOVATION IS TYPICALLY A LACK OF CAPITAL UP FRONT CAPITAL. AND SO I KNOW THAT THERE'S LOTS OF WORK OUT, BUT I THINK THE CONCEPT IS SIMPLE. IF THE COUNTY CAN PROVIDE UPFRONT CAPITAL, IT'S GOT A BUILT IN PAYBACK MECHANISM VIA THE TAX CREDITS. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN USE, BOND FUNDS LIKE THIS FOR? WE WOULD NEED TO WORK WITH BOND COUNSEL TO DETERMINE, DEFINITIVELY WHETHER OR NOT THAT WOULD THAT WOULD BE ALLOWED. AND SOME OF THE PRELIMINARY CONVERSATIONS THAT THAT WE'VE HAD ON THAT TOPIC, THE ANSWER'S GENERALLY BEEN THAT IT'S NOT PERMISSIBLE TO USE THESE BECAUSE THIS IS MORE OF AN OPERATING. FUND, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT AT THE STAFF LEVEL, WE COULD WE COULD LOOK TO DO BECAUSE IT EFFECTIVELY BECOMES A REVOLVING LOAN FUND, EXCEPT THE REPAYMENT IS TIED TO THE TAX CREDIT, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT MORE SECURE OF A REPAYMENT FORM VERSUS A PRIVATE BUSINESS HAVING TO MAKE THOSE LOANS AND THE DMD SUPPORT OF THE PLANNING PROCESS THUS FAR THAT THE COUNTY RECEIVED DID INCLUDE A NOTE TO ESTABLISH SOME SORT OF ASSISTANCE FOR HISTORIC PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, OR FOR THE COUNTY TO MAKE INVESTMENTS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA AND SO, YEAH, AND I THINK THAT WOULD HELP NOT ONLY WITH, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE SOME OF THE, EFFORTS THAT WE WANT TO EMBARK UPON TO HELP FOLKS TAP INTO TAX CREDITS, RIGHT? WITH THE CREATION OF THE SEGUNDO BARRIO DISTRICT. AND STILL HOPEFULLY IT'S STILL PENDING. THE DOWNTOWN, THE DOWNTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT. I MEAN, PART OF THE REASON WHY WE WANTED TO CREATE THOSE IS SO THAT PEOPLE WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE TAX CREDITS, BUT, AGAIN, IT'S THE UPFRONT CAPITAL THAT'S THAT'S DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO COME UP WITH. I, I KNOW JOSE MENTIONED TALKING TO BOND COUNCIL. I DON'T THINK THAT WOULD QUALIFY. WE'VE HAD OTHER REQUESTS IN THE PAST TO BE ABLE TO USE BOND MONEY FOR SOME OTHER, PRIVATE REBUILDING OF SOMETHING OR INVESTMENT INTO SOMETHING, AND IT'S NOT BEEN ALLOWED, BUT THERE MAY BE ANOTHER MECHANISM TO DO THAT. WE, WE NEED TO LOOK INTO POSSIBLY WITH, HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, CREATING SOME KIND OF FUND THROUGH THAT MECHANISM OR SOME KIND OF LOAN, GUARANTEE PROGRAM THROUGH HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX. BUT IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE CAN EXPLORE IF, THE COURT'S INTERESTED AND I DO THINK THAT'S A HUGE BARRIER TO SO MUCH OF THE , THE REMODELING AND THE MODERNIZATION, BUT MAINTAINING HISTORIC PRESERVATION. YEAH. AND I KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD, PROJECTS IN THE PAST WHERE WE'VE HAD REVOLVING LOAN FUNDS AND IT KIND OF DIDN'T WORK VERY WELL. BUT BECAUSE THIS WOULD BE LIKE TAX CREDIT BASED, I THINK IT WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. AND A BETTER OPPORTUNITY. JUDGE MAY AND HAVE WE CHECKED INTO WITH

[04:35:01]

