County planning series of meetings to get feedback on possible bond
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — El Paso County is exploring the possibility of going to voters for a capital improvement bond as early as November 2024.
And the County wants the public’s input into the process and what should be included.
As part of that planning process, the County is planning a second phase of public meetings as a follow-up to meetings that were held in March and April. Those meetings were used to gather input about the “public’s threshold for investment and the priority areas they would like the County to focus on,” according to a news release sent out by the County.
UTEP proposes $99M in improvements to Sun Bowl stadium
This next phase of in-person community feedback sessions will focus on gathering the public’s opinion on the individual projects recommended by the County’s Bond Advisory Committee (BoAC), a group of 11 volunteer citizens appointed by Commissioners Court to help organize any potential future bond proposals.
The proposed project list ranges from investments in “critical public safety infrastructure to enhancements of County regional and neighborhood parks,” according to the County press release.
UTEP asked the County on Friday, May 24 to consider adding $99 million of improvements to the Sun Bowl stadium as part of any bond proposal.
Commissioners Court has not made a final decision on whether or not they will be pursuing a bond and are looking for community feedback before making a decision, which is expected to come sometime in late July or early August, according to the news release.
“These meetings give residents the opportunity to consider the conceptual plans for these proposed projects and meet with and ask questions of County staff about the projects. Then residents will be asked to provide valuable feedback that will be shared with the BoAC and Commissioners Court to help inform their recommendations about which projects might move to a possible bond election. Commissioners Court is consistently looking for the public’s feedback to build trust and better serve our community,” said County Chief Administrator Betsy Keller.
If the Commissioners Court recommends a bond issuance, the proposal would potentially go to voters as early as November 2024.
These bond proposal community feedback sessions will be held throughout El Paso County from May 29 to June 18.
A full list of meetings and details can be found on the El Paso County website: Capital.EPCounty.com.
The meeting schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, May 29
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Jefferson High School- Cafeteria, 4700 Alameda Ave.
Thursday, May 30
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Montana Vista Fire Rescue, 13978 Montana Ave.
Saturday, June 1
10:00 a.m.- 11:30 a.m.
El Paso High School- Cafeteria, 800 E Schuster Ave.
Tuesday, June 4
5:30 p.m. -7:00 p.m.
EPCC Transmountain Campus- Foyer, 9570 Gateway North Boulevard.
Wednesday, June 5
5:30 p.m. -7:00 p.m.
Ben Narbuth Elementary- Gym, 12901 Bob Hope Dr., Suite B.
Thursday, June 6
5:30 p.m. -7:00 p.m.
Eastwood Middle School- Cafeteria, 2612 Chaswood St.
Saturday, June 8
Time: 10:00 a.m-11:30 a.m.
EPCC Northwest Campus- Cafeteria, 6701 South Desert Blvd.
Tuesday, June 11
5:30 p.m. -7:00 p.m.
Ysleta High School- Fine Arts Annex, 8600 Alameda Ave.
Wednesday, June 12
5:30 p.m. -7:00 p.m.
Chapin High School, Cafeteria, 7000 Dyer St.
Thursday, June 13
5:30 p.m. -7:00 p.m.
TxDOT East Area Maintenance Facility, 1430 Joe Battle Blvd.
Saturday, June 15
10:00 a.m-11:30 a.m.
Franklin High School- Cafeteria, 900 Resler Dr.
Tuesday, June 18
5:30-7:00p.m.
El Paso County Warehouse, 1331 Fabens Rd.
For those unable to attend in person, information from the meetings will be made available on the County website: capital.epcounty.com. Residents can also follow El Paso County on social media for updates and ways to provide input online.
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