B. Discuss and take appropriate action to approve and adopt the amended County Managerial Operations Policy. (#10397-OP) Betsy C. Keller, Chief Administrator, County Administration, 915-273-3600

[A. Approve and adopt a resolution recognizing the opening of LJA Engineering’s El Paso office and declaring December 17, 2025, as LJA Engineering Day in El Paso County, Texas. David Stout, Commissioner, Precinct 2, 915-273-3559]

COUNTY, TEXAS. ALL RIGHT. JUDGE WELL, JUDGE, COMMISSIONERS, VERY PROUD TO TO BE ABLE TO WELCOME LJ ENGINEERING. IF Y'ALL WOULD LIKE TO COME UP TO THE PODIUM AS I AS I SPEAK AND READ THE RESOLUTION, JUST WANT TO WELCOME THIS FIRM FORMALLY TO EL PASO. IT'S AN EMPLOYEE OWNED COMPANY. IT CONSISTENTLY RANKS HIGH WHEN IT COMES TO BEST WORKPLACES FOR ENGINEERING.

AND IN THE ENGINEERING WORLD. AND AS STATED IN ENGINEERING.COM, EVERY EMPLOYEE DOWN TO THE INTERNS RECEIVES AN ANNUAL EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN, OR ESOP CONTRIBUTION IN THE FORM OF COMPANY STOCK. I THINK THAT'S PRETTY COOL TO TO TO TO BE ABLE TO OWN WHAT YOU'RE WORKING FOR, THE COMPANY THAT YOU'RE WORKING FOR. SO VERY HAPPY TO WELCOME THE LJ TO AN EL PASO OFFICE. AS ONE OF THE COMPANY'S 80 OFFICES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. SO WITH THAT, I'LL READ THE RESOLUTION. AND THEN AND THEN WE CAN HEAR FROM FROM THE MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZATION. THE RESOLUTION STATES. WHEREAS LJ WAS ESTABLISHED TO BE A PREMIER ENGINEERING FIRM ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES AND BEYOND, BY PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY, INNOVATIVE AND COST EFFECTIVE SERVICES TO THEIR CLIENTS. AND WHEREAS LJ EL PASO FOCUSES ON ENHANCING THE COMMUNITIES IT SERVES THROUGH TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS AIMED AT FURTHER FURTHERING CONNECTIVITY AND ECONOMIC VITALITY. THESE PROJECTS, SUCH AS NEW ROADWAY OR ENHANCING INTERNATIONAL BRIDGES OR ANCHOR PROJECTS FOR THE SOUTHWEST REGION, WHICH INCLUDE EMPLOYEE OWNERS OFFERING THEIR STRENGTH OF CAPABILITY FROM ACROSS TEXAS, INCLUDING AN OFFICE IN SAN ANTONIO, LAREDO, AND VERY SOON HERE IN EL PASO. AND WHEREAS OVERALL, LJ HAS A TOTAL OF 70 LOCATIONS IN 2700 EMPLOYEES ACROSS TEXAS, TENNESSEE, OKLAHOMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, ARIZONA, ALABAMA, MISSOURI, NEVADA, AND COLORADO. AND THEY HAVE RECENTLY BEEN NAMED THE 2025 USA TODAY TOP WORKPLACE IN THE NATION. AND WHEREAS THE COMPANY FEATURES EXPERTISE IN THE FOLLOWING SECTORS, INCLUDING TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKS, LAND DEVELOPMENT, ENERGY, ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEYING, RAIL AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS. AND WHEREAS, LJ TEAM UNDERSTANDS AND CARES DEEPLY ABOUT THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE, BUILDING UPON A 53 YEAR LEGACY OF MUTUAL TRUST AMONG STAFF AND CLIENTS, THEIR EMPLOYEE OWNED AND CLIENT FOCUSED. AND NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, THAT

[00:20:05]

THE EL PASO COUNTY JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS COURT WELCOMES THE DECEMBER 17TH GRAND OPENING AND RECOGNIZES LJ ENGINEERING AS A PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYER THAT PROVIDES FOR QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGH ITS EMPLOYEE OWNERS, AS MEMBERS OF THIS COMMUNITY, AND HEREBY PROCLAIM DECEMBER 17TH, 2025 AS LJ ENGINEERING DAY IN EL PASO COUNTY, TEXAS. SIGNED THIS 15TH DAY OF DECEMBER 2025. GENERAL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT, WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. THE VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES.

WELCOME. SAY SOMETHING VERY QUICKLY, COMMISSIONER STOUT. AND COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. WE'RE VERY EXCITED. WE'VE BEEN DOING WORK HERE IN EL PASO FOR OVER A DECADE, BUT WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO OPEN OUR BRICK AND MORTAR SHOP HERE AND KIND OF USE OUR 2000 PLUS RESOURCES HERE IN THE STATE TO HOPEFULLY MAKE EL PASO BETTER. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE. AND THANK YOU ALL FOR HONORING US WITH THIS FOR OUR GRAND OPENING ON WEDNESDAY.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE. IF YOU ALL ARE AVAILABLE, PLEASE STOP BY. THANK YOU. CAN YOU STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD AND ALSO HAVE EVERYBODY INTRODUCE THEMSELVES? YEAH.

THIS IS CARLOS VALDERRAMA WITH LJ ENGINEERING. THANK YOU. MICHAEL NEVAREZ WITH LJ DANIEL CERVANTES LJ. LAURA LJ GOOD MORNING. AND CRISTIAN ESCALANTE WITH LJ. WELL, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE NEW OPERATIONS OPENING UP. OBVIOUSLY YOU'VE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE AND I'M SURE MOST OF YOU ARE FROM EL PASO ORIGINALLY. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S GREAT TO SEE THAT, THAT A COMPANY THIS SIZE IS, IS LOOKING AT EL PASO AND MAKING CHANGES. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND CONGRATULATIONS. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL ON WEDNESDAY. AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND TAKE A PICTURE WITH THE RESOLUTION HERE IN FRONT OF THE DAIS.

ITEM FIVE BE APPROVE AND ADOPT A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING KENYA MARISOL HUERTA MEDINA AND HOSPICE OF EL PASO'S BUTTERFLY PROGRAM. HOLIDAY TOY DRIVE. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS, FOR

[B. Approve and adopt a resolution recognizing Kenia Marisol Huerta Medina and Hospice El Paso's Butterfly Program Holiday Toy Drive. Sergio Coronado, Commissioner, Precinct 4, 915-273-3596]

ALLOWING ME TO PRESENT THIS RESOLUTION. THIS IS REALLY. ONE OF THE SADDEST AND ONE OF THE HAPPIEST MOMENTS OF DOING THE RESOLUTION THAT I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO DO. AND I'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND READ THE RESOLUTION AND THEN WE'LL WE'LL CAN ASK EVERYBODY TO, TO SPEAK.

WHEREAS HOSPICE OF EL PASO IS THE REGION'S ONLY NONPROFIT HOSPICE ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO PROVIDING COMPASSIONATE, HIGH QUALITY END OF LIFE CARE, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AND SPIRITUAL COMFORT TO INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES FACING LIFE LIMITING ILLNESSES. AND WHEREAS, HOSPICE EL PASO'S BUTTERFLY PROGRAM SERVES PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH SPECIALIZED, DIGNIFIED AND FAMILY CENTERED CARE THAT BRINGS COMFORT, PEACE, AND MOMENTS OF JOY DURING THE MOST CHALLENGING TIMES. AND WHEREAS SEVEN YEAR OLD KENYA MARISOL HUERTA MEDINA, A PARTICIPANT IN THE BUTTERFLY PROGRAM, IS COURAGEOUSLY BATTLING DIFFUSE, INTRINSIC PONTINE GLIOMA, A CANCER AFFECTING THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. AND DESPITE HER ILLNESS, KENYA HAS EXPRESSED A HEARTFELT WITH NO TO WISH TO BRING JOY TO UNDERSERVED CHILDREN ACROSS OUR REGION. AND WHEREAS KENYA'S MOTHER, JUANA MEDINA, SHARED THAT THIS WISH REFLECTS KENYA'S GENEROUS SPIRIT, DEEP FAITH IN GOD, AND HER DREAM OF SHARING CHRISTMAS TOYS AND GIFTS WITH CHILDREN SO

[00:25:05]

THEY MAY EXPERIENCE THE JOY AND WARMTH OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON. AND WHEREAS KENYA'S BEAUTIFUL ACT OF KINDNESS EMBODIES THE MISSION OF HOSPICE EL PASO TO PROVIDE DIGNITY, COMPASSION AND MEANINGFUL MOMENTS TO PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. AND WHEREAS, HOSPICE EL PASO, TOGETHER WITH THE EL PASO COMMUNITY, WILL CELEBRATE KENYA'S WISH WITH A SPECIAL TOY DRIVE AND HOLIDAY GATHERING ENCOURAGING RESIDENTS TO DONATE NEW AND UNWRAPPED GIFTS FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES.

IN HONOR OF KENYA'S VISION OF GIVING. AND WHEREAS THE PEOPLE OF EL EL PASO COUNTY ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR GENEROSITY, UNITY AND COMPASSIONATE SPIRIT COMING TOGETHER TO UPLIFT LOCAL FAMILIES AND SUPPORT CAUSES THAT REFLECT THE VERY BEST OF OUR COMMUNITY. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE COMMISSIONERS COURT OF EL PASO COUNTY HEREBY RECOGNIZE KENYA.

MARISOL HUERTA MEDINA FOR HER EXTRAORDINARY KINDNESS, COURAGE AND SELFLESS DESIRE TO HELP OTHER CHILDREN. AND HONORS HOSPICE EL PASO AND ITS BUTTERFLY PROGRAM FOR THEIR UNWAVERING DEDICATION TO SERVING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WITH COMFORT, DIGNITY AND LOVE.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE COUNTY OF EL PASO MOVES TO RECOGNIZE KENYA. MARISOL HUERTA MEDINA FOR HER GENEROSITY AND KINDNESS AS AN EXAMPLE TO ALL RESIDENTS RECOGNIZING DECEMBER 15TH AS KENYA MARISOL HUERTA MEDINA DAY SIGNED THIS 15TH DAY OF DECEMBER 2025 BY THE HONORABLE COMMISSIONERS COURT. COUNTY JUDGE, WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER CORONADO, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BUTLER. THE VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES. HI, MY NAME IS NATALIE EKBERG. I SERVE AS VICE PRESIDENT OF PHILANTHROPY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOR HOSPICE EL PASO. MY NAME IS ROBERT RODRIGUEZ. I'M THE INTERIM CEO FOR HOSPICE EL PASO. AND WE JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL AND THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY OF EL PASO FOR EMBRACING KENYA DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME FOR HER AND HER FAMILY. HOSPICE EL PASO IS PROUD TO BE THE ONLY NONPROFIT HOSPICE PROVIDER IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THE ONLY PEDIATRIC HOSPICE PROVIDER IN OUR REGION FOR CHILDREN BATTLING LIFE THREATENING CONDITIONS. THIS WISH IS PARTICULARLY SPECIAL BECAUSE OF THE GENEROUS NATURE BEHIND THIS WISH, BUT IT ALSO GOES TO THE HEART OF WHAT A WISH IS ABOUT AT HOSPICE EL PASO. WHAT WE STRIVE TO DO AT HOSPICE EL PASO IS EMBRACE THE PATIENT AND THE FAMILY WITH LOVE AND SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THEIR ENTIRE JOURNEY. AND THIS WISH ALLOWED US TO BRING THE EL PASO COMMUNITY INTO THAT SPIRIT OF SUPPORTING KENYA AND HER FAMILY. THIS WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE, THROUGH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF EL PASOANS, MORE THAN 700 GIFTS FOR UNDERSERVED CHILDREN IN OUR REGION AND GIFTS CONTINUE TO COME IN. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S ABOUT CELEBRATING THAT GENEROSITY OF NOT JUST KENYA, BUT OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY AND SHOWING A FAMILY GOING THROUGH A CHALLENGING TIME THAT THEY ARE NOT ALONE. SO WE WANT TO THANK THE EL PASO COMMUNITY AND ESPECIALLY YOU ALL, FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND FOR YOUR ADVOCACY AND HELPING US MAKE THIS WISH FOR KENYA AND HER FAMILY SPECIAL. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. YOU KNOW. I'M JUST TAKEN ABACK THAT THIS LITTLE GIRL WOULD THINK OF EVERYBODY ELSE BUT HERSELF. YES, WE ACTUALLY ASKED HER NUMEROUS TIMES IF THERE WAS SOMETHING SHE WANTED FOR HERSELF IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS TOY DRIVE, AND SHE REPEATEDLY SAID, THIS WISH IS ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE. THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO MAKE ME HAPPY. IT'S EXTREMELY TELLING ABOUT THE GENEROUS NATURE OF THIS LITTLE ONE. UNFORTUNATELY, SHE COULDN'T BE HERE WITH US TODAY BECAUSE SHE'S BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE HOSPITAL, BUT SHE KNOWS ABOUT THIS. SHE'S THRILLED ABOUT THIS, AND HER FAMILY IS MOVED TO TEARS OVER THE KINDNESS THAT YOU ALL HAVE SHOWN HER. WELL, MY TEAM WILL BE VISITING HER LATER THIS THIS WEEK AND WE HAVE A GIFT FOR HER, AS WELL AS TWO OTHER GIFTS FOR HER TOY DRIVE. WE FELT THAT SHE ALSO NEEDED SOMEBODY TO THINK ABOUT HER. I'M SO GLAD. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. AND ONE OF THEM. THE GIFT THAT WE GOT FOR HER IS A MICO MINI, A POWERED KID SAFE ROBOT, JUST A STEAM LEARNING MUSIC AND DANCE

[00:30:05]

KIDS PODCAST, A STORY MAKER AND SO I'M SURE SHE'LL APPRECIATE THIS GIFT. AND THESE OTHER TWO THAT WILL BE FOR HER TOY DRIVE. AND WE'LL BE DELIVERING THEM TO HER, AS WELL AS A A MEAL FOR HER FAMILY RIGHT BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT KINDNESS AND THAT THOUGHTFULNESS THAT'S GOING TO BRING A HUGE SMILE TO HER FACE, WHICH SHE AND HER FAMILY NEED.

WELL, AND WE THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE WORK YOU DO. I KNOW ONE OF MY. PARENTS WENT THROUGH THAT AND SO DID MY SIGNIFICANT OTHERS TO TWO FAMILY MEMBERS WENT TO HOSPICE, AND WE DEEPLY APPRECIATE ALL THE SERVICE THAT YOU DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND THE COMPASSION THAT YOU SHOW FOR EVERYONE THAT COMES TO YOUR DOORS. IT'S TRULY OUR PLEASURE AND HONOR. WE CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT. AND THIS COMMUNITY HAS A BIG, BIG HEART WHICH WE SEE OVER AND OVER AGAIN MOST RECENTLY THROUGH THIS WISH. BUT WE WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CORONADO, FOR YOUR THOUGHTFULNESS. AND WE WILL ALSO DELIVER THIS RESOLUTION TO KENYA LATER THIS WEEK. IF YOU ALL COME TO TAKE A PICTURE.

OOPS.

ITEM NUMBER SIX IS PUBLIC COMMENT. WE DO HAVE TWO SPEAKERS. SIGN UP FOR REGULAR PUBLIC COMMENT. FIRST, WE HAVE MISS ELIZABETH CRAWFORD, AND JUST AS A REMINDER, THERE IS A FIVE MINUTE TIME LIMIT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

[PUBLIC COMMENT]

GOOD MORNING. I JUST RECENTLY LEARNED ABOUT LAS POSADAS AND SOME OF HIS BACKGROUND AND PRACTICES IN MEXICO. IN THE BIBLE, WE READ ABOUT JOSEPH AND THE VIRGIN MARY JOURNEYING TO BETHLEHEM. WE CAN IMAGINE IT MUST HAVE BEEN AN ARDUOUS TRIP. THE BEAUTIFUL VERSE LUKE TWO SEVEN DESCRIBES A JOYOUS EVENT WHEN THEY ARRIVED IN BETHLEHEM, AND SHE BROUGHT FORTH HER FIRSTBORN SON AND WRAPPED HIM IN SWADDLING CLOTHES, AND LAID HIM IN A MANGER, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR THEM IN THE INN. JOSEPH AND MARY, JEWS LIVING UNDER THE DOMINANCE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, TRAVELING TO BETHLEHEM TO OBEY THE LAWS OF THE LAND REGARDING TAXATION, WERE BLESSED ON THAT JOURNEY WITH THE BIRTH OF THE SAVIOR. WHAT LESSONS ARE IN THE BIRTH OF THE CHRIST CHILD REGARDING THOSE WHO HAVE ILLEGALLY CROSSED THE US BORDER? GOD'S CHARACTER IS ONE OF TRUTH AND COMPASSION, RIGHTEOUSNESS AND MERCY. AS AMERICANS, WE NEED TO HAVE COMPASSION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN HORRIFIC SITUATIONS WHERE GOING BACK TO ONE'S NATIVE COUNTRY OR A THIRD COUNTRY WOULD MEAN HARSH PERSECUTION OR DEATH, OR RIPPING APART A NUCLEAR FAMILY. WHEN A PERSON HAS BEEN LIVING A LIFE OF DECENCY HERE IN THE US, THERE CERTAINLY NEEDS TO BE COMPASSION IN SITUATIONS WHERE IT'S NOT FEASIBLE OR VERY DANGEROUS FOR THESE PEOPLE TO GO BACK. IF THE ALLEGATIONS OF PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE ARE AT THE EL PASO CAMP R&D TRUE, THE PERPETRATORS MUST KNOW THAT THAT GOD SEES AND GOD KNOWS AND GOD DOES NOT TAKE LIGHTLY THE PERSECUTION OF THE VULNERABLE. ANOTHER LESSON TO BE LEARNED IS THAT MARY AND JOSEPH WERE GOING DOWN TO BETHLEHEM TO OBEY THE LAWS OF THE LAND. SHE COULD EASILY HAVE USED HER PREGNANCY AS AN EXCUSE, POSSIBLY TO TO TRY TO NOT GO, BUT THEY WERE SUBJECT TO THE GOVERNING AUTHORITIES AT THAT TIME, AND THEY DID THE RIGHT THING, AND THEY WENT TO REGISTER FOR TAXATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN OUR COUNTRY ILLEGALLY, AND IT IS FEASIBLE FOR THEM TO GO BACK TO THEIR COUNTRIES. THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS TO SELF DEPORT.

I HAVE FRIENDS IN MY OWN LIFE FROM BRAZIL WHO I'VE I'VE REPEATEDLY TOLD JUST GO BACK

[00:35:03]

JUST SELF-DEPORT. AS CHRISTIANS, WE ARE TO BE LIVING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE LAND. AND SO WHEN THAT IS POSSIBLE, THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS FOR PEOPLE TO JUST SIMPLY OBEY THE GOVERNMENT AND SELF-DEPORT WE'RE TOLD IN LUKE NINE, FOR THE SON OF MAN IS NOT COME TO DESTROY MEN'S LIVES, BUT TO SAVE THEM. AND THEY WENT TO ANOTHER VILLAGE, AND IT CAME TO PASS AS THEY WENT IN THE WAY A CERTAIN MAN SAID TO HIM, LORD, I WILL FOLLOW YOU WHEREVER YOU GO. JESUS SAID TO HIM, FOXES HAVE HOLES, AND THE BIRDS OF THE AIR HAVE NESTS, BUT THE SON OF MAN HAS NOWHERE TO LAY HIS HEAD. JESUS. AND JESUS SAID TO ANOTHER MAN, NO MAN, HAVING PUT HIS HAND TO THE PLOW AND LOOKING BACK, IS FIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD. THE LORD JESUS MADE IT CLEAR THAT TO FOLLOW HIM MEANS TO OBEY HIM AND TO DO THE RIGHT THING, EVEN IN TIMES WHEN IT'S VERY DIFFICULT. WE'RE TOLD IN HEBREWS 11, BUT WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD, FOR HE THAT COMES TO GOD MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS, AND THAT HE IS A REWARDER OF THOSE THAT DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM THERE. THERE IS A COST TO FOLLOWING CHRIST AND DOING THE RIGHT THING, AND YET WE ARE CALLED ON TO FOLLOW HIM EVEN WHEN THERE IS A COST. THANK YOU SO MUCH AND HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MR. EDDIE CHAVEZ.

THANK YOU. MY NAME IS EDDIE CHAVEZ. I GUESS YOU MIGHT CALL ME. I WAS A THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION NORTHEAST. I HELPED BUILD TWO SKATE PARKS AND VARIOUS THINGS. I THINK CORONADO KNOWS ME WELL PRETTY WELL. FROM NORTHEAST, THE LION'S DEN AT DENNY'S. ANYWAYS, I MOVED OUT TO MONTANA VISTA AND I'VE BEEN CONCERNED THAT LOOKS LIKE A THIRD WORLD AREA. DON'T HAVE NO LIGHTS, NO SEWER, NO NOTHING. AND IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT I FELT LOOKED INTO OUR GOOGLE. AND I FOUND THAT IN JUNE 8TH, 2023, THE STATE ALLOCATED $23 MILLION FOR THE PROJECT FOR MONTANA VISTA, PARTICULARLY TO GET SEWER AND WATER AND A PUMP GOING. NOTHING HAD BEEN DONE, AND I ALSO FOUND OUT THAT THE DEADLINE FOR THIS MONEY TO BE USED IS DECEMBER 31ST, 2025, SO WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT BEFORE THIS THING GETS UP. OR CAN YOU SHOW ME WHERE THIS MONEY HAS BEEN USED SOMEWHERE? BECAUSE WE SURE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING OUT THERE. THERE'S PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE WATER. THEY'VE BEEN LIVING OUT THERE FOR 20 YEARS AND DON'T HAVE ANY WATER, MUCH LESS SEWER. SO YES, MR. CHAVEZ, WE CAN MEET.

I CAN MEET WITH YOU AFTERWARDS AND GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THAT PROJECT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. OUR LAST SPEAKER SIGN UP FOR REGULAR PUBLIC COMMENT IS MR. DARRYL MONDE. WE'LL FINISH UP THE FOOD. I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT. WE WILL BE HERE AT THE COUNTY ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18TH, STARTING ABOUT 10:00, TO PICK UP THE FOOD FROM HERE. IF YOU HAVE LARGE AMOUNTS THAT YOU WANT TO DONATE BEFORE THEN, PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME.

WE'LL COORDINATE THE PICKUP THEN. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, LET ME KNOW. WE WANT TO THANK GROUP ONE FORD FOR ALLOWING US TO USE THEIR FACILITY TO SORT THE FOOD AND DISTRIBUTE IT. IF YOU ARE WELCOME. I'LL SEND YOU THE ITINERARY. WE'RE WAITING FOR ONE LITTLE MINOR CHANGE.

YOU ALL CAN COME OUT AND SEE HOW WE DO IT. I KNOW SOME OF Y'ALL HAVE IN THE PAST. I KNOW YOU ALL WILL IN THE FUTURE. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU, MR. ONE. THAT COMPLETES ALL OUR SPEAKERS FOR REGULAR PUBLIC COMMENT. ITEM SEVEN COUNTY ADMINISTRATION SEVEN A RECEIVE A PRESENTATION. DISCUSS AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION REGARDING THE MEDICAL CENTER OF THE AMERICAS MASTER PLAN AND THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CAMINO REAL REGIONAL MOBILITY AUTHORITY ON MC PLACEMAKING GUIDELINES PROJECT. GOOD MORNING. BEFORE WE GET STARTED, I JUST WANTED TO PREFACE THIS WITH WHEN COMMISSIONERS COURT RECENTLY

[A. Receive a presentation, discuss, and take appropriate action regarding the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Masterplan and the interlocal agreement with the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) on MCA Placemaking Guidelines Project. Betsy C. Keller, Chief Administrator, County Administration, 915-273-3600]

DISCUSSED PLACEMAKING FOR THE MEDICAL CENTERS OF AMERICA AREA AND A POTENTIAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CAMINO REAL REGIONAL MOBILITY AUTHORITY, COMMISSIONER BUTLER BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION THIS MASTER PLAN THAT HAD BEEN DONE BY THE MEDICAL CENTERS OF THE AMERICAS, AND THE COURT REQUESTED MORE INFORMATION AND A PRESENTATION ON THAT. SO WE HAVE INVITED THE MEDICAL CENTERS, MEDICAL CENTER OF THE AMERICAS TO PRESENT TODAY. I WANT TO THANK THEM FOR BEING PRESENT, AND THEY'RE JUST GOING TO GO OVER THE INFORMATION FROM THE MASTER

[00:40:03]

PLAN THAT THEY HAD DONE BACK IN 2018. AND IF THE COURT WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION OR PROVIDE ANY DIRECTION ON HOW THIS FROM, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE WOULD TIE INTO THE ONE BEING DONE THROUGH THE CRMA, WE HAVE IT POSTED FOR ACTION, BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE ACTION IF YOU WOULD DO NOT PREFER TO DO SO. AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MR. APODACA FOR THE PRESENTATION. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME AGAIN IS NO. I WORK FOR THE MEDICAL CENTER OF THE AMERICAS FOUNDATION. I SPEARHEADED THIS MASTER PLAN UPDATE A FEW YEARS BACK. COMMISSIONER STOUT WAS PART OF THAT. AND THIS IS GOING TO BE VERY BRIEF. THIS IS A VERY HIGH LEVEL KIND OF OVERVIEW OF WHAT IT IS THAT WE'VE DONE AND HOW THIS CAN POTENTIALLY TIE INTO THE CR MAS CURRENT PROJECT FOR PLACEMAKING AND WAYFINDING. SO TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW, IN CASE YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE MCA FOUNDATIONS, I MEAN, THE MCA CAMPUS IS WE'RE IN CENTRAL EL PASO, RIGHT? WE'RE IN THE SECTION OF I 54 AND I-10. WE ARE COMPRISED OF THE MOST OF THE MAJOR BIOMEDICAL AND MEDICAL FACILITIES IN TOWN. WE HAVE THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION WELLNESS CENTER, WE HAVE TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER, UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, AND WE HAVE THE JEFFERSON SILVA MAGNET SCHOOL. WE WERE ORIGINALLY ESTABLISHED IN 2008 WITH 140 ACRES. WE GOT EXPANDED TO 440 TOTAL, WHICH INCLUDES TEXAS TECH UMC, THE VA. NOW WE HAVE UT HOUSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, EL PASO PSYCH CENTER. LIKE I MENTIONED, JEFFERSON SILVA MAGNET OURSELVES, MCA FOUNDATION, BUT WE ALSO BORDER THE COUNTY COLISEUM, THE BRIDGE OF THE AMERICAS, THE CHAMIZAL FOX PLAZA, SALVATION ARMY, AND THE EL PASO ZOO. THE CAMPUS WAS MADE SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF THE EL NORTE REGION ARE MET TO HELP FACILITATE THE GROWTH OF A LIFE SCIENCES ECOSYSTEM IN EL PASO AND IN THE AREA. DELIVER HEALTH CARE EDUCATION, TRAIN OUR REGION'S HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE, AND HELP COMMERCIALIZE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH THAT'S GOING ON AT THE AT THE CARDWELL COLLABORATIVE RIGHT NOW. SO GETTING INTO THE MASTER PLAN, OUR OBJECTIVES WAS TO CREATE A ROBUST, COORDINATED, MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL PLAN SO THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE WANTING TO EXPAND OR GROW WITHIN THE CAMPUS, THEY CAN WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE IT HAPPEN, TO DETAIL COMPREHENSIVELY HOW THESE TRANSFORMATIONS ARE OCCURRING AND WHEN WE EXPECT THEM TO IDENTIFY KEY INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS THAT WE CAN PLAN FOR AND BUDGET, AND PLACES LIKE THIS TO PROVIDE A ROBUST FRAMEWORK FOR CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT SO THAT THIS DOESN'T JUST END HERE, BUT IT PROVIDES GUIDANCE FOR THE FUTURE AND ESTABLISH THE CAMPUS AS A TOP TIER MEDICAL CENTER AND A REGIONAL ECONOMIC ENGINE. WE TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION ALL THE INSTITUTIONAL MISSIONS THAT WE HAVE WITHIN OUR CAMPUS TO KIND OF MAKE A VERY BROAD PURPOSE FOR THIS AND OBJECTIVE. AND SO WHAT WE DID WAS BASICALLY EMPHASIZE HIGHLY RELIABLE, FUNCTIONAL AND EFFICIENT UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS. THAT'S WHAT WE REALLY NEED DOWN THERE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE CONTINUED GROWTH. PREPARE FOR IT BY UNDERSTANDING THAT GROWTH IS GOING TO COME AND EXPANDING EXPANSION IS NECESSARY.

UNDERSTAND THAT THE NEEDS WILL SHIFT AND WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT AS NEW GOALS ARE REACHED.

WE REINFORCE OUR SHARED VISION THAT IS ACHIEVABLE AND ADAPTABLE, ESTABLISH PRIORITIES AND MAXIMIZE THE EXISTING RESOURCES WHILE FOSTERING PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT. WE UNDERSTAND THAT 70% OF HEALTH CARE FACTORS ARE INFLUENCED BY THE DESIGN OF THE OF THE ACTUAL ENVIRONMENT, AND SO WE TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION TO INCREASE ACCESS, INCREASE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE AREA, UPGRADE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, INCREASE OUR VISIBILITY, WHICH IS PART OF THE CRRMAS PROJECT, WORK ON OUR WORKFORCE AND INSTITUTIONAL GROWTH AND OF COURSE, QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WORK THERE AND LIVE AROUND THERE. OUR DESIGN PRINCIPLES ARE SOMEWHERE THAT'S ACCESSIBLE AND SAFE, ENCOURAGES HEALTHY LIFESTYLES, FULL OF ACTIVITY, AND IS A VERY ADAPTABLE. PLACEMAKING, LIKE I SAID, IS ONE OF THE BIG CONTACTS WITHIN THIS MASTER PLAN. IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT CONTEXT IT'S BEING DONE UNDER. IT'S GOT TO BE SIMPLE AND ACCESSIBLE ACTIVE USES TO ENCOURAGE VIBRANT STREETS SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING, WHERE WE'RE GOING. A BUILDING DESIGN THAT ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO TO BASICALLY GO OUT AND WALK AROUND AND GO PLACES AND HAVE PLENTY OF ART AND TEMPORARY PROGRAMING SO THAT IT KEEPS IT FRESH AND LIVELY. ULTIMATELY, WHAT WE SAW THAT THE THE PLACEMAKING PROJECT HAS IN IN RELATION WITH THIS MASTER PLAN, ROADS AND UTILITIES ARE OBVIOUSLY RECOMMENDED TO BE UPGRADED AND BE MADE ACCESSIBLE.

[00:45:01]

MOBILITY INCLUDING TRANSIT, SHUTTLES, BIKES, PEDESTRIANS, ACCESS, ETC. THAT SHOULD BE A HIGH PRIORITY. WAYFINDING SIGNAGE CURRENTLY IS VERY CONFUSING. SIGNAGE AND WAYFINDING STRATEGY NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FEEL THAT THE CRM IS DOING AND HAVE A COORDINATED MESSAGING SCHEME SO THAT THERE'S STILL ALLOWS FOR INDIVIDUAL INSTITUTIONS WITHIN THE CAMPUS TO MAINTAIN THEIR IDENTITY, BUT FLOW TOGETHER.

AND THAT PRETTY MUCH SUMS IT UP. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. IF ANYBODY HAS ANY.

HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MISTER OPELIKA. I JUST I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT. THANK YOU.

