This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso.
Police, Fire Retirees to Receive COLA Increases
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a cost of living pay increase for police and fire retirees hired after 2007.
The El Paso Fire and Police Pension Fund Board of Trustees had sought to get cost of living pay increases for members hired after 2007 that had been previously approved by the City Council. The COLA increase will apply to retired police and fire officials hired after 2007 and who have been retired for five years or more.
The pension fund will pay for the cost of the raises out of its current funds and the city will not have to make any additional contributions to cover the cost at this time – but will likely need to in the near future.
State law only allows cities to change their contribution rate dependent on whether the current rate is sufficient to maintain the amortization period – the time it would take to pay off the accrued liability – as determined by the actuary, according to the Texas Pension Review Board. The employees and the city both contribute to the pension fund.
A change in state law would be required to allow the city to increase its contribution to the fund despite a City Charter amendment election in May 2023. The charter amendment removed the cap to the city’s contribution to the pension fund and allows the city to increase its contributions without voter approval.
The charter now states that the city will contribute no less than 18% of the total amount it expends on wages for the fund participants – 18% was the prior maximum contribution allowed.
The City Council and pension officials are working to develop a plan to request the state update its law to allow the city to increase contributions without voter approval to match the City Charter.
El Paso Independent School District’s administrative headquarters on Stanton Street. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
El Paso ISD Approves Employee Stipend Amid Deficit
The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to give its roughly 7,200 employees a $500 stipend just before Christmas.
This comes after the board in June adopted a $542 million budget with an $18.5 million deficit and opted not to give employees pay raises at the start of the school year.
SEE ALSO: El Paso ISD to close 8 elementary schools amid enrollment declines
“This one-time payment demonstrates our commitment to acknowledging the invaluable contributions of our employees,” EPISD Superintendent Diana Sayavedra said in a news release Tuesday. “Their hard work and dedication to our students deserve recognition and appreciation.”
District officials said the stipends are expected to cost EPISD just under $4.1 million and will be paid out Dec. 13. All permanent employees who were hired by Nov. 1 are eligible, except those in an executive director level or above.
Sergio Martinez Appointed to Canutillo ISD School Board
Sergio Martinez has been appointed to the Canutillo Independent School District’s Board of Trustees to fill the seat left vacant by Blanca Trout, who resigned after being reelected in the Nov. 5 election.
The board voted 5-1 to appoint Martinez during a school board meeting Tuesday.
Trustee Lucy Borrego cast the lone opposing vote, who argued the board should take applications and hold interviews before making an appointment.
“We were in this situation two years ago and we held interviews. I felt like that was the fair way to do it. I think that we need to be consistent on how we do things,” Borrego said ahead of the vote.
Trout initially resigned from the position and dropped from the race in October, after the deadline to have her name taken off the ballot.
She was one of four people elected to serve four-year, at-large terms on the board, garnering 9.92% of the vote. Martinez was the runner-up with 9.86% of the vote.
The Canutillo ISD school board had the option of making an appointment or holding a special election to fill the vacant seat.
District officials said holding a special election would cost anywhere between $50,000 to $90,000.
Though trustees normally serve four-year terms, Martinez will need to run for reelection in two years.
UTEP Kicks Off First Sensory-Sensitive Theater Production
In an effort to make theatergoers more comfortable, the University of Texas at El Paso has made upcoming performances of “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” its first sensory-sensitive production.
The production by UTEP’s Department of Theatre and Dance will adjust the sounds and lighting to accommodate sensitive ears and eyes. Haze effects also will be minimized.
“We want people to feel safe, welcome and included,” said Adriana Dominguez, the show’s director. “We know that people navigate theater differently and how it can be overwhelming for some, especially when it’s their first time.”
The play’s plot revolves around Edward Tulane, an expensive china rabbit that is adored by his owner until it gets lost. Through the years, the rabbit meets different people and learns valuable lessons about love. The production is based on the book by Kate DiCamillo.
While some of the effects will be slightly muted, Dominguez stressed that the performances will be enjoyable for all.
“It will still have the magic of theater,” she said.
Performances in the Wise Family Theatre will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 22 and 23, and Dec. 6 and 7, and at 2 p.m. Nov. 24 and Dec. 7 and 8. The department already has sold out six shows the week of Dec. 2 for schoolchildren. Those performances will include talks about theater education.
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More Students Eligible for UTEP’s Paydirt Promise in Fall 2025
Eligible undergraduate students whose families earn less than $100,000 will be able to attend the University of Texas at El Paso and not have to pay tuition and mandatory fees starting with the fall 2025 semester because of supplementary funds provided by the University of Texas System Board of Regents.
The regents voted Nov. 20 to add $35 million to the existing $300 million endowment for the Promise Plus scholarship program, which funds UTEP’s Paydirt Promise and other similar programs throughout the UT System.
“One of the best values in higher education just became even more affordable,” UTEP President Heather Wilson said.
The program currently serves more than 9,000 students and UTEP officials said that they expect hundreds more to become eligible for the Paydirt Promise program.
Current eligibility requirements include Texas residency, admission to UTEP, submission of a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), registration for at least nine credit hours for fall and spring semesters in pursuit of a first bachelor’s degree.
UTEP initiated its Paydirt Promise program in 2019 for eligible undergraduate students whose families earned $40,000 or less. The amount of aid has steadily increased through the years. The last bump to $80,000 was made last year.
Additional funds for the program come from state and federal grants.
Texas Tech Regents Release $3M for Clinical Sciences Building, Cancer Center
Recent decisions by the Texas Tech University Board of Regents to release an additional $3 million for the planned Clinical Sciences Building and the Steve and Nancy Fox Cancer Center at Texas Tech Health El Paso will keep the projects moving toward a possible groundbreaking in 2025.
During the board’s meeting Nov. 14-15 in Lubbock, regents voted on two separate items to hire a Construction Manager Agent that would provide on-site construction oversight on both projects. The regents approved $1.7 million for the CSB and $1.1 million for the cancer center. The CSB and cancer center are being tracked as two separate projects with two separate funding streams.
TTHEP President Richard Lange said the board’s approval marked a significant milestone in the campus’ mission to bring compassionate, comprehensive cancer care to West Texas.
“This is another step toward ensuring every Borderplex patient has access to world-class cancer care, life-saving research and opportunities for innovative clinical trials here, in the community we call home,” Lange said in a prepared statement for El Paso Matters.
The proposed three- to four-story building, set for the north end of campus near Interstate 10, should be about 352,000 square feet with two-thirds of that taken up by the CSB, which has an estimated cost of $186 million. As presented, the cancer center, which is budgeted at $122 million, would be on the north end of the building. Each center would have its own entrance.
The cancer center will provide cancer screenings, improve treatments and clinics that will ensure comprehensive and patient-centered care. The CSB will house all existing clinical practices to include breast care, internal medicine, neurology, OBGYN, ophthalmology, orthopedics and pediatrics. Both sides will use state-of-the art diagnostic equipment.
The post City OK’s pay increases for police, fire retirees; EPISD approves $500 employee stipends; UTEP expands Paydirt Promise appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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