OUR NOT JUST OUR, OUR LEGAL COUNSEL BUT OUR BOND COUNSEL ABOUT BEING ABLE TO USE DIFFERENT TERMINOLOGY FOR THESE MEETINGS? YES. SO ONE THING I DON'T THINK THE PUBLIC REALLY GETS THE MESSAGE THAT THIS IS PROPOSED BY AND PROJECTS. YES, SIR. AND ARE WE PREVENTED FROM DOING THAT. YES SIR. SO WE DID CLARIFY THAT. AND MOVING FORWARD WE WILL BE, USING THE LANGUAGE THAT THE COUNTY IS GOING OUT FOR OR IS LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK ON A POTENTIAL BOND AS EARLY AS NOVEMBER OF 2024. AND SO OUR CONCERN AT THE STAFF LEVEL IS ALWAYS ENSURING THAT WE'RE NOT, PUTTING THE COURT IN A POSITION WHERE YOU ARE IT'S BEING SAID THAT YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT BE DOING RIGHT, BECAUSE THE COURT STILL HAS NOT YET CALLED AN ELECTION.

AND SO THAT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WE ALSO FEEL IN SPEAKING WITH, WITH BARRACUDA AND OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM HERE, THAT WILL HAVE, MORE TURNOUT BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL BE MORE INTERESTED IN HEARING A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, THE COUNTY'S POTENTIAL BOND ISSUANCE IN THE FUTURE. AND WE CAN'T, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVEN'T, YOU KNOW, HAVEN'T DISCUSSED THE ISSUE OF WHETHER TO GO OUT FOR BONDS OR NOT. WE'RE NOT ABLE TO TAG SOME OTHER LANGUAGE TO IT, LIKE FORWARD OR ONWARD LOOKING EL PASO OR EL PASO. EL PASO COUNTY, JUST VOTE. WE I KNOW WE CAN'T DO THAT PARTICULAR PHRASE YET. MAYBE LATER BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ADVOCATING FOR OR AGAINST IT.

WE'RE JUST ADVOCATING THAT PEOPLE GO OUT AND VOTE. I WOULD DEFER TO THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WHO HAVE BEEN CLOSELY IN COORDINATION WITH THE WITH BOND COUNSEL, TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION . AFTERNOON. JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS CLAUDIA AND ASSISTANT COUNTY ATTORNEY, JUST TO CLARIFY, IF IT'S PRE MEASURE COMMISSIONER, RIGHT NOW, THERE COULD BE ANY SORTS OF LANGUAGE.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE FREE. RIGHT. WELL, WE CAN SAY, WELL, WE CAN PUT IN THE MAILERS AND THE TEXT MESSAGES, WE JUST HAVE TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CAREFUL BECAUSE OF THAT IS STILL AROUND AFTER THE MEASURE IS CALLED, IT BECOMES A MEASURE, RIGHT? ONCE THE ELECTION IS CALLED AND IT CAN ONLY BE INFORMATIONAL, JUST STRICTLY INFORMATIONAL. AND THAT'S WHEN WE HAVE TO BE REALLY CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT KIND OF LANGUAGE WE USE, BECAUSE IT COULD BE INTERPRETED AS POLITICAL ADVERTISING. SO JUST ONCE IT IS CALLED, THEN THAT'S EVERYTHING NEEDS TO STOP AND JUST BE PURELY INFORMATIONAL. SO ASSUMING THAT THAT THE COURT DECIDES TO CALL FOR A BOND ELECTION IN AUGUST AFTER THAT, CAN OUR LANGUAGE SAY TO PEOPLE THAT WE REACH OUT, VOTE EL PASO? I'M NOT SAYING WE'RE NOT SAYING VOTE AGAINST IT OR FORWARD FOR IT. WE'RE JUST SAYING, PLEASE GO OUT AND VOTE. I DO BELIEVE THAT IT IS ALWAYS YOU'RE ALWAYS ABLE TO ENCOURAGE THE CITIZENS TO VOTE RIGHT? FOR WHETHER IT'S A BOND OR ANYTHING ELSE, YOU KNOW, TO GO OUT AND VOTE. BUT WE JUST HAVE TO BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL TO NOT MAKE TO MAKE IT NOT MAKE IT SEEM LIKE YOU'RE SAYING VOTE FOR IN FAVOR OF THE VOTE, RIGHT. AND WE'D BE HAPPY TO ONCE YOU HAVE WE HAVE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE, YOU KNOW, WITH WITH THE DEPARTMENT AND THE ASSISTANCE OF BARRACUDA TO JUST RELOOK AT EVERYTHING.