NOW FOR THE THE PRESENTATION. I KNOW WE HAVE THE FULL MCA MASTER PLAN FROM 2018. IN THE BACKUP WAS. SO I HAD A FRONT ROW SEAT TO THIS WORK. I WASN'T DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN IT, BUT I WAS MEMBER OF THE MCA TEAM WHEN IT WAS BEING DONE. AND AND I KNOW THAT A BIG PART OF THE MCA FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS PLACEMAKING AT THE MCA CAMPUS AND BEING ABLE TO COORDINATE THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE GROWTH THAT HAPPENS THERE AMONGST ALL OF THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS, MOST OF WHICH ARE GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES FROM THE STATE DOWN TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT LEVEL. AND SO I ASKED FOR THIS PRESENTATION BECAUSE WE WERE APPROACHED BY THE MAYOR TO CONTRIBUTE TO FUTURE PLANNING EFFORTS FOR THE MCA CAMPUS. AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT THAT BEFORE WE VOTE TO ALLOCATE FUNDING, WE UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE BACKGROUND WORK THAT HAS HAPPENED ON MCA CAMPUS PLANNING AND THAT WHAT THE CRA IS PROPOSING IS ALSO GOING TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ALL OF THIS WORK, WHICH WAS FUNDED IN LARGE PART THROUGH THROUGH FEDERAL GRANTS, THROUGH PRIMARILY THE EDA, I BELIEVE, RIGHT NOW. YES, MA'AM.

BUT ALSO JUST TO REMIND US THAT THE MCA FOUNDATION IS FUNDED THROUGH THE CITY OF EL PASO'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FUND, WHICH COMES FROM EL PASO ELECTRIC RATEPAYERS. RIGHT. SO MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE WE'RE UTILIZING OUR RESOURCES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, THAT WE'RE COGNIZANT OF WHERE THE RESOURCES ARE COMING FROM, THAT WE'RE NOT DUPLICATING EFFORTS, THAT WE'RE NOT SPENDING MONEY ON THINGS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN DONE IN SOME EXTENT OR ANOTHER. I KNOW 2018 WAS A LONG TIME AGO NOW, AND AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT FOR WHATEVER HAPPENS AT THE ON THE CAMPUS LEVEL, THAT THE MCA IS ALSO PART OF THAT CONVERSATION AND THAT THESE PLANS ARE BEING INCLUDED IN THOSE FUTURE DISCUSSIONS. YES, WE INTEND TO BE PUBLIC. COMMISSIONER. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU.

I WILL TAKE NO ACTION FOR ITEM SEVEN A ITEM EIGHT. AUDITOR. JESSICA, I'M SORRY. REAL QUICK, BEFORE YOU GO TO THAT ITEM, COMMISSIONER STOUT, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO HEAR ITEM M? YEAH, LET'S LET'S GO AHEAD AND MOVE ITEM M UP. ITEM M YES, SIR. THE ONE THAT WAS PULLED FROM CONSENT. FROM CONSENT? YES. GIVE ME ITEM FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR M WITH THE CORRECTION. APPROVE AND AUTHORIZE THE COUNTY JUDGE TO SIGN THE THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED INTERLOCAL AND PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT BY. IN BETWEEN THE CHIEF ELECTED OFFICIALS OF THE BORDER PLEX WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA AND WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS BORDER PLEX,

[M. Approve and authorize the County Judge to sign the Second Amended and Restated Interlocal and Partnership Agreement by and between the Chief Elected Officials of The Borderplex Workforce Development Area and Workforce Solutions Borderplex, Inc (WSB), subject to final review and approval from the County Attorney‘s Office. This will designate the WSB to be the administrative and fiscal entity for workforce development in the region, effective from the date of signature through December 31, 2028. Ricardo A. Samaniego, County Judge, County Judge's Office, 915-273-3591]

INC. SUBJECT TO FINAL REVIEW AND APPROVAL FROM THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. THIS WILL DESIGNATE THE WSB TO BE THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND FISCAL ENTITY FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN THE REGION AFFECTED FROM THE DATE OF SIGNATURE THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST, 2028. I'M SORRY, I THINK WE PULLED THE WRONG ITEM. I THINK I THINK WE SAID M, BUT I THINK THE REQUEST JESSICA WAS ACTUALLY FOR K. SO WE NEED TO MAKE A MOTION TO RECONSIDER THE CONSENT AGENDA. YES, PLEASE. IT WAS AN L I FOR SOME REASON. WE ALSO PULLED L OKAY, BUT I WAS TOLD THE ITEM M WAS BEING PULLED FOR CONSTABLE ALMEDA. BUT CONSTABLE ALMADA'S ITEM IS ITEM K. OKAY. SHOULD WE GO AHEAD AND APPROVE THIS ITEM? AND THEN IF WE COULD PLEASE APPROVE ITEM M AND THEN GO BACK AND RECONSIDER OKAY. SO WE'LL. I'LL MAKE A DO. WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER BUTLER TO APPROVE AND SECOND BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. THE VOTING IS OPEN. I JUST WANT TO MENTION, COMMISSIONER, THAT MOTION CARRIES THAT. THIS IS A GREAT

[00:50:07]

OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES, INCLUDING THE PROMISE PROGRAM AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. WE ALREADY HAVE AN MOU WITH THEM. AND I THINK THIS JUST, YOU KNOW, MAKES IT A LOT EASIER FOR US TO BE ABLE TO COLLABORATE ON THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. OKAY. CAN WE HAVE A MOTION TO RECONSIDER ITEM 4K. A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BUTLER. THE VOTING

[Reconsider Consent]

IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 4K, APPROVE AND AUTHORIZE THE COUNTY JUDGE TO SIGN THE YOUTH

[K. Approve and authorize the County Judge to sign the Youth Crisis Outreach Team Memorandum of Understanding between El Paso MHMR D/B/A Emergence Health Network and the County of El Paso, Texas on behalf of the El Paso County Justice of the Peace Pct. 1 and the Constable Pct. 1 to implement the YCOT model as an effective method in responding to situations involving persons suspected of a mental health crisis, diagnosed or suspected of mental illness and/or intellectual disability and increase the number of persons diverted from truancy and other youth related situations beginning September 29, 2025, until terminated by both parties. (Contract No. 2025-0881) Francisco Almada, Constable, Constable Precinct 1, 915-273-3058]

CRISIS OUTREACH TEAM. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN EL PASO, MH DOING BUSINESS AS EMERGENCY HEALTH NETWORK AND THE COUNTY OF EL PASO, TEXAS ON BEHALF OF THE EL PASO COUNTY JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT ONE AND THE CONSTABLE PRECINCT ONE TO IMPLEMENT THE U Y C O T MODEL AS AN EFFECTIVE METHOD IN RESPONDING TO SITUATIONS INVOLVING PERSONS SUSPECTED OF A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, DIAGNOSED OR SUSPECTED OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND OR INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY, AND INCREASED THE NUMBER OF PERSONS DIVERTED FROM TRUANCY AND OTHER YOUTH RELATED SITUATIONS. BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2025, UNTIL TERMINATED BY BOTH PARTIES. CONTRACT NUMBER 2025 0881. CONSTABLE. CONSTABLE AND JUDGE PEARSON.

GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO SPEAK THIS MORNING. ABOUT HALF A YEAR AGO, WE STARTED THIS PROJECT SPEAKING WITH EMERGENCE TO TRY TO GET BETTER SERVICES FOR KIDS WHO ARE AT RISK WITH TRUANCY THAT ARE SUBPOENAED TO OUR COURT AT THE JP LEVEL, WE BELIEVE A LOT OF THE HAD TO DO WITH MENTAL HEALTH, AND PERHAPS IT WASN'T BEING IDENTIFIED. THIS PROGRAM WILL HELP THE YOUTH AND THE FAMILIES TO GET THEM MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THAT ARE BEING REQUIRED. WE WILL HAVE SPECIALISTS AT DURING THE TRUANCY COURT MEETINGS TO TO DO AN ANALYSIS AND TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE GETTING ALL THE HELP THAT THEY NEED. ON THE CONSTABLE SIDE, THIS WAS ONE OF MY ONE OF MY BIGGEST PLATFORMS IS MENTAL HEALTH AND INTRODUCING MORE MENTAL HEALTH INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT. ON THE CONSTABLE SIDE IN EXCUSE ME, IN ADDITION TO THIS, THIS FRIDAY, I'M GOING TO HAVE THE REMAINDER OF MY DEPUTIES GRADUATING FROM THE CIT CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM, RECEIVING 120 HOURS OF MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING SO THEY CAN BE BETTER EFFECTIVE OUT IN THE FIELD, AND TO IDENTIFY MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS AND TO ACT APPROPRIATELY. SO I THINK THIS IS VERY BIG FOR THE CONSTABLE'S AND FOR THE JP'S. AND I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND HEARING US OUT TODAY. GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR ENTERTAINING US TODAY.

FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO COMMEND AND THANK CONSTABLE ALMADA FOR SPEARHEADING THIS PROGRAM. IT'S A GREAT A GREAT INITIATIVE. ALSO IN REGARD TO THE CHILDREN, I MEAN, WE HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES. AND SO THIS RESOURCE IS GOING TO BE A GREAT HELP TO HELP THESE KIDS. AND I APPRECIATE YOUR CONSIDERATION OF IT AND APPROVAL OF IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU JUDGE. THANK YOU.

GOOD MORNING. JACQUELINE BALLARD, DIRECTOR OF CRISIS WITH EMERGENCY HEALTH NETWORK.

REALLY QUICK, I JUST KIND OF WANT TO GIVE A ROUNDABOUT AS PART OF THE COLLABORATION WITH THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE AND EMERGENCY HEALTH NETWORK WITH THE COP PROGRAM, OUR PROGRAM IS TARGETED TO ASSIST THE YOUTH BETWEEN THE AGES OF 3 TO 17. SO WITH THIS, OBVIOUSLY PROVIDE CASE MANAGEMENT THERAPY FOR THE YOUTH ALSO, NOT ONLY FOR THAT, BUT ALSO ADVOCATING FOR THE FAMILY AND THEIR NEEDS. WITH THAT, OUR TARGET POPULATION IS FOR YOUTH THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THE LEGAL SYSTEM, THAT HAVE ANY SUSPICION OR HAVE ANY MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, WHEREAS THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE WOULD SERVE AS A GREAT REFERRAL SOURCE FOR US WITH EMERGENCY HEALTH NETWORK BY ALLOWING US TO PROVIDE SERVICES NOT ONLY FOR THOSE IN THE COMMUNITY BUT ALSO THEIR FAMILIES. THIS COLLABORATION IS GREATLY NEEDED TO PROVIDE NOT ONLY MENTAL HEALTH ASSISTANCE, BUT ALSO INCREASE EDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCE AND CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE YOUTH IN THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. ANYBODY ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK? NO, JUDGE, I MEAN COMMISSIONER. YES. GO AHEAD, MR. CHAIR. I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR, FOR

[00:55:02]

FOR DOING THIS BECAUSE THIS REALLY IS PART OF WHAT ONE OF THE, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL OF THE GOALS OF THE COUNTY TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE, WE TAKE CARE OF THE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND COLLABORATE WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. AND SO THIS REALLY IS RIGHT UP THERE WITH A LOT OF OUR GOALS IN THE COUNTY, AS WELL AS I SEE IN THE FUTURE WHERE OUR PROMISE PROGRAM IS GOING TO BE EVENTUALLY INCLUDE NOT JUST THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM, BUT MAYBE WHEN WE DO THE TRUANCY, RATHER THAN IF THEY DON'T GET INVOLVED IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM BY THE JUVENILE DETENTION AREA, BUT RATHER JUST, YOU KNOW, KIDS THAT ARE NOT ATTENDING SCHOOL. I KNOW THAT THERE'S AND THERE'S ONE OTHER, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER TO DO A JOINT COLLABORATIVE BETWEEN ALL THE GPS TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS. AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S MONEY AVAILABLE THROUGH THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, AND WE MIGHT WANT TO START LOOKING AT SOMETHING LIKE THAT COUNTYWIDE. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR FOR THIS INITIATIVE. WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE EXTRA WORK THAT Y'ALL DO. SO CONSTABLE AND JUDGE, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. AND ALL OF YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU COMMISSIONER I AGREE. IT'S REFRESHING TO SEE THAT THAT THIS INITIATIVE IS BEING IS BEING TAKEN BY BY THE CONSTABLES. AND YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER YOU KNOW, BACK IN 2016, WE WERE THE LARGEST CITY THAT DIDN'T HAVE A CITY PROGRAM IN THE UNITED STATES. AND NOW WE HAVE THAT AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND MEMBERS OF OUR CONSTABLE'S TEAMS ARE CIT CERTIFIED AS WELL. AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING AT TO TO SUPPORT OUR CONSTABLES AND TO SUPPORT OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND TO SUPPORT THE YOUNGSTERS THAT ARE THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THESE, THESE ISSUES. AND IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THAT THEY NEED THIS TYPE OF SUPPORT FOR FOR THEM TO GET ON THE RIGHT TRACK AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO. TO DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO. RIGHT. SO I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE THAT WE'RE THAT WE'RE GOING DOWN THIS DOWN THIS PATH. AND WE CONTINUE TO EXPAND OUR SERVICES WHEN IT COMES TO MENTAL HEALTH IN THIS COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL OF YOU. WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER CORONADO, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BUTLER. THE VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. YEAH. THANK YOU. DO YOU WANT TO DO A PICTURE? YEAH.

WE.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. ITEM EIGHT, AUDITOR EIGHT A PURSUANT TO TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 114.023114.024114.025 AND 114.026 RECEIVE THE ATTACHED PRESENTATION. AND THE INTERIM

[A. Pursuant to Texas Local Government Code § 114.023, 114.024, 114.025, and 114.026, receive the attached presentation and the interim financial report for the month ended October 2025. Barbara Parker, County Auditor, County Auditor's Office, 915-273-3262]

FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE MONTH ENDED OCTOBER 2025. GOOD MORNING, GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS MICHAEL, ASSISTANT COUNTY AUDITOR. I WILL BE PRESENTING THE OCTOBER 2025 INTERIM FINANCIAL REPORT. JUST AS A MATTER OF INFORMATION, WE ARE A LITTLE BIT DELAYED BECAUSE OF THE POSTING DEADLINES AND THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY THAT OCCURRED BETWEEN OCTOBER AND TODAY. AND LIKEWISE, YOU'LL SEE THE NOVEMBER REPORT BEING DELIVERED IN JANUARY DUE TO THE DEADLINES AND THE HOLIDAYS. THIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SHOWS INFORMATION ABOUT

[01:00:07]

REVENUES AND EXPENSES FOR THE CURRENT YEAR. PLEASE NOTE THAT THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATIONS, AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN ROUNDED TO THOUSANDS AND OR MILLIONS. THIS IS THE CONDENSED FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2025, AND IT WAS PUBLISHED IN THE PREVIOUS SUNDAY NEWSPAPER.

FIRST OFF, WE HAVE OUR REVENUES. THIS SLIDE PRESENTS ALL REVENUE COLLECTED BY THE COUNTY BY FUND TYPE. THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION, WE'RE FOCUSING ON THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH IS THE MAIN OPERATING FUND OF THE COUNTY. DURING THE CURRENT MONTH OF OCTOBER, THE GENERAL FUND COLLECTED APPROXIMATELY $4.6 MILLION OF REVENUE. THIS NEXT SLIDE SHOWS THE TOTAL YEAR TO DATE PROPERTY TAXES AS OF OCTOBER 2025. AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE IS A DECREASE OF 1.8 MILLION COMPARED TO FY 2025, AND THIS IS LARGELY DUE TO THE TIMING OF OF COLLECTIONS DUE TO LEGISLATIVE CHANGES. YEAR TO DATE. GENERAL FUND REVENUES COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST FISCAL YEAR ARE SHOWN ON THIS TABLE. TOTAL REVENUE COLLECTIONS HAVE INCREASED COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR'S COLLECTION. SORRY, THAT'S A DECREASE. AS YOU CAN SEE FOR STATE, THE TOP AREAS INCREASING ARE STATE MIXED BEVERAGE TAX, WHICH INCREASED BY $347,000. THIS IS LARGELY DUE TO A TIMING DIFFERENCE, WHICH OUR FIRST COLLECTION IN FY 2025, WHICH WAS IN NOVEMBER. SO YOU SHOULD SEE THAT KIND OF COME CLOSER NEXT MONTH. THE OTHER ONE IS CHARGES FOR SERVICES, WHICH INCREASED BY $123,000. AS I EXPLAINED EARLIER, THERE'S A DECREASE IN PROPERTY TAXES OF 1.6 MILLION. AND THERE'S ALSO A DECREASE IN INTEREST. AND THIS IS DUE TO THE DECREASING, DECREASING INTEREST RATES AS WELL AS THE DECREASING BALANCE THAT WE HAVE. THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF ACTUAL REVENUE COMPARED TO BUDGET. SO FAR THIS YEAR, GENERAL FUND HAS COLLECTED 1.1% OF THE TOTAL BUDGETED REVENUES. AGAIN, THE LARGEST REVENUE COLLECTIONS FOR THE BUDGET ARE PROPERTY TAXES AT 1.8 MILLION AND CHARGES FOR SERVICES AT 1.3 MILLION. A SLIGHT NOTE ON THIS SLIDE. THIS INFORMATION IS NOT PRESENTED HERE, BUT JUST FOR YOUR INFORMATION, EXCESS SALES TAX COLLECTED FOR FY 2025 WAS 1.9 MILLION, COMPARED TO $756,000. JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE OF INFORMATION FOR THE SALES TAX IN TEXAS. SALES TAX ARE IMPOSED AS AN OPTION TO HELP REDUCE PROPERTY TAXES. ANY ADDITIONAL SALES TAX THAT EXCEEDS THE PROJECTED AMOUNT OF PROPERTY TAX TO BE REDUCED FOR A GIVEN YEAR MUST FIRST BE USED TO REDUCE COUNTY DEBTS, SO FOR THIS REASON, EXCESS SALES TAX GETS TRANSFERRED OUT OF GENERAL FUND AND IS USED FOR THE PAYMENT OF DEBT. ON THIS SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE THAT YEAR TO DATE TAXES COMPRISE 47.3% OF REVENUES RECEIVED, WITH 39.5% OF THAT BEING PROPERTY TAXES. THE PERCENTAGE OF REVENUE COMPRISED OF TAXES WILL INCREASE AS THE YEAR PROGRESSES, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IN THE NOVEMBER MONTHLY AS WELL. THIS TEXT ILLUSTRATES THE THIS TEXT. THIS SLIDE ILLUSTRATES THE TRENDS IN TOTAL REVENUES AND THE COUNTY'S TWO LARGEST REVENUE SOURCES PROPERTY TAXES AND SALES TAXES. THE LINES ON THE CHART REPRESENT TOTAL REVENUES. THE BAR GROUPINGS DISPLAY ACTUAL VERSUS BUDGETED AMOUNTS FOR THE PROPERTY AND SALES TAX BY YEAR, PROVIDING A CLEAR VIEW OF PERFORMANCE RELATIVE TO PROJECTIONS. AS A PERCENTAGE OF BUDGET, THE CURRENT YEAR'S GENERAL FUND TOTAL REVENUE COLLECTIONS DECREASED BY 0.4% COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, AND THEY ARE 0.1% LESS COMPARED TO FY 2024. THIS NEXT SLIDE HIGHLIGHTS THE TOP FOUR INDUSTRY CATEGORIES CONTRIBUTING TO THE COUNTY SALES TAX REVENUES. RETAIL TRADE INCREASED 9.2%, ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES INCREASED BY 7.6%, WHOLESALE TRADE INCREASED BY 2.4% AND MANUFACTURING DECREASED BY 8.3%. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON REVENUES, IF NOT, I'LL CONTINUE ON TO EXPENDITURES. THIS SLIDE SHOWS ALL EXPENDITURES FOR THE COUNTY BY FUND TYPE. FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER. THE GENERAL FUND RECORDED TOTAL EXPENDITURES OF 25 MILLION AND A YEAR TO DATE, TOTAL OF 25 MILLION. SINCE OCTOBER IS THE FIRST FISCAL MONTH. THE

[01:05:05]

FOLLOWING SLIDES GIVE A DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES. THIS CHART PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE COUNTY'S GENERAL FUND BUDGET EXPENDITURES DOWN BY THE FUNCTION OF GOVERNMENT. THIS BREAKDOWN OFFERS A CLEAR VIEW ON HOW RESOURCES ARE ALLOCATED ACROSS KEY SERVICE AREAS. AT 5.5% OF THE BUDGET HAS BEEN EXPENDED, AND OF THAT, PUBLIC SAFETY ACCOUNTED FOR 44.5%, GENERAL GOVERNMENT 25% AND ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE 24.5, AND ALL OF THE REMAINING FUNCTIONS MADE UP 5.9%. TOTAL GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES BY FUNCTION ARE SHOWN ON THIS SLIDE. THE PERCENTAGE OF THE YEAR EXPIRED IS 0.3%, AND THE PERCENTAGE OF BUDGET EXPENDED IS 5.5%. LAST YEAR THAT WAS 2.74%, AND AS OF A NOTE, MOST OF THIS INCREASE THAT YOU SEE 5.5 VERSUS 2.7 LAST YEAR IS DUE TO TIMING DIFFERENCES IN SALARIES. WE ACTUALLY HAD THREE PAY PERIODS IN OCTOBER COMPARED TO TWO. YOU ANTICIPATED. MY QUESTION. THAT WAS GOING TO BE MY QUESTION WHEN WE GOT WHEN WE GOT TO SLIDE 16. BUT SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU. ON THIS SLIDE. AS YOU CAN SEE, AS I EXPLAINED BEFORE, GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES AS OF OCTOBER INCREASED IN COMPARISON TO PRIOR YEAR, WITH THE MAJORITY OF IT BEING PERSONNEL AGAIN. PERSONNEL. THERE WERE THREE PAY PERIODS IN OCTOBER WHICH COST HIGHER THAN NORMAL INCREASES, AN INCREASE OF 6.1 FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, PRIMARILY DUE TO SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT FOR 4.9 MILLION, ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE INCREASED 2.9 MILLION, WHILE GENERAL GOVERNMENT INCREASED BY 1.9 MILLION. OVERALL, OPERATING INCREASED BY 946,000. CAPITAL OUTLAYS DECREASED BY 6.7 THOUSAND, AND TRANSFERS OUT DECREASED BY 61.4 THOUSAND. THIS SLIDE SHOWS US THE GENERAL FUND CHANGES BY GOVERNMENT FUNCTION IN COMPARISON TO THE SAME PERIOD PREVIOUS YEAR. THE TOP AREAS OF CHANGE ARE GENERAL GOVERNMENT, WHICH INCREASED BY 2.4 MILLION, ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE, WHICH INCREASED BY 3.2 MILLION, PUBLIC SAFETY, WHICH INCREASED BY 6.2 MILLION, AND ALL OTHER FUNCTIONS. COMMUNITY SERVICES INCREASING BY 68.8 THOUSAND. SORRY. LAST UP. IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR EXPENDITURES, WE CAN MOVE ON TO FUND BALANCE. THIS IS THE FUND BALANCE CHART THAT IS PRESENTED EACH MONTH, THE PROJECTED FY 25 FUND BALANCE IS BASED ON ESTIMATED REVENUES OF 404.9 MILLION AND EXPENDITURES OF 404 MILLION, RESULTING IN AN ANTICIPATED ENDING FUND BALANCE OF 97 MILLION. THIS REFLECTS AN INCREASE OF APPROXIMATELY 7.9 MILLION COMPARED TO LAST MONTH, AND THIS IS PRIMARILY DRIVEN BY A 7.1 MILLION INCREASE IN REVENUES. THE REVENUES INCREASE IS LARGELY ATTRIBUTED TO ADDITIONAL SALES TAX BEING RECORDED IN FY 25 FOR ACCOUNTING PURPOSES, SO YOU WON'T SEE THIS REPEATED NEXT FISCAL YEAR. AS A RESULT, THE UNCOMMITTED FUND BALANCE IS PROJECTED TO BE 12.29% OF THE FY 26 GENERAL FUND BUDGET.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE FIGURES ARE STILL PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS WE CONTINUE OUR FY 25 FINANCIALS. FOR FY 26, THE PROJECTED FUND BALANCE IS BASED ON CERTIFIED REVENUES OF 415.5 MILLION AND PROJECTED EXPENDITURES OF 426.5 MILLION. EXPENDITURES ARE ESTIMATED AT 95% OF THE APPROVED FY 26 BUDGET, EXCLUDING ANY EMERGENCY RESERVES. THIS RESULTS IN A PROJECTED FY 26 FUND BALANCE OF 86.1 MILLION, SHOWING A DECREASE IN FUND BALANCE YEARS AFTER FY 26 ARE BASED ON A 2% INCREASE IN PROPERTY VALUES AND EXPENSE INCREASES OF 5%. SO GIVEN THIS UNCERTAINTY, IT IS NOT PRUDENT TO PLACE SIGNIFICANT RELIANCE ON THIS FINANCIAL TREND BEYOND 2026. AND THIS IS JUST OUR TABLE OF CONTENTS. FOR THE FULL INTERIM REPORT THAT IS AVAILABLE ONLINE ON OUR WEBSITE. AND AT THIS POINT, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WHEN DO WE EXPECT 2025 TO BE COMPLETELY CLOSED AND FINALIZED? I KNOW IN THE PAST IT'S BEEN JANUARY, BUT I THINK NOW IT'S GOING TO BE MAYBE A LITTLE BIT LATER. IS THAT CORRECT? WELL, WE ARE ANTICIPATING TO COMPLETE OUR ACT FOR IN AT THE END OF MARCH FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR. OKAY. AND THAT'S BECAUSE THERE WERE SOME NEW REQUIREMENTS UNDER GATSBY. IS THAT RIGHT? BARBARA PARKER COUNTY AUDITOR YES, THERE ARE

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SOME NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR GATSBY THAT WE NEED TO MEET THIS YEAR, AND IT'S ONLY THE SECOND YEAR FOR SOME OF THE OTHER REQUIREMENTS. SO THOSE ARE BEING LOOKED AT IN GREAT DETAIL BY THE EXTERNAL AUDITORS. WE ARE CLOSING THE BOOKS ON THE SYSTEM. WE'RE PLANNING TO CLOSE THOSE IN DECEMBER. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE WILL NOT BE MAKING ADDITIONAL CHANGES TO MONTH 13, WHICH WILL ROLL INTO MONTH 12 AS WE DO CONTINUED REPORTING. IT'S FOR THE ANNUAL AMOUNT, BUT THAT WAY WE CAN GO AHEAD AND OPEN THE SYSTEM COMPLETELY. FOR FY 26, WE WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO DO ANY BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS FOR FY 2425. AFTER WE CLOSE THE SYSTEM. REGARDING YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT CLOSING EARLY, YES, WE'RE CLOSING THE SYSTEM EARLY IN DECEMBER AS OPPOSED TO THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY. AND THIS IS THANKS TO A LOT OF HELP FROM ALL THE DEPARTMENTS ON TRYING TO GET THEIR INVOICES IN AND THEIR PURCHASE ORDERS CLOSED IF THEY NO LONGER NEED THEM FOR PRIOR YEARS, AND JANUARY WILL BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE AUDITORS ON PROVIDING ANY INFORMATION THEY NEED AND STATEMENTS FOR THEM TO REVIEW.

HOPEFULLY THEY WILL HAVE THAT DONE BY THE END OF JANUARY, FEBRUARY, AND THEN WE'LL BE LOOKING TO DO OUR FINAL PRESENTATIONS AND THE FINAL ACT FOR AT THE END OF MARCH. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, COMMISSIONER. CAN YOU TELL I'M DIDN'T QUITE CATCH THE SALES TAX REVENUE FROM LAST OCTOBER AND THIS OCTOBER? CAN YOU SHOW US WHAT THAT IS? I CAN MOVE BACK TO THAT SLIDE. RIGHT NOW. WE HAVEN'T COLLECTED ANY, COMMISSIONER. IT'S IN LATER MONTHS. THERE ARE USUALLY A COUPLE OF MONTHS BEHIND. SO THE NOTE THAT I PUT ON THERE IS THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY MOVING SOME OF THE SALES TAX REVENUE FOR ONE OF THE MONTHS BACK TO 25.

AND THIS IS JUST FOR ACCOUNTING PURPOSES. SO IT'S NOT ANY EXTRA REVENUE THAT WE RECEIVED. YOU DON'T HAVE IT COMPLETE YET. COMMISSIONER CORONADO. BARBARA PARKER AGAIN, IN THE PAST WE'VE ONLY RECORDED ONE MONTH. WE'VE ONLY ALLOWED FOR ONE MONTH TO BE BOOKED INTO THE PRIOR YEAR.

AND WE ACTUALLY KNOW HOW MUCH THE REVENUE IS. AND LAST YEAR IN OUR AUDIT, OUR EXTERNAL AUDITOR SAID, WELL, SINCE YOU KNOW WHAT BOTH MONTHS ARE AND THEY PERTAIN TO REVENUES EARNED IN THAT FISCAL YEAR, YOU SHOULD BE RECORDING BOTH MONTHS IN THAT FISCAL YEAR. SO THAT'S WHY THIS YEAR WE'RE RECORDING OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER RECEIPTS IN FISCAL YEAR 25, BECAUSE WE'RE TWO MONTHS BEHIND IN ACTUALLY RECEIVING THOSE REVENUES FROM THE STATE. AND THAT'S A ONE TIME ADJUSTMENT. NEXT YEAR, WE'LL HAVE AN FY 26. WE'LL HAVE 12 MONTHS WORTH. IN FY 25 WE HAVE 13 BECAUSE OF THIS CHANGE. WHEN YOU DO GET THE FIGURES FOR JUST OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR, WE HAVE THOSE LAST YEAR. CAN YOU GET IT? GET THOSE. WE HAVE THOSE. IF YOU GIVE ME A SECOND I CAN PULL THEM. MICHAEL. SURE. YES, MA'AM. THEY'RE IN THE MONTHLY SALES TAX MEMOS.

AND WHILE SHE'S LOOKING FOR THAT, WE BUDGETED FOR FEWER, LESS SALES TAX IN FY 26. BUT THE SALES TAX SALES TAXES HAVE CONTINUED TO COME IN AT MORE THAN WHAT WE EXPECTED. THEY'VE CONTINUED TO INCREASE. I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG THAT WILL CONTINUE. I DON'T FROM ALL OF THE REPORTS WE GET FROM THE ECONOMISTS, THE SPENDING SHOULD BE GOING DOWN. BUT HERE IN EL PASO, IT'S NOT. WELL, THE REASON I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THAT IS BECAUSE OF THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THAT BEGAN OCTOBER 1ST THIS YEAR. SO, AND HOW THAT AFFECTED US FOR THIS, THAT PARTICULAR MONTH OF OCTOBER. SO AS MICHAEL EXPLAINED, WE'RE WE'RE ABOUT TWO MONTHS BEHIND.

SO ON DECEMBER 12TH, WE RECEIVED THE REPORT FOR OCTOBER AND THE MONTH FOR FOR OCTOBER.

