Written by David Stout
The holiday season is in full swing, with the New Year just around the corner and a year of change imminent.
El Paso County is preparing for next year, building on a very active 2024.
Here is a brief summary of 2024 activity in El Paso County and in District 2, and a look ahead to 2025.
Justice reform
More than 50% of the county’s budget goes to the sheriff’s office and court system. Since I took office in 2015, my priority has been to ensure that the law and criminal justice are strictly and fairly administered.
For the county, which runs the court and prison system, that means focusing on reducing the number of repeat offenders, providing an opportunity for people to get out of what often feels like a revolving door. We also want to prevent people from entering the justice system in the first place. In both cases, we have made progress.
As a board member of the county-appointed Emergency Health Network, I introduced the concept of a crisis intervention team, so that we don’t automatically throw someone in a mental health crisis into jail. Both the El Paso Police Department and El Paso County Sheriff’s Office now have crisis intervention teams, and this year we have continued to build on that program.
And just a few weeks ago, El Paso County agreed to a contract with local nonprofits to provide shelter and wraparound services to people who have paid their debt to society but have nowhere to go once they are released from prison.
Next year, we will continue to build on this by developing a “Sobriety Centre”, a safe place for people who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, this will save taxpayers money and law enforcement time as well as giving people a chance to survive. An opportunity to do better without going through the expensive criminal justice system.
Health and quality of life
I believe that the people of El Paso County have a right to clean air, water and soil, and to live in neighborhoods that provide opportunity and quality of life. For generations, El Paso has suffered from underinvestment and underservice in the neighborhoods south of Interstate 10.
It has focused investment on Ascarati Park, where work on the lake is scheduled to begin in 2025; She worked with the community to develop a plan to create a community healing space in the former nude harem; We fought to reimagine the Bridge of the Americas port of entry as a streamlined welcome point for personal vehicles and pedestrians, which will support families, workers and local businesses in our shopping centers and on our main streets; We challenged Marathon Refinery to reduce pollution by contesting their pollution permit because we know they can do better, and we believe they will do so in partnership with the community; It saved the popular and constantly active County Coliseum, which hosts events almost daily and welcomes about 200,000 people annually; and reallocate federal funds to create a margin within the district budget to initiate an arts master plan, arts commission, and arts projects in each district in 2025.
Economic mobility and economic development
As an active member of the National Association of Counties, I am part of an exclusive leadership group that researches best practices to support economic mobility. The District supports local organizations such as the Chamber and Borderplex Alliance in recruiting and retaining businesses; Our focus is on ensuring good jobs and small business opportunities.
Last year, El Paso County continued the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, which it brought to the county as a way to provide low-interest loans and grants to small businesses serving healthy foods in “food desert” neighborhoods.
We signed a contract to spend $6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds on broadband access in underserved or poorly served areas. I pushed for this because the Internet is how students connect with school — which has become especially evident during the coronavirus crisis — and how small businesses connect with funding institutions, to name a few.
I have elevated the county’s work in historic preservation and tourism, creating the Segundo Barrio National Historic District and further promoting the Mission Trail, and in the coming year I will be working with community groups that recognize the importance of our urban core from the Five Points to Lincoln Park to the Coliseum to Ascarate to Alameda from downtown to UMC to Chamizal.
We were the first local government to implement a tax break for child care facilities to allow working parents more opportunities, and we are developing new economic development incentive policies that we can expect to see in 2025.
Finally, also through NACo, I was the immediate past chair of the Immigration Reform Task Force, which in part allows local governments to share best practices to ensure that immigrants are treated humanely and have opportunities to contribute to their new communities. This has been invaluable in guiding El Paso County’s response by working with local service providers to shelter, transport and assist migrants.
District operations management
We have taken steps forward in district operations this year, implementing paid parental leave, creating a paid internship program to give more El Paso youth real-world experience, and moving forward with leadership succession planning to ensure continuity of operations when senior staff depart.
We are undertaking an energy audit, which I have worked on for years, and will produce new, refurbished facilities that reduce our energy use and therefore our carbon footprint and operational costs.
With a general fund budget of $467 million, commissioners have a significant responsibility to manage your money effectively and efficiently. We must balance services required by law and requested by the public with consideration for taxpayers.
This year, we adopted a tax rate of 42.6323 cents per $100 of property valuation, known as the “non-revenue rate.” Of course, we realize that depending on individual changes in property valuations, some property owners may pay more out of pocket than the previous year.
This is just a snapshot of activities in 2024, and what we have planned for 2025.
Finally, I would like to thank the residents of Basson who voted to approve three of five items regarding the November bond election. Parks, a new animal services facility, and a new medical examiner’s office for a total of about $155 million.
The District will work hard in 2025 to deliver projects on time and on budget.
Have a wonderful holiday season and a wonderful New Year. Here we say goodbye to 2024 and move on to 2025!
David Stout is the county commissioner for District 2.