THESE ARE VARIOUS, TEXAS ETHICS COMMISSION OPINIONS THAT ARE VERY FACT SPECIFIC. SO IF MAYBE WE THINK SOME OF THE WORDS ARE IT'S MORE LIKE ADVOCACY OR NOT, IF IT'S JUST VOTE, MAYBE THAT'S FINE. BUT WE CAN ASSESS THAT ONCE WE HAVE THE LANGUAGE AFTER THE MEASURE IS CALLED. RIGHT.

AND RIGHT NOW COULD WE ATTACH SAFE LANGUAGE TO ATTRACT PEOPLE TO THE MEETING FORWARD? EL PASO PROPOSED BOND, MEASURES OR WHATEVER THAT THAT ONE. I KNOW WE'VE HAVE SPECIFICALLY DISCUSSED WITH BOND COUNSEL AND THEY'VE SAID NO. OKAY. COMMISSIONER, A LOT OF THE RISK COMES WITH THESE, MATERIALS SURVIVING RIGHT NOW WITH NO BOND MEASURE IN PLACE. RIGHT. THERE'S NO ISSUE. BUT THEN IF THESE MATERIALS CONTINUE TO SURVIVE AND THERE IS AN ISSUE PLACED, THEN IT COULD BE THAT WE WERE, ADVERTISING, WE WERE ENGAGING IN POLITICAL ADVERTISING WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE WOULD EVENTUALLY GO OUT FOR A POLITICAL MEASURE. AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THE RISK AND THE CONCERN COMES IN. AND SO, IN AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION, WE'VE WE'VE NARROWED THAT DOWN. BUT WE HAVE DISCUSSED ENSURING THAT WE CAN USE THE WORD BOND.

AND THAT'S MORE AN OPERATIONAL ISSUE BECAUSE NOW WE KNOW ONE BOAC HAS RECOMMENDED IT. AND TWO, YOU ALL ARE SET TO CONSIDER VOTING ON THAT. AND SO AT THIS POINT, AGAIN, WE FEEL IF WE FEEL COMFORTABLE NOW LETTING PEOPLE KNOW THERE'S A POTENTIAL BOND ON THE WAY AND COME LEARN MORE ABOUT IT. WHAT ABOUT USING THE WORD PREPARE EL PASO OR PLAN EL PASO FOR THESE MEETINGS? SO COMMISSIONER, WE DID GIVE DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT MOTTOES, LOGOS, ALL OF THEM BROUGHT BACK THAT SAME CONCERN THAT IT IT COULD BE INTERPRETED THAT AND, YOU KNOW, WE WERE JUST AS YOU ALL RECALL, THE, I THINK YOU ALL GOT THIS IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, BUT WE GOT AN OVERVIEW OF ALL THE LEGAL RISK AND CONCERNS AND ALL OF THOSE RISK AND CONCERNS GO ALONG WITH JUST ABOUT ANY OF THOSE MESSAGES THAT WE THOUGHT WERE VERY, BASIC AND DIRECT, BUT THEY THERE REALLY WASN'T A SAFE

[04:40:04]