IT SHOWED AN INCREASE OF $332,000, 206, $332,269, OR 5.24%, WHEN COMPARED TO OCTOBER OF 2024, SO IT WAS UP SLIGHTLY 5.24% AS OPPOSED TO OCTOBER FROM THE PRIOR YEAR. BUT A LOT OF TIMES, WELL, THERE WAS THERE WERE SOME MECHANISMS OR MEASURES TO TRY, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE CREDIT UNIONS REPLACED INCOME FREE OF CHARGE FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES. AND SOMETIMES THERE'S A LAG BEFORE YOU SEE THE FULL EFFECTS OF THE SHUTDOWN. WE ALSO LET ME LOOK HERE JUST A SECOND. AND MY INTEREST IS TO SEE WHAT THE INCREASE WAS FROM OCTOBER 2024 TO OCTOBER 25TH AND FROM OCTOBER 20TH 3 TO 24. SO WE CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE OF WHAT

[01:15:05]

INCREASE EACH YEAR AND WHETHER. SURE, BECAUSE EVEN IF IT'S A SLIGHT INCREASE, WHETHER IT'S LESS THAN WHAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED BEFORE, IT IS BECAUSE THE PRIOR. SO IN FOR OCTOBER OF THE PRIOR FISCAL YEAR, THE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 24 AND 25 WAS ABOUT 600, CLOSE TO $600,000 INCREASE. AND THIS YEAR IT WAS A $330,000 INCREASE. SO THE INCREASE WAS LOWER THAN IT WAS THE PRIOR YEAR. IT WAS ALL NOT QUITE 50% LOWER, BUT IT WAS IT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN SEEING A DECLINE IN SALES TAX GROWTH, RIGHT? THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, THE LAST FEW YEARS. BUT THAT WAS A MORE SIGNIFICANT DECLINE. YEAH. AND I FIGURED WE WOULD HAVE SOME KIND OF A DECLINE IN THE INCREASE. I MEAN, I'M GLAD THAT IT'S A SLIGHT INCREASE. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO THANK ALL OUR PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS, LIKE THE CREDIT UNIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, STEPPED FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, HELP THOSE ON THE FEDERAL PAYROLL THAT WEREN'T GETTING PAID AND TO GIVE THEM FREE, YOU KNOW, INTEREST LOANS OR LOW INTEREST LOANS SO THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, KEEP SURVIVING. SO I WANT TO THANK THEM FOR THAT. AND, COMMISSIONER, JUST JUST AS A NOTE, JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE A SLIGHT INCREASE FOR OCTOBER DOESN'T MEAN THAT, YOU KNOW, FOR NEXT MONTH WE WON'T HAVE A DECREASE BECAUSE WE HAVE SEEN THAT WHERE WE HAVE A MONTH, WHERE IT DOES GO UP, AND THEN THE NEXT MONTH IT FALLS DOWN COMPARED TO LAST YEAR. AND IT JUST LIKE BARBARA WAS SAYING, IT'S A VARIETY OF FACTORS.

PEOPLE MIGHT BE ANTICIPATING PRICES TO KEEP GOING UP. SO THEY'RE DOING PURCHASES EARLIER IN THE YEAR, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A WAY TO MEASURE THAT UNTIL WE GET THE RECEIPT. AND I THINK WE'LL GET A BETTER IDEA PROBABLY IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS FROM AFTER THE NEW YEAR. SO.

CORRECT. CORRECT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONERS. COULD WE HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER STOUT. THE VOTING IS OPEN.

COMMISSIONER. YOUR VOTE. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NINE. HUMAN RESOURCES. NINE A. EXCUSE ME. PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 157, CHAPTER F OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING TO RECEIVE COMMENTS ON THE RESTATEMENT OF THE EL PASO COUNTY'S HEALTH AND DENTAL

[A. Pursuant to Chapter 157, Subchapter F of the Texas Local Government code, hold a Public Hearing to receive comments on the restatement of the El Paso County’s Health and Dental Summary Plan Description for 2025. The County’s Health and Dental Summary Plan Description was recommended for approval by the Risk Pool Board during their meeting on December 3, 2025. Sam Trujillo, Interim Chief Human Resources Officer, Human Resources Department, 915-273-3520]

SUMMARY PLAN DESCRIPTION FOR 2025, THE COUNTY'S HEALTH AND DENTAL SUMMARY PLAN DESCRIPTION WAS RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL BY THE RISK POOL BOARD DURING THEIR MEETING ON DECEMBER 3RD, 2025. AND IF WE COULD PLEASE HAVE A MOTION TO OPEN A PUBLIC HEARING. HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER BUTLER, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. THE VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES. GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS WITH THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT, EL PASO COUNTY SPONSORS A HEALTH CARE PLAN THAT IS ADMINISTERED BY A THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR, KNOWN AS A TPA, WHICH IS CURRENTLY BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD. AS PART OF THE PLAN, THE COUNTY DEVELOPS AND MAINTAINS A SUMMARY PLAN DESCRIPTION KNOWN AS AN SPD, WHICH DESCRIBES THE MEDICAL, DENTAL AND PHARMACY BENEFITS AS WELL AS EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES. THE SPD IS ALSO A GUIDE TO THE BENEFITS, PROVISIONS AND PROGRAMS OFFERED BY THE HEALTH CARE PLAN. THE SUMMARY PLAN DESCRIPTION IS A VERY COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENT, WHICH IS UPDATED EACH YEAR TO INCLUDE CHANGES APPROVED BY THE BOARD AND COMMISSIONERS COURT. THE SUMMARY PLAN DESCRIPTION HAS ALSO TRANSITIONED TO A NEW FORMAT, AS BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD HAS PROVIDED THEIR OWN FORMATTING TO MAKE IT EASIER TO READ FOR THE EMPLOYEE. THE CHANGES THIS YEAR INVOLVE CLARIFICATION, LANGUAGE ON EMPLOYEE ELIGIBILITY, AND IN ADDITION TO THIS, I WOULD LIKE TO GO OVER THE CHANGES FOR PLAN YEAR 25 2025. THROUGHOUT THE SPD DOCUMENT, WE REVIEWED AND REVISED LANGUAGE TO ENSURE THE PLAN IS IN FULL COMPLIANCE WITH THE HEALTH CARE REFORM. THIS INCLUDED REVISING THE EFFECTIVE DATE TO REFLECT JANUARY 1ST, 2025, REVISED AND ADDED LANGUAGE IN THE MEDICAL PLAN CLARIFYING GLUCAGON LIKE PEPTIDE ONE, ALSO KNOWN AS GLP ONE, ARE TO ONLY BE COVERED BY THE PLAN WITH A DIABETIC DIAGNOSIS. PLEASE NOTE WE CURRENTLY DO NOT COVER WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATION AS THE COUNTY OFFERS A ROBUST WELLNESS

[01:20:03]

PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDES MANY OPTION AND WEIGHT LOSS ASSISTANCE. HOWEVER, WE ARE DOING RESEARCH ON THE IMPACT OF INCORPORATING WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATIONS TO THE PLANS AS WELL AND PROGRAMS. ONCE WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION, WE WILL BRING IT BACK TO THE COURT. REVISED LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT THE MEDICAL PLAN DOCUMENT IDENTIFYING BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD AS THE TPA.

MOVING ON TO THE DENTAL SUMMARY PLAN DESCRIPTION, WE REVISED LANGUAGE FOR NEWBORN ELIGIBILITY TO CLARIFY THAT NEWBORNS MUST BE ENROLLED WITHIN 31 DAYS WITHIN A SPECIAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD, IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR COVERAGE. THIS WOULD MIRROR THE REQUIREMENT LANGUAGE WE HAVE ON THE MEDICAL SPD. WE ADDED MEXICO NETWORK LANGUAGE AS A DENTAL PLAN.

COVERAGE EXTENDS TO COVERAGE AND PROVIDERS. IN MEXICO, WE REMOVED INTEGRATION WITH MEDICAL BENEFITS LANGUAGE DUE TO THE CHANGE IN CARRIERS, ALSO REMOVED SURVIVING DEPENDENT AND SPOUSE LANGUAGE TO CLARIFY THAT THEIR DENTAL COVERAGE ELIGIBILITY CONTINUES AFTER MEDICARE ELIGIBILITY AND ADDED LANGUAGE FOR SPECIAL ENROLLMENT IN REGARDS TO WHEN COVERAGE ENDS, WE ALSO UPDATED THE HUMAN RESOURCES AT ADDRESS AS OUR OLD ADDRESS WAS STILL BEING REFLECTED IN THE DOCUMENTS. WE HAVE PUBLISHED A RED LINE VERSION OF THE SPD TO SHOW ALL THE CHANGES. IN CASE ANY MEMBER OF THE COURT HAS ANY QUESTIONS. OR DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, THANK YOU. AND WE DID NOT HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. AT THIS TIME. COULD WE HAVE A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING? WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CORONADO, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BUTLER. THE VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES ITEM NINE. B APPROVE THE RESTATEMENT OF THE EL PASO COUNTY'S HEALTH AND DENTAL SUMMARY PLAN DESCRIPTION FOR 2025. THE COUNTY'S HEALTH AND DENTAL SUMMARY PLAN DESCRIPTION WAS APPROVED BY THE RISK POOL BOARD DURING THEIR MEETING ON DECEMBER 3RD, 2025. FUNDING IS AVAILABLE IN IS. HEALTH, HEALTH DENTAL CLAIMS CONTRACT NUMBER 2025 0971. STAFF IS

[B. Approve the restatement of the El Paso County's Health and Dental Summary Plan Description for 2025. The County’s Health and Dental Summary Plan Description was approved by the Risk Pool Board during their meeting on December 3, 2025. Funding is available in IS-HEALTH-HEALTH/DENTAL CLAIMS. (Contract No. 2025-0971) Sam Trujillo, Interim Chief Human Resources Officer, Human Resources Department, 915-273-3520]

RECOMMENDING FOR THE COMMISSIONERS COURT TO APPROVE THE RESTATEMENT AND CHANGES AS DESCRIBED DURING THE PUBLIC HEARING ITEM, TO THE HEALTH AND DENTAL SPD FOR PLAN YEAR 25, WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER CORONADO, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BUTLER. THE VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS. HAPPY HOLIDAYS. HAPPY HOLIDAYS. THANK YOU. ITEM NINE C RECEIVE AN UPDATE. DISCUSS AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION REGARDING HB 718 AND THE COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR'S OFFICE. AND JUST FOR INFORMATION, WE DO HAVE SEVERAL SPEAKERS SIGNED UP FOR THIS ITEM. GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS VALERIA FERNANDEZ

[C. Receive an update, discuss, and take appropriate action regarding HB718 (88th Session) and the County Tax Assessor-Collector's Office. Sam Trujillo, Interim Chief Human Resources Officer, Human Resources Department, 915-273-3520]

WITH THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT, AS REQUESTED BY COMMISSIONERS COURT. THE HR DEPARTMENT IS HERE TO PROVIDE THE WEEKLY UPDATE ON THE TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR'S OFFICE AND ITS ONGOING PROGRESS WITH HB 718 OPERATIONS. TODAY, WE'LL BE UPDATING THE COURT REGARDING STAFFING LEVELS AND WORKLOAD BACKLOGS, HIGHLIGHTING THE ACTIONS TAKEN SINCE LAST WEEK.

AS OF TODAY, THE TAX OFFICE CURRENTLY HAS SEVEN VACANCIES AND AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, TWO POSITIONS WILL BE FILLED BY JANUARY 2026. THREE EMPLOYEES WERE PROMOTED THIS PAST THIS PAY PERIOD THAT WE'RE IN. WE'RE IN THE SECOND WEEK OF THE PAY PERIOD, WHICH VACATED TWO CUSTOMER RELATIONS SPECIALIST POSITIONS AND ONE INTERMEDIATE POSITION. THE BACKGROUND FOR THE VACANT ACCOUNTING SPECIALIST INTERMEDIATE POSITION IS IN PROGRESS, AND WHEN THIS POSITION IS FILLED, IT WILL LEAVE AN ENTRY LEVEL ACCOUNTING SPECIALIST POSITION WHICH HAD ALREADY STARTED. WE HAD ALREADY STARTED THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS FOR THE LAST VACANCY IS AN INVESTIGATOR WHICH WAS VACATED RECENTLY. WE'RE ALSO CONDUCTING THE TESTING PHASE FOR THE ENTRY LEVEL CUSTOMER RELATIONS SPECIALIST POSITION IN ANTICIPATION OF FUTURE VACANCIES, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE TAX OFFICE TO EXPEDITE RECRUITMENT EFFORTS. AS OF DECEMBER 12TH, THE TAX OFFICE PROVIDED AN UPDATE THAT THERE ARE 482 PENDING TRANSACTIONS IN WEB DEALER DATING BACK TO THE 12TH. THIS IS A REJECTION OF 94 TRANSACTIONS FROM THE LAST REPORTING DATE FROM LAST MONDAY, DECEMBER 8TH. THE TAX OFFICE INDICATED THAT BECAUSE THE BACKLOG IS LOW, THEY DID NOT SCHEDULE THE SATURDAY WORK SESSION THIS PAST WEEKEND. WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR STAFFING AND TRAINING PROCESS ADJUSTMENTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TAX OFFICE, AND CONTINUE TO REPORT TO THE COMMISSIONERS COURT, AND THE TIME AND MOTION STUDY IS UNDER FINAL REVIEW,

[01:25:06]

AND WE HOPE TO SHARE THAT WITH THE COURT THIS COMING THURSDAY. AT THE SPECIAL MEETING. HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? CAN YOU REMIND US HOW MANY TOTAL POSITIONS THE TAX OFFICE HAS? YES, MA'AM. I HAVE IT RIGHT HERE. THERE ARE. WANT TO SAY IT'S. I THINK IT'S 79 POSITIONS AND THERE IS ONE TEMPORARY POOL. THE TEMPORARY POOL CONSISTS OF UP TO SIX POSITIONS IS UP TO SIX POSITIONS. YES, SIR. AND THAT'S TO HELP WITH THE TAX SEASON, CORRECT? YES. WITH THE PROPERTY TAX SEASON. AND I KNOW THE COURT HAD REQUESTED THAT MR. GONZALES COME TO RESPOND TO A FEW QUESTIONS. AND MR. GONZALEZ IS HERE TODAY TO I'LL PASS IT ON TO HIM. GOOD MORNING.

COMMISSIONER RUBEN GONZALEZ, COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR. I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS.

I DO WANT TO MAKE A POINT OF CLARIFICATION INDICATED BY MISS BUTLER. MISS KELLER, THOSE TEMPORARY HELP THAT WE RECEIVED ARE NOT BEING USED FOR PROPERTY TAXES. REASON THEY'RE NOT BEING USED FOR PROPERTY TAX COLLECTIONS BECAUSE IT'S NOT IN THEIR JOB DESCRIPTION TO DO THAT. SO WE'RE USING THEM THAT WHERE WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, WE'RE USING THEM FOR OTHER FUNCTIONS.

SO THAT IS AN ISSUE THAT A CLARIFICATION I WANT TO MAKE CLEAR TO YOU THAT WE'RE NOT USING THEM FOR TAX COLLECTION PURPOSES. THEY MIGHT BE USED. WE'RE USING THEM FOR OTHER REASONS BUT NOT MOTOR VEHICLE TAX COLLECTIONS. MR. NEEDS TO BE REVISED AND WE'RE NOT USING IT FOR THAT PURPOSE. OKAY. MR. GONZALEZ, MAY I ASK? I BELIEVE THEY WERE GIVEN SO THAT YOUR OTHER STAFF COULD WORK ON TAX COLLECTIONS. THAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE TEMPORARY SO THAT OTHER STAFF COULD HELP WITH TAX COLLECTION. AND THESE WOULD FILL IN BEHIND THE STAFF THAT WOULD BE HELPING WITH TAX COLLECTION. IS THAT NOT WHAT THEY WERE GIVEN FOR? THAT IS NOT WHAT WE'RE USING THOSE INDIVIDUALS FOR BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT FULLY TRAINED IN MOTOR VEHICLE ADMINISTRATION. IT TAKES TIME TO TRAIN THEM SIX MONTHS, WHATEVER TIME THEY'RE THERE. IT IS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO ADEQUATELY USE THEM TO BE ABLE TO DO TITLE AND REGISTRATION TRANSACTIONS. I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY, BUT I THINK MISS KELLER IS SAYING THAT THOSE SIX WERE FOR PROPERTY TAX COLLECTIONS, NOT FOR THE AUTOMOBILE TRANSACTIONS.

CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. I BELIEVE THEY WERE SUPPOSED I KNOW I BELIEVE THE MONEY WAS GRANTED BECAUSE HE NEEDED ADDITIONAL HELP DURING PROPERTY TAX COLLECTION TIME. AND SO WHETHER THEY. RIGHT. SO IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING EITHER THEY WERE GOING TO BE USED TO TAKE OFF SOME DUTIES OF THE EXISTING STAFF SO THAT EXISTING STAFF COULD HELP WITH PROPERTY TAX COLLECTIONS, OR THEY COULD THEY COULD DIRECTLY HELP IN PROPERTY TAX COLLECTIONS, MAKE COPIES, RUN TOTALS, WHATEVER THEY NEEDED TO DO, RECONCILE WHAT OTHER TASK. BUT THAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE FUNDING FROM WHAT I RECALL. AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE BEING USED FOR. NO. NO, MA'AM, NO, MA'AM. THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO CORRECT. FOR YOUR INFORMATION, WE ARE NOT USING IT FOR PROPERTY TAXES BECAUSE THEIR JOB DESCRIPTION DOESN'T ALLOW THEM TO TO HANDLE CASH.

SO WHAT ARE YOU USING THEM FOR? FOR MISCELLANEOUS. WHATEVER WE HAVE NOW, I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE THE FULL SIX. I THINK WE HAVE 2 OR 3 RIGHT NOW. TWO OF THEM, AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE'RE USING IT FOR MISCELLANEOUS WORK LIKE SHREDDING, MOVING FILES AROUND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. BUT WE'RE NOT USING THEM FOR PROPERTY TAXES BECAUSE THE JOB DESCRIPTION DOES NOT ALLOW THEM TO WORK. HAVE YOU DEALING WITH CASH? THAT'S THAT'S WHAT I UNDERSTAND AND THAT'S HOW WE'RE USING THEM. AND ARE YOU WORKING WITH HR TO MAKE THAT CORRECTION.

WELL, YES, WE'RE GOING TO BE IDENTIFYING THAT NEED SO THAT SO THAT WE CAN START CLEANING THAT UP FOR ANY FUTURE USE THAT WE MAY HAVE. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS ON OUR AGENDA TO TAKE CARE OF. HOW LONG HAVE WE HAD THOSE POSITIONS, MR. GONZALEZ? WE'VE HAD THEM AVAILABLE FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS OF THE BUDGET CYCLE, BUT NOT NOT IN ALL CASES. DO WE HIRE THE MAXIMUM SIX THAT WE'RE ALLOWED. SO IF IF WE'VE HAD THEM FOR THREE YEARS AND. AND. WHEN DID

[01:30:13]

WE, I GUESS UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT THE JOB DESCRIPTION WAS NOT CORRECT. AND, AND HAVE YOU ENGAGED WITH HR TO CHANGE THE JOB DESCRIPTION IF THEY IF WE'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR THREE YEARS, WE'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE. THAT'S WHY MY MANAGERS ARE TELLING ME. BUT NOTHING WAS DONE WITH IT. NOTHING WAS DONE TO CORRECT IT SIR. SO HR HAS HR HAS BEEN HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE OF THE ISSUE WITH THE JOB DESCRIPTIONS. AND THEY YOU'RE SAYING THAT THEY'VE REFUSED OR THEY HAVE NOT THEY HAVE NOT CHANGED JOB DESCRIPTIONS. I MAY BE WRONG, BUT THAT'S THE INFORMATION THAT I'VE RECEIVED FROM MY MANAGEMENT TEAM. WELL, CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT WITH US? CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT? YES, MA'AM, I CAN. I CAN'T CONFIRM IT IF THESE POSITIONS HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE FOR THREE YEARS AND YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO USE THEM FOR THEIR INTENDED PURPOSE, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY THAT HASN'T BEEN DONE FOR THREE YEARS. YES, MA'AM. THEIR TIME EXPIRES OR THEY GO AWAY. WE DON'T KEEP THEM FOR FOR MORE THAN SIX MONTHS. RIGHT THERE THEY HAVE BEEN USED. I MEAN, IT'S NOT A IT'S NOT A WASTE. IT'S NOT A LOSS BECAUSE WE'VE HAD OTHER DELAYS IN OTHER FUNCTIONS WITHIN THE MOTOR VEHICLE DEPARTMENT THAT WE'VE USED THEM FOR. SO THEY DON'T THEY'RE NOT THEY'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING. WE DO USE THEM. I WANT TO MAKE THAT CLEAR THAT THEY DON'T. THEY'RE NOT JUST THEY'RE GETTING PAID, NOT DOING ANYTHING. I'D LIKE TO SEE. I'D LIKE TO SEE IF THAT'S BEEN DOCUMENTED. THAT REQUEST TO HR FROM THE TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR'S OFFICE. I ALSO RECALL, MR. GONZALEZ, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED TALKING ABOUT STAFFING REQUIREMENTS AND AND NEEDS FROM YOUR OFFICE A FEW MONTHS AGO, I BELIEVE OVER THE SUMMER I ASKED YOU ABOUT USE OF TEMPORARY WORKERS, AND YOU SAID YOU DID NOT LIKE USING TEMPORARY WORKERS. THAT IS CORRECT. AND SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WE WE IF THIS RESOURCE HAS BEEN AVAILABLE, THAT THAT YOU AND YOUR OFFICE HAVE BEEN PROACTIVE IN USING THEM AND, AND IF THERE HAVE BEEN ISSUES RELATED TO HR JOB DESCRIPTIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, THAT THOSE HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED SO THAT WE CAN SEE WHERE THE ACTUAL ISSUE IS, BECAUSE THIS SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE RESOLVED VERY EASILY. YES, SIR. BUT, COMMISSIONER, WHAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE IN THAT POSITION, IT REQUIRES TIME TO TRAIN THEM. IT'S NOT A OVERNIGHT MIRACLE THAT THEY CAN BE TRAINED TO TO FULLY SERVE THE PUBLIC. YOU MENTIONED THAT WHEN WE FIRST STARTED TALKING ABOUT NEED TO SIX MONTHS, HAVE THEM THERE WITHIN TIME. YES, SIR. TO COVER ALL THE ASPECTS THAT WE DO. IT'S NOT AN EASY JOB TO DO WHAT WE DO, I UNDERSTAND, IF I MAY. I HEARD MISS KELLER STATE A COUPLE OF TIMES RIGHT NOW THAT THE UNDERSTANDING FOR PROVIDING THOSE TEMPORARY POSITIONS WAS NOT TO PUT THEM. MAYBE THIS IS WHY IT'S NOT IN THE JOB DESCRIPTION, BUT IT WAS FOR THEM TO BACKFILL FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE ALREADY TRAINED THAT CAN THAT ARE, THAT ARE FULL TIME EMPLOYEES TO, TO TAKE CARE OF, TO, TO MOVE INTO THE INTO. THAT WORK DURING THE HIGH SEASON, THE TAX SEASON AND BACKFILL SOME OF THE WORK THAT THEY THAT THEY HAVE. IS THAT CORRECT? YES, SIR. AND I ALSO WANT TO MENTION WE HAVE OTHER AREAS WHERE WE USE TEMPORARIES WHERE THEY'RE VERY COMPLEX.

THERE'S COMPLEX WORK, AND THERE'S WAYS THAT YOU CAN WORK WITH HR SO THAT WE BRING BACK THE SAME PEOPLE YEAR AFTER YEAR. AND WE DO THIS IN ELECTIONS WHERE WE HAVE THE SAME PEOPLE COME IN YEAR AFTER YEAR AS A TEMPORARY TO DO TO DO STINTS WITH THE COUNTY. AND THAT WORK IS ALSO VERY REGULATED AND COMPLEX. SO THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE COULD DO TO LOOK AT THIS, TO WORK WITH MR. GONZALEZ. THE WAY WE'RE DOING IT MAY NOT BE EFFECTIVE FOR HIM, BUT WE NEED TO SIT DOWN AND SEE IF THERE IS ANOTHER WAY THAT WE COULD DO IT, MAYBE THROUGH A TEMP AGENCY INSTEAD OF THROUGH A TEMP POOL, BECAUSE THE TEMP AGENCY CAN EMPLOY THOSE TEMPS IN OTHER JOBS, OTHER TIMES A YEAR, AND THEN RECYCLE THEM BACK TO US EACH YEAR SO THAT WE'RE NOT HAVING AS MANY PEOPLE TO RETRAIN, AND THEY WOULD ONLY NEED TO BE BROUGHT UP TO SPEED ON ANY CHANGES SINCE LAST YEAR. SO THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY LOOK AT TO HELP HIM. YEAH, I THINK THE GOAL IS JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE UTILIZING THE COUNTY'S RESOURCES TO HELP WITH CAPACITY BUILDING IN YOUR OFFICE, MR. GONZALEZ. SO, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER, HOWEVER YOU'RE ABLE TO USE THOSE RESOURCES TO, TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS CAPACITY BUILDING.

I THINK THAT'S OUR GOAL. YOU KNOW, YOUR OFFICE THE BEST. AND SO IF THERE ARE CHANGES THAT

[01:35:04]

NEED TO BE MADE ON OUR END, THEN THEN THOSE NEED TO BE DOCUMENTED AND SUBMITTED. AND, YOU KNOW, REST ASSURED THAT THIS COURT HAS THE SAME GOAL AS YOU DO, WHICH IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS OFFICE WORKS EFFICIENTLY, EFFECTIVELY AND MEETS THE NEEDS OF OUR RESIDENTS. THERE IS NO ONE MORE CONCERN THAN I AM, COMMISSIONER, ABOUT THE EFFICIENCY OF MY OFFICE, ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT I'M INEFFICIENT IN DOING MY DUTIES, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT I'M VERY CONCERNED AND I CANNOT RELATE TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN THE COUNTY. BUT MY DEPARTMENT IS UNIQUE IN WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT WE HAVE TO COMPLY WITH, AND IT'S MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF FACETS TO EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, WHETHER IT'S DATA ENTRY, KNOWLEDGE OF THE INFORMATION, THE DISPENSING OF THE INFORMATION AND HOW TO PROCESS AN APPLICATION REQUIRES A LOT OF ACCURACY AND A LOT OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPTS OF WHAT WE DO IN TITLE LAW, REGISTRATION, LAW, AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WE DO. SO I AM MORE, VERY MORE CONSCIENTIOUS OF OUR DUTIES AND MY RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC WHO ELECTED ME TO BE IN THIS POSITION. I JUST NEED THE SUPPORT OF THIS COMMISSIONERS COURT, NOT IN THE TEMPORARY AREA. I NEED IT NEEDED IN THE FULL TIME AREA. I NEED FULL TIME EMPLOYEES. IF YOU ARE RELUCTANT TO DO THAT, I'VE ALREADY ACCEPTED FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS THAT YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GIVE ME THE FULL TIME EMPLOYEES, SO I HAD TO DO ALTERNATIVE MEANS TO MEET MY RESPONSIBILITIES TO OUR DEALER COMMUNITY, BECAUSE THEY ARE A VERY TECHNICAL, VERY IMPORTANT GROUP OF THIS COUNTY THAT I HAVE SUPPORTED THROUGHOUT THE YEARS HERE. SO I UNDERSTAND MY DUTIES. I DON'T THINK THAT THIS COURT IS RELUCTANT TO PROVIDE STAFFING. I THINK THAT THAT'S THE REASON THAT WE'RE SITTING HERE AND THAT WE'VE HAD THESE DISCUSSIONS FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS. SECONDLY, THE OTHER FACTOR THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING LATELY IS THAT THERE'S NO DAY THAT GOES AWAY, THAT THAT COMES BEFORE US, THAT WE HAVE 15 TO 20% ABSENTEEISM FOR WHATEVER REASON, SICK LEAVE, FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE, VACATION, FUNERAL. WE HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE OFF WHEN THEY'RE NOT THERE. THEY CAN'T PRODUCE. SO WE HAVE TO ADJUST EVERY SINGLE DAY AND ALL OFFICES, I'M SURE IN ALL MY OFFICES TODAY. SO THOSE ARE CHALLENGES THAT ARE INTERNAL, BUT I CAN'T CONTROL THAT. BUT WE'RE DOING OUR BEST AND WE HAVE DONE OUR BEST IN THIS ASPECT OF DEALER, WEB DEALER WORK WE ARE DOING. WE ARE BETTER OFF. CONTRARY TO OTHER INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE RECEIVING, WE'RE BETTER OFF THAN THE OTHER TOP TEN COUNTIES IN THE STATE. AS OF LAST FRIDAY, DECEMBER THE 6TH, WE HAD 500 TRANSACTIONS PENDING. COUNTIES LIKE HARRIS COUNTY HAD OVER 7000. HIDALGO COUNTY HAD OVER 7000. TRAVIS, DALLAS, TARRANT. ALL THESE COUNTIES HAVE MORE AS OF DECEMBER THE 6TH THAN WHAT WE HAD HERE. SO OUR WORK AND OUR COMMITMENT TO THE DEALER COMMUNITY IS WORKING, BECAUSE I HAD WE HAD TO DO THIS ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY BY SHUTTING DOWN TEMPORARY OFFICES ONE DAY A WEEK. THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE COULD DO THIS. SO WE'RE MEETING OUR GOALS AND WE STILL NEED HELP BECAUSE THERE'S OTHER VACANCIES. NOT JUST DEALER CLERKS. WITH DEALER CLERKS. I HAVE AN ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT THAT IS OVERWORKED BECAUSE OF THE ACH TRANSACTIONS THAT WE RECEIVED, AND I'M GATHERING THAT INFORMATION TODAY TO PROVIDE IT TO HR SO IT CAN BE AVAILABLE FOR YOU ALL NEXT THURSDAY. I'M GETTING READY TO PROVIDE YOU WITH ALL THE DETAILS AND ALL THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND IF WE HAVEN'T FILLED ANY VACANCIES OUT HERE LATELY, WHICH IS EVERY THAT'S THE BIG THING FOR, FOR HR IS BECAUSE MY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TIED UP WITH OTHER ISSUES DEALING WITH COMPLIANCE WITH THE WEB DEALER, THE DEALERS, MY CHIEF DEPUTY, MY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, MY ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, ESPECIALLY MY MOTOR VEHICLE MANAGEMENT TEAM. THEY HAVE BEEN TIED UP FOR TWO YEARS TRYING TO GET THE DEALERS TO BECOME COMPLIANT, PLUS TRAINING, AND YOU JUST CANNOT IMAGINE THE TIME THAT IT TAKES TO DO THIS. IN THE LAST TWO YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN SPREADING THE WORD AND TELLING THE WORLD IN THIS COUNTY THAT WE'RE DEALER WAS COMING AND WE WERE GOING TO NEED SUPPORT, BUT NOBODY LISTENED. SO AGAIN, WE ARE DOING A GREAT JOB TODAY, AS

[01:40:03]

EVIDENCED BY THE COMMENTS THAT I GET FROM OUR DEALER COMMUNITY COMMENTS THAT I GAVE FOR THE NEW CAR DEALER INDUSTRY. SO THE ONLY COMPLAINT RIGHT NOW IS THE GENERAL PUBLIC, BECAUSE I HAD TO CLOSE DOWN THESE OFFICES, AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN DEVOTE MORE PEOPLE TO WORK THESE TRANSACTIONS. SO WE'RE SOLVING THE ISSUE WITHOUT ADDITIONAL MANPOWER. BUT I DO NEED THEM. MY CLERKS IN THE ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED, BECAUSE SOME OF THE COMMENTS ARE BEING MADE BY THIS COURT THAT IMPLY THAT WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING IN TWO YEARS. THEY'VE BEEN REALLY WORKING ABOVE AND BEYOND TO GET THIS PROGRAM GOING FOR THE DEALER COMMUNITY. AND YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THE, THE, THE YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THE NEW NEWS, WHICH I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN COMMUNICATING WITH THIS COURT THROUGHOUT MY TENURE IN THIS OFFICE OF KEEPING YOU UP TO DATE, THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS BEEN GENEROUS TO RESPOND TO MY NOTIFICATIONS IS COMMISSIONER ELGIN. WITH THE LATEST INFORMATION THAT I PROVIDED TO YOU. AND SHE ONLY SAID THANK YOU, WHICH WAS MUCH MORE THAN WHAT I RECEIVED FROM ANY OTHER ANYBODY ELSE IN THIS COURT. SO I KEEP YOU INFORMED. AND I HAVE BEEN DOING IT EVER SINCE I'VE BEEN IN OFFICE. THERE'S A BIG CHANGES COMING HERE AND AS ALWAYS, THE PUBLIC AND WHOEVER ELSE IS COMMENTING ALWAYS BLAMES THE COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR. IT'S MY FAULT THERE WAS FAILURE TEN YEARS AGO WHEN THE TWO STEP, ONE STEP PROGRAM CAME INTO PLACE. THEY BLAMED THE TAX COLLECTOR, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A DMV PROJECT. NOW WE'RE DOING THIS. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BLAMED ME. NOW THEY'RE BLAMING ME BECAUSE I'M CLOSING OFFICE, BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY RESOURCE I HAVE AVAILABLE TO DO THE JOB. SO I'M HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS, BUT I'M NOT SITTING IDLY. I BRING LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE TO THIS DEPARTMENT. I HAVE MORE KNOWLEDGE IN THIS FIELD THAN ANY OTHER BODY IN THIS COUNTY. SO AGAIN. EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT I'M DOING. SO I'M HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. JUST TO CLARIFY, MR. GONZALEZ, YOU SAID YOU'LL BE PROVIDING TO HR THE NEEDS THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR OFFICE THAT YOU'VE HAD OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. THIS WEEK, I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR NEEDS FOR THREE YEARS. OKAY. I'M GOING TO BE PROVIDING THAT'S BEEN DOCUMENTED, DOCUMENTED REQUESTS TO HR FOR MORE STAFF OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS. YES, THERE'S BEEN DOCUMENTATION. AND IF I MAY, COMMISSIONER AND MR. GONZALEZ. SO ANYTIME A DEPARTMENT IS GOING TO REQUEST STAFF OR RESOURCES, THERE IS A PROCESS AND THERE IS INFORMATION THAT HAS TO BE PROVIDED, DATA THAT SHOWS LIKE WHAT IS THE CHANGE IN TRANSACTIONS, WHAT IS THE NORMAL TRANSACTIONS PER PERSON.

THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE. IF I WERE TO GO ASK FOR POSITIONS, I WOULD HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHAT WHAT IS CHANGING IN MY WORKLOAD OR WHAT WHAT JUSTIFIES THAT NEED. THAT IS THE INFORMATION THAT I BELIEVE WE NEED FROM MR. GONZALEZ. MORE THAN YOU KNOW. WHEN I SAY THE LAW HAS CHANGED, I HAVE TO EXPLAIN HOW THAT HAS CHANGED AND HOW IT WILL IMPACT MY WORKFLOW, HOW IT WILL IMPACT MY WORKLOAD. SO AND MAYBE MR. GONZALEZ HAS BEEN PROVIDING THIS TO HR. WE'D LOVE TO SEE THOSE, THOSE REQUESTS. BUT THAT'S THAT'S THE TYPE OF INFORMATION ANY DEPARTMENT IS REQUIRED TO SUBMIT. WE'VE HAD OTHER OTHER DEPARTMENTS IMPACTED BY CHANGES IN LEGISLATION, AND THEY EITHER GO THROUGH A TRIAL PERIOD ONCE THE LEGISLATION GOES INTO EFFECT AND THEY TRACK THE DATA AND THE NUMBERS, AND THEY SHOW HOW THAT HAS CHANGED. ONE COMMENT WOULD BE THE NUMBER OF CAR SALES ARE GOING UP OR THE NUMBER OF VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS ARE INCREASING, AND HERE'S HOW MUCH THEY'RE INCREASING. AND EACH PERSON ON AVERAGE I THINK ABOUT CJC, THEY DO THIS. YOU KNOW, THEY SAY WE CAN HAVE AN AVERAGE CASELOAD OF X AMOUNT PER PERSON.

THE CASELOAD IS INCREASING. I'M GOING TO NEED TWO PEOPLE IN TWO YEARS OR OVER THIS AMOUNT OF TIME. THEY DON'T COME IN AND SAY, I NEED NINE PEOPLE. THAT'S AND THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE THAT I THINK WE NEED TO SEE THE DOCUMENTATION ON THE INFORMATION THAT I'VE PROVIDED YOU ALL IN THE LAST TWO YEARS HAS BEEN THE INFORMATION THAT'S BEEN REQUESTED BY HR. WE FULLY COMPLIED WITH ALL THE REQUESTS IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR NEEDING MORE PERSONNEL. WE CITED THE WEB DEALER PROGRAM. WE'VE ALWAYS HAD STATISTICS ON HOW LONG IT TAKES TO PROCESS A TRANSACTION. THEY'VE BEEN. I'VE BEEN HEARING QUOTES FROM THIS DEPARTMENT AND YOUR ADVISORS THAT WE CAN WORK A TRANSACTION, A RENEWAL WITHIN SEVEN MINUTES AND AND A TITLE TRANSFER WITHIN TEN MINUTES. THOSE ARE FIGURES THAT WE PROVIDED BACK WHEN THE ARTS PROGRAM CAME INTO PLAY

[01:45:02]

MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO. SO THOSE ARE OLD TRANSACTIONS NOW BECAUSE OF THE ADDITIONAL CHANGES THAT THE STATE ADDS FOR US, IT TAKES LONGER TO PROCESS A RENEWAL AND ALSO A TITLE TRANSFER BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW HOW LONG IT'S GOING TO TAKE FOR A TYPICAL TITLE TRANSFER TRANSFER, WHETHER IT'S JUST A PLAIN TEXAS TITLE TRANSFER, AN OUT-OF-STATE TRANSACTION, OR EVEN EXEMPT TRANSACTION, WE GET A LOT OF WORK FOR EXEMPT REQUESTS NOT ONLY FROM THIS COUNTY, BUT FROM OTHER STATE AGENCIES THAT NEED EXEMPT LICENSE PLATES. THAT'S A FACTOR THAT'S NOT COVERED IN OUR VOLUME OF WORK THAT WE RECEIVE, THAT I HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY THERE TO ISSUE PLEDGE FOR THESE EXEMPT VEHICLES. SO THOSE ARE WORK ACTIVITIES THAT ARE AN ADDITION. BUT WE HAVE PROVIDED STATISTICAL INFORMATION IN THE PAST. WHATEVER THE HR REQUESTED, WE PROVIDED EVERY YEAR. AND THEY NEVER SAID WE'LL ADD MORE. NOT IF WHATEVER THEY REQUESTED WE PROVIDE IT. WE HAVE ALL THAT INFORMATION AVAILABLE. SO WE'VE COMPLIED AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, WITH ALL THE REQUESTS THAT HR REQUESTED DURING THE BUDGET CYCLES. IF WE COULD GO BACK TO THE ISSUE OF YOUR VACANCIES. SO I UNDERSTAND THAT TWO OF THE SEVEN VACANCIES WILL BE FILLED IN JANUARY OF NEXT YEAR. SO NEXT MONTH AND THEN YOU HAVE THREE EMPLOYEES THAT ARE BEING PROMOTED. SO THAT'S OPENING UP NEW LOWER LEVEL VACANCIES THAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS. AS YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE COUNTY IS BOUND BY THE POLICY OF THE COMMISSIONERS COURT TO IMPLEMENT A HIRING FREEZE, A 16 WEEK HIRING FREEZE. IN YOUR CASE, THE COMMITTEE HAS ACTUALLY GRANTED YOUR REQUEST. EVERY REQUEST FOR AN EXEMPTION THAT YOU'VE SUBMITTED. SO MY QUESTION TO YOU IS YOU'VE NOW I THINK THERE'S A NEW INVESTIGATOR VACANCY THAT I THINK VALERIA MENTIONED. AND THEN YOU MENTIONED SOMEONE IN ACCOUNTING THAT THERE'S AN ACCOUNTING VACANCY. HAVE YOU SUBMITTED THE EXEMPTION REQUEST FOR THOSE TWO POSITIONS? WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE PROPERLY STAFFED, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE REQUESTS ARE BEING SUBMITTED. COMMISSIONER, EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN REQUESTED, WE'RE COMPLYING WITH, THEY'RE IN A THEY'RE IN A POSITION NOW WHERE WE'RE WE'VE FINALIZED SOME THE INTERVIEWS.

WE'RE FINALIZING THE PAPER TO GET IT SUBMITTED. NOW THE INVESTIGATOR'S POSITION RIGHT NOW I HAVE IT ON HOLD BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO JUSTIFY THE NEED. OKAY. NOW THAT ONE, WE WON'T PROBABLY BE SEEING JUSTIFY THE NEED BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT NEEDS TO GO INTO ENFORCEMENT WITH HOUSE BILL 718, WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF COMPLAINTS AND MORE FORGERIES, MORE ISSUES OF FRAUD THAT I WANT TO ADDRESS. BUT THERE'S ALSO AN ISSUE OF VEHICLE REGISTRATION ABUSE PROGRAM THAT I'M TRYING TO EMPHASIZE A NEED BECAUSE YOU ALL DON'T HAVE ANY REVENUE. I'M TRYING TO COLLECT MORE REVENUE FOR YOU. OKAY. SO THEY MAY NOT BE A NEED. IF I ASSESSED THE DIVISION, THE DEPARTMENT, THEY'RE NOT DOING ENOUGH. I'M GONNA HAVE TO CANCEL SOME PROJECTS WITHIN THAT DIVISION TO GO UTILIZE THOSE FOLKS FOR OTHER JOBS. NOW, WHAT VACANCIES WE'VE HAD, COMMISSIONER, HAS BEEN BECAUSE I. I RECLASSIFIED SOME POSITIONS TO MOVE THEM OVER TO MOTOR VEHICLE. IT'S CREATING VACANCIES ARE DOWN AT THE BOTTOM SO IT TAKES TIME TO FILL. BUT IT'S NOT TO MEAN THAT I CAN GIVE THEM UP TOTALLY. I NEED A COMPLIANCE OFFICER WHICH I GAVE UP TEMPORARILY. I GAVE UP AN ENFORCEMENT POSITION, WHICH I GAVE UP TEMPORARILY. TRAINER I NEED TRAINERS BADLY. IF I CAN'T HAVE THE SMART THE THE EXPERIENCED CLERKS TO TO TRAIN THEM ON TITLE AND REGISTRATION LAW, THEY CAN'T PUT THEM ON THE LINE. NO. AND I AND I UNDERSTAND, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND. THE SOONER YOU SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST TO THE HIRING EXEMPTION COMMITTEE, THE SOONER WE CAN CONSIDER GRANTING THOSE EXEMPTIONS, AND THE SOONER YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GET THOSE POSITIONS FILLED. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY POSITIONS THAT YOU'RE WANTING TO MAKE A REQUEST FOR AN EXEMPTION, PLEASE DO THAT AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN. YES, MA'AM. THE COMMISSIONER JUST REALIZED, I WANT YOU TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WE'RE GOING TO BE HIRING FROM WITHIN VACANCIES THAT ARE CREATED. YES, BUT IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT I NEED MORE PERSONNEL. IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT. NOW, IF YOU HAVE THIS HOLD ON HIRING POSITIONS, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I CAN ACCEPT THAT. BUT I ALSO HAVE TO STRATEGIZE TO BE ABLE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF MY CONSTITUENTS, YOUR CONSTITUENTS THAT ARE NEEDING MY HELP RIGHT NOW. AND I'M DOING IT EVEN THOUGH THE PUBLIC'S COMPLAINING BECAUSE I'M CLOSING MY OFFICE ROTATION ON A ROTATION BASIS SO WE CAN MEET THOSE NEEDS. YES. AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE TO NOW FILL THE ENTRY LEVEL

[01:50:01]

POSITIONS BECAUSE YOU ARE PROMOTING, AND THOSE ARE THE EXEMPTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN GRANTED. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE SUBMITTING YOUR EXEMPTION REQUESTS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE SO THAT THE COMMITTEE CAN. I'M SURE WE ARE, MA'AM, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE THE POINT THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT I STILL NEED ADDITIONAL BODIES. AND MY CONCERN RIGHT NOW. HONESTLY, MR. GONZALEZ IS MAKING SURE YOUR VACANCIES ARE FILLED. SO THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW. I UNDERSTAND WE WE ARE THERE. WE ARE ON TOP OF IT. MY CHIEF DEPUTY IS IN CHARGE OF THAT. OKAY. MR. CHAIR. MR. GONZALEZ, YOU HAD THESE VACANCIES. FOR HOW LONG? WELL, COMMISSIONER, WE'VE HAD VACANCIES ALL THE TIME IN OUR DEPARTMENT, BUT IT GOT MORE CRITICAL FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO IMPLEMENT, IMPLEMENT WEB DEALER, BECAUSE WE WERE ALL FOCUSED ON TRYING TO GET. WHEN DID YOU START TO IMPLEMENT WEB DEALER? PARDON ME? WHEN DID YOU START TO IMPLEMENT WEB DEALER? OVER TWO YEARS AGO. AND WHAT WHAT WHAT SPECIFICALLY DID YOU DO? OKAY, LET ME GIVE YOU A BACKGROUND ON WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON. THE LAW WAS SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR IN JUNE OF 2023. AUGUST. LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR HAD A MEETING AT TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES. HE WAS TELLING THE THE ATTENDEES ABOUT THIS BILL THAT HAD BEEN PASSED. AND IT WAS A LAW ENFORCEMENT BILL INTENDED TO TO DETER THE FRAUDULENT USE OF PAPER DEALER TAGS AND PAPER PERMITS. THAT WAS IN AUGUST OF 23. THE LAW WENT INTO EFFECT SEPTEMBER THE 1ST OF 23. WHEN WE WERE AT THAT CONFERENCE, I MENTIONED IT TO MISS KELLER THAT I WAS GOING TO NEED HELP. SHE TOLD ME, KEEP ME IN THE LOOP. AT THAT POINT. THE LAW WENT INTO EFFECT ON SEPTEMBER THE 1ST OF 2023. MY ASSOCIATION, WE WERE AWARE OF THAT BILL FORTHCOMING, AND WE HAD ALREADY DECIDED AND AND DISCUSSED WHAT IMPACT IT WAS GOING TO BE TO THE COUNTY TAX OFFICES, TO ALL 254. SO WE KNEW IN BY BY FEBRUARY OF 2024, EVERYBODY IN THIS COUNTY WAS AWARE OF IT. THE DEALER COMMUNITY, I STARTED NOTIFYING THEM OUR PRIVATE CONTRACTED OFFICES. I SENT NUMEROUS LETTERS, HAD TO TO THE COURT, TO THE DEALER COMMUNITY. I CAME TO YOUR OFFICES. YOU ALL CAME TO MY OFFICES, IF YOU RECALL.

COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER, YOU CAME TO MY OFFICE AND I SHARED WITH YOU MY MY CHALLENGES. I HAD ALREADY SPOKEN TO COMMISSIONER LEON THAT IT WAS FORTHCOMING. HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SUPPORTIVE OF MY DEPARTMENT. AND I CAME TO YOUR OFFICE, COMMISSIONER, AND SPOKE TO YOU, YOUR CHIEF OF STAFF. AND I DID THE SAME THING WITH COMMISSIONER ROBINSON WHEN HE WAS THERE, THAT I WAS GOING TO BE NEEDING SOME HELP BECAUSE IT WAS GOING TO BE A BIG IMPACT FOR THE OVER 800 DEALERS THAT CAME UNDER THIS WHEN THEY SIGNED THE LAW ON SEPTEMBER THE 1ST, DMV HAD TWO YEARS TO PREPARE. IN THAT LENGTH OF TIME, COMMISSIONER, THEY HAD TO MANUFACTURE OVER 1.3 MILLION SETS OF METAL LICENSE PLATES SO THEY COULD SUPPLY THE OVER 20,000 DEALERS AROUND THE STATE OF TEXAS. THAT TAKES TIME. THEY HAD DEVELOPED A PROGRAM THAT COULD MANAGE THE DISTRIBUTION OF THAT PLATE INVENTORY TO THE OVER 20,000 DEALERS THAT WERE THAT ARE AROUND, THAT WERE THERE IN TEXAS. THEY HAD TO REPROGRAM THE OLD WEB DEALER PROGRAM TO COINCIDE WITH THE CHANGES IN THE NEW BILL. 718, THEY HAD TO TRAIN ALL 220,000 DEALERS, THE 254 COUNTIES THAT HAVE DEALERS. AND THEY HAD TO TRAIN LAW ENFORCEMENT, WHICH THEY REALLY DIDN'T DO HERE IN EL PASO UNTIL A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. THAT WAS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. IT WAS NOT THE TAX COLLECTOR'S RESPONSIBILITY TO TRAIN THE DEALERS. IT'S NEVER BEEN MY RESPONSIBILITY TO TRAIN THE DEALERS. BUT I'VE GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND AND PROVIDED THEM INDIVIDUAL TRAINING HERE IN THIS COUNTY TO HELP MY DEALER CUSTOMERS TO COMPLY. AND I'VE HELD NUMEROUS TRAINING SESSIONS. I'VE BROUGHT THE STATE ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS.

I CAN ONLY ESTIMATE ABOUT FIVE TIMES THAT WE'RE HERE. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THEY WERE HERE TWO WEEKS AGO, PROVIDED SPECIALIZED TRAINING JUST FOR MY STAFF SO THAT WE COULD BE IN TUNE WITH CURRENT CHANGES IN SHORTCUTS AND HOW TO APPROVE TRANSACTIONS. FINALLY, COMMISSIONER, THE FINAL THING THAT WE WERE WAITING FOR AS A TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR ASSOCIATION, WE NEEDED TO WAIT FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE RULES TO BE FILED BY THE DMV. THE LAW GAVE THEM UNTIL DECEMBER THE 1ST TO FILE THOSE RULES. THEY DIDN'T PROVIDE US THE FIRST

[01:55:04]

VERSION UNTIL JUNE OF 2024. THERE WAS ANOTHER REVISION IN VERSION, AN UPDATE OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE RULES UNTIL NOVEMBER OF 2024. AND IN THAT LENGTH OF TIME, WE HAD TO START LEARNING WHAT THE CHANGES WERE TO START PASSING THE WORD START. START TRAINING THE DEALERS, EXPOSING THEM, MY STAFF AND EVERYBODY ELSE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROGRAM TO MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL, WHICH WE DID. SO TO SAY THAT I HAD TWO YEARS TO PREPARE IS NOT TRULY CORRECT.

WELL, WHEN DID YOU HAVE YOUR FIRST TRAINING FOR THE DEALERS, THE LOCAL DEALERS? EARLY 2024.

I NOTIFIED THE NEW CAR DEALERS AND WE STARTED NOTIFYING THE INDEPENDENT CAR DEALERSHIPS ABOUT IT, AND WE HAD NUMEROUS TRAININGS. YOU NOTIFIED THEM OR YOU GAVE THEM TRAINING. PARDON ME? YOU NOTIFIED THEM OR YOU GAVE THEM TRAINING. WE NOTIFIED THEM ALL. WE HAVE EMAILS FOR ALL ALL DEALERS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO REGISTER WITH US. BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT WHAT TRAINING.

WHEN'S THE FIRST TIME YOU HAD A TRAINING FOR THE LOCAL DEALERS? EARLY 2024. WAS THAT THE TRAINING THAT WAS AVAILABLE? I THINK WHAT COMMISSIONER CORONADO IS ASKING, MR. GONZALEZ, IS DID YOU MAKE THEM AWARE THE TRAINING AVAILABLE THROUGH THE STATE, OR DID YOU HOST A TRAINING? WE MADE THEM AVAILABLE AS SOON AS THE DMV NOTIFIED US THAT THEY WERE HAVING WEBINARS, BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY TO COMMUNICATE TO ALL THE DEALERS. PART OF THE LAW REQUIRED THEM TO BE TRAINED. SO THE DMV ESTABLISHED TWO WEBINARS, ONE ON ONE AND 1 OR 2 THAT THEY NEEDED TO COMPLY WITH. BUT ALSO THERE WAS CONDITIONS IN THE LAW THAT THEY NEEDED TO HAVE A SECURE STORAGE PLACE FOR THEIR PLATES BECAUSE THEY WERE GOING TO BE ASSIGNED TO THEM.

THEY ALSO REQUIRED TO GET ACCESS TO BE ABLE TO DO ELECTRONIC TITLE TRANSFERS THROUGH MY OFFICE. THAT WAS A CHORE. MY MOTOR VEHICLE DIRECTOR SPENT HOURS TRYING TO MAKE THAT THING WORK. THE DMV HAD FLAWS. ALSO, THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE RIGHT ACCOUNTS TO EACH DEALER THAT WE HAD. SECONDLY, THE DMV HAD PROBLEMS IN IN DISTRIBUTING LICENSE PLATES.

THERE WERE SENT TO THE WRONG ADDRESS. THEY WEREN'T PICKED UP. THEY SENT THEM THE INCORRECT PLATES TO THE DEALERS. THEY SENT THEM COMBINATION PLATES WHERE THEY ONLY SELLING PICKUP TRUCKS. COMBINATION PLATES ARE FOR COMMERCIAL VEHICLES. THEY HAD A LOT OF FLAWS IN THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAD TO ADDRESS AND OVERCOME. SO DELAYS LIKE THAT, THERE WERE DAYS WHEN THE SYSTEM WAS COMPLETELY DOWN, WE COULDN'T DO ANY WORK AND THAT STILL HAPPENS AS OF LAST WEEK.

IT WOULD HAPPEN. IT HAPPENED. WE'RE ALWAYS HAVING ISSUES WITH THE SYSTEM. THERE'S 3 OR 4 SYSTEMS WITHIN DMV THAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH AND THE DEALERS HAVE TO WORK WITH. ALSO, THERE'S WEB DEALER, THERE'S E-PLATE, THERE'S THERE'S A REGULAR BTS. THAT SYSTEM THAT WE UTILIZE THAT CONNECTS WITH THE WEB DEALER PROGRAM. SO ALL THOSE FUNCTIONS, BUT ESPECIALLY THE ACH PROGRAM, EVERY DEALER HAS TO ESTABLISH AN ACH PROGRAM WITH US SO THAT WHEN WE APPROVE THOSE TRANSACTIONS, WE CAN GET PAYMENT AND RELEASE AND RELEASE THOSE THAT REGISTRATION SO THAT THEY CAN PRINT THEIR STICKERS TO GET THEM TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. AND WERE YOU AWARE THAT ALL THE DEALERS SHOWED UP TO THE TRAINING OR NOT, OR DID THEIR TRAINING OR NOT? NOT ALL OF THEM COMPLIED. THERE WAS A LOT. THERE WAS ANOTHER ISSUE. WE NOTIFIED THE DEALERS. A LOT OF THEM WAITED TILL THE LAST MINUTE. THEY WAITED AND WAITED. TWO WEEKS AGO WE HAD REQUESTS FOR FIVE DEALERSHIPS THAT THEY WANTED ACCESS. THAT'S TYPICAL. THEY WAITED TILL THE VERY LAST MOMENT. SO IT'S NOT ALL ON ME, NOT ALL ON THE DMV. A LOT OF IT WAS WITH THESE DEALERS. NOW, UNFORTUNATELY, A LOT OF THESE MOM AND POP DEALERSHIPS ARE GOING TO BE GOING OUT OF BUSINESS BECAUSE THE LAW REQUIRES THEM TO HAVE FIVE VEHICLE SALES A YEAR. IF THEY DON'T HAVE FIVE VEHICLE SALES A YEAR, THEY CAN BE SUBJECT TO BEING CANCELED. AS OF TODAY, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE'S ABOUT 100 DEALERS THAT ARE PROBABLY GOING TO BE CANCELED BY THE DMV BECAUSE OF WHATEVER ISSUES THEY HAD WITH DEALER THAT THEY DIDN'T COMPLY OR HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO MAKE SALES BECAUSE DEALERSHIPS, YOU KNOW, THE DEALER INDUSTRY, YOU KNOW THAT THEY THEY'RE ALWAYS BORROWING ON CREDIT. IF THEY CAN'T PAY THEIR THEIR CREDITORS ON TIME, THEY CANCEL THEIR CONTRACT. THAT'S ONE OF THE FEARS THAT PROMPTED THE DEALERSHIPS TO COME BEFORE JUDGE SAMANIEGO IN SEPTEMBER TO TELL HIM THAT WE NEED THEY NEEDED HELP. THAT'S WHEN EVERYTHING STARTED CHANGING, WHEN THERE WAS A REALIZATION THAT THERE HURT THE THEIR SMALL BUSINESS PEOPLE. AND COULD YOU HAVE IMPLEMENTED THE NEW LAW EARLIER THAN WHEN IT WENT INTO EFFECT, WHEN YOU HAD TO ACTUALLY START DOING THAT? YES AND NO. AS A MATTER OF FACT, YES OR NO, BECAUSE AS A MATTER OF FACT, COMMISSIONER, I IMPLEMENTED WEB DEALER WHEN I WAS APPOINTED BY THIS COURT TO BE TAX COLLECTOR. I STARTED THAT PROGRAM AT THE REQUEST OF

[02:00:02]

THE FRANCHISE DEALER COMMUNITY. THAT CAME TO ME BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO UTILIZE THE WEB DEALER PROGRAM. WEB DEALER HAS BEEN AROUND IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. IN 2013, I LOOKED AT THE CONTRACT THAT MY CHIEF DEPUTY WAS SITTING ON. I REVISED THE LANGUAGE AND WITHIN A WEEK I SUBMITTED IT TO THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. THEY APPROVED IT AS EARLY AS SEPTEMBER EARLY OF 2016. I HAD THREE DEALERS, FRANCHISE DEALERS AND ONE INDEPENDENT COME TO US, AND WE STARTED THEM ON THE WEB DEALER PROGRAM. AT THAT TIME, UP UNTIL JULY THE 1ST OF 2025, WEB DEALER WAS OPTIONAL. THAT'S WHY DEALERS DIDN'T PARTICIPATE IN THAT, BECAUSE THEY HAD THE LUXURY OF USING THE PRIVATE CONTRACTED OFFICES TO DO THEIR DEALER WORK.

COME JULY THE 1ST OF 2025, IT BECAME MANDATORY. SO A LOT OF THESE DEALERS WERE USED CAR SALESMEN ONE DAY, THE NEXT DAY, BY AN ACT OF LAW, THEY HAVE TO BECOME TITLE CLERKS TO REPORT THOSE TRANSACTIONS TO US. SO THERE'S A LOT OF CRITERIAS, A LOT OF REQUIREMENTS THAT HAD TO BE DONE TO GET WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY. AND SOME DEALERS ARE STILL TRYING TO COMPLY AND LEARN THE SYSTEM, WHICH WE'RE BEING VERY PATIENT TO TEACH THEM AND SHOW THEM WHAT IS GOOD, WHAT IS BAD, WHAT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED. AND WE'RE DOING THAT TODAY. BUT MY QUESTION IS, IS COULDN'T COULDN'T YOU HAVE IMPLEMENTED THE REQUIREMENT EARLIER? NOT AS AN OPTION, BUT AS A REQUIREMENT TO SEE WHAT THE NEW LAW WAS GOING TO BE REQUIRING AND HOW THEY WERE GOING TO HOW THE DEALERS WERE GOING TO BE DEALING WITH IT. COULDN'T YOU HAVE DONE THAT EARLIER? THE THE NOTIFICATION AND THE AND THE INFORMATION WAS A REQUIREMENT BY THE DMV. BUT I DID THAT HERE LOCALLY, MORE THAN THAN NORMAL BECAUSE I ALREADY KNEW MORE OR LESS WHAT THEY WERE ASKING FOR. I DIDN'T KNOW HOW THE PARTICULAR PROGRAM WAS GOING TO BE WORKED, BECAUSE UNDER THE OLD SYSTEM, IF A DEALER SUBMITTED A TRANSACTION, WE HAD THE CAPABILITY OF CORRECTING THAT TRANSACTION AND SUBMITTING IT FOR APPROVAL UNDER THE NEW WEB DEALER PROGRAM, BECAUSE ANOTHER CONDITION THAT'S BEEN IMPOSED ON THE TAX COLLECTORS IS TO IDENTIFY AND PREVENT FRAUD. WE CANNOT TOUCH THAT TRANSACTION AFTER THE DEALER SUBMITS IT TO US. SO THAT'S WHY THERE'S AN INCREASE OF REJECTIONS, BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING MISSING, WHETHER IT'S THE WEIGHTS, THE CLASSIFICATION OF VEHICLES, WE HAVE TO SEND IT BACK IF THEY DON'T GET IT CORRECT CORRECTLY. AND THAT'S EXACTLY MY POINT. WHY WOULDN'T WE REQUIRE THIS EARLIER FROM THEM THAN WAITING UNTIL THE LAW STARTED, SO THAT YOU COULD BE ABREAST OF WHAT ISSUES THE DEALERS HAD, AND IF THEY WEREN'T DOING THEIR TRAINING, MORE OUTREACH TO THEM TO SAY, HEY, YOU GUYS NEED TO GET ON BOARD OR THERE'S GOING TO BE PROBLEMS WHEN THE LAW ACTUALLY TAKES EFFECT. THAT COMMISSION WASN'T THAT DONE? I UNDERSTAND, COMMISSIONER, BUT REMEMBER WHAT I JUST TOLD YOU? WE WERE WAITING FOR OUR ADMINISTRATIVE RULES TO BE FILED AS EARLY AS JUNE. UNTIL THEN, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHICH WAY THE DMV WAS GOING TO GO. I HAD A GENERAL IDEA OF, BASED ON WHAT THEY HAD TOLD US IN PREVIOUS CONFERENCES THAT WE HAD ATTENDED, BUT NOT TO THE TO THE EXTENT THAT WE WERE GOING TO KNOW HOW THEIR INVENTORY PLATE MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WAS GOING TO HAPPEN OCCUR. THE REQUIREMENT ABOUT ACH, WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO COLLECT MONEY WHEN WE'RE PROCESSING THESE TRANSACTIONS? ALL OF THAT DID NOT COME ABOUT AND SURFACE FOR US TO DO UNTIL JUNE OF 2024. THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED TO GET OFFICIALLY SPECIFIC ON WHAT THE DEALER COMMUNITY NEEDED TO DO, AND WE STARTED COMMUNICATING WITH ALL OF THEM BY HOLDING TRAINING SESSIONS, VARIOUS TRAINING SESSIONS TO ALL THESE DEALERS IN THIS COUNTY. MANY ATTEND ATTENDED, MANY DID NOT. SO A LOT OF IT IS BACK FALLS BACK ON THE DEALER FOR NOT COMING TO TO OUR TRAINING SESSIONS, WHICH WE DID ABOVE AND BEYOND. SO DID YOU OUTREACH TO THOSE DEALERS THAT DIDN'T ATTEND? HEY, YOU GUYS NEED TO GET ON BOARD AND DO THIS TRAINING. WE NOTIFIED THEM THROUGH AN EMAIL BLAST CONSISTENTLY TO LET THEM KNOW THIS WAS COMING. ALL RIGHT. AND AS FAR AS IMPLEMENTING THE NEW LAW, SINCE BY JUNE OF 2024, YOU HAD ALL THOSE ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS AND THE PROCESSES, COULDN'T YOU HAVE STARTED BEFORE THE ACTUAL LAW TOOK EFFECT AS MANDATORY, SAY, LIKE IN APRIL OR MAY OF THIS YEAR, APRIL, MAY OF 2025? YES. WE STARTED IMPLEMENTING THOSE CHANGES AS WHEN THE RULES WERE FILED, WE STARTED INCORPORATING THE CHANGES AND SHARING IT WITH THE DEALER INDUSTRY. PLUS, THE DMV WAS VERY GOOD IN PROVIDING NUMEROUS WEBINARS. THE DMV HAS BEEN GREAT PARTNERS WITH US IN SHARING WITH US WHAT OUR RESPONSIBILITIES ARE AS THEIR DESIGNATED AGENT. OKAY, BETSY, YOU WERE GOING TO MAKE A COMMENT. YES, SIR. COMMISSIONER, WHAT I WAS GOING TO SUGGEST IS, AS FAR AS I KNOW, WE HAVE NOT HAD MR. GONZALEZ ACTUALLY

[02:05:03]

COMPLETE A STAFFING ADJUSTMENT REQUEST, LIKE DEPARTMENTS NORMALLY DO WHEN THEY REQUEST FOR POSITIONS, AND THAT THAT IS THE REQUEST FORM THAT WOULD BREAK DOWN REALLY A LOT OF WHAT HR HAS BEEN DOING DURING THE TIME AND MOTION STUDY IS LOOKING AT THE VOLUMES CHANGES OVER TIME. TRANSACTIONS, THE. I KNOW WHEN WE'VE LOOKED AT HIS OFFICE PREVIOUSLY, I THINK THE LAST TIME WE LOOKED AT HIS OFFICE WAS IN 2021, APPROXIMATELY, MR. GONZALEZ, AND THAT I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THOSE PREVIOUS NUMBERS, BUT STAFF ACTUALLY MONITORED AND OBSERVED SEVERAL TAX OFFICE EMPLOYEES PROCESSING TRANSACTIONS AND TOOK TIME AND NOTES ON LIKE, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PROCESS DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRANSACTIONS. AND WE CAME UP WITH THE NUMBERS OF LIKE, WHAT, WHAT, HOW MANY STAFF DOES IT TAKE TO DO WHAT VOLUME OF TRANSACTIONS? AND THAT'S SOME OF WHAT HR IS DOING NOW. BUT NORMALLY THAT'S WHAT DEPARTMENTS HAVE DONE AND SUBMITTED TO TO SHOW THOSE AND HOW THIS LAW WILL CHANGE THAT, HOW IT WILL SHIFT SOME OF THE WORK TO WEB DEALERS, TO TO DEALERS TO DO ELECTRONICALLY WHAT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES ARE. WILL THERE BE A PERIOD OF TIME OF LEARNING FOR DEALERS AND THEN THEY'LL GET BETTER AND MORE EFFICIENT, WHICH WILL MAKE THE TAX OFFICE MORE EFFICIENT IN THEIR REVIEW, BUT THAT THOSE FORMS WOULD ALSO BE HELPFUL FOR MR. GONZALEZ TO COMPLETE. IT ALSO TELLS MORE INFORMATION, ADDING ADDING PEOPLE IS NOT JUST ADDING PEOPLE YOU NEED. I BELIEVE THERE'S SPECIALIZED PRINTERS THAT THE TAX OFFICE HAS TO HAVE. THERE ARE COMPUTERS THAT THE TAX OFFICE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE. AND SO THOSE FORMS ALSO ASK THAT TYPE OF INFORMATION AS WELL. SO WE COULD GO BACK. WE CAN ASK MR. GONZALEZ TO ALSO COMPLETE THOSE STAFFING ADJUSTMENT REQUESTS FOR THE THE POSITIONS HE BELIEVES ARE NEEDED DUE TO THE CHANGE IN LAW. AND THAT COULD COMPLEMENT THE STUDY THAT HR HAS DONE. AND AGAIN, I DO WANT TO COMMEND MR. GONZALEZ THE CLOSURE. WELL, I KNOW HE HAS RECEIVED SOME NEGATIVE PUBLIC FEEDBACK ABOUT THE CLOSURE OF OFFICES. I KNOW ONE OF OUR INITIAL STUDIES ACTUALLY RECOMMENDED THE CLOSURE OF SOME OF THE OFFICES THAT WERE NOT PRODUCING THE SAME VOLUME TO REALLOCATE THE STAFFING TO OTHER LOCATIONS THAT DID HAVE HIGH VOLUMES. AND THE YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT MR. GONZALEZ IS EVALUATING THIS AND MAKING THOSE CHANGES, THAT'S WHAT WE'VE EXPECTED ALL DEPARTMENTS TO DO THE LAST COUPLE YEARS TO HELP WITH THEIR THEIR STAFFING NEEDS DURING THESE TOUGH OR OR TIGHTER FINANCIAL TIMES. SO I DO THINK THERE IS POSITIVE OUTCOMES. WE'RE SEEING. THOSE STAFFING ADJUSTMENT REQUESTS WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL. AND HR CAN COMBINE THOSE WITH THE THE STUDY THEY'RE DOING. BECAUSE IF THE COURT AT SOME POINT DOES CONSIDER GIVING ADDITIONAL STAFF, YOU ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE PROPER EQUIPMENT FOR THOSE STAFF. AND ANOTHER PART OF THE ANALYSIS COULD BE IF HE'S NOT USING THE TEMPORARY STAFF TO HELP DURING THE HIGH VOLUME OF TAX COLLECTION TIME, THERE ARE OTHER MECHANISMS. WE HAVE A CONTRACT FOR TAX COLLECTION. WE DO PAY FOR IT PER TRANSACTION.

