February 2009 - Posts

• COUNTY COMMISSIONER PCT.1 MONTHLY COMMUNITY MEETING

  (El Paso, TX) - County Commissioner Pct. 1, Anna Perez will hold a public meeting on Thursday, February 26, 2009. Guest speaker Margaret Althoff-Olivas, Public Affairs Officer for Thomason Hospital, will be discussing the proposed Thomason name change. The community meeting will be held at 7:30 a.m. in the Community Conference Room of the Pebble Hills Police Regional Command Center located in 10780 Pebble Hills. The community meeting is open to all interested members of the public and organizations. In Brief: What:     County Commissioner Pct. 1 community meeting   When:    Thursday, February 26   Time:      7:30 a.m.   Where:    Community Conference Room, Pebble Hills Police Regional Command Center                 10780 Pebble Hills   Posted Feb 25 2009, 12:42 PM by alazcano with no comments

• Commissioners Court Highlights for Monday, February 23, 2009

  The County of El Paso Commissioners Court met in work session on Monday, February 23 at 9:30 a.m. and considered an agenda that included the following highlights:   ADOPTION OF STRATEGIES TO ALLEVIATE THE FORECLOSURE CRISIS  The members of the Commissioners Court approved and adopted a resolution in support of strategies to alleviate the current foreclosure crisis.In a monthly basis, the El Paso County Clerk office files between 200 and 400 foreclosure proceedings, including 375 scheduled for March 3, 2009. The resolution, sponsored by County Commissioner Pct. 2 Veronica Escobar and seconded by County Commissioner Willie Gandara Jr. was approved by a 4 to 1 vote. County Commissioner Daniel R. Haggerty voted against it. The adopted resolution pushes for mandatory mediation between borrower and lender or servicer. This will provide borrowers with an ability to request mediation with their lender so is a real opportunity to enable borrowers to workout a loan modification plan to avoid foreclosure and gain assistance of credit counseling organizations. It also extends the time period to cure a mortgage default from 20 to 90 days; requires a fiduciary duty to ensure the mortgage brokers are acting on behalf of the best interests of their client, and not their own self-interest. Additionally, borrowers will be required to obtain loan counseling prior to closing a high risk home loan.      SUPORTING THE RE-ESTABLISHING OF GAMING ON YSLETA DEL SUR DEL PUEBLO RESERVATION   County Commissioner Pct. 3 Willie Gandara today introduced a resolution to support the El Paso Legislative Delegation efforts to re-establishing gaming on the Ysleta Sur del Pueblo Reservation. The resolution was passed without opposition by the members of commissioners' court.     COURT APROVES TAX INCENTIVE TO PRIVATE DEVELOPER In a 3 to 2 vote, members of the Commissioners Court approved a motion to provide up to $4 million in tax incentives to a private developer looking after remodeling the old Farah building to create a state of the art shopping center. For over four hours the members of the El Paso County Commissioners Court heard points of view of proponents and opponents of the project presented by Hawkins Regency, LLC.  After the presentations and public comment, Pct. 1 Commissioner Anna Perez, who represents the area in which the Farah property is located, made a motion to approve the reimbursement of sale and property taxes to the private developer. Her motion was seconded by Veronica Escobar, County Commissioner Pct. 2.   Voting in favor of the incentive were County Commissioner Pct. 1, Anna Perez; County Commissioner Pct. 2, Veronica Escobar and County Commissioner Pct 3, Willie Gandara Jr.  County Judge, Anthony Cobos and County Commissioner Pct 4, Daniel Haggerty voted against the proposal.                                                  BOARD APPOINMENT After reviewing 22 applicants for the Sheriff's Civil Service Board, County Commissioner Pct 3. Willie Gandara, moved to appoint Mr.  Jesus Olivas to serve effective  immediately. The motion passed unanimously. The first meeting for the Sheriff's Civil Service Board is scheduled for March 02, 2009.  Mr. Olivas will be replacing Irene Ramirez, which term expires February 25, 2009.                                                (CC-02-09-020) Posted Feb 23 2009, 06:00 PM by alazcano with no comments