OPTION, LIKE EVEN PLAN EL PASO. WE COULD ASK SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT PLAN EL PASO, BUT WE HAD LIKE VISION AND WE HAD, FORWARD. WE HAD WE HAD A LOT OF MOCKUPS FROM FROM THE BARRACUDA TEAM, AND WE HAD A SPECIFIC CALL WITH BOND COUNSEL, AND THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THE, THE CHANGES TO A MORE GENERIC MULTIYEAR CAPITAL PLAN. YEAH AND I COULD SEE MAYBE WHERE YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOMETHING THAT SAYS LIKE VISION OR WHATEVER THAT COULD BE INTERPRETED AS ACTING FORWARD, BUT PLAN I DON'T KNOW ABOUT. AND I DO I, I'M OF COURSE IT WILL DEPEND ON ABOUT THE TIME WHEN THE COURT GETS TO THE DECISION OF MAKING AN ORDER FOR AN ELECTION OR NOT, BUT THERE WILL PROBABLY BE OTHER PARTIES OUT THERE WHO WILL DO THAT SEPARATELY FROM THE COUNTY, ORGANIZATIONS THAT WOULD LOVE TO SEE ADVANCEMENTS OR SEE SOME OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS, OR THOSE WHO MIGHT BE OPPOSED. BUT I THINK YOU MAY HAVE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WITH MESSAGING OUT THERE, WITH SOME KIND OF PLAN EL PASO OR INVEST OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE. OKAY. BUT IF THE COURT'S IN AGREEMENT, WE CAN, WORK TO SEE IF WE CAN ACTIVATE SOME OF THOSE OLDER DESIGNS AND BRANDING , WITH BARRACUDA, BUT WE'LL HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, RUN IT BY THE BOND COUNSEL ONCE MORE JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT IF THERE IS MORE FLEXIBILITY, HOW WE CAN ACHIEVE THAT. AND IF NOT, THEN WE'LL STICK WITH THE CONSISTENT LOGO AND BRAND THAT WE'VE LAUNCHED. BUT THE MESSAGING AROUND IT WILL BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME AT A MINIMUM. OKAY AND ONE LAST COMPONENT BEFORE THE COURT, CONSIDERS ANY ACTION, JUST AN UPDATE ON OUTREACH STRATEGISTS. WE DID HAVE A KICKOFF MEETING WITH THEM, WE'LL BE MEETING, PRETTY REGULARLY. THEY ARE WORKING ON GETTING US A TIMELINE, AND WE'LL SHARE THAT TIMELINE WITH YOU ALL WHERE THEY WILL CONDUCT FOCUS GROUPS, ONE PER PRECINCT. WE DO DISCUSS THE NEED TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S, DIVERSE REPRESENTATION ACROSS ALL DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE OF THE COUNTY, ESPECIALLY GIVEN SOME OF THE, SOCIALLY VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES THAT THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE COUNTY, SO THEY'RE PUTTING THAT PLAN TOGETHER AND WE'LL SHARE MORE DETAILS WITH THE COURT AS THAT BECOMES AVAILABLE. ONE ITEM THAT AFFECTS THE OUTREACH WITH BARRACUDA AND OUTREACH STRATEGISTS, AT THE SAME TIME, IS THE ONLINE SURVEY, IN PERSON, WE ARE GOING TO ASK FOR FEEDBACK ON ALL 100 PROJECTS, THE EXERCISE THAT WILL BE RUNNING THROUGH THIS WEEK WITH YOUR STAFF AND WITH OUR DEPARTMENTS, ALLOWS FOR IT TO BE DONE IN PERSON. WE DO HAVE A CONCERN ON THAT. ONLINE. YOU'LL HAVE SURVEY FATIGUE IF YOU TRY AND ASK FOR THAT. I KNOW WE DISCUSSED THIS LAST WEEK, AND SO WE'VE HAD SOME COORDINATION WITH WITH THE CONSULTANTS, JUST THIS MORNING ACTUALLY, AND SO THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING AT PERHAPS PRIORITIZING THE CATEGORIES OF PROJECTS AND CREATING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR FOLKS TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF PARK PROJECTS, WHAT TYPE OF FIRST TIME WATER AND WASTEWATER PROJECTS, BUT LETTING IT BE A VERY HIGH LEVEL COLLECTION OF DATA TO ENSURE THAT THE PUBLIC IS ABLE TO GIVE US FEEDBACK ON CATEGORY, AND SO WANTED JUST TO APPRIZE THE COURT OF THAT BECAUSE IT IS A LITTLE BIT OF, DIFFERENT SET OF DATA THAT WILL BE COLLECTED IN PERSON VERSUS ONLINE THROUGH THESE SURVEYS. BUT IN COORDINATION WITH THEM WITH WITH OUR TWO CONSULTANTS, THEY FEEL THAT THAT'S THE PATH FORWARD, THAT THEY WOULD RECOMMEND JUST TO ENSURE THAT WE DO GET, AS MUCH FEEDBACK AS POSSIBLE, BUT ALSO RECOGNIZING THAT WE WANT TO CREATE THIS REPOSITORY OF INFORMATION IN CASE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC DO WANT TO TAKE THE DEEP DIVE AND GIVE US MORE INFORMATION. WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION THERE. AND PERHAPS A COMMON FEEDBACK FORM FOR PEOPLE TO SUBMIT THAT INFORMATION IF THEY'D LIKE. SO IT'LL BE A COMBINATION OF, SURVEY DATA THAT'S COLLECTED BY BARRACUDA AND BY OUTREACH. AND THEN THE VERY DELIBERATE 100 PROJECT QUESTIONNAIRE, EFFECTIVELY, FOR THE IN-PERSON MEETINGS. THANK YOU. SO THEN, IF THE COURT WOULD CONSIDER THE MOTION TO. YEAH. OH. THAT'S RIGHT. YOU. SORRY I HAVEN'T BEEN UP HERE WHEN YOU ALL VOTE ANYMORE, NOW THAT YOU'VE CHANGED IT. SORRY I APOLOGIZE. WE HAVE A MOTION BY JUDGE SAMANIEGO, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER LEON. THE VOTING IS OPEN. JUDGE ARE YOU ABLE TO VOTE? OKAY. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. JUDGE. COMMISSIONERS IF I MAY, I APOLOGIZE. I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T THANK ALL OF THE HARD WORKING COUNTY STAFF, A LOT OF