WE PAY THE CITY TO COLLECT TAXES FOR US, BUT WE NEED TO DO AN ANALYSIS OF WHAT'S THAT PER COLLECTION COST VERSUS OUR STAFFING BURDENS. WOULD IT BE A BETTER EXCHANGE TO GO AHEAD AND PAY THE CITY TO COLLECT MORE, DRIVE MORE PEOPLE THAT WAY VERSUS PAY FOR STAFFING? I DON'T KNOW THAT. I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S TRUE. MAYBE BETTER TO TRY TO DRAW MORE, BUT WE NEED THAT THAT ANALYSIS. SO THOSE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN WORK WITH. MR. GONZALEZ TO BRING BACK WHAT THOSE LOOK LIKE. OKAY. SO MY MY QUESTION IS DID HR PROVIDE THEM WHEN WHEN MR. GONZALEZ FIRST REQUESTED THOSE BACK TWO YEARS, DID HE PROVIDE THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTATION AND FORMS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? HE DID NOT BECAUSE NO ONE WAS ALLOWED TO SUBMIT THOSE FORMS AT THAT TIME. NO ONE HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO SUBMIT THESE FORMS THE LAST TWO YEARS. OKAY, BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT BEEN ADDING STAFFING TO OUR STAFFING TABLE, WE WERE ALL ALLOWED TO. YOU COULD SUBMIT THE FORM. THE FORM ALSO IS TO SUBMIT FOR A REORG. SO IF YOU WANTED AS AN EXAMPLE, IN MY OFFICE, I SUBMITTED ONE BECAUSE I HEARD A RESOURCE THAT THE COURT NEEDED. SO I ELIMINATED ANOTHER POSITION AND SUBMITTED THE FORM SAYING I WANT TO ELIMINATE THIS POSITION AND CREATE THIS ONE BECAUSE THIS ONE'S OUR BIGGER PRIORITY RIGHT NOW. AND SO THE SOME OF THE WORK THAT MR. GONZALEZ HAS BEEN DOING IN REORGS, HE'S BEEN SUBMITTING THE FORMS FOR THOSE REORGANIZATIONS. OKAY, BUT BUT THAT'S THE SAME FORM YOU USE TO SUBMIT FOR A NEW POSITION AS WELL. BUT MR. GONZALEZ SAID THAT BACK IN TWO YEARS AGO, HE REQUESTED THE POSITIONS AND

[02:10:02]

THAT HR NEVER ASKED HIM FOR DOCUMENTATION ON THE NEED FOR THOSE. I WANT TO KNOW. I BELIEVE THEY SAID WE'RE NOT ACCEPTING APPLICANT. WE'RE NOT ACCEPTING REQUESTS FOR NEW POSITIONS BECAUSE THAT WAS OUR BUDGET DIRECTION, BECAUSE THAT WAS OUR THAT WAS OUR BUDGET DIRECTION, THAT WE WERE NOT ADDING NEW POSITIONS. SO YOU HAD TO GIVE SOMETHING UP TO GET NEW POSITIONS. RIGHT. COMMISSIONER, ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS DURING THIS BUDGET PROCESS, WHATEVER HR AND BUDGET ADMINISTRATION REQUIRES AND REQUESTS, WE HAVE PROVIDED THEM WITH ALL THE NECESSARY FORMS. AND AT THAT POINT, WHATEVER THEIR DECISION IS, I ACCEPTED IT THE FIRST YEAR I ACCEPTED IT THE SECOND YEAR, AND THE MAIN MESSAGE WAS THERE'S NO FUNDS AVAILABLE. I WAS FINE, BUT I STILL HAD AN ISSUE THAT I HAD TO FIND OUT. HAVE A SOLUTION TO HELP THE DEALER INDUSTRY, BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF THEM THAT WERE HURTING. SO THAT'S WHY I DID WHAT I DID. BUT WE FOLLOWED THE RULES. THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE FOLLOW THE RULES AND THE INFORMATION THAT WAS REQUESTED. WE PROVIDED THEM BY THEIR DEADLINES. THERE'S THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT WE DID NOT COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF WHAT HR WAS ASKING FOR US. FROM US. WE PROVIDED IT AND THEY GAVE US A RESPONSE, NO OR WHATEVER. BUT THERE WAS NO DEVIATION FROM THE PROCESS. I ALSO WANT TO HEAR FROM HR, BUT THE OTHER QUESTION IS, SINCE YOU HAD THOSE VACANCIES, WHY DIDN'T YOU ASK EARLIER TO SAY, I WANT TO REDEDICATE THESE POSITIONS TEMPORARILY OR RATHER RIGHT NOW SO I CAN DEAL WITH THE COMING LAW. SINCE YOU HAD THESE VACANCIES OPEN FOR SOME TIME. AND THE OTHER QUESTION IS, IF YOU HAVE A 15%. ABSENTEE RATE FROM EITHER SICKNESS OR JUST TAKING TIME OFF, I MEAN, THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. THAT'S OUR SITUATION. I DON'T KNOW HOW IT IS IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS, BUT A LOT OF THE REQUESTS FOR IT TO BE TIME OFF. IF THEY CALL IN SICK, THEY CALL IN SICK. I CAN'T QUESTION IT. IF THEY'RE ON FMLA, I CAN'T TOUCH THEM. IF THEY'RE ON JURY DUTY, I CAN'T TOUCH THEM. SO THOSE ARE ALL VALID REASONS THAT THE PEOPLE DON'T. THE EMPLOYEES DON'T COME TO WORK NOW. THEY MAY FIB. THEY MAY MISREPRESENT THE REASON I HAVE NO CONTROL. I HAVE TO HONOR WHAT THEY TELL ME UNLESS I CATCH THEM BLATANTLY SHOPPING OR SOMETHING DURING THE DAY WHEN THEY CALL IN SICK. AND EVEN THEN IT HAS TO BE. THERE'S GOT TO BE A REASON BEHIND IT.

DO YOU REQUIRE THEM TO BRING IN A DOCTOR'S NOTE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? I FOLLOW POLICY BASED ON HR REQUIREMENTS. OKAY. MY DISCRETION. I ASK MY DIRECTORS TO SHOW ME PROOF OF THEIR APPOINTMENTS. BUT WITHIN THE HR POLICY, WE FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES. SOME IN SOME CASES IT MAY NOT BE REQUIRED. IN OTHER CASES IT IS. SO WE JUST FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES THAT HR PUTS OUT. ALL RIGHT OKAY HR DO YOU HAVE ANY RESPONSE. COMMISSIONERS. OUR RECORDS SHOW THAT THE TAX OFFICE DID SUBMIT FOR NEW POSITIONS IN FY 23. HOWEVER, AND THAT WAS BUDGET FY 23, FY 25, AND FY 26. AS BETSY HAD PREVIOUSLY STATED, THE WE DID NOT OPEN THE FORMS FOR SUBMISSION FOR NEW POSITIONS THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS, BUT WE HAD RECEIVED REQUESTS IN 2023 FY 23. SO THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN I'M SORRY, LET ME DOUBLE CHECK. IT WAS F FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024. WE DID RECEIVE REQUESTS AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS SIX POSITIONS. SIX POSITIONS. YES, SIR. AND WAS THAT JUSTIFIED OR SUBSTANTIATED. WHAT WAS YOUR REQUIREMENT FOR THAT? FOR THE REQUIREMENT? WE'RE STILL LOOKING INTO WHAT CAME FROM THAT. BUT WE HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE TAX OFFICE FROM WHAT I CAN SEE AT THIS POINT. BUT REST ASSURED THAT WILL BE INCLUDED IN THAT TIME AND MOTION WITH THE FULL KIND OF TIMELINE OF WHAT'S HAPPENED THESE PAST. MY NEXT QUESTION, DID YOU ALL DO A TIME AND MOTION STUDY TO ABOUT HIS REQUEST OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? WE INITIATED THE TIME AND MOTION STUDY EARLIER THIS YEAR AFTER WE MET WITH THE TAX OFFICE, AND THAT WAS BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT THERE WAS NO NEW POSITIONS BEING THAT WERE GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO BE REQUESTED IN FY 26, AND THEREFORE WE SAID IT WAS A STATUTORY CHANGE. WE DO WANT TO IDENTIFY WHAT ARE THE NEEDS, WHAT'S CHANGED AND

[02:15:01]

WHAT OPTIONS CAN WE PROVIDE AND SUGGESTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS CAN WE MAKE. ALL RIGHT. SO WE WE EXPECT TO BRING THAT BACK TO THE COURT. WE'RE HOPING TO BRING IT BACK TO THE COURT THIS WEEK. AGAIN THIS IS THEY'RE THEY'RE STILL IN DRAFT. IF IT'S NOT FINAL I'LL ASK THAT WE NOT RUSH THAT. I DO HOPE THAT THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET IT FINALIZED. BUT IF IT'S NOT ABLE TO BE FINALIZED BY THURSDAY, WE WOULD BRING IT BACK AS SOON AS WE RETURN AFTER THE NEW YEAR.

ALL RIGHT, MR. GONZALEZ. YES, SIR. YOU KNOW, I JUST THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS THIS ENTIRE COURT IS ALL ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE PROVIDE IN YOUR OFFICE IS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, PROVIDES THE SERVICES TO OUR COMMUNITY. BUT BUT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THE PROCESS. AND, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WHEN THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY WHEN THIS PARTICULAR BUDGET YEAR HAS BEEN SUPER CHALLENGING. THAT'S CORRECT. AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE FOLLOW THE PROCESS. AND IF SOMETIMES THERE'S NOT RESOURCES, THEN WE NEED TO FIND OUT WHERE WE CAN, YOU KNOW, BE MORE EFFICIENT. OR FOR EXAMPLE, THE OFFICES THAT BETSY WAS TALKING ABOUT, IF THEY'RE NOT RECEIVING THE NECESSARY TRAFFIC, THEN WE MAY NEED TO REASSIGN THOSE. WE WANT TO WORK WITH YOU BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT SHOULDN'T BE ABOUT US GOING BACK AND FORTH AND TRYING TO BLAME SOMEBODY. IT SHOULD BE AT HOW WE PROGRESS FORWARD. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS COURT IS VERY, VERY CONCERNED AND VERY, VERY SUPPORTIVE OF MAKING SURE WE PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES. BUT IF THERE'S ANY DEFICIENCIES, IT'S PARTICULARLY THOSE OFFICES THAT BETSY MENTIONED THAT WERE MAYBE RECOMMENDED THAT WE REASSIGN. THERE'S A COMMISSIONER. I DON'T WANT TO INTERRUPT YOU. I WANT YOU TO HAVE YOUR YOUR SAY. BUT EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE SAID IS NOT NEW. I UNDERSTAND THE EFFORTS OF EFFICIENCY. I UNDERSTAND TIME MANAGEMENT, TIME MANAGEMENT VERY, VERY WELL. I KNOW WHAT STATUTORY OBLIGATIONS I HAVE, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, FOR ME TO DO MY JOB AND YOU'RE ALL'S RESPONSIBILITY. IS TO REALLY BE TO PROVIDE A REASONABLE BUDGET SO THAT DEPARTMENTS LIKE MINE CAN BE ABLE TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY ADEQUATELY. AND THAT'S WHERE I'M FAILING. I DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES. AFTER I'VE TOLD YOU ALL WHAT WAS COMING. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET THAT.

NOW THERE'S CRITERIAS. YOU'RE SAYING THAT THERE WERE OPTIONS OFFERED THE AUDIT THAT WAS DONE IN 2022, 2022. THAT WAS RIGHT AFTER THE PANDEMIC. WE WERE SHORTHANDED. THEN WE WERE OVERCOMING THE THE THE PANDEMIC AND THEN THE GOVERNOR. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNEW THIS. THE GOVERNOR GRANTED A WAIVER FOR ONE YEAR. ALL THERE WAS ABOUT 100,000 REGISTRANTS, REGISTRATIONS FOR EL PASO, THAT THEY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THAT WAIVER. SO THEY WERE ALL FILTERING IN TO MY OFFICE TO TO RENEW. WE HAD LONG LINES AFTER THAT TIME PERIOD. WE'VE HAD BEEN BUSY SINCE THEN. AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE LAW CHANGED, WHICH IS THAT THAT'S APPLES, NOT ORANGES, COMES INTO PLAY IN THE IN THE FORM OF HOUSE BILL. 718. THAT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SET OF CATS. IT'S DIFFERENT CRITERIAS, DIFFERENT CHANGES. BUT THE EFFICIENCY FACTOR, THE PRODUCTION NUMBERS. COMMISSIONER, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THIS, BUT I'M THE BANK AND THE FACE OF THIS COUNTY. EVERY HOUSEHOLD HAS AT LEAST 2 OR 3, SOMETIMES FOUR VEHICLES THAT WE HAVE TO REGISTER. THEY VISIT ME ONCE A YEAR, TWICE A YEAR, THREE TIMES A YEAR. HOW MANY TIMES DO THEY GO GET A COPY OF A BIRTH CERTIFICATE? HOW MANY TIMES ARE THEY TAKEN TO COURT TO GO TO THE DISTRICT CLERK'S OFFICE? EVERY CITIZEN COMES TO MY OFFICE AT LEAST ONCE. THAT'S WHY I'VE OPENED SEVEN OFFICES TO SERVE THIS COMMUNITY IN AREAS LIKE VINTON.

AT THE REQUEST OF MADELINE PRAYER, THE MAYOR AT THAT TIME, SHE BEGGED ME TO OPEN UP THE VINTON LOCATION. AND I'VE KEPT MY PROMISE. I DON'T WANT TO CLOSE THAT OFFICE BECAUSE SOMETIMES THEY HAVE LOW TURNOUT. BUT I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT TO THE UPPER VALLEY, TO MY BARRIO.

OKAY, I OPENED UP THE EAST SIDE AGAIN WHEN THE COUNTY CLERK ABANDONED THAT LOCATION FOR OTHER REASONS. FOR REASONS I TOOK ADVANTAGE OF OF THAT LOCATION, I, I STOCKED IT WITH CURRENT STAFF. I WASN'T GIVEN ANY MORE STAFF. THE SAME WITH THING WITH VINTON. SO WE'VE BEEN THERE. THE NEWS LOCATION. WITH THE HELP OF COMMISSIONER LEON, I OPENED THE WEST SIDE OFFICE FOR THOSE CITIZENS BECAUSE I KNEW IT WAS A LONG WAY FOR THEM TO COME TO TO

[02:20:01]

REGISTER THEIR VEHICLE. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S A LOW TURNOUT SECTION. IT COMES AND GOES, AND THAT WAS THE ONLY OFFICE THAT I COULD LEGITIMATELY CLOSE TO HAVE A WEB DEALER HUB TO TAKE CARE OF THE DEALER COMMUNITY, INDUSTRY, THE DEALER COMMUNITY IN THIS TOWN, IN THIS COMMUNITY. SO I'VE BEEN INNOVATIVE. I'M A PROGRESSIVE TAX COLLECTOR. IF YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS BY NOW, AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT THE NEEDS ARE OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITY, BUT I JUST NEED THE SUPPORT IN THE FORM OF FULL TIME BODIES. I THINK YOU KNOW THAT THIS COURT SUPPORTS THAT. WE JUST NEED TO FOLLOW THE PROCESS, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WHERE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, TO TO FIND EFFICIENCIES BECAUSE OF OUR BUDGET PROBLEMS THAT WE'VE HAD OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. AND IT HASN'T BEEN THE FAULT OF THIS COMMUNITY. IT'S BEEN THE FAULT OF THE FEDERAL. AND THE STATE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T PUT IN THIS POSITION. IT'S NOT HASN'T BEEN THIS COURT. WELL, I AGREE WITH YOU, COMMISSIONER. I'M IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT I, I CARE MORE ABOUT IS EFFICIENCY BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THAT'S REQUIRED IN THIS TYPE OF OFFICE THAT I, THAT I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR. WELL, AS COMMISSIONER OLGUIN MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, THAT WE ARE CONCERNED AND SUPPORTIVE OF MAKING SURE THAT YOU GET THROUGH, THROUGH THESE REQUESTS TO REASSIGN THESE POSITIONS SO THAT WE CAN DEAL WITH THAT RIGHT NOW. AND ONCE THIS TIME AND MOTION STUDY IS DONE, THEN WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. BUT WE NEED TO FOLLOW THE PROCESS. IF EVERY DEPARTMENT WERE TO ASK US, GIVE US TEN NEW PEOPLE BECAUSE WE JUST NEED THEM. WELL, IT'S KIND OF DIFFICULT FOR US RIGHT NOW. WELL, COMMISSIONER, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, WE FOLLOW THE PROCESS AND EVERY POSITION AT THAT TIME WAS JUSTIFIED BECAUSE OF THE CHANGES THAT WERE COMING. SO AGAIN, NOTHING HAPPENED. WELL, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT COULD BE DONE BACK THEN AND EARLIER, AND I THINK WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO. AND I KNOW, YOU SEE THAT THIS COURT IS VERY SUPPORTIVE OF MAKING SURE THAT THESE ISSUES ARE ADDRESSED.

BETSY, I DO THINK WE HAVE SEVERAL PEOPLE SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. COMMISSIONER STOUT, IF YOU'D LIKE TO PROCEED WITH THOSE. YEAH. I HAD ONE QUESTION FOR THE MR. GONZALEZ.

I, I ALSO WANT TO COMMEND YOU. I THINK THE THE THE BACKLOG IN CASES WE'VE SEEN DECREASE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS IS A GREAT INDICATOR. I JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU, HOW MUCH LONGER CAN THE PUBLIC EXPECT FOR THE CLOSURES OF YOUR OFFICE AT THE DIFFERENT ANNEXES? WELL, THAT'S AN UNKNOWN COMMISSIONER BECAUSE IT DEPENDS. IT DEPENDS ON THE STAFFING THAT I GET, AND I STILL NEED TO MAKE THE POINT TO YOU THAT ONCE I ACQUIRE THE INDIVIDUALS, THAT IF YOU ALLOW ME TO HIRE MORE PEOPLE, SO I STILL HAVE TO TRAIN THEM, IT'S NOT A PIECE OF CAKE FOR ME TO HAVE AN EXPERIENCED CLERK THERE. THEY NEED AT LEAST TWO YEARS TO TO BE ABLE TO DO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO. YOU SAID THAT BEFORE. SO BUT MY QUESTION IS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT FILLING YOUR STAFFING NEEDS. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THESE TWO POSITIONS THAT NEED TO BE RECLASSIFIED. ONCE THAT IS DONE, HOW MUCH LONGER CAN THE PUBLIC EXPECT FOR OR HOW MUCH LONGER CAN WE EXPECT TO HAVE TO COMMUNICATE TO CONSTITUENTS ABOUT CLOSURES AT THE ANNEXES? I CAN GIVE YOU A DATE BECAUSE IT DEPENDS. OKAY. IT COULD BE ONGOING UNTIL YOU GIVE ME THE STAFF, UNTIL I CAN TRAIN THEM, I CAN'T I CAN'T OFFER YOU THAT. SO UP TO TWO YEARS IF NECESSARY. IF I GET IF I DON'T GET THE STAFF. REMEMBER, COMMISSIONER, I WANT TO HAVE AN EFFICIENT STAFF TO PROVIDE EFFICIENT SERVICE. WELL, SIR, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FILLING YOUR STAFFING NEEDS, RIGHT? SO GIVEN YOUR STAFFING NEEDS AND THE TRAINING REQUIREMENTS THAT YOU HAVE, HOW MUCH LONGER CAN THE PUBLIC EXPECT FOR THE ANNEXES TO BE CLOSED? IT DEPENDS ON THE VOLUME OF WORK. I'M GETTING READY FOR A BIG CASE, A BIG VOLUME OF WORK TO COME IN AS A NEW YEAR COMES IN. BECAUSE OF INCOME TAX, THE CLOSEOUT SALES OF DEALERS THAT HAVE THE FRANCHISE DEALERS. AND IT JUST DEPENDS BECAUSE I'VE ADDED A THERE'S ANOTHER RESPONSIBILITY THAT'S BEEN ADDED TO TO US. AND NOW WE'RE REQUIRING TO TO ENFORCE RESIDENCY STATUS OF ALL OUR CITIZENS THAT WE HAVE TO REGISTER. THAT'S GOING TO BE A TAKE A TIME TO EDUCATE EVERYBODY. BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, LIKE IT'S TYPICAL, EVERYBODY BLAMES THE COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR FOR THIS. AND IT'S A STATE MANDATE COMING DOWN FROM THE TOP. AND I HAVE TO OBLIGE THE DMV BECAUSE I'M THEIR AGENT.

SO THAT'S ANOTHER CHANGE THAT'S GOING TO BE COMING ABOUT WHERE THERE'S GOING TO BE COMPLAINTS REGARDING OUR ACTIONS. SO I CAN'T GIVE YOU A DEFINITE TIME. IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT IS PROVIDED AND WHAT I CAN HANDLE AND WHAT THE VOLUME OF CUSTOMERS THAT COME TO OUR OFFICE, BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST WEB DEALER COMMISSIONER. THERE'S A VOLUME OF TRANSACTIONS THAT ALSO HAVE TO COME IN DIRECTLY TO MY OFFICE. IF I CAN'T HANDLE THOSE, THOSE 18 DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRANSACTIONS THAT CAN BE WORKED IN WEB DEALER, I HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY TO WORK THEM IN WITHIN OUR OFFICES. THAT'S A WORK ACTIVITY THAT INCREASES EVERY

[02:25:02]

DAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. THE ONE POINT I WOULD MAKE IS IF THE WEST SIDE OFFICE IS GOING TO REMAIN CLOSED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, IT IS SOMETHING WHERE WE SHOULD REVIEW THAT CONTRACT BECAUSE WE RENT THAT SPACE. AND SO IT WOULD BE WASTEFUL TO RENT A SPACE THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE USING FOR, FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. YEP. JUST MAKING SURE WE'RE PLANNING AHEAD. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. ONE OTHER QUESTION. HOW HOW LOW ARE THE TRANSACTIONS AT THE WEST SIDE AND AT THE VINTON? HOW LOW? YES. YOU MENTIONED THAT THEY WERE LOW. VINTON OFFICE HAS LOW TRAFFIC, NO TRAFFIC, LOW, LOW TRAFFIC. IT JUST DEPENDS ON THAT UPPER VALLEY COMMUNITY THAT GOES TO THAT OFFICE. THEY DO GET SOME CUSTOMERS FROM THE FROM THE NORTHEAST SIDE THAT GO OVER THE MOUNTAIN. HOWEVER, AS FAR AS THE WEST SIDE, WE SHUT IT DOWN RIGHT NOW TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC SO THAT THE CLERKS THAT ARE THERE CAN DEVOTE THEIR TIME TO EXAMINING WEB DEALER TRANSACTIONS AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS THAT WE GET THROUGH THE MAIL. SO THEY STAY BUSY AND THEY DO DO THE WORK REQUIRED, BUT THEY STILL HAVE LOW COMPARED TO COMPARED TO COMPARED TO YSLETA, COMPARED TO NORTHEAST COMPARED TO THE EAST SIDE. YES. HELLO. WHAT PERCENTAGE? HOW MUCH LOWER ARE THEY? COMMISSIONER? I CAN'T GIVE YOU A PERCENTAGE RIGHT NOW.

I JUST KNOW THAT THE VOLUME IS LOW. BUT I CAN GET THOSE NUMBERS IF YOU WISH. IF YOU WOULD. I THINK THE COURT WOULD APPRECIATE THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. OUR FIRST PUBLIC COMMENT. WE HAVE MR. JAMES HOBSON. GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS COURT. MY NAME IS JAMES HOBSON AND I AM ONE OF THE BOARD DIRECTORS FOR THE EL PASO INDEPENDENT DEALERS ASSOCIATION. OUR PRESIDENT, MR. CESAR STARK, AND OUR BOARD MEMBERS WITH ME HERE TODAY WOULD LIKE TO FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. AND HB 718, AS YOU'RE QUITE AWARE AND YOU'VE HEARD OR WE'VE HEARD FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. THIS NEW BILL HAS DEFINITELY BROUGHT ON TREMENDOUS DEMANDS FOR NOT ONLY THE DEALERS OF EL PASO, BUT ALSO THE CONSUMERS, THE CAR BUYERS. FIRST OF ALL, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK MR. RUBEN GONZALEZ, THE COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR, AND HIS STAFF, SOFIA, MELISSA AND GILBERT FOR THEIR TIRELESS EFFORTS. MR. GONZALEZ OFFICE HAS IMPLEMENTED A NEW STRATEGY THAT HAS BROUGHT THE NUMBERS DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY. WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH MR. GONZALEZ AND THE COMMUNITY TO HELP FIX THIS PROBLEM, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SAY ON MR. GONZALEZ'S BEHALF, WE DID HAVE STATE TRAINING THAT CAME DOWN TO HELP THE DEALERS. HOWEVER, DOING SOME OF THAT STATE TRAINING, WHEN WE BROUGHT QUESTIONS UP ABOUT THIS NEW PLAN WITH WEBB DEALER AND SO FORTH, THEY WERE UNABLE TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS. THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE ANSWERS. SO THEIR ANSWER TO US BASICALLY WAS, WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU.

WELL, GETTING BACK TO YOU DIDN'T HAPPEN EITHER. SO A LOT OF THE TRANSACTIONS THAT WERE SENT IN WERE REJECTED FOR REASONS FOR THE SAME QUESTIONS THAT WE ASKED THEM IN THE BEGINNING. SO AFTER THOSE REJECTIONS CAME BACK, THAT IN TURN INCREASED THE STAGNANT OF GETTING THESE TITLES AND REGISTRATIONS PROCESSED. SO I JUST WANTED TO TO ADD THAT. OUR MAJOR CONCERN RIGHT NOW IS WITH THE UPCOMING HOLIDAY SEASON AND THE TAX SEASON, RIGHT, RIGHT IN FRONT OF US, AND ALSO WITH THE COUNTY HAVING THEIR CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY PLANS OF CLOSING THAT WE COULD END UP SEEING OURSELVES IN JANUARY FEBRUARY TIME FRAME BACK TO SQUARE ONE AGAIN, WHICH WOULD DEFINITELY DESTROY ALL OF THE WORK AND THE PROCESS THAT HIS OFFICE HAS DONE THIS FAR. WE ARE HERE REQUESTING THAT THE COMMISSIONERS COURT CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MR. GONZALEZ WITH ANY ADDITIONAL HELP THAT HIS STAFF NEEDS, TO CONTINUE TO HELP US WITH THIS BILL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE IT. NEXT, WE HAVE MR. DARRYL MONDE. AND YOU

[02:30:21]

ALL THOUGHT YOU WERE RID OF ME FOR THE DAY. ALL RIGHT, GUYS, LET'S JUST BE HONEST ABOUT THIS, OKAY? THIS THING THAT TEXAS PULLED ON US. COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER STYLE, IF YOU REMEMBER BACK A FEW YEARS, WE HAD THAT ISSUE WITH THE DISABLED VETERAN PLATES AND WE HAD TO REPROPOSE ISSUES. WE HAD A TWO WEEK NOTICE TO NOTIFY THE VETERANS THAT THEY COULDN'T USE HANDICAP ANYMORE. THEY WERE GOING TO TAKE US LEFT AND RIGHT. IT WAS A VETERANS CAMP, USA, WORKING WITH THE VRA, WORKING WITH RUBEN GONZALEZ THAT FINALLY GOT A BILL PASSED TO REVERSE IT. EXCESSIVE FINES AND EVERYTHING. OKAY, THIS NEW THING WITH RUBEN, WE'VE BEEN TALKING WITH IT, TALKING WITH HIM ABOUT IT AND EVERYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT. RUBEN IS A VETERAN. I GOT VETERAN BUSINESSES CALLING ME GOING, HEY, THIS IS WHAT'S GOING ON.