• EL PASO COUNTY TECHNOLOGY CHIEF SELECTED TO STATE BOARD

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Friday, February 20, 2009                                                                                               Public Information Office     Aracely Lazcano I PIO    County of El Paso, Texas     500 E. San Antonio I  Suite 301                                              (P) 915.546.2098  I Ext 4106 I                                              I http://www.epcounty.com/ I    (El Paso, TX) Friday, February 20, 2009 - The El Paso County Chief Technology Officer, Peter Cooper, has been selected as one of the 16 members of the 2009 Advisory Committee for the State Plan for Information Resources Management (State Strategic Plan). The State Strategic Plan (SSP) will set the direction for management of information resources across the Texas government for the next five years. Texas state agencies also use the State Strategic Plan to develop the sections on information resources of their own strategic plans. The plan is developed in odd-numbered years and is due to state leadership (Governor and Legislative Budget Board) on November 1st of the same year. The official confirmation of El Paso County CTO was made unanimously by the Texas Department of Information Resources Board of Directors during its February 11, 2009 meeting. "As a representative of local government on this planning committee my goal is to promote additional collaboration and cooperation between state agencies, the cities and counties of Texas," said Peter Cooper. During the last eight years as the county's CTO, Peter Cooper has built pivotal collaborative relationships with other layers of government and the public sector that has resulted in the optimization and access to services offered to area residents. "We can all benefit greatly by sharing resources and expertise. In addition, the state could lead the way in establishing a broadband policy to insure that fiber is included in public works projects throughout the state," he added. Mr. Cooper is serving his third year as chairman of the Texas Urbanized Counties Information Technology Directors Organization and is a member of the editorial advisory board of Texas Technology magazine.  He has served as chair of the advisory board for the University of Texas Information and Decision Sciences Department and received the 2006 El Paso Hispanic Chamber Information Technology Hall of Fame award.  Additionally, the county's CTO is currently serving as chair of "Digital El Paso," an organization that implemented public wireless throughout downtown El Paso and which is working on regional collaborative projects.  This group includes representatives from El Paso County, City of El Paso, El Paso Housing Authority, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso Community College, area school districts and other local entities who are cooperating in this initiative.   For interview bookings please contact Aracely Lazcano at 546-2000 ext. 4106.       (CCIT-02-09-018)   Posted Feb 20 2009, 03:45 PM by alazcano with no comments

• Kid’s Fishing Tournament at Ascarate Lake

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Tuesday, February 16, 2009                                                                                               Public Information Office       Aracely Lazcano I PIO    County of El Paso, Texas       500 E. San Antonio I  Suite 301                                               (P) 915.546.2000 I Ext 4106 I                                              I http://www.epcounty.com/ I  (El Paso, TX) - You don't need to travel far or own a boat to take your kids fishing and make memories of a lifetime. The El Paso County Park, Golf and Aquatics Department, the Ascarate Fishing Club and sponsoring organizations will provide young anglers and their families with lots of opportunities to learn to fish and enjoy the sport. The Ascarate Lake Kid's Fishing Day Tournament will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2009. Families are cordially invited to enjoy the day's activities, including fishing clinics and live demonstrations. Registration is from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and the tournament runs from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon. Supervision and guidance from fishing experts and game wardens will be available to participants of the event. You just need to bring your fishing pole and bait will be provided. Anybody without a fishing pole will be provided one (while supplies last). Free hot dogs and refreshments will be served to all registered children up to 16 yrs old, while supplies last!  Prizes will be awarded in three age categories: 3-6 Years Old, 7-12 Years Old and 13-16 Years Old. This is the only event where anglers can keep their trout.  For additional information please contact: Rey Chavez at (915) 772-5605 or Harold Stearns at (915)755-0983. IN BRIEF:  WHO:                    Youth, ages 3 through 16. All youth must be accompanied by adult.   WHEN:                  Saturday, February 21, 2009 -7:30 to 12 Noon   WHERE:                Ascarate Lake, 6800 Delta Drive, El Paso, TX 79905 Registration:         7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Equipment:           YOU MUST PROVIDE YOUR OWN Lunch:                   FREE HOT DOGS, CHIPS AND DRINKS TO ALL REGISTERED KIDS Cost:                      FREE, However, $1 per vehicle is charged at the Park     Fishing license:     Child 16 or younger: FREE (Resident & Non-resident)                                                         (CCP.R.02-09-015) Posted Feb 17 2009, 04:38 PM by alazcano with no comments

• COUNTY COMMISSIONER GANDARA COMMUNITY MEETING

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   Friday, February 13, 2009                                                                                               Public Information Office       Aracely Lazcano I PIO    County of El Paso, Texas       500 E. San Antonio I  Suite 301                                               (P) 915.546.2098  I Ext 4106 I                                              I http://www.epcounty.com/ I                                       PCT.3 COMMUNITY MEETING   (EL PASO, TX) - County Commissioner Pct.3 Willie Gandara will host his first community meeting on Wednesday, February 18 at 5:30 p.m. in the Mission de El Paso Community College Main Lobby located at 10700 Gateway East. The public is invited to attend this meeting to provide their input as to the possible name change of the R.E. Thomason Hospital. El Paso County Hospital District adopted the meeting as a special session of the Board of Managers public hearing. Public participation is encouraged and translators will be on hand for the members of the community wishing to express their comments and/or concerns. County Commissioner Gandara stated "I believed our constituents warrant the final decision regarding their hospital name." During the meeting, Lower Valley residents will be invited to serve in Gandara's Citizens Advisory Board, which will provide advice and recommendations about key issues concerning or affecting Precinct 3. IN BRIEF:  What:              County Commissioner Pct. 3 Community Meeting   When:             Wednesday, February 18  Time:               5:30 p.m.  Where:           Mission de El Paso Community College Main Lobby                          10700 Gateway East   For additional information please contact: Dora Oaxaca at 915 539-4077 or Aracely Lazcano at 546-2000 Ext. 4106                                                   (CC02-09-013)     Posted Feb 13 2009, 01:51 PM by alazcano with no comments