[04:45:07]

WHOM WERE RECOGNIZED TODAY DURING PUBLIC WORKS WEEK. SOME OF THEM ARE HERE, BUT THE HOURS THAT PUBLIC WORKS HAS DIVED INTO THIS, OPERATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS IN TERMS OF BEING OUT THERE AND WORKING WITH OUR CONSULTANTS AND THEN THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THEIR COORDINATION WITH US INTERNALLY AND OUR BOAC AS WELL. IT'S BEEN A VERY, AMAZING PROCESS TO SEE ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT FEEDBACK, POINTS OF VIEW AND IDEAS COME TOGETHER INTO THIS PROCESS. AND SO, IT'S BEEN A IT'S BEEN AMAZING TO SEE ALL THAT COME TOGETHER. SO WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. AND THAT GOES TO JOSE AND MELISSA AND THEIR TEAMS AS WELL. THANK YOU GUYS. ITEM

[A. Pursuant to the Texas Local Government Code § 114.023, 114.024, 114.025 and 114.026, accept the attached presentation and the interim financial report for the month ended April 30, 2024. The interim financial report is located on the internet at: http://www.epcountytx.gov/auditor/publications/monthlyreports.htm. Barbara Parker, County Auditor, County Auditor, 915-273-3262]

NUMBER EIGHT AUDITOR EIGHT A PURSUANT TO THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 114.023114.024114.025 AND 114.026, EXCEPT THE ATTACHED PRESENTATION AND THE INTERIM FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE MONTH ENDED APRIL 30TH, 2024, THE INTERIM FINANCIAL REPORT IS LOCATED ON THE INTERNET AT HTTP COLON. FORWARD SLASH FORWARD SLASH W W W DOT EP COUNTY.

