FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Public Information Office Aracely Lazcano I PIO
County of El Paso, Texas 500 E. San Antonio I Suite 301
Monday, June 15, 2009 (P) 915.546.2000 I Ext 4106 I
I http://www.epcounty.com/ I
New Software Prevents ID Theft
Application blocks disclosure of personal sensitive information
(El Paso, TX) - State of the art software aimed to protect El Paso County citizens by blocking sensitive information to be displayed to third parties was developed by El Paso County Information Technology Department (ITD) and the Office of the County Clerk.
This collaboration has been a proactive approach to protect El Paso County constituents and save their tax dollars.
The new software is basically an application that blocks sensitive information that used to be displayed while viewing documents on line. The type of personal information shown in public records filed in El Paso County Clerk's Office, and which now will be blocked, include; Social Security number, date of birth, driver's license and credit cards number among others.
Senior Software Developer, Art Nevarez developed the application bases in the county needs.
County Clerk Delia Briones agrees that the new software is a proactive approach in preventing identity theft and sets an unprecedented inter-departmental collaboration within El Paso County.
"This is an example of an enormous return on a small investment," she added.
The amount saved to taxpayers was of $7 million dollars, which would have been the estimated cost of the contract with the redacting services.
The new software will be implemented on Wednesday, June 17, 2009.
District Clerk Allowed to Pay Overtime
The District Clerk's office was granted permission to compensate employees with overtime payment for three upcoming passport fairs.
The service will take place on Saturdays during the remainder of the fiscal year. Dates and location are yet to be determined.
With a 3 to 2 vote, the members of Commissioners Court approved the item; also limited to 25 the number of employees working in the passport service division during the weekend fair.
Although there was a split decision, the court ruled in favor of District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez' petition after he withdrew his request to compensate his employees retroactively. However, those employees who worked during previous fairs will be compensated under the comp time policy.
Additionally as of today, the District Clerk's Office is not scheduling appointments for passport applicants. The service will be provided in a first-come, first-serve basis.
The appointments which are already booked will be honored.
Sportspark Appraisal
The members of Commissioners Court instructed the El Paso County purchasing agent to create a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for architectural services to plan the renovation of the Sportspark and/or build a new facility in a different site.
Additionally, the court decided to get the property of the Sportspark appraised for market value.
The motion was adopted unanimously and was supported by County Commissioner Pct. 1, Anna Perez, which represents the area where the sports facility is located.
Perez also informed the court that the county started the process to seek the reimbursement of $460,000 plus interest that the county had put in escrow as part of the licensing agreement with the California-based company.
Big League Dreams was chosen in 2007 to renovate the 45-acre sports facility.
HOT Money Awarded
El Paso County Commissioners Court awarded $25,000 from the Hotel and Motel Occupancy Tax Revenue (HOT) to LULAC Council 132 for general promotion and tourist advertising of its Gran Festival.
Every year El Paso County provides to local organizations hotel occupancy tax revenues directed to promote tourism in El Paso County.
Court recognizes Juneteenth Celebration
The members of the court unanimously adopted a resolution recognizing Friday, June 19th, 2009 as Juneteenth day in an effort to recognize the contributions that African Americans subjected to slavery and their descendents have made to El Paso County.
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration related to the abolition of slavery in the U.S. dating back to 1865.
It was on June 19th that Army Major General Gordon Granger and his Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with the news that the Civil War had ended and the slaves were free
In 1619, a Dutch ship docked at the port of Jamestown, Virginia and sold twenty Black Africans to English colonists who had settled there. More than three million men, women and children eventually worked as slaves in the Deep South as a result of that singular transaction!
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth became an official Texas State holiday in 1980 and is celebrated in 126 cities across Texas, including El Paso.
(CC06-09-59)