• EL PASO COUNTY RECOGNIZES PRESIDENT’S DAY HOLIDAY

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   Thursday, February 12, 2009                                                                                               Public Information Office       Aracely Lazcano I PIO    County of El Paso, Texas       500 E. San Antonio I  Suite 301                                               (P) 915.546.2098  I Ext 4106 I                                              I www.epcounty.com I  (EL PASO, TEXAS) - The El Paso County Courthouse will be closed on Monday, February 16 in observance of the President's Day Holiday Celebration. Commissioners Court will not hold their regular session until Monday, February 23, 2009. Ascarate Park will be open to the public from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and no admission fee is charged during weekdays. No alcoholic beverages are allowed in the park. During winter season the lake is home to trout and adults (17 and older) are required to have a fishing license. Seniors (65 or older) are not required a fishing license and their admission is FREE. The Ascarate golf course will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. County residents with any emergency must call 911 for immediate assistance or the Sheriff's Office Dispatch for non-emergencies at (915) 546-2280. We urge the community to plan ahead in case there is the need to use a service provided by the county. For example; application for passports, birth and marriage certificates, deeds, certificate of plat compliance, etc. Normal operation of the courthouse and the county satellite offices will resume Tuesday, February 17, 2009. (CC02-09-012) Posted Feb 12 2009, 10:35 AM by alazcano with no comments

• SUSPENSIÓN DE OPERACIONES POR DIA FESTIVO

  PARA DIFUSION INMEDIATA:    Jueves, Febrero 12, 2009                                                                                               Oficina de Comunicacion Social       Aracely Lazcano I Portavoz    Condado de El Paso, Texas              500 E. San Antonio I  Suite 301                                                           (P) 915.546.2098  I Ext 4106 I                                                           I www.epcounty.com I  GOBIERNO DEL CONDADO CELEBRA DIA DE LOS PRESIDENTES (EL PASO, TEXAS) - El edificio del condado de El Paso estará cerrado el Lunes, 16 de febrero, con motivo de la celebración del Día del Presidentes. La Corte de Comisionados del Condado no realizara su sesión ordinaria hasta el próximo lunes 23 de febrero. El Parque Ascarate estará abierto al público de 6:00 de la mañana a 11:00 de la noche y no se cobra admisión entre semana.  La introducción de bebidas alcohólicas en las inmediaciones del parque no esta permitida. Durante la temporada invernal, el lago del Parque Ascarate es la casa del pez trucha y los adultos (17 años o mayores) deben tener una licencia de pesca. Los adultos mayores (65 años en delante) no requieren portar una licencia de pesca y su admisión es gratuita. El campo de Golf del Parque Ascarate abrirá sus puertas de 6:00 A.M. a 5:00 P.M. Los habitantes del condado con una emergencia deben pedir auxilio a la línea 911 para asistencia inmediata o si no es una situacion de emergencia pueden hablar al despacho de la oficina del Sheriff's al (915)546-2280. Se le solicita a la comunidad que considere la suspensión de operaciones y realice lo antes posible trámites como: solicitud de pasaportes, licencias de matrimonio, actas de nacimiento o defunción, entre otros. Las oficinas centrales y satélites del gobierno del condado reanudaran operaciones de forma normal el martes, 17 de febrero del 2009.                                                                (CC02-09-013) Posted Feb 12 2009, 10:27 AM by alazcano with 1 comment(s)

• EL PASO COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE STIMULUS REQUEST

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   Tuesday, February 10, 2009                                                                                               Public Information Office       Aracely Lazcano I PIO    County of El Paso, Texas       500 E. San Antonio I  Suite 301                                               (P) 915.546.2098  I Ext 4106 I                                              I visit us online www.epcounty.com I   (El Paso, TX) -- County Commissioner Pct. 3 Willie Gandara Jr., Chairman of the Presidential Infrastructure Packet Committee, has released a list of preliminary infrastructure stimulus project request proposals for El Paso County. The preliminary list includes border and highway infrastructure projects as well as water/wastewater; housing, energy, transportation and technology proposals which will be formally adopted by Commissioner's Court at a later date. The El Paso County Presidential Packet Committee Team included the following members: Chairperson of the committee, County Commissioner Pct. 3 Willie Gandara Jr.; County Commissioner Pct. 2, Veronica Escobar; County Judge Anthony Cobos Chief of Staff, Jaime O. Perez; County Attorney's Office, Lee Shapleigh; Rural Transit Manager, Bob Geyer; Auditors Office, Wallace Hardgrove; Planning and Development Interim Director, Jack Alayyan; Road and Bridge Department Director, Robert Rivera; Director of Family and Community Services, Rosemary Neil; Information Techonology Department Director, Peter Cooper and County and Federal Lobbyist. To see the preliminary list of the proposals, please click in the following link: Stimulus Project Requests List.pdf   Posted Feb 10 2009, 02:21 PM by alazcano with 1 comment(s)