TALK TO THEM. AND WE DO. WE FIT HIM. HE'S BEEN ASKING FOR HELP FOR TWO YEARS. THREE YEARS.

THIS LAW CAME IN. THEY'RE CONSTANTLY CHANGING IT. AND EVERYTHING WE OFFERED. I GOT SOME OF THE CAR DEALERSHIPS OFFERED TO GIVE HIM PEOPLE, TO LOAN HIM PEOPLE TO COME IN AND HELP HIM. CAN'T DO THAT. CAN'T BE DEPUTIZED, GOT MEETS THEIR REQUIREMENTS. BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. I OFFERED TO GO SHRED PAPERS FOR THEM SO SOMEONE ELSE COULD GO DO SOMETHING ELSE, RIGHT? GUESS WHAT? NOT QUALIFIED. KIND OF FUNNY. A YEAR AGO, I WAS SITTING HERE WITH Y'ALL, WITH THE FBI. I JUST PASSED A BACKGROUND CHECK. I CARRIED ONE OF THE HIGHEST CLEARANCES IN THE MILITARY, BUT I CAN'T SHRED PAPER. I HAVE TO BE DEPUTIZED.

THIS. I'M MAKING THIS EASY ON US. FIGHTING AMONGST EACH OTHER IS NOT GOING TO FIX THE ISSUE.

TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES. WHY? IT'S NOT GOING TO FIX IT. THIS IS A CYCLE. WE KNOW ABOUT IT. WE REACHED OUT TO A LOCAL INSTITUTION. FINANCIAL INSTITUTION? THEY OFFERED TO HELP COLLECT TAXES FOR THE COUNTY AT NO FEE. COULDN'T DO IT. SO RUBEN'S OUT THERE DEALING WITH THE VETERANS COMMUNITY, OUR CONTACTS AND EVERYBODY ELSE TRYING TO GET SUPPORT. BUT WE JUST HIT THESE CONSTANT WALLS, NOT HERE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, BUT AT A HIGHER LEVEL. HE NEEDS THE PEOPLE. WE HAD A GREAT PROGRAM ON FORT BLISS SET UP READY TO GO, AND EVERYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT GOT DECLINED. I'M NOT GOING TO LIE TO YOU. HE'S CLOSE TO THE OFFICE. HE'S TELLING PEOPLE AROUND. HE'S A TRAINED SOLDIER. HE KNOWS HOW TO PREPARE FOR COMBAT. BUT WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ENEMY IS, HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR IT? OR THE ENEMY IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING TACTICS. YOU GOT TO ADJUST, YOU GOT ADJUST. BUT WHEN THAT ENEMY IS NOT EVEN PREPARED TO TELL YOU, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO TELL YOU. I'M NOT SAYING THE ENEMY, BUT THEY'RE NOT WORKING WITH US. AND EACH TIME TO ENDURE THIS, HE'S GETTING HAMMERED FROM THE VETERANS COMMUNITY. OKAY, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU. I'VE MADE HIS LIFE MISERABLE. I'VE HAD MRS. GONZALEZ CALL ME AND SAY, HEY, CAN YOU LEAVE ME ALONE FOR A LITTLE BIT? HE'S GOING TO HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND, OKAY, THIS IS WHAT I'M SAYING, Y'ALL. HE'S ASKING FOR YOU BECAUSE HE NEEDS HIM. HE'S ASKING PEOPLE FOR A WHILE. I DON'T GO TO THE EAST SIDE OFFICE. IT'S PACKED. I GO TO SCOTT AT THE. I KNOW WHEN TO GO SO I CAN AVOID THE CROWDS. HE NEEDS THE PEOPLE. HE'S NOT BSING ALL OR NOTHING ELSE LIKE THAT. NOW, IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT DEPARTMENTS OR INEFFICIENCY, I CAN MAKE YOU A LAUNDRY LIST OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS STRUGGLING. YOU KNOW, I HEARD THE THING. WELL, HE'S GOT COMPUTERS. YEAH, THAT'S GREAT. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE LOOK THROUGH EACH DOCUMENT, EACH PAGE, AND NOW THEY CAN'T EVEN FIX IT. THEY HAVE TO KICK IT BACK. MORE DELAY. OKAY. I BOUGHT MY WIFE A NEW CAR THREE MONTHS AGO. WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR THE PAPER. RUBEN CAN TELL YOU. WE'RE SITTING RIGHT THERE AT GROUP ONE. I WAS LIKE, WELL, HEY, YOU KNOW WHO I AM. CAN I GET MY MY WIFE'S STICKER? YOU WAIT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE. SO WHAT YOU GUYS ARE SEEING HERE, WHAT? HE'S COMING TO YOU HERE. IT'S WORSE OUT THERE. DEALERSHIPS ARE HAMMERING, BUT DEALERSHIPS ARE WILLING TO WORK WITH THEM AND TRY TO HELP THEM. BUT IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE OBJECTIVE, HOW DO YOU REACH IT? IF YOU CAN'T GET THE SUPPORT YOU NEED OR THE EDUCATION YOU NEED FROM HIRE, HOW DO YOU ACHIEVE IT? IT'S UP TO YOU GUYS, BUT THE VETERANS ARE NOTICING.

PEOPLE ARE NOTICING. THE LINES ARE GETTING LONGER. WE'RE GETTING FRUSTRATED. YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT IT. IT'S GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING YEAR. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MR. LUIS FIERRO. AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS LUIS MOTORS. I'M HERE REPRESENTING

[02:35:03]

OVER 200 DEALERS. FIRST OF ALL, YOU GUYS ALREADY KNOW ME. I'M A STRONG BELIEVER IN CLARITY AND TRANSPARENCY. MR. GONZALEZ, THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN REALLY CLEAR. HE'S BEEN REALLY HELPFUL. HE'S BEEN REALLY OPEN AND GIVING INFORMATION AS SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN. WE HAVE BEEN WE HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH FOR THIS FOR A WHILE SINCE WE CAME DOWN FROM WHEN I BROUGHT EVERYBODY DOWN HERE ON DAY ONE. WE WERE EXPECTING WE HAD A BIG BACKLOG.

WE WERE EXPECTING 3040 DAYS OF DELAY. WE HAVE ACHIEVED SOMETHING VERY, VERY GOOD, MY AND MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE RIGHT NOW. I SUBMITTED A DEAL ON SATURDAY. IT'S ALREADY BEEN REVIEWED. GOING BACK TO WHAT MR. GONZALEZ SAID REGARDING THE ACH. WE DO, WE DO. WE DO KNOW THAT THERE IS A LACK OF EMPLOYEES ON THERE, AS THE ACH DEPARTMENT IS TAKING A LITTLE BIT OF DELAY. SO IT'S NOT ONLY IN THE DEPARTMENT THAT REVIEWS THE TRANSACTIONS BECAUSE WE AS DEALERS, MR. GONZALEZ HAS BEEN REALLY CLEAR AND TRANSPARENT. WE WE SEE THE THE EFFECT OF THE LACK OF EMPLOYEES. FOR EXAMPLE, HE MENTIONED THE ACH RIGHT NOW I DO PERSONALLY, I JUST LOOKED AT IT RIGHT NOW IT'S BEEN REVIEWED, BUT I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE DELAYED FOR 2 TO 3 DAYS BY THE TIME THAT THE ACH DEPARTMENT GETS DONE WITH IT. SO I MEAN THAT THAT THAT'S THE EFFECT THAT WE COULD SEE AS DEALERS, THE EFFICIENCY THAT HE'S BEEN DOING. IT'S IT'S HAPPENING. HE'S REALLY EFFICIENT WHAT HE IS DOING. I MEAN, ONE DAY DELAY, I MEAN SUBMITTING SOMETHING ON A SATURDAY AND GETTING DONE ON, ON ON MONDAY REVIEWED. IT'S AMAZING IF WE COMPARE OURSELVES TO OTHER BIGGER COUNTIES, HIDALGO AND HARRIS, ALL THOSE COUNTIES THAT MIGUEL GONZALEZ COMPARED US TO US. I MEAN, WE'RE SETTING WE'RE SETTING THE BAR HERE. EL PASO, I BELIEVE, IS MAKING HISTORY THROUGHOUT THE STATE. I DON'T BELIEVE A COUNTY IS DOING THIS. WE'VE WE'VE CALLED AROUND DEALERS FROM OUT OF FROM OUT OF EL PASO.

AND NO ONE NO ONE HAS THIS NUMBERS. THE TURNAROUND FOR THEM IS STILL TWO, THREE WEEKS.

I MEAN, WE'RE SETTING HISTORY, BUT THROUGHOUT THAT PROCESS WE ARE AFFECTING PEOPLE LIKE IT HAS BEEN LIKE IT HAS BEEN MENTIONED HERE. WE'RE AFFECTING WE'RE WE'RE AFFECTING THE CITIZENS. WE'RE AFFECTING THE LONG LINES. WE'RE HAVING TO DO CLOSURES. I MEAN, I DO BELIEVE THAT. I MEAN, WE SHOULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE TRANSPARENT AND CLEAR AND BE ABLE TO HAVE A BETTER CONNECTION BETWEEN THE COURT AND THE TAX COLLECTOR TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE THIS, BECAUSE, I MEAN, PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO GET FRUSTRATED. AND GOING BACK TO WHAT MR. BUTLER ASKED RUBEN, IS HOW LONG ARE THE CLOSURES GOING TO BE? ME AS A DEALER? I DON'T THINK THEY'LL EVER GO AWAY. THOSE CLOSURES, IN MY OPINION RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE STILL HAVE A BACKLOG. AS MR. GONZALEZ STATED. I'M GOING TO QUOTE, HE SAID 488 82 DEALS ON THE QUEUE THIS MORNING. AND, I MEAN, I SUBMITTED A DEAL ON SATURDAY AND WE, WE WE STARTED TODAY WITH 482 DEALS. HE'S HAVING THE WEST SIDE OFFICE CLOSED, AND HE'S STILL DOING A ROTATION OF CLOSURES. AND WE STILL HAVE THAT BACKLOG. I MEAN WE'RE NOT GETTING TO ZERO COME DOWN THE INCOME TAX SEASON. I MEAN WE'RE GOING TO INCREMENT THAT. AND EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE THE CLOSURES, IT'S THE NUMBERS INCREMENTING. IT'S GOING TO ASK FOR MORE, MORE, MORE CLOSURES. SO I DO BELIEVE THAT IS THAT THAT IS NOT GOING TO GO AWAY. SO I MEAN, IN MY OPINION, I MEAN I BELIEVE I SUGGEST WE SHOULD I MEAN HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TRANSPARENCY AND CONNECTION, ACTUALLY FIND THE FIND THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT WE NEED TO GET TO. BECAUSE COME JANUARY, LIKE I'VE STATED MANY TIMES, IT'S IT'S GOING TO GET WORSE AS OF RIGHT NOW THAT WE'RE NOT SELLING ENOUGH, WE STILL HAVE A BACKLOG OF 400 WITH MR. GONZALEZ GOING THE EXTRA MILE. WHAT HE'S DOING. SO COME THE BUSY SEASON WE ARE, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TROUBLE. AND I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME AND DEDICATION TO ALL THIS, ALL THE COMMISSIONERS AND THE STAFF. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. THAT COMPLETES OUR PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? I DON'T HAVE ANY. NO. I JUST THINK WE REALLY NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE. OVERALL PICTURE OF WHETHER SOME OFFICES ARE NOT, YOU KNOW, THEIR PERSONNEL THAT ARE NOT RECEIVING THE NECESSARY TRAFFIC FOR THOSE OFFICES. IT'S NOT LIKE WE HAVE A LOT OF EXTRA MONEY IN OUR BUDGET. I MEAN, WE HAD TO CUT TEN, $11 MILLION FROM OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BUDGET. AND A LOT OF THAT IS THIS YEAR. WE HAD TO, YOU KNOW, DO A SPECIAL PURCHASE OUTSIDE OF THAT BUDGET FOR THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT FOR EQUIPMENT LIKE THEIR VEST, SAFETY VEST. SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE HAVE MONEY OUT THERE JUST FLOATING THAT WE CAN DO THAT.

[02:40:02]

SO I THINK WE JUST IT'S PART OF THE OVERALL PROCESS. WE NEED TO BE MAKING MAKING SURE WHERE WE CAN HAVE EFFICIENCIES. AND YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT IN A POSITION AT THIS POINT WHERE WE CAN HAVE OFFICES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY WITHOUT HAVING THE SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF OF PEOPLE THAT IT'S SERVING. I WISH WE COULD AND I KNOW THIS COURT WISHES WE COULD, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THOSE POSITIONS ARE NEEDED ELSEWHERE.

RIGHT? I JUST THINK IT'S A SITUATION THAT WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT. YEAH. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER, I THINK THAT AGAIN EVERYBODY UP HERE ON THE DAIS IS HAS TALKED ABOUT OUR WILLINGNESS TO TRY TO, TO TRY TO WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT THINGS ARE WHERE THEY NEED TO BE AT THE TAX OFFICE. I THINK IT'S IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND USING DATA. I YOU'VE HEARD ME EVERY TIME WE MET, MR. TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR THAT IT'S GOOD TO SHOW THE COMMISSIONERS COURT DATA AND BACK UP THE REQUESTS WITH. WITH WITH WITH DATA SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE THAT THERE IS A NEED. AND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IF EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT CAME AND ASKED US FOR, FOR FOR NEW POSITIONS WITHOUT, WITHOUT REALLY SHOWING US. WHY OR YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT THE JUSTIFICATION SHOULD BE, IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT FOR US TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS. WE'RE WE'RE TRYING TO CINCH OUR BELT. WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T OVERBURDEN TAXPAYERS IN THE FUTURE. AND, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, AGAIN, ALSO, PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT LONG LINES AND SPEND A LOT OF TIME TRYING TO TRYING TO RECEIVE THE SERVICES THAT THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING AND THAT OTHER DEPARTMENTS WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION ARE PROVIDING. RIGHT. WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS IN THE IN THE LARGER. CONTEXT OF THE WHOLE BUDGET, RIGHT? AS AS WE GO THROUGH OUR, OUR BUDGETING PROCESSES. AND, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THERE'S STILL OTHER WORK THAT CAN BE DONE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE AS EFFICIENT AS AS POSSIBLE. YOU KNOW, IT'S AS COMMISSIONER CORONADO STATED, IT MAY BE THAT THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT SOME OF THESE SATELLITE OFFICES AND UNFORTUNATELY HAVE TO DO MORE TO TO CREATE EFFICIENCIES, EFFICIENCIES THERE. I THINK IT IS UNFAIR THAT THAT COMMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE MEDIA, ESPECIALLY REGARDING THE WEST SIDE OFFICE SAYING THAT THE REASON IT'S BEING CLOSED IS BECAUSE WE WOULDN'T GIVE YOU STAFF. THERE'S A PROCESS. WE'VE WE'VE HASHED IT OUT IN THIS MEETING. WE'RE NOT HERE TO TRY TO BE POINTING FINGERS. WE'RE HERE TO TRY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. AND FIGHTING IT OUT IN THE MEDIA IS NOT THE WAY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE'VE HEARD ISSUES WITH, YOU KNOW, THE EMPLOYEES AND THE ABSENTEEISM, YOU KNOW, ISSUES WITH THE CAR DEALERS, NOT NOT NOT NOT BEING ABLE TO NOT NOT GETTING THE TRAINING, YOU KNOW, ISSUES, ISSUES THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT UP WITH, WITH I O I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO? WHAT ELSE CAN CAN THE TAX ASSESSOR'S OFFICE DO AS WELL? I THINK I THINK WE ALL NEED TO, TO TO COME TOGETHER.

AND IT'S NOT JUST THE COMMISSIONERS COURTS GIVING YOU JUST THROWING RESOURCES AND GIVING YOU MORE RESOURCES. I THINK IT'S IT'S NOT JUST THE ABSENTEEISM IS A PROBLEM. IT'S NOT JUST THE WEB DEALERS. IT'S A PROBLEM. IT'S IT'S THE SOLUTION IS NOT GOING TO COME FROM FROM ONE OR THE OTHER. I THINK IT'S ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER. SO I'M I'M INTERESTED IN LEARNING. AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE TO ANSWER RIGHT NOW, BUT I WANT TO WORK TOGETHER WITH YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ELSE CAN BE DONE IN YOUR OFFICE. WHAT RESPONSIBILITY ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE TO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO, TO TO TAKE CARE OF THINGS AND, AND DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO. COMMISSIONER. COMMISSIONER, EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE STATED IS, IS. OUR COMMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS THAT I AGREE WITH. BECAUSE THE REALITY IS YOU ALL DON'T KNOW WHAT I DO. NONE OF YOU HAVE COME TO MY OFFICE AND SAT DOWN AND QUESTIONED ME TO UNDERSTAND OUR DEADLINES, OUR RESPONSIBILITIES, AND I'LL BE

[02:45:02]

MORE THAN WILLING TO TALK TO WHOEVER YOU DESIGNATE AMONGST YOURSELVES TO BE THE THE LEAD.

BUT IF YOU'RE RELYING ON HR, WHICH NO CRITICISM OF THEM. BUT IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF WHAT I DO, I WELCOME ANY OF YOU TO COME AND SIT DOWN AND I CAN SHOW YOU WHAT WE ARE DEALING WITH, BECAUSE THIS INVOLVES A LOT OF FACTORS. THE STATE, THE DEALERS THEMSELVES AND WHAT WE DO AND WHAT THE LIMITATIONS THAT WE HAVE. WE HAVE LIMITATIONS RIGHT NOW IN BEING ABLE TO DEPOSIT MONEY THROUGH THE ACH PROCESS, BECAUSE WE HAVE CERTAIN DEADLINES WITH THE BANK. AND IF THE BANK'S NOT TAKING OUR OUR DEPOSITS, WE GOT TO WAIT TILL THE NEXT DAY. ISSUES LIKE THAT. WE USED TO HAVE A CLOSEOUT DATE OF 222, 2:00, 230 IN THE AFTERNOON. THAT'S ABOUT THE TIME THAT THEY'RE FINALLY PROCESSING. A LOT OF THE WORK THAT'S THAT'S BEEN VERIFIED HAS TO BE VERIFIED. SO WE WERE LUCKY TO GET AN EXTENSION FROM THE BANK TO A 4:00, 430 AT THE LATEST. SO ISSUES LIKE THAT THAT WERE IN THE BEGINNING, WE KIND OF SOLVED OURSELVES INTERNALLY TO TRY AND MEET THE CHALLENGE OF WEBB DEALER, THE WEBB DEALER PROGRAM. AS FAR AS EFFICIENCIES, YOU KNOW, THE EASIEST SOLUTION IS SHUT DOWN OFFICES. OKAY. I COULD SHUT DOWN THE WEST SIDE OFFICE TO SAVE $30,000 TO THE TO THE COUNTY. BUT THEN THOSE PEOPLE ARE I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR FOR SPACE FOR 8 OR 9 YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN IN OFFICE, COMMISSIONER, ESPECIALLY AT ASCARATE. I HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANY SPACE RIGHT NOW. MY LADIES IN ACCOUNTING ARE ARE CRAMPED. SO IF I BRING THOSE BODIES THAT I HAVE AT THE WEST SIDE TO ESCALATE OR EVEN DISTRIBUTE THEM TO THE OFFICES, I STILL NEED SPACE TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS. AND IF I HAVE TO GO BACK AND ASK FOR THOSE THREE POSITIONS THAT I GAVE UP TO BE A TEAM PLAYER WITH THIS COUNTY, I STILL NEED THOSE POSITIONS BECAUSE THERE'S OTHER OBLIGATIONS THAT I HAVE THAT THAT YOU AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF FACTORS IN PLAY, BUT I'LL BE MORE VERY COOPERATIVE. VERY I WANT TO HAVE THE BEST TAX OFFICE IN THE STATE. EL PASO IS KNOWN FOR BEING UNIQUE AND PROGRESSIVE, AND I WANT TO KEEP IT THAT WAY UNDER MY MY WATCH, BECAUSE WE'VE HAD WE HAVE MADE GREAT ADVANCES FROM EL PASO BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S CALLING THE COALITION OF URBAN COUNTIES CALLED. THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT EL PASO WAS DOING. WE RESPONDED WITH THE SAME RESPONSE THAT I'VE GIVEN YOU ALL THAT WE NEEDED HELP. NOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THE BUDGET ADMINISTRATION EVER RESPONDED TO THEM AND TOLD THEM THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS COUNTY AND THOSE COUNTIES.

THEY'RE GETTING THE SUPPORT THAT THEY'RE GETTING. HARRIS COUNTY, THREE MONTHS AGO, THEY WERE 18,000 TRANSACTIONS IN THE QUEUE. NOWADAYS, NOW AS OF 6TH OF DECEMBER, THEY HAVE A LITTLE BIT OVER 7000 TRANSACTIONS IN THE QUEUE, AND THEY'RE CLOSING EVERY WEDNESDAY. HARRIS COUNTY IS CLOSING EVERY WEDNESDAY TO THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO CATCH UP WITH THIS WORK. AND PROPERTY TAX SEASON IS COMING AND IT'S HERE ALREADY. SO WE HAVE THOSE CHALLENGES. NOW. YOU WANT ME TO CUT OFF PEOPLE PAYING PROPERTY TAXES? THAT'S THE MOST POPULAR REASON WHY PEOPLE COME TO MY OFFICES TO PAY THEIR PROPERTY TAXES, BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF THE CITIZENS IN THIS COUNTY LIKE TO PAY CASH. THEY DON'T LIKE TO GO DOWNTOWN AND PAY THROUGH THROUGH EMAIL, ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFERS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. THEY DON'T LIKE TO DO THAT. THEY COME TO MY OFFICES. AND WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT IS THE VOLUME OF WORK THAT WE GET. WE MITIGATE THE COUNTY'S TAX BILL TO THE CITY BY ONE THIRD EVERY YEAR, BASED ON THE EFFORTS THAT WE DO.

NOW, IF YOU WANT ME TO ELIMINATE PROPERTY TAX COLLECTIONS, THE TAXPAYERS ARE GOING TO BE UPSET BECAUSE OF CUTTING THEM OFF. AND WHO ARE THEY GOING TO BLAME? ME, NOT YOU. SO I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT BECAUSE IT'S A GOOD PROGRAM. THEY LIKE THE PROGRAM. THAT'S WHY I HAVEN'T CHANGED THAT. SO ISSUES LIKE THAT WE'RE DOING COLLECTING MONEY THAT'S NOT EVEN REPORTED IN THE COUNTY AUDITOR'S REPORT TO YOU. BUT WE'RE WE'RE HANGING IN THERE.

SO I WANT TO WORK WITH YOU ALL. BUT I ALSO WANT TO WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THERE'S DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, DIFFERENT SITUATIONS, AND NOT BECAUSE BUDGET ADMINISTRATION IS TELLING YOU THAT I HAVE THIS OPTION AND THAT OPTION AND THAT OPTION, JUST LIKE THAT 22 AUDIT THAT THEY MADE, THERE WAS NOTHING THERE SIGNIFICANT FOR ME TO CONSIDER. SO I DIDN'T TAKE THEIR ADVICE BECAUSE IT WASN'T WORTHWHILE FOR ME TO CHANGE. IF I DIDN'T HAVE THE PERSONNEL THAT I THAT I NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT THOSE GOODY STUFF THAT THEY WANTED ME TO DO. SO I

[02:50:01]

WANT TO COMMIT MYSELF TO YOU ALL. IF YOU'RE WILLING TO WORK WITH ME. IF WE'RE A TEAM, LET US BE A TEAM. BUT BE HONEST. BE TRANSPARENT. BE HONEST WITH ME. DON'T BE. DON'T BE KEEPING ME IN THE DARK BECAUSE I DON'T REPRESENT NOBODY, I HAVE CONSTITUENTS. YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE MY CONSTITUENTS. I RUN KIND OF WIDE LIKE THE JUDGE IS. SO YOU HAVE A CERTAIN PART OF TOWN THAT YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR. BUT I'M CONCERNED WITH ALL OF THEM. SO I WORK WITH YOU INDEFINITELY. IF YOU WANT TO WORK WITH ME, I'LL WORK WITH YOU. OKAY. I THINK I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE. I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE. AND MY OFFICE, MY DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN. I DON'T THINK ANY OF THESE COMMISSIONERS HAVE HAVE CLOSED THEIR DOOR TO YOU. I DON'T THINK THE JUDGE'S CLOSED THE DOOR TO YOU WHEN IT COMES TO TRANSPARENCY AND KEEPING YOU IN THE DARK. I'M NOT SURE WHAT WHAT WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT. YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE COME TO ME AND ASKED FOR INFORMATION FROM ME, I'M HAPPY TO GIVE IT. GIVE YOU ANYTHING THAT YOU NEED FROM ME. WELL, I'LL SINCE THAT'S YOUR STATUS IN YOUR IN YOUR PRECINCT.

THERE'S A BIG PROGRAM COMING FORWARD THAT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW ABOUT IT, BUT YOU'RE PLANNING ON TAKING A THIRD OF MY PARKING SPACE AWAY, AND IT'S GOING TO BE INCONVENIENCING THE PUBLIC BECAUSE WE ARE FULL AT THE END, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH, STUDIES OR NO STUDIES, THE FACT REMAINS THAT MY PARKING LOT GETS FULL WITH THE THREE PARKING SPACES THAT I HAVE. WHEN YOU BUILD THAT MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR BUILDING THERE, YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE A THIRD OF MY PARKING SPACE. I'M NOT GOING TO ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO PARK IN MY PARKING LOT, SO THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PARK ON THE STREET, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER ISSUE. WHERE CAN THE PUBLIC PARK? SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE TO ADDRESS AND LOOK INTO, BECAUSE I CAN SEE IT HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. I THINK WE'RE WE'RE WE'RE AWARE OF THAT. AND I THINK WE'LL WORK THROUGH IT. AND IS AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR, TO YOUR BUILDING. WELL, AGAIN, YOU'RE AWARE OF IT, BUT NOTHING'S BEEN SHARED WITH ME OTHER THAN IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITHOUT ANY CONSIDERATION FOR THE PUBLIC. SO THAT'S WHY I SHARE THAT WITH YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS, BUT BETSY, ISN'T IT IN THE PROCESS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE MORE SPACE AVAILABLE FOR MR. GONZALEZ ONCE WE DO THE NEW BUILDING OVER AT ESCALANTE? YES. OKAY. THAT'S IN THE WORKS. OKAY.

AND THAT REQUIRED FUNDING THAT WAS ACQUIRED THROUGH THE VOTERS APPROVING THE GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS. AND IN NOVEMBER 2024. SO SO IN ORDER TO GET HIM MORE SPACE IN HIS OFFICE, WE HAVE TO BUILD A NEW. THIS BUILDING IS PART OF THAT. WE'RE WE'RE MOVING OUT. THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE ON THE SECOND FLOOR TO A DIFFERENT FACILITY, WHICH WILL THEN FREE UP THAT SPACE TO BE USED FOR THE TAX OFFICE. AND ANOTHER THING, I MEAN, WE DID ADD MORE SPACE WHEN WE ADDED THE WEST SIDE OFFICE. WE DID NOT. IF I RECALL, WE DID ADD SOME STAFF IN 20 FY 23 TO THE TAX OFFICE, BUT WE ADDED THE WE GAVE SPACE BY ADDING THE WEST SIDE OFFICE AS WELL. SO AGAIN I THINK WE'RE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH THESE ISSUES. WE JUST HEARD THAT YOU KNOW, THAT YOU YOU WANT MORE SPACE AND HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT GETTING MORE SPACE.

THERE'S A PROCESS. IT COSTS MONEY. WE HAVE TO BORROW MONEY. WE HAVE TO GO TO THE VOTERS TO GET THAT MONEY. AND SO I MEAN HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THAT WILL BE WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF IN THE FUTURE. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, THESE MAY BE GROWING PAINS AND, AND WE'RE, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE BUILDING THIS NEW BUILDING THAT'S, THAT'S CLOSE TO YOUR OFFICE, IT IT'S PART OF US TRYING TO, TO DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING SERVICES TO OUR COMMUNITY. AND IF WE'RE DOING SO, IT'S IT'S ALSO TO HELP YOUR OFFICE. WELL, MAKE SURE, COMMISSIONER, THAT IN THE AVAILABILITY OF THAT UPSTAIRS SPACE, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S FUNDING TO REMODEL THE WHOLE UPSTAIRS BECAUSE IT'S NOT SUITED FOR MY NEEDS. THEY'VE GOT LITTLE OFFICE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DESTROYED AND RE REDONE. SO I HOPE THERE'S FUNDING FOR THAT. BECAUSE IF YOU EXPECT ME TO BE IN THOSE LITTLE CUBICLES THAT THEY'VE SET UP UPSTAIRS ON THE SECOND FLOOR, IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK FOR ME. SO I HOPE THAT THERE'S FUNDS TO REMODEL THE SECOND, SECOND FLOOR, BECAUSE IF I'M GOING TO GET THOSE LITTLE OFFICE SPACES, IT'S IT DOESN'T IT'S NOT FUNCTIONABLE FOR ME.

SO PLEASE, I WOULD HOPE THAT YOU WOULD CONSIDER THAT FACTOR, BECAUSE GIVING ME THE SPACE BUT THAT IT'S INEFFICIENT. IT'S NOT ENOUGH. OKAY. LET'S SEE. YOU WERE GOING TO SAY SOMETHING. NO.

[02:55:01]

OKAY. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THOSE ISSUES. WE CAN'T WE DON'T JUST GOING TO, YOU KNOW, SAY, HERE'S YOUR SPACE. TAKE IT. WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S IT'S OKAY FOR WHAT YOU NEED. FUNDING THE FUNDING FOR SPACE DID NOT PASS THE BOND PROPOSITION DID NOT PASS. SO ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING THAT WE WERE PLANNING DID NOT GET APPROVED BY THE VOTERS. WE WOULD HAVE TO INCORPORATE THAT INTO OUR GENERAL FUND, WHICH AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T HAD GENERAL FUND CAPITAL DOLLARS. WE WOULD HAVE TO USE THE SPACE AS IS AND DO WHAT WE CAN WITH OUR CURRENT FACILITIES TO MAKE IT AS USABLE AS POSSIBLE. I KNOW, AND MR. GONZALEZ, JUST FOR YOUR KNOWLEDGE, THE VOTERS DID NOT APPROVE TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, REMODEL OR EXTEND A LOT OF OUR BUILDINGS, INCLUDING THE COURTHOUSE AND THE OTHER COURTHOUSES THAT DIDN'T PASS. SO NOW WE HAVE TO FIND SOME OTHER WAY TO DO THAT. SO IT'S NOT JUST BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO DO IT. OH, WELL, I'LL JUST BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION BECAUSE APPARENTLY IT'S. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU GUYS COMMUNICATE. IT'S OUR VERY CONSTITUENTS THAT TOLD US, NO, WE DON'T WANT YOU TO DO THIS NOW. WE HAVE TO FIND ADDITIONAL FUNDS HOW TO DO IT. SO DON'T JUST COME AND TELL US THAT WE'RE NOT DOING IT. WE'RE GOING TO FIND HOW TO DO IT. WHAT? YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU ALSO HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE VOTERS HAVE A SAY IN THIS. AND THEY TOLD US, NO, WE DON'T WANT YOU TO USE MONEY FOR FIXING THE COURTHOUSES, EXTENDING, YOU KNOW, SPACE FOR THESE BUILDINGS, FOR FIXING THIS COURTHOUSE DOWNTOWN. WE'RE GETTING A COURTHOUSE ANNEX THAT THEY'RE ON A ON A MOBILE HOME. THEY TOLD US, NO, DON'T DO IT. SO THERE'S THERE'S ISSUES WE HAVE. OKAY. AND WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO WORK WITH THE VOTERS TO UNDERSTAND THAT. SO SO WE'RE GOING TO DO AS BEST AS WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE FOR THE SERVICES AND THE SPACE THAT WE NEED FOR ALL OUR SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE, INCLUDING YOURS. OKAY. THAT'S ALL INCLUSIVE, INCLUSIVE IN THE DION. JUST LETTING YOU KNOW THE THAT POINT THAT YOU'RE GIVING ME SPACE WHICH IS A BIG WIN.