TX.GOV/AUDITOR/PUBLICATIONS/MONY REPORTS.TM. GOOD AFTERNOON JUDGE COMMISSIONERS BARBARA PARKER COUNTY AUDITOR AND TODAY'S PRESENTATION AS MENTIONED IS ON THE APRIL 2024 INTERIM FINANCIAL REPORT. THIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SHOWS THE REVENUES AND EXPENSES OF ALL FUNDS FOR THE CURRENT YEAR. IT ALSO SHOWS THE PERCENTAGE OF BUDGET THAT HAS BEEN REACHED. THIS IS THE CONSOLIDATED FORMAT THAT'S PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY PAPER. THIS SLIDE REPRESENTS ALL REVENUE COLLECTED WITHIN THE COUNTY, BROKEN DOWN BY FUND TYPE . THE FOCUS THROUGHOUT THIS PRESENTATION WILL BE EMPHASIZING THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH IS THE MAIN OPERATING FUND OF THE COUNTY, AND DURING THE CURRENT MONTH, THE GENERAL FUND COLLECTED APPROXIMATELY $19.3 MILLION. THIS SLIDE GIVES US THE TOTAL PROPERTY TAXES COLLECTED AS OF APRIL. THEY INCREASED $45 MILLION COMPARED TO FISCAL YEAR 23. THE GENERAL FUND PROPERTY TAXES INCREASED BY 41.4 MILLION IN TOTAL. THE BREAKDOWN OF FISCAL YEAR 24 YEAR TO DATE GENERAL FUND REVENUE, COLLECTIONS BY REVENUE TYPE COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST FISCAL YEAR ARE SHOWN ON THIS TABLE. THE TOTAL GENERAL FUND REVENUE COLLECTIONS HAVE INCREASED COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD IN THE PRIOR YEAR. THE TOP AREAS INCREASING WERE PROPERTY TAXES, WHICH INCREASED 41.4 MILLION SALES, AND USE TAX FOR STATE MOTOR VEHICLES, THEY INCREASED 7.4 MILLION. THIS IS A TIMING ISSUE. LAST YEAR WE RECEIVED THE FUNDS IN FISCAL MONTH EIGHT, NOT FISCAL MONTH SEVEN. THE TOTAL AMOUNT RECEIVED DID, HOWEVER, DECREASE BY $27,000 COMPARED TO LAST YEAR.

SO THAT WILL BE BROUGHT UP NEXT. NEXT REPORT. OTHER FINANCING SOURCES INCREASED BY 2.6 MILLION. AND ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS PRIMARILY DUE TO THE REPAYMENT FROM THE HEALTH FUND INTEREST INCREASE BY 1.9 MILLION. INTERGOVERNMENTAL WAS 1.3 MILLION, PRIMARILY DUE TO FEMA REIMBURSEMENT OF 1.4 MILLION, WHICH WAS OFFSET BY THE UMMC LEGAL DECREASE OF 682,000. WE NO LONGER HAVE THAT CONTRACT AT THE TOP AREA. DECREASING, OF COURSE, IS CHARGES FOR SERVICES, WHICH WAS DECREASED BY $5.4 MILLION. THE MAJORITY OF THAT WAS THE FEDERAL PRISONER DECREASE. IT WAS $5.6 MILLION. IT WAS OFFSET BY A FEW INCREASES. THIS SLIDE IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE REVENUE COLLECTED COMPARED TO THE ESTIMATED BUDGET FOR THE YEAR. AS OF APRIL 2024, 58.3% OF THE FISCAL YEAR HAS EXPIRED. SO FAR THIS YEAR, GENERAL FUND HAS COLLECTED 83.7% OF BUDGETED REVENUES. THIS ANALYSIS EXCLUDES $91.7 MILLION, WHICH IS DESIGNATED FOR FUND BALANCE RESERVES. OF THE TOTAL YEAR TO DATE REVENUES COLLECTED AS OF FISCAL MONTH SEVEN, TAXES COMPRISED APPROXIMATELY 89.9%

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.

RESOLUTIONS

COUNTY ADMINISTRATION

AUDITOR

May 20, 2024 Commissioners Court Regular

RESOLUTIONS

COUNTY ADMINISTRATION

AUDITOR

Link

Social

Embed

Download

Download Selected Item