• Got a Ticket, Pay it online

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:    Friday, February 06, 2009                                                                                               Public Information Office       Aracely Lazcano I PIO    County of El Paso, Texas       500 E. San Antonio I  Suite 301                                               (P) 915.546.2098  I Ext 4106 I                                              I visit us online www.epcounty.com I Need to Pay a Ticket? Think E-Pay, help is just a Click Away Online Payment Services Offered                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          (El Paso, TX) - Motorist who receive a payable traffic citation issued by a Sheriff Officer or a Constable under the jurisdiction of the El Paso County Justice of the Peace Courts are now able to pay their tickets online by using the county's website. https://www.epcounty.com/EPay/          Starting this week, the E-pay secured payment system is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and employs the highest standards of security to ensure a safe and secure transaction. A valid Discover, MasterCard, VISA or American Express card is required to pay for citations using the new system.   "By offering this online service, we are helping to save time and money to the citizens because we are not only facilitating routine transactions in a self-service environment, but adding convenience and value to our citizens and visitors," explained Jon Guerra, Client/Server Programmer from the Information Technology Department. This effort was made possible thanks to a joint collaboration by the Justice of the Peace offices, the Information Technology Department (ITD) and the County Auditor's office. Currently, 10 percent of transactions processed by the Justice of Peace Departments are made through point of sale terminals.  "By implementing the electronic payment (E-Pay) system, we will increase credit card transactions as it will provide a secure and efficient method of payment," said Rene Camarillo, Project Manager of Business Applications from the County Auditor's Office. According to Article 45.0215 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, juveniles under the age of 17 who receive a class ‘C' citation must plead in open court and cannot make any payment online. Only tickets for open, non-warrant and class ‘C' traffic offenses can be paid online. Common violations that may be paid by using the new system include: speeding, expired tags, seatbelt violations, child restraint violations, defective equipment, and others. A convenience fee of $3.49, which allows a maximum of 10 transactions, will be added to the credit card payment.                     (ITD.CA-02-09-010) Posted Feb 05 2009, 10:39 AM by alazcano with no comments

• Commissioners Court Highlights for Monday, Feb. 02, 2009

  The County of El Paso Commissioners Court met in work session on Monday, February 02 at 9:30 a.m. and considered an agenda that included the following highlights: El Paso County SCORES for Being Green Efficient (El Paso, TX) - The El Paso County Commissioners Court members received an incentive check for $21,000 for the success achieved through the El Paso Electric SCORE Program in 2008. Last year, County Judge Anthony Cobos directed the court to adopt an energy efficient policy, which has resulted in thousands of dollars in savings of taxpayers' money. Among the changes were; energy-efficient lighting, Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC), and finally roofing upgrades. These improvements were completed in several county buildings, including the jail and the courthouse. The total energy savings were of 440,834 kWh, which equals about $44,000 annually. The SCORE program is an initiative of El Paso Electric aimed to help the improvement of energy efficiency technology and reduce energy operating cost in governmental entities and school districts.        County-City officials to Explore Options to Manage County Parks County Commissioners Anna Perez and Veronica Escobar were authorized by unanimous vote to proceed with negotiations with the city of El Paso regarding the future potential plans for the Sportspark and Ascarate Park. After meeting with city officials the County Commissioners will present a proposal for Commissioner's Court consideration. East-Central city Rep. Emma Acosta told the present members of the court that "continuing the discussion will enable the opportunity for both governmental entities to develop solutions, bring efficiencies and offer quality of life at a reasonable cost to taxpayer's families."   Decision on former Farah Property Tax Incentives Delayed                                 Members of Commissioners Court postponed the discussion for three weeks to authorize a tax incentive proposal regarding the former Farah property. The discussion item was included in Monday's agenda by County Commissioner Pct.1, Anna Perez, which was absent from the meeting on maternity leave. County Commissioner Pct. 2, Veronica Escobar, made the motion to postpone any decision until her colleague was present for a full discussion and vote. County Judge, Anthony Cobos, also made a motion to order the applicant and the county's auditor's office to provide names of individuals and entities with any interest in Hawkins Regency LLC and any parent company and include official documentation. Posted Feb 02 2009, 04:06 PM by alazcano with 1 comment(s)