HOWEVER IF IT CAN'T BE UTILIZED IN ITS PROPER NEED THEN I'M NOT GETTING ANYWHERE. WELL WE HAVE WE HAVE WE HAVE CONSTRAINTS WE HAVE TO LIVE BY. AND WE'RE GOING TO WORK TO MAKE SURE WE DO THOSE AND WE'LL WORK WITH YOU. THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD, BETSY, SINCE WE ARE CLOSING FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS IN DECEMBER, ARE ARE WE GOING TO ALLOW THE TAX ASSESSOR, IF HE WANTS TO, TO OPEN UP SOME OF THOSE DAYS? I KNOW WE WERE GOING TO BE CLOSED ANYWAYS, EVEN SOME DAYS BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAYS. BUT IF HE WANTS TO OPEN, ARE WE ALLOWED THAT? AND THEN WE CAN GIVE YOUR STAFF TIME OFF LATER ON DURING THE YEAR, JUST LIKE WE DO WITH STAFF THAT THAT HAS TO WORK THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS LIKE THE JAIL PERSONNEL. YES. THE TAX, THE. JAIL MAGISTRATES, ALL THEIR STAFF, EACH ELECTED OFFICIAL HAS THAT DISCRETION, COMMISSIONER. SO YOU HAVE THAT DISCRETION TO GO AND OPEN. I KNOW WE HAD AN ISSUE FROM SOME OF THE DEALERS SAYING THAT WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE THOSE TWO WEEKS, BUT BUT THEY WOULD HAVE TO. THE CHALLENGE IS HE WOULD HAVE TO FIND OTHER TIME TO GIVE THOSE EMPLOYEES OFF. YES, BUT BUT THAT IS AN OPTION IF HE'D LIKE TO, TO USE IT. COMMISSIONER, I CAN GIVE YOU AN ANSWER RIGHT NOW. I'M NOT GOING TO OPEN UP THOSE OFFICES FOR THOSE TWO WEEKS. IT'S NOT FAIR FOR MY OVERWORKED AND UNDERPAID EMPLOYEES TO COME AND WORK THOSE TWO WEEKS, WHILE THE WHOLE REST OF THE COUNTY IS OFF.

I DID THAT DURING COVID. I WAS THE ONLY OFFICER THAT WAS OPEN TO THE DEALER COMMUNITY DURING THAT TIME. I WAS CLOSED FOR SEVEN MONTHS TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC BECAUSE WE HAD TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS, AND WE WERE ONE OF THE FIRST DEPARTMENTS THAT GOT OPENED UNDER THOSE CONDITIONS. I'M NOT GOING TO PENALIZE MY EMPLOYEES WHO HAVEN'T COME IN AS IT IS.

I'M GOING TO HAVE A COUPLE LADIES FROM OUR COUNTY DEPARTMENT SO THEY CAN ACCEPT THE WORK FROM OUR PRIVATE, FULL SERVICE DEPUTIES BECAUSE THEY'LL BE DOING PERSON TO PERSON DEALS DURING THOSE TWO WEEKS, CERTAIN DAYS, AND THEY HAVE TO BE THERE TO RECEIVE THE REPORTS AND COLLECT MONEY. BUT RIGHT NOW, MY PLANS ARE NOT TO INCONVENIENCE MY STAFF. THAT'S FINE. THAT'S YOUR CHOICE. YOU'RE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL. YOU CAN DO THAT. WE JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT'S AVAILABLE AND YOU CAN GIVE THEM TIME OFF SOME OTHER TIME. BUT THAT'S YOUR CALL. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M GOING TO DO, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S MY CALL. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. SO WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE WITH THE AGENDA OR TAKE A RECESS? Y'ALL FEEL LIKE, DO Y'ALL WANT TO BREAK FOR LUNCH AND THEN COME BACK OR WE DO THE LAST PUBLIC WORKS ONE SO THAT ALL THAT'S. YEAH, WE CAN DO THE WE CAN DO EVERYTHING ON THE REGULAR AGENDA AND THEN WE CAN BREAK FOR LUNCH, IF I MAY, COMMISSIONER, SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT WERE PULLED FROM CONSENT ARE FOR THE SAME DEPARTMENT AS TEN A OKAY. WE CAN DO THOSE AS

[03:00:01]

WELL BEFORE WE BREAK. WE CAN TAKE THOSE. THAT WOULD BE A L, A AND TEN A, EXCEPT I THINK A L AND AN ARE GOING TO BE PULLED INTO EXECUTIVE. CORRECT. SO THOSE WILL BE LATER. YOU'RE CORRECT. OKAY. SO WE'LL WE'LL GO TO WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM TEN AND OKAY. ITEM TEN A FROM PUBLIC WORKS APPROVE AN AUTHORIZED CANCELLATION OF THE PENDING FY 2025 PURCHASE ORDER 22508032 WITH GENFARE IN THE AMOUNT OF $145,087.87, AND ALLOCATE FY 2026 CONTINGENCY

[A. Approve and authorize cancellation of the pending FY2025 Purchase Order 22508032 with Genfare in the amount of $145,087.87, and allocate FY2026 contingency funds from GF-GADM-OPS CONTINGENCIES account to the El Paso Area Transportation Services, Local Government Corporation (EPATS, LGC), to support implementation of a fare-free transit pilot program from December 22, 2025, through September 30, 2026. Further authorize staff to evaluate the program and return with recommendations for continuation as part of the FY27 budget process. Additionally, authorize the transfer of $145,088.00 from GF-GADM-OPS CONTINGENCIES to GF-TRANSIT-PROF SVC-GEN. (The El Paso Transportation Authority (LGC) Board of Directors reviewed this item at its December 2, 2025, meeting and voted to recommend approval.) John Andoh, Executive Director, Transit Operations, 915-273-3838]

FUNDS FROM GENERAL FUND G OPS CONTINGENCIES ACCOUNT TO THE EL PASO AREA TRANSPORTATION SERVICES LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATION LGC TO SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION OF A FARE FREE TRANSIT PILOT PROGRAM FROM DECEMBER 22ND, 2025 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2026. FURTHER AUTHORIZED STAFF TO EVALUATE THE PROGRAM AND RETURN WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONTINUATION AS PART OF THE FY 27 BUDGET PROCESS. ADDITIONALLY, AUTHORIZE A TRANSFER OF $145,088 FROM GENERAL FUND G OPS CONTINGENCIES TO GENERAL FUNDS. TRANSIT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. GENERAL. THE EL PASO TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS REVIEWED THIS ITEM AT ITS DECEMBER 2ND, 2025 MEETING AND VOTED TO RECOMMEND APPROVAL. TOP OF THE MORNING COMMISSIONERS JOHN ANDO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR ETA AND AS WELL AS THE TRANSIT OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT. FIRST AND FOREMOST, I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY ON THIS ITEM THAT AT A PREVIOUS COMMISSIONERS COURT MEETING, WE DID ASK THE COMMISSIONERS TO AUTHORIZE THE REALLOCATION OF FUNDS TO PURCHASE THIS GENFARE EQUIPMENT THAT IS REFERENCED IN THE STAFF REPORT. WE ARE REQUESTING THAT WE NO LONGER PURCHASE THAT EQUIPMENT, AND WE WOULD FOLLOW WHATEVER ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSES OF THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT TO CANCEL THAT PURCHASE ORDER. AND THE INTENT OF THE REASON WHY WE WANT TO CANCEL, BASICALLY NOT PURCHASE THE GENFARE EQUIPMENT IS THAT WE DID AN ANALYSIS OF THE FARE REVENUES THAT ETA HAS COLLECTED OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, AND DETERMINED THAT IT'S NOT COST EFFECTIVE TO COLLECT FARES AND THE THE CAPITAL EQUIPMENT THAT WE WOULD EXPEND ON GENFARE WOULD COVER THE COST OF FARES THAT COULD BASICALLY MAKE THE PUBLIC TRANSIT FREE FOR ALL EL PASO COUNTY CITIZENS, INCREASED MOBILITY, PROVIDE EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOW INCOME RIDERS TO REDIRECT THE MONIES THAT THEY WOULD HAVE PAID FOR FARES TO ACCESS QUALITY OF LIFE OPPORTUNITIES, SHOPPING, MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS AND RECREATION. SO WE HAVE IDENTIFIED FUNDS IN THE CONTINGENCY BUDGET OF TRANSIT THAT WE WOULD BASICALLY REALLOCATE TO COVER THE COST OF THIS FARE FREE PILOT, THE MONIES THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SPENT TO GENFARE WOULD JUST RETURN TO THE COUNTY'S FUND BALANCE. THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR FISCAL YEAR 27, BECAUSE THE FUNDS THAT WE WERE PREVIOUSLY GOING TO USE WERE FISCAL YEAR 25 FUNDS. WE BELIEVE THAT PROVIDING FARE FREE TRANSIT WILL BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE COUNTY.

INCREASED RIDERSHIP BRING MORE FEDERAL FUNDS TO THE EL PASO URBANIZED AREA, AND I REQUEST THE COMMISSIONERS COURT CONSIDERATION OF ALLOWING US TO DO A FARE FREE PILOT FOR THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2026. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. IF THERE ARE ANY ANY QUESTIONS.

MEMBERS, I'M JUST GLAD THAT YOU'RE TAKING A LOOK AT THAT, THAT FUNDS ARE BETTER USED THIS WAY. I GIVE A FREE SERVICE RATHER THAN TO, YOU KNOW, TRY. AND WHAT'S THE WORD ADMINISTRATIVELY. YOU KNOW, DEAL WITH CHARGING FOR THEIR SERVICES. RIGHT. SO THANK YOU FOR TAKING A LOOK AT THAT, BETSY. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONERS, I DO BELIEVE KAREN DAVIDSON IS ON TEAMS. AND I DO THINK I LOVE I LOVE EVERYTHING JOHN'S DOING AS FAR AS LIKE THE ANALYSIS AND THE FARES. I DO THINK KAREN'S REQUEST IS THAT THE COURT NOT ACT ON THE CANCELING OF THE POA, BECAUSE NORMALLY WE DO THAT THROUGH PURCHASING. I'M KAREN, IS THAT CORRECT? YES, MA'AM.

GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS. KAREN DAVIDSON, YOUR COUNTY PURCHASING AGENT. IT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR THIS COURT TO APPROVE AND AUTHORIZE THE CANCELLATION OF THIS POA THAT IS HANDLED AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS THROUGH THE COUNTY ATTORNEYS, THROUGH AN ISSUANCE OF A TERMINATION LETTER TO THE VENDOR AND THROUGH PURCHASING. AS YOU KNOW, A PURCHASE ORDER IS TERMS AND CONDITIONS, AND THOSE TERMS AND CONDITIONS NEED TO BE MET AND REVIEWED IN ORDER TO NOT HAVE A VENDOR POSSIBLE LAWSUIT AGAINST THE COUNTY AND REDUCE THE RISK. SO I WOULD ASK IN THIS ITEM THAT YOU WOULD AUTHORIZE THE REALLOCATION OF THE FUNDS. ONCE WE'RE ABLE TO DO THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS FOR THE POA, WE HAVE WORKED ONCE WE SAW THIS ITEM ON HERE

[03:05:05]

AND IT HAD NOT GONE THROUGH US, WE HAVE WORKED WITH GENFARE TO SECURE THE VOLUNTEER CANCELLATION OF THE POA, AND WE'LL WORK WITH THE COUNTY ATTORNEYS TO FOLLOW THE PROPER PROCESS. BUT WE ASK THE COURT NOT AUTHORIZE AND APPROVE THE CANCELLATION. IT'S NOT NECESSARY. WE WOULDN'T WANT EVERY DEPARTMENT HEAD TO BRING YOU ALL THE CANCELLATIONS FOR THEIR POS. THAT COULD CAUSE CHAOS. SO WE WOULD JUST ASK FOR YOU TO REVIEW THE SECOND PART OF THIS REQUEST. AND THAT'S THE REALLOCATION OF FUNDS. YEAH. THANK YOU. YES, COMMISSIONERS.

THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT I STATED EARLIER IN MY PRESENTATION. SO AND COMMISSIONER STAFF AND WOULD THOSE THAT REALLOCATION BE CONTINGENT ON THEN CANCELLATION CANCELLATION OF THE PURCHASE. YES. ALL RIGHT. YES. THANK YOU. OKAY. SO CAN WE CHANGE THE MOTION TO REFLECT THAT COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER SCOTT, I DO HAVE A CLARIFICATION. YES. CARMEN CANDELARIA, BUDGET FINANCE DIRECTOR. SO WITH REGARDS TO ONE OF THE STATEMENTS, THESE ARE MONIES THAT ARE COMING OUT OF THE GENERAL CONTINGENCY FUND. SO THEY'RE NOT COMING OUT OF A TRANSIT CONTINGENCY FUND. SO BECAUSE THEY DO CROSS FISCAL YEAR IN ONE FISCAL YEAR, IT DOES FALL TO THE BOTTOM LINE BECAUSE IT IS A FISCAL YEAR 2025 PURCHASE ORDER. BUT THEN WE HAVE TO REALLOCATE FUNDING FROM THE CONTINGENCY FUND, NOT A TRANSIT CONTINGENCY. IT WOULD COME FROM OUR GENERAL CONTINGENCY. SO JUST A POINT OF CLARIFICATION THERE. OKAY.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MISS CANDELARIA. SO THE MOTION WOULD BE. AUTHORIZE THE TRANSFER OF $145,000.88 FROM GFG ADMIN OPS CONTINGENCIES TO GF TRANSIT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES GENERAL, AND AUTHORIZED STAFF TO CONTINUE TO EVALUATE THE PROGRAM AND RETURN WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONTINUATION AS PART OF THE FY 27 BUDGET PROCESS. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED IN THAT MOTION? JOHN. NO, THAT COVERS IT. WELL THANK YOU. A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER STOUTE, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. DOES THAT STILL STAND? YES. YES. OKAY. ONE SECOND. WITH THE CHANGES REQUESTED. CORRECT. THE VOTING IS OPEN. IS COMMISSIONER BUTLER ABSENT? YES. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE THE ITEMS FOR JOHN FROM CONSENT? WE CAN WE CAN READ THEM IN AND THEN MOVE THEM INTO EXECUTIVE. AND THEN WE CAN IF YOU ALL WANT TO BREAK FOR LUNCH AND THEN TAKE EXECUTIVE AFTER THE BREAK. IS THAT OKAY? I THINK THERE'S IS THERE ANY OTHER ITEMS? I THINK THERE'S OTHER ITEMS. BUT I DO THINK ONE OF THEM WAS PULLED BY COMMISSIONER BUTLER, SO THAT 1ST MAY NEED TO BE HEARD AFTER LUNCH AS WELL. JOHN HAS THREE. WE HAVE B AND L THAT WERE PULLED FROM CONSENT. L WOULD BE THE ONLY OTHER ONE PULLED FROM CONSENT THAT I THINK WE COULD HEAR BEFORE YOU BREAK IF YOU WANT. OKAY, SURE. WE CAN DO THAT REAL QUICKLY THEN. ITEM FOUR L APPROVE AN AUTHORIZED COUNTY JUDGE TO SIGN THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN EL PASO COUNTY AND SOUTHWEST UNIVERSITY AT EL PASO, TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE EL PASO PROMISE PROGRAM FOR A ONE YEAR TERM. THERE IS NO FISCAL IMPACT.

[L. Approve and authorize the County Judge to sign the Memorandum of Understanding between El Paso County and Southwest University at El Paso to provide assistance to participants in the El Paso Promise Program for a one-year term. There is no fiscal impact. (Contract No. 2025-1027) Catherine Jones, Director, Criminal Justice Coordination, 915-273-3353]

CONTRACT NUMBER 2025 1027. COMMISSIONER CORONADO, I BELIEVE YOU ASKED THAT THIS ITEM BE PULLED. YES. AND I JUST WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE A POINT THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET A AN AGREEMENT AND A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH SOUTHWEST UNIVERSITY. WHAT THE PROMISE PROGRAM. AND WE FINALLY DID IT. AND SO I, YOU KNOW, WANT TO THANK THEM. WE'RE WORKING ON OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL AND ENTITIES TO JOIN OUR PROMISE PROGRAM. CATHERINE, YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THAT? GOOD AFTERNOON. CATHERINE JONES, CRIMINAL JUSTICE DIRECTOR WITH YOUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATION DEPARTMENT. COMMISSIONER, I JUST WANT TO SECOND WHAT YOU SAID. WE ARE EXTREMELY EXCITED TO HAVE THIS MOU AND TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE IT FOR YOU. I THINK IT'S GOING TO CERTAINLY ENHANCE THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE WITH THE EL PASO PROMISE PROGRAM. YEAH. AND I'M HOPING THAT EVENTUALLY, ONCE WE, YOU KNOW, OUR FULL FLEDGED AND THE ENTIRE COUNTY WITH NOT JUST THE JUSTICE INVOLVED, BUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY THAT WE RECRUIT OTHER, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT HAVEN'T CONTINUED THEIR

[03:10:06]

EDUCATION OR WORKFORCE TRAINING. AND I KNOW EVENTUALLY THAT A LOT OF THE OTHER, NOT JUST THE TRAINING AGENCIES OR THE ACADEMIC AGENCIES LIKE, YOU KNOW, UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES ARE GOING TO JOIN US, I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT WE WILL BE A COMPLETE, YOU KNOW, COUNTY PROMISE PROGRAM. THANK YOU, CATHERINE, AND I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER CORONADO, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. THE VOTING IS ABSENT. I'M SORRY. THE VOTING IS OPEN, AND WE HAVE JUDGE SAMANIEGO ABSENT AS WELL AS COMMISSIONER BUTLER ABSENT. MOTION CARRIES. THE COURT LIKE TO RECESS NOW FOR LUNCH BREAK.

RECESS FOR LUNCH. OKAY, OKAY. COMMISSIONERS COURT WILL NOW RECESS. IT IS 12:41 P.M. WE'LL RECESS FOR ONE HOUR.

[03:16:30]

OH, MY GOSH, THE LEDGES ARE WONDERFUL. THEY GRIND AMAZING. EVERY EVERYTHING IS SMOOTH. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. PARK. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ONE, TWO AND THREE. SO TODAY IS A VERY, VERY HAPPY DAY BECAUSE WE ARE HERE CELEBRATING THE RENOVATIONS AT AGUA DULCE PARK, BUT ALSO THE NAMING OF THIS SPECIFIC SKATEBOARD PARK TO THE MARIO NAVARRO SKATEBOARD PARK. MARIO WAS A PERSON WHO WAS VERY INVOLVED IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WHO SPENT A LOT OF HIS OWN PERSONAL TIME TEACHING CHILDREN HOW TO SKATEBOARD AND HOW TO SKATEBOARD SAFELY. A BIG PART OF THIS PROJECT WAS RECEIVING GUIDANCE AND ASSISTANCE FROM ACTUAL SKATEBOARDING PROFESSIONALS. WE HAD A SKATE PARK HERE AT AGUA DULCE BEFORE, BUT IT'S NOTHING LIKE WHAT YOU SEE TODAY. GO AHEAD. WOO WOO! THE COUNTY RECEIVED GRANT FUNDS IN 2021 TO BUILD THREE SAFE SKATE PARKS, AND IT WAS MATCHED BY COUNTY FUNDS. THE FAMILY OF ELIZABETH AVILA CONTACTED US TO LET US KNOW THAT THEY WOULD LIKE NAMING THE PARK IN HER HONOR AS AN OPTION, AND WE WERE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO THAT. ELIZABETH WAS AN AVID SKATER AND UNFORTUNATELY PASSED AWAY DUE TO A SKATING INJURY, AND SO THIS IS A WAY TO HONOR HER LEGACY. YOU KNOW, IT'S A BITTERSWEET. OF COURSE, I WOULD WANT TO SEE HER HERE, BUT I KNOW THAT THROUGH HER TRAGEDY, WE CAN OFFER NOW THESE SAFE SKATE PARKS. AND THIS PARK WAS DESIGNED WITH SAFETY IN MIND. AND SO WE'RE REALLY, REALLY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE'RE PROMOTING SAFETY IN ALL ASPECTS. AND WE HOPE THAT THE SKATING COMMUNITY WILL USE OUR PARKS AND KNOW THAT IT'S A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM TO DO SO. OH, THIS IS A GREAT EVENT THAT WE HAVE HERE OUT AT GALLEGOS PARK IN THE NORTHWEST AREA OF THE COUNTY, RIGHT NEXT TO CANUTILLO MIDDLE SCHOOL. IT'S IT'S REALLY NICE. THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS THAT WE CAN DO DIFFERENT TRICKS ON. I'M REALLY HOPING THAT THERE'S MORE SKATE PARKS TO COME. AS YOU CAN SEE, A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE OUT HERE. THESE SKATEBOARDERS HAVE BEEN OUT HERE ACTUALLY, AS SOON AS IT WAS FINISHED, THEY DIDN'T WAIT FOR THE RIBBON CUTTING. THEY'VE BEEN OUT HERE DAILY USING THIS PARK. YEAH. SO I LOVE THE FACT THAT ONE THING THAT STUCK OUT TO ME IS THIS HALFPIPE HERE. NOT A LOT OF SKATE PARKS HERE HAVE HALFPIPES THAT WE CAN UTILIZE. WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT THIS COMMUNITY NOW IS ON TRACK TO MAKE SURE THAT EL PASO MOVES FORWARD WITH QUALITY OF LIFE PROJECTS. OH, IT WAS EXCELLENT.

[03:21:22]

THIS IS OUR SECOND ANNUAL DOG CANINE FIESTA. WE ALLOW THE DOGS TO COME SWIM WITH THEIR OWNERS FOR THE END OF THE SEASON. IT KICKS OFF OUR PILOT PROGRAM LAST YEAR. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE DOG DAYS OF THE SUMMER. EVERYBODY'S SUPER EXCITED. THE DOGS ARE ACTUALLY INSIDE THE WATER FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME, AND ALL OF OUR PARTICIPANTS ARE JUST SUPER EXCITED TO BE HERE AND VERY HAPPY. FIRST ONE WE HAVE IS CHEWBACCA. WOOHOO! THE MARIACHI! WOOHOO! THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT TO BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER FOR SPECIAL EVENTS LIKE THIS. THERE'S NOT A LOT OF PLACES FOR OWNERS TO SWIM WITH THEIR DOGS, SO THAT'S WHERE WE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA TO ENJOY THE ENTIRE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. AND IT'S JUST IT'S IT'S AN OVERALL EXCITING EVENT FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO ENJOY. SO IT'S BEEN REALLY, REALLY EXCITING FOR THE END OF THE SUMMER TO HAVE SUCH A DIFFERENT EVENT. LYLA. HEY, LYLA. THE WINNER, WINNER. MY DOG LYLA WAS DRESSED UP AS MINNIE MOUSE AND I WAS MICKEY MOUSE AND AND WE DECIDED WE WERE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING FUN TO DO. SO WE HEARD ABOUT THIS AND WE CAME HOME A WINNER. THE WATER MAKES IT SO MUCH MORE FUN. THE COSTUMES MADE IT LIVELY. YOU COULD JUDGE A COMMUNITY BY THE WAY THEY TREAT THEIR DOGS, AND CLEARLY EL PASO CARES A LOT. A LOT ABOUT THEIR CANINES. AND THIS CANINE FIESTA WAS A GREAT, GREAT THING TO DO. AND I KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO KEEP DOING THINGS. AND CLEARLY EVERYBODY HAS HAD A GREAT TIME TODAY.

GOOD JOB. THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO HAS JOINED THE COUNTY FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON.

IT HAS BEEN A VERY GREAT SUMMER WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT JUST REALLY CAME TO ENJOY THE CALL.

SO WE WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO JOINED US THIS SUMMER, AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO START AGAIN NEXT SEASON. HAVE A WINNER.

[03:25:13]

EL PASO I'M LAURA GALLEGOS AND THIS IS EL PASO COUNTY CONNECTS THE COUNTY CONTINUES WORKING HARD ON COMMUNITY PROJECTS, EVENTS AND VOTER APPROVED IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS OUR REGION. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING AROUND THE COUNTY. EL PASO COUNTY AND AT&T KICKED OFF A MAJOR BROADBAND EXPANSION THAT WILL BRING HIGH SPEED INTERNET TO MORE THAN A THOUSAND HOMES, INCLUDING 57 COLONIAS. AS PART OF THE CELEBRATION, 125 REFURBISHED LAPTOPS WERE DONATED TO FAMILIES TO HELP BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE. THE COUNTY HOSTED THIS YEAR'S STATE OF THE COUNTY EVENT, WHERE JUDGE RICARDO SAMANIEGO DELIVERED THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS. HE HIGHLIGHTED MAJOR PROGRESS IN PUBLIC SAFETY, INFRASTRUCTURE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE VOTER APPROVED BOND PROJECTS NOW MOVING FORWARD ACROSS THE REGION. FAMILIES CAMPED OUT UNDER THE STARS DURING THE ANNUAL ASCARATE PARK CAMPOUT, A WEEKEND FILLED WITH OUTDOOR FUN, GAMES AND COMMUNITY BONDING AT ONE OF THE COUNTY'S MOST ICONIC FAMILY GATHERING PLACES. COMMUNITIES ACROSS EL PASO COUNTY CAME TOGETHER TO HONOR OUR HEROES WITH VETERANS DAY PARADES AND CELEBRATIONS. AS THE VETERANS CAPITAL OF THE USA, THE COUNTY PROUDLY RECOGNIZED THE SERVICE AND SACRIFICE OF OUR VETERANS AND ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY. THE COUNTY OFFICIALLY OPENED THE NEW SPARKS PARK, BRINGING FRESH RECREATIONAL SPACE TO THE COMMUNITY. THE PROJECT WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS AND WILL CONTINUE TO GROW, WITH FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS FUNDED BY THE 2024 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BOND. THE COUNTY CONTINUES ITS COMMITMENT TO KEEPING RESIDENTS INFORMED EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. ON 2024 VOTER APPROVED PROJECTS THIS MONTH, TWO MAJOR COMMUNITY MEETINGS TOOK PLACE ONE IN FABENS FOR THE SAN FELIPE OFF HIGHWAY VEHICLE PARK IMPROVEMENTS AND ANOTHER FOR THE NEW COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER. RESIDENTS HAD THE CHANCE TO REVIEW EARLY CONCEPTS, ASK QUESTIONS, AND SHARE IDEAS THAT WILL HELP SHAPE THESE PROJECTS AS DESIGN WORK MOVES FORWARD. IT'S ALL PART OF THE COUNTY'S EFFORT TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND STRONG COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BOND PROGRAM. THAT'S IT FOR THIS MONTH'S EL PASO COUNTY CONNECTS. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE ASCARATE PARK IMPROVEMENT MEETING COMING UP ON DECEMBER 9TH. AS THESE COMMUNITY PROJECTS CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD FROM ALL OF US AT EL PASO COUNTY, WE WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING. UNTIL NEXT TIME, STAY WARM AND STAY CONNECTED. FELIZ NAVIDAD. WELCOME TO YOU TO THE LIGHTS ON THE LAKE 2025 LIGHTING CEREMONY AT THE BEAUTIFUL PARK. THE SUNSETS.

THE MOUNTAINS ARE BEAUTIFUL DESERT. YOU GUYS LOOK AMAZING. I LIKE THE ENERGY. I WANT TO WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS. I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT ALL OF YOU GUYS CAME OUT HERE TO LISTEN TO SOME MUSIC, TO HAVE SOME FUN. AS YOU ALL KNOW, ASCARATE PARK IS THE HEART OF EL PASO COUNTY AND WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE SO MANY OF YOU HERE CELEBRATING WITH US TONIGHT AS WE CELEBRATE TRADITION AND COMMUNITY AND THE JOY OF THE SEASON. HEY, HEY. WHY? I THINK IT WAS PRETTY AWESOME. YEAH, I LIKED IT. VERY COLORFUL FOR THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS, SO I LIKED IT. DO YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S AWESOME. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I COME HERE, SO IT'S IT'S REALLY AWESOME TO KNOW THAT OUR COUNTY IS COMING TOGETHER AND DOING NEW STUFF. YEAH, GETTING INTO THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT BETTER THAN BEING AT HOME AND, YOU KNOW, GET EVERYBODY OUT AND ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS. GET READY FOR HIM. YOU KNOW, IT'S FREE. PEOPLE CAN COME HERE. THEY CAN ENJOY. THEY CAN WRITE IN THEIR IN THEIR CARS, OR THEY CAN GET DOWN LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL PLACES TO TAKE PICTURES WITH A FAMILY. OUR PARKS AND RECREATION TEAM HERE AT EL PASO COUNTY DEDICATED 2660 STAFF HOURS, AND OUR INCREDIBLE VOLUNTEERS AND

[03:30:04]

COMMUNITY SERVICE MEMBERS CONTRIBUTED AN ADDITIONAL 2380 HOURS TO BRING THIS HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE TO LIFE. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYBODY HERE IN EL PASO, AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE EL PASO COUNTY, ESPECIALLY ALL THE COMMISSIONERS HERE. AND WE'LL KEEP EVERYTHING GOING STRONG HERE IN EL PASO, ESPECIALLY HERE AT ESCONDIDO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR. MERRY CHRISTMAS. HAPPY NEW YEAR. MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY NEW YEAR HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

[03:35:54]

OH MY GOSH THE LEDGES ARE WONDERFUL. THEY GRIND AMAZING. EVERY EVERYTHING IS SMOOTH. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. PARK. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ONE, TWO AND THREE TWO.

SO TODAY IS A VERY, VERY HAPPY DAY BECAUSE WE ARE HERE CELEBRATING THE RENOVATIONS AT AGUA DULCE PARK, BUT ALSO THE NAMING OF THIS SPECIFIC SKATEBOARD PARK TO THE MARIO NAVARRO SKATEBOARD PARK. MARIO WAS A PERSON WHO WAS VERY INVOLVED IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WHO SPENT A LOT OF HIS OWN PERSONAL TIME TEACHING CHILDREN HOW TO SKATEBOARD AND HOW TO SKATEBOARD SAFELY. A BIG PART OF THIS PROJECT WAS RECEIVING GUIDANCE AND ASSISTANCE FROM ACTUAL SKATEBOARDING PROFESSIONALS. WE HAD A SKATE PARK HERE AT AGUA DULCE BEFORE, BUT IT'S NOTHING LIKE WHAT YOU SEE TODAY. GO AHEAD. WOO WOO! THE COUNTY RECEIVED GRANT FUNDS IN 2021 TO BUILD THREE SAFE SKATE PARKS, AND IT WAS MATCHED BY COUNTY FUNDS. THE FAMILY OF ELIZABETH AVILA CONTACTED US TO LET US KNOW THAT THEY WOULD LIKE NAMING THE PARK IN HER HONOR AS AN OPTION, AND WE WERE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO THAT. LIZBETH WAS AN AVID SKATER AND UNFORTUNATELY PASSED AWAY DUE TO A SKATING INJURY, AND SO THIS IS A WAY TO HONOR HER LEGACY. YOU KNOW, IT'S A BITTERSWEET. OF COURSE, I WOULD WANT TO SEE HER HERE, BUT I KNOW THAT THROUGH HER TRAGEDY, WE CAN OFFER NOW THESE SAFE SKATE PARKS. AND THIS PARK WAS DESIGNED WITH SAFETY IN MIND. AND SO WE'RE REALLY, REALLY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE'RE PROMOTING SAFETY IN ALL ASPECTS. AND WE HOPE THAT THE SKATING COMMUNITY WILL USE OUR PARKS AND KNOW THAT IT'S A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM TO DO SO. OH, THIS IS A GREAT EVENT THAT WE HAVE HERE OUT AT GALLEGOS PARK IN THE NORTHWEST AREA OF THE COUNTY, RIGHT NEXT TO CANUTILLO MIDDLE SCHOOL. IT'S IT'S REALLY NICE. THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS THAT WE CAN DO DIFFERENT TRICKS ON. I'M REALLY HOPING THAT THERE'S MORE SKATE PARKS TO COME. AS YOU CAN SEE, A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE OUT HERE. THESE SKATEBOARDERS HAVE BEEN OUT HERE ACTUALLY, AS SOON AS IT WAS FINISHED, THEY DIDN'T WAIT FOR THE RIBBON CUTTING. THEY'VE BEEN OUT HERE DAILY USING THIS PARK. YEAH. SO I LOVE THE FACT THAT ONE THING THAT STUCK OUT TO ME IS THIS HALFPIPE HERE. NOT A LOT OF SKATE PARKS HERE HAVE HALFPIPES THAT WE CAN UTILIZE. WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT THIS COMMUNITY NOW IS ON TRACK TO MAKE SURE THAT EL PASO MOVES FORWARD WITH QUALITY OF LIFE PROJECTS. OH, IT WAS EXCELLENT.

[03:40:46]

WINNER. MY DOG LYLA WAS DRESSED UP AS MINNIE MOUSE AND I WAS MICKEY MOUSE AND AND WE DECIDED WE WERE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING FUN TO DO. SO WE HEARD ABOUT THIS AND WE CAME HOME A WINNER.

THE WATER MAKES IT SO MUCH MORE FUN. THE COSTUMES MADE A LIVELY. YOU COULD JUDGE A COMMUNITY BY THE WAY THEY TREAT THEIR DOGS. AND CLEARLY EL PASO CARES A LOT A LOT ABOUT THEIR CANINES. AND THIS CANINE FIESTA WAS A GREAT, GREAT THING TO DO. AND I KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO KEEP DOING THINGS. AND CLEARLY EVERYBODY HAS HAD A GREAT TIME TODAY. GOOD JOB. THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO HAS JOINED THE COUNTY FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON. IT HAS BEEN A VERY GREAT SUMMER WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT JUST REALLY CAME TO ENJOY THE CALL. SO WE WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO JOINED US THIS SUMMER, AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO START AGAIN NEXT SEASON. HAVE A WINNER.

[03:45:02]

TO MORE THAN A THOUSAND HOMES, INCLUDING 57 COLONIAS. AS PART OF THE CELEBRATION, 125 REFURBISHED LAPTOPS WERE DONATED TO FAMILIES TO HELP BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE. THE COUNTY HOSTED THIS YEAR'S STATE OF THE COUNTY EVENT, WHERE JUDGE RICARDO SAMANIEGO DELIVERED THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS. HE HIGHLIGHTED MAJOR PROGRESS IN PUBLIC SAFETY, IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE VOTER APPROVED BOND PROJECTS NOW MOVING FORWARD ACROSS THE REGION. FAMILIES CAMPED OUT UNDER THE STARS DURING THE ANNUAL ASCARATE PARK CAMPOUT, A WEEKEND FILLED WITH OUTDOOR FUN, GAMES AND COMMUNITY BONDING AT ONE OF THE COUNTY'S MOST ICONIC FAMILY GATHERING PLACES. COMMUNITIES ACROSS EL PASO COUNTY CAME TOGETHER TO HONOR OUR HEROES WITH VETERANS DAY PARADES AND CELEBRATIONS AS THE VETERANS CAPITAL OF THE USA, THE COUNTY PROUDLY RECOGNIZED THE SERVICE AND SACRIFICE OF OUR VETERANS AND ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY. THE COUNTY OFFICIALLY OPENED THE NEW SPARKS PARK, BRINGING FRESH RECREATIONAL SPACE TO THE COMMUNITY. THE PROJECT WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS AND WILL CONTINUE TO GROW, WITH FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS FUNDED BY THE 2024 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BOND. THE COUNTY CONTINUES ITS COMMITMENT TO KEEPING RESIDENTS INFORMED EVERY STEP OF THE WAY ON 2024 VOTER APPROVED PROJECTS THIS MONTH, TWO MAJOR COMMUNITY MEETINGS TOOK PLACE ONE IN FABENS FOR THE SAN FELIPE OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE PARK IMPROVEMENTS AND ANOTHER FOR THE NEW COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER. RESIDENTS HAD THE CHANCE TO REVIEW EARLY CONCEPTS, ASK QUESTIONS, AND SHARE IDEAS THAT WILL HELP SHAPE THESE PROJECTS AS DESIGN WORK MOVES FORWARD.

IT'S ALL PART OF THE COUNTY'S EFFORT TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND STRONG COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BOND PROGRAM. THAT'S IT FOR THIS MONTH'S EL PASO COUNTY CONNECTS. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE ASCARATE PARK IMPROVEMENT MEETING COMING UP ON DECEMBER 9TH. AS THESE COMMUNITY PROJECTS CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD FROM ALL OF US AT EL PASO COUNTY, WE WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING. UNTIL NEXT TIME, STAY WARM AND STAY CONNECTED. FELIZ NAVIDAD. WELCOME TO YOU. TO THE LIGHTS ON THE LAKE 2025 LIGHTING CEREMONY AT THE BEAUTIFUL PARK. THE SUNSETS. THE MOUNTAINS ARE BEAUTIFUL DESERT. YOU GUYS LOOK AMAZING. I LIKE THE ENERGY. I WANT TO WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS. I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT ALL OF YOU GUYS CAME OUT HERE TO LISTEN TO SOME MUSIC, TO HAVE SOME FUN.

I THINK IT WAS PRETTY AWESOME. YEAH, I LIKED IT. VERY COLORFUL FOR THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS, SO I LIKED IT. DO YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S AWESOME. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I COME HERE. SO IT'S IT'S REALLY AWESOME TO KNOW THAT OUR COUNTY IS COMING TOGETHER AND DOING NEW STUFF. YEAH. GET EVERYONE IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT BETTER THAN BEING AT HOME AND, YOU KNOW, GET EVERYBODY OUT AND ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS. GET READY FOR HIM. YOU KNOW, IT'S FREE. PEOPLE CAN COME HERE. THEY CAN ENJOY. THEY CAN WRITE IN THEIR IN THEIR CARS, OR THEY CAN GET DOWN LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL PLACES TO TAKE PICTURES WITH THE FAMILY. OUR PARKS AND RECREATION TEAM HERE AT EL PASO COUNTY DEDICATED 2660 STAFF HOURS, AND OUR INCREDIBLE VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITY SERVICE MEMBERS CONTRIBUTED AN ADDITIONAL 2380 HOURS TO BRING THIS HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE TO LIFE.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYBODY HERE IN EL PASO, AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE EL PASO COUNTY, ESPECIALLY ALL THE COMMISSIONERS HERE. AND WE'LL KEEP EVERYTHING GOING STRONG HERE IN EL PASO, ESPECIALLY HERE AT ESQUERITA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR. MERRY CHRISTMAS. HAPPY NEW YEAR. MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAPPY CHRISTMAS

[03:50:01]

AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

[03:55:19]

OH MY GOSH THE LEDGES ARE WONDERFUL. THEY GRIND AMAZING. EVERY EVERYTHING IS SMOOTH. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. PARK. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ONE, TWO AND THREE THREE. SO TODAY IS A VERY, VERY HAPPY DAY BECAUSE WE ARE HERE CELEBRATING THE RENOVATIONS AT AGUA DULCE PARK, BUT ALSO THE NAMING OF THIS SPECIFIC SKATEBOARD PARK TO THE MARIO NAVARRO SKATEBOARD PARK. MARIO WAS A PERSON WHO WAS VERY INVOLVED IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WHO SPENT A LOT OF HIS OWN PERSONAL TIME TEACHING CHILDREN HOW TO SKATEBOARD AND HOW TO SKATEBOARD SAFELY. A BIG PART OF THIS PROJECT WAS RECEIVING GUIDANCE AND ASSISTANCE FROM ACTUAL SKATEBOARDING PROFESSIONALS. WE HAD A SKATE PARK HERE AT AGUA DULCE BEFORE, BUT IT'S NOTHING LIKE WHAT YOU SEE TODAY. GO AHEAD. WOO WOO! THE COUNTY RECEIVED GRANT FUNDS IN 2021 TO BUILD THREE SAFE SKATE PARKS, AND IT WAS MATCHED BY COUNTY FUNDS. THE FAMILY OF ELIZABETH AVILA CONTACTED US TO LET US KNOW THAT THEY WOULD LIKE NAMING THE PARK IN HER HONOR AS AN OPTION, AND WE WERE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO THAT. ELIZABETH WAS AN AVID SKATER AND UNFORTUNATELY PASSED AWAY DUE TO A SKATING INJURY, AND SO THIS IS A WAY TO HONOR HER LEGACY. YOU KNOW, IT'S A BITTERSWEET. OF COURSE, I WOULD WANT TO SEE HER HERE, BUT I KNOW THAT THROUGH HER TRAGEDY, WE CAN OFFER NOW THESE SAFE SKATE PARKS. AND THIS PARK WAS DESIGNED WITH SAFETY IN MIND. AND SO WE'RE REALLY, REALLY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE'RE PROMOTING SAFETY IN ALL ASPECTS. AND WE HOPE THAT THE SKATING COMMUNITY WILL USE OUR PARKS AND KNOW THAT IT'S A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM TO DO SO. OH, THIS IS A GREAT EVENT THAT WE HAVE HERE OUT AT GALLEGOS PARK IN THE NORTHWEST AREA OF THE COUNTY, RIGHT NEXT TO CANUTILLO MIDDLE SCHOOL. IT'S IT'S REALLY NICE. THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS THAT WE CAN DO DIFFERENT TRICKS ON. I'M REALLY HOPING THAT THERE'S MORE SKATE PARKS TO COME. AS YOU CAN SEE, A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE OUT HERE. THESE SKATEBOARDERS HAVE BEEN OUT HERE ACTUALLY, AS SOON AS IT WAS FINISHED, THEY DIDN'T WAIT FOR THE RIBBON CUTTING. THEY'VE BEEN OUT HERE DAILY USING THIS PARK. YEAH. SO I LOVE THE FACT THAT ONE THING THAT STUCK OUT TO ME IS THIS HALFPIPE HERE. NOT A LOT OF SKATE PARKS HERE HAVE HALFPIPES THAT WE CAN UTILIZE. WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT THIS COMMUNITY NOW IS ON TRACK TO MAKE SURE THAT EL PASO MOVES FORWARD WITH QUALITY OF LIFE PROJECTS. OH, IT WAS EXCELLENT.

[04:00:11]

THE WINNER. WINNER. MY DOG LYLA WAS DRESSED UP AS MINNIE MOUSE AND I WAS MICKEY MOUSE AND AND WE DECIDED WE WERE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING FUN TO DO. SO WE HEARD ABOUT THIS AND WE CAME HOME A WINNER. THE WATER MAKES IT SO MUCH MORE FUN. THE COSTUMES MADE A LIVELY. YOU COULD JUDGE A COMMUNITY BY THE WAY THEY TREAT THEIR DOGS. AND CLEARLY EL PASO CARES A LOT A LOT ABOUT THEIR CANINES. AND THIS CANINE FIESTA WAS A GREAT, GREAT THING TO DO. AND I KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO KEEP DOING THINGS. AND CLEARLY EVERYBODY HAS HAD A GREAT TIME TODAY.

GOOD JOB. THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO HAS JOINED THE COUNTY FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON.

IT HAS BEEN A VERY GREAT SUMMER WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT JUST REALLY CAME TO ENJOY THE CALL.

SO WE WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO JOINED US THIS SUMMER, AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO START AGAIN NEXT SEASON. THE WINNERS.

[04:05:03]

ANNUAL ASCARATE PARK CAMPOUT, A WEEKEND FILLED WITH OUTDOOR FUN, GAMES AND COMMUNITY BONDING AT ONE OF THE COUNTY'S MOST ICONIC FAMILY GATHERING PLACES. COMMUNITIES ACROSS EL PASO COUNTY CAME TOGETHER TO HONOR OUR HEROES WITH VETERANS DAY PARADES AND CELEBRATIONS. AS THE VETERANS CAPITAL OF THE USA, THE COUNTY PROUDLY RECOGNIZED THE SERVICE AND SACRIFICE OF OUR VETERANS AND ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY. THE COUNTY OFFICIALLY OPENED THE NEW SPARKS PARK, BRINGING FRESH RECREATIONAL SPACE TO THE COMMUNITY. THE PROJECT WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS AND WILL CONTINUE TO GROW, WITH FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS FUNDED BY THE 2024 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BOND. THE COUNTY CONTINUES ITS COMMITMENT TO KEEPING RESIDENTS INFORMED EVERY STEP OF THE WAY ON 2024 VOTER APPROVED PROJECTS. THIS MONTH, TWO MAJOR COMMUNITY MEETINGS TOOK PLACE ONE IN FABENS FOR THE SAN FELIPE OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE PARK IMPROVEMENTS AND ANOTHER FOR THE NEW COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER. RESIDENTS HAD THE CHANCE TO REVIEW EARLY CONCEPTS, ASK QUESTIONS, AND SHARE IDEAS THAT WILL HELP SHAPE THESE PROJECTS AS DESIGN WORK MOVES FORWARD. IT'S ALL PART OF THE COUNTY'S EFFORT TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND STRONG COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BOND PROGRAM. THAT'S IT FOR THIS MONTH'S EL PASO COUNTY CONNECTS. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE ASCARATE PARK IMPROVEMENT MEETING COMING UP ON DECEMBER 9TH. AS THESE COMMUNITY PROJECTS CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD FROM ALL OF US AT EL PASO COUNTY, WE WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING. UNTIL NEXT TIME, STAY WARM AND STAY CONNECTED. FELIZ NAVIDAD. WELCOME TO YOU TO THE LIGHTS ON THE LAKE 2025 LIGHTING CEREMONY AT THE BEAUTIFUL ASCARATE PARK. THE SUNSETS. THE MOUNTAINS ARE BEAUTIFUL DESERT. YOU GUYS LOOK AMAZING. I LIKE THE ENERGY. I WANT TO WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS. I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT ALL OF YOU GUYS CAME OUT HERE TO LISTEN TO SOME MUSIC, TO HAVE SOME FUN. AS YOU ALL KNOW, ASCARATE PARK IS THE HEART OF EL PASO COUNTY AND WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE SO MANY OF YOU HERE CELEBRATING WITH US TONIGHT AS WE CELEBRATE TRADITION AND COMMUNITY AND THE JOY OF THE SEASON. HEY! WHY? I THINK IT WAS PRETTY AWESOME. YEAH, I LIKED IT. VERY COLORFUL FOR THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS. SO YEAH, I LIKED IT. YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S AWESOME. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I COME HERE. SO IT'S IT'S REALLY AWESOME TO KNOW THAT OUR COUNTY IS COMING TOGETHER AND DOING NEW STUFF. YEAH. GET EVERYONE IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT BETTER THAN BEING AT HOME AND, YOU KNOW, GET EVERYBODY OUT AND ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS. GET READY FOR THEM. YOU KNOW, IT'S FREE.

PEOPLE CAN COME HERE, THEY CAN ENJOY. THEY CAN WRITE IN THEIR IN THEIR CARS, OR THEY CAN GET DOWN LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL PLACES TO TAKE PICTURES WITH A FAMILY. OUR PARKS AND RECREATION TEAM HERE AT EL PASO COUNTY DEDICATED 2660 STAFF HOURS, AND OUR INCREDIBLE VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITY SERVICE MEMBERS CONTRIBUTED AN ADDITIONAL 2380 HOURS TO BRING THIS HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE TO LIFE. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYBODY HERE IN EL PASO, AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE EL PASO COUNTY, ESPECIALLY ALL THE COMMISSIONERS HERE. AND WE'LL KEEP EVERYTHING GOING STRONG HERE IN EL PASO, ESPECIALLY HERE AT ESQUERITA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR. MERRY CHRISTMAS. HAPPY NEW YEAR, MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

[04:14:43]

OH MY GOSH THE LEDGES ARE WONDERFUL. THEY GRIND AMAZING. EVERY EVERYTHING IS SMOOTH. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. PARK. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ONE, TWO AND THREE. SO TODAY IS A VERY, VERY HAPPY DAY BECAUSE WE ARE HERE CELEBRATING THE RENOVATIONS AT AGUA DULCE

[04:15:05]

PARK, BUT ALSO THE NAMING OF THIS SPECIFIC SKATEBOARD PARK TO THE MARIO NAVARRO SKATEBOARD PARK. MARIO WAS A PERSON WHO WAS VERY INVOLVED IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WHO SPENT A LOT OF HIS OWN PERSONAL TIME TEACHING CHILDREN HOW TO SKATEBOARD AND HOW TO SKATEBOARD SAFELY. A BIG PART OF THIS PROJECT WAS RECEIVING GUIDANCE AND ASSISTANCE FROM ACTUAL SKATEBOARDING PROFESSIONALS. WE HAD A SKATE PARK HERE AT AGUA DULCE BEFORE, BUT IT'S NOTHING LIKE WHAT YOU SEE TODAY. GO AHEAD. WOO WOO WOO. THE COUNTY RECEIVED GRANT FUNDS IN 2021 TO BUILD THREE SAFE SKATE PARKS, AND IT WAS MATCHED BY COUNTY FUNDS. THE FAMILY OF ELIZABETH AVILA CONTACTED US TO LET US KNOW THAT THEY WOULD LIKE NAMING THE PARK IN HER HONOR AS AN OPTION, AND WE WERE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO THAT. ELIZABETH WAS AN AVID SKATER AND UNFORTUNATELY PASSED AWAY DUE TO A SKATING INJURY, AND SO THIS IS A WAY TO HONOR HER LEGACY. YOU KNOW, IT'S A BITTERSWEET. OF COURSE, I WOULD WANT TO SEE HER HERE, BUT I KNOW THAT THROUGH HER TRAGEDY, WE CAN OFFER NOW THESE SAFE SKATE PARKS. AND THIS PARK WAS DESIGNED WITH SAFETY IN MIND. AND SO WE'RE REALLY, REALLY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE'RE PROMOTING SAFETY IN ALL ASPECTS. AND WE HOPE THAT THE SKATING COMMUNITY WILL USE OUR PARKS AND KNOW THAT IT'S A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM TO DO SO. OH, THIS IS A GREAT EVENT THAT WE HAVE HERE OUT AT GALLEGOS PARK IN THE NORTHWEST AREA OF THE COUNTY, RIGHT NEXT TO CANUTILLO MIDDLE SCHOOL. IT'S IT'S REALLY NICE. THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS THAT WE CAN DO DIFFERENT TRICKS ON. I'M REALLY HOPING THAT THERE'S MORE SKATE PARKS TO COME. AS YOU CAN SEE, A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE OUT HERE. THESE SKATEBOARDERS HAVE BEEN OUT HERE ACTUALLY, AS SOON AS IT WAS FINISHED, THEY DIDN'T WAIT FOR THE RIBBON CUTTING. THEY'VE BEEN OUT HERE DAILY USING THIS PARK. YEAH. SO I LOVE THE FACT THAT ONE THING THAT STUCK OUT TO ME IS THIS HALFPIPE HERE. NOT A LOT OF SKATE PARKS HERE HAVE HALFPIPES THAT WE CAN UTILIZE. WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT THIS COMMUNITY NOW IS ON TRACK TO MAKE SURE THAT EL PASO MOVES FORWARD WITH QUALITY OF LIFE PROJECTS. OH, IT WAS EXCELLENT.

[04:20:03]

MARIACHI! WOOHOO! THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT TO BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER FOR SPECIAL EVENTS LIKE THIS. THERE'S NOT A LOT OF PLACES FOR OWNERS TO SWIM WITH THEIR DOGS, SO THAT'S WHERE WE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA TO ENJOY THE ENTIRE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. AND IT'S JUST IT'S A IT'S AN OVERALL EXCITING EVENT FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO ENJOY. SO IT'S BEEN REALLY, REALLY EXCITING FOR THE END OF THE SUMMER TO HAVE SUCH A DIFFERENT EVENT. LYLA MINNIE MOUSE HEY, LYLA. THE WINNER. WINNER. MY DOG LYLA WAS DRESSED UP AS MINNIE MOUSE AND I WAS MICKEY MOUSE AND AND WE DECIDED WE WERE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING FUN TO DO. SO WE HEARD ABOUT THIS AND WE CAME HOME A WINNER. THE WATER MAKES IT SO MUCH MORE FUN. THE COSTUMES MADE A LIVELY. YOU COULD JUDGE A COMMUNITY BY THE WAY THEY TREAT THEIR DOGS. AND CLEARLY EL PASO CARES A LOT, A LOT ABOUT THEIR CANINES. AND THIS CANINE FIESTA WAS A GREAT, GREAT THING TO DO. AND I KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO KEEP DOING THINGS. AND CLEARLY EVERYBODY HAS HAD A GREAT TIME TODAY.

GOOD JOB. THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO HAS JOINED THE COUNTY FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON.

IT HAS BEEN A VERY GREAT SUMMER WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT JUST REALLY CAME TO ENJOY THE FALL, SO WE WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO JOINED US THIS SUMMER, AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO START AGAIN NEXT SEASON. WE HAVE A WINNER.

YEAH, GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONERS COURT HAS RECONVENED TO A REGULAR OPEN SESSION. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND TAKE ITEM FOUR B THAT WAS PULLED FROM THE AGENDA. ITEM FOUR B DISCUSS AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION TO APPROVE AND ADOPT THE AMENDED COUNTY MANAGERIAL OPERATIONS POLICY.

OPINION NUMBER 10397. OKAY. THANK YOU. JESSICA. THIS ITEM IS THE MANAGERIAL OPERATIONS POLICY UPDATE THAT WAS PRESENTED TO COMMISSIONERS COURT. IN THE BACKUP. THERE ARE SEVERAL CHANGES, BUT I BELIEVE, COMMISSIONER BUTLER, YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE PROCESS WITH GRANTS. YES. YEAH. I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS OF GRANTS. THE, THE AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S RELATED SPECIFICALLY TO THE REQUESTED CHANGE, BUT THE REQUESTED

[B. Discuss and take appropriate action to approve and adopt the amended County Managerial Operations Policy. (#10397-OP) Betsy C. Keller, Chief Administrator, County Administration, 915-273-3600]

CHANGE WAS IN SECTION A 16. THE ABILITY TO APPROVE THE SUBMISSION OF GRANT APPLICATIONS OR ACCEPTANCE OF GRANT AWARDS WHEN THE DEADLINE TO DO SO IS BEFORE THE ITEM CAN BE POSTED ON A COMMISSIONERS COURT AGENDA. THIS COMES UP AS A GRANT. I BELIEVE A GRANT CAME UP THAT WE WERE NOT AWARE OF, AND WE BECAME AWARE OF IT, AND THE DEADLINE WAS SOONER THAN BEFORE. NOW, WITH THE POSTINGS, THERE WAS A COMMISSIONERS COURT MEETING, BUT YOU COULD NOT POST IN TIME BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAD TO HAVE THE MEETING POSTED BY THE TIME WE BECAME AWARE OF THAT DEADLINE. SO THAT IS WHY WE PROPOSED ADDING THIS TO THE POLICY FOR THE COURT TO ALLOW THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR TO APPROVE THE SUBMISSION, AND THEN IT WOULD BE BROUGHT TO COMMISSIONERS COURT FOR RATIFICATION. MY MY ONLY CONCERN WITH THIS IS THAT IT

[04:25:06]

WILL BECOME KIND OF LIKE THE DE FACTO PRACTICE THAT APPLICATIONS WON'T COME TO THE COURT BEFORE THEY'RE DUE. SO IS THERE ANY WAY THAT WE CAN SAFEGUARD THAT? YES. IF WE ADDED MAYBE SOME LANGUAGE. I THINK WE COULD ADD SOME LANGUAGE AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK, ERICA. BUT WE COULD ADD SOME LANGUAGE IN 16 GRANT APPLICATIONS AND ACCEPTING OF GRANT AWARDS. AND IT'S MORE THE GRANT APPLICATIONS, I THINK BECAUSE THE GRANT AWARDS ARE SOMETHING YOU ALL HAVE ALREADY ARE ARE ALREADY AWARE OF. BUT GRANT APPLICATIONS THAT WERE NOT PREVIOUSLY KNOWN OF AND WHEN THE DEADLINE SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YEAH, I THINK I THINK SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND HOW. HECTIC AND TIME CONSUMING GRANT APPLICATIONS AND GRANT WRITING CAN BE. SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR BEST PRACTICE IS ALWAYS TO IDENTIFY GRANTS AHEAD OF TIME AND ALLOW THE COURT THE OPTION TO DISCUSS GRANT APPLICATIONS BEFORE THEY'RE WRITTEN AND SUBMITTED. I DON'T KNOW HOW WE DO THAT IN THIS, BUT SO IF WE ADDED GRANT APPLICATIONS THAT WERE NOT PREVIOUSLY KNOWN OF AND ACCEPTING OF GRANT AWARDS WHEN THE DEADLINE FOR THE SUBMISSION RESPONSE IS DUE PRIOR TO THE NEXT AGENDA, NOW I WILL TELL YOU IT WILL BE PLACED ON THE NEXT AGENDA FOR NOTICE. THE COURT COULD ALWAYS TELL US TO GO BACK AND WITHDRAW OUR APPLICATION TOO, SO WE WOULD ALWAYS. I DON'T LIKE THAT PRACTICE. I DON'T THINK IT LOOKS GOOD TO THE GRANTING AGENCIES, BUT IT WOULD ALSO GIVE US THAT ABILITY. BUT WE CAN ADD THAT LANGUAGE IN OKAY, THAT WORK FOR EVERYONE. OKAY. SO WE WOULD ASK THAT THE COURT CONSIDER APPROVING THIS ITEM AS AMENDED. I'LL MAKE THAT MOTION. I HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER BUTLER SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. THE VOTING IS OPEN. I WOULD I MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. OKAY. THE NEXT TWO ITEMS THAT WERE PULLED FROM CONSENT, I BELIEVE WE WILL BE TAKING INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. LET ME JUST GO AHEAD AND READ IT. SO FOR ITEM FOUR, A L. WHICH IS APPROVED, AUTHORIZE THE COUNTY JUDGE TO SIGN THE SERVICES AGREEMENT BY IN BETWEEN EL PASO COUNTY, THE EL PASO AREA TRANSPORTATION SERVICES LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATION AND EA HOLDINGS LLC FOR THE MANAGEMENT,

[AL. Approve and authorize the County Judge to sign the Services Agreement by and between El Paso County, the El Paso Area Transportation Services, Local Government Corporation (EPATS, LGC), and EAN Holdings, LLC (d/b/a Commute with Enterprise), for the management, operation, and marketing of the ETA Vanpool Program for the term of January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026, pending final legal review and approval from the County Attorney‘s Office. (Contract No. 2025-1056) John Andoh, Executive Director, Transit Operations, 915-273-3838]

OPERATION AND MARKETING OF THE ETA VANPOOL PROGRAM FOR THE TERM OF JANUARY 1ST, 2026 THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST, 2026, PENDING FINAL LEGAL REVIEW AND APPROVAL FROM THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. WE'RE ASKING FOR THIS ITEM TO BE MOVED INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.071. LET ME JUST. WE HAVE A MOTION FOR THIS ITEM. OKAY.

THANK YOU. WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER BUTLER, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER OLGUIN. THE VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES. AND ITEM EIGHT FOR AN FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA. APPROVE AND AUTHORIZE THE COUNTY JUDGE TO SIGN AMENDMENT ONE TO THE THREE PARTY EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT FOR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TRANSIT OPERATIONS, CONTRACT NUMBER 2025 1007. AND WE'RE

[AM. Approve and authorize the updated El Paso Area Transportation Services, Local Government Corporation (EPATS, LGC) Bylaws. (#10567-OP) John Andoh, Executive Director, Transit Operations, 915-273-3838]

ASKING FOR THIS ITEM TO BE MOVED INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT

[AN. Approve and authorize the County Judge to sign Amendment 1 to the Three-Party Employment Agreement for the Executive Director of Transit Operations. (Contract No. 2025-1007) John Andoh, Executive Director, Transit Operations, 915-273-3838]

CODE SECTION 551.074. COULD WE HAVE A MOTION FOR THIS ITEM? THANK YOU. WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CORONADO, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BUTLER. THE VOTING IS OPEN. MOTION CARRIES.

BEFORE WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE WILL BE DELETING A FEW ITEMS. ITEM 11 B PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.072, DISCUSS THE PURCHASE, EXCHANGE, LEASE OR VALUE OF REAL PROPERTY LOCATED WITHIN EL PASO COUNTY. ITEM 11 PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.0725 DISCUSS CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN RANCHERS AND LAND HOLDING, LLC

[B. Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.072, discuss the purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property located within El Paso County. Norma Rivera-Palacios, Deputy County Administrator, Public Works Department, 915-273-3330]

[04:30:01]

AND THE COUNTY REGARDING TIERRA. THE LAST UNIT THREE PHASE SIX DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AND ITEM

[C. Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.0725, discuss contract negotiations between Ranchos Real Land Holding, LLC and the County regarding Tierra Del Este Unit III Phase VI Development Agreement. Norma Rivera-Palacios, Deputy County Administrator, Public Works Department, 915-273-3330]

11 PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.074 DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS PERTAINING TO THE TIME AND MOTION STUDY FOR THE COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR'S OFFICE. COULD WE

[F. Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.074, discuss personnel matters pertaining to the Time & Motion Study for the County Tax-Assessor Collector’s Office. Sam Trujillo, Interim Chief Human Resources Officer, Human Resources Department, 915-273-3520]

HAVE A MOTION TO DELETE THESE THREE ITEMS FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION? HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER STOUTE. THE VOTING IS OPEN. THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES. SO COMMISSIONERS COURT WILL NOW RECESS INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS ITEMS FOR A L FOR AN AND ITEMS 11 A, 11 DE, 11 E AND 11 G PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION

[EXECUTIVE SESSION Only the members of the Commissioners Court have a right to attend an executive session, except that legal counsel must be present if the executive session is held pursuant to Government Code section 551.071. In addition to legal counsel, Commissioners Court may include in executive session certain officers and employees if it finds that (1) their participation is necessary to the matter under consideration; (2) their interests are not adverse to the county, and (3) their presence will not waive the attorney client privilege. Generally, the Chief Administrator and County Clerk's representatives attend the closed session items based on the enumerated criteria, and certain other persons may attend based on the above-listed criteria or as otherwise provided by law.]

551.07155, 1.072 AND 551.074 COMMISSIONERS COURT WILL RECONVENE TO TAKE OFFICIAL ACTION. IT IS 2:01 P.M.

[04:36:43]

OH MY GOSH, THE LEDGES ARE WONDERFUL. THEY GRIND AMAZING. EVERY EVERYTHING IS SMOOTH. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. PARK. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH.