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.
Health Authority Hector Ocaraza Gets $25k Pay Raise, Contract Extension
The City Council on Tuesday approved a two-year contract extension for Dr. Hector Ocaranza, the El Paso city and county health authority, and gave him a $25,000 raise.
Ocaranza has served as the health authority since 2007, making $50,000 a year under his last contract. His new contract shows he received a 50% raise with a new annual salary of $75,000, effective back to Aug. 5.
That’s when his other duties as interim health director ended and the new public health director, Veerinder “Vinny” Taneja, took over. The city hired Taneja, the former Tarrant County health director, in June.
Ocaranza had served as the interim health director since spring 2022, for which he was paid an additional salary of $160,000, according to records obtained by El Paso Matters.
While the health director oversees the administrative side of the health department, Texas health authorities are in charge of helping local governments carry out and enforce public health laws.
“The City deeply values Dr. Ocaranza’s dedicated service to the community in both roles, and the salary adjustment reflects our recognition of his critical contributions,” city spokesperson Laura Cruz-Acosta wrote in an email.
Ocaranza has a medical license in Texas and New Mexico. He practices pediatric care in Anthony, New Mexico.
Juárez Migrant Center Fire Investigation Wins Top Eppy Awards
Editor and Publisher Magazine has recognized El Paso Matters, La Verdad and Lighthouse Reports for their collaborative investigation into the deadly migrant detention center fire in Ciudad Juárez in March 2023.
The trade news publication, which covers the news media industry, awarded the collaborative a 1st Place for Best Investigative/Enterprise Video and a 2nd Place for Best Collaborative Investigative/Enterprise Reporting (fewer than 1 million unique views/visitors) under its 2024 Eppy Awards program.
The story and video package published ahead of the first anniversary of the tragedy in spring 2024 showed a series of safety failures and oversights at the Mexican migrant detention center that created a death trap and led to the death of 40 migrant men being held there. Another 27 migrants were injured in the fire.
The binational/bilingual package featured previously undisclosed security camera footage, court documents and exclusive interviews with survivors.
“This investigative series is impactful for its thorough approach to a humanitarian crisis, offering viewers a crucial understanding of the event’s context, accountability issues, and its broader implications for migrant rights and policy,” contest judges wrote in their comments.
You can watch the video on the El Paso Matters YouTube channel here.
Fire Station 10, recently renovated using funds from the 2019 public safety bond, reopens in Central El Paso, April 17, 2024. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
City Updates Debt Policy to Expand Use of Certain Funding Tools
The City Council on Tuesday updated its debt management policy adding the public safety and community progress bonds to the section that allows for the use of certificates of obligation, or non-voter approved debt, to be used if necessary.
Voters in 2019 approved a $413 million bond for public safety projects and in 2022 approved $272.5 million in the community progress bond for projects such as park improvements.
The voter-approved debt would be largely funded with general obligation bonds, but the update to the debt policy Tuesday included both bond programs to the section that allows for the use of certificates of obligation for issuances of less than $100 million.
The policy states that “on occasion, it becomes necessary to seek additional financing in order to make necessary infrastructure improvements, renovate existing facilities, and extend the useful life of an asset.”
The updated language specifies that COs may be used for the rehabilitation and/or extension of the useful life of existing facilities, including for existing quality of life projects, public safety or community progress facilities, by three years or more.
While the city has not issued certificates of obligation in recent years, the financing tool was heavily relied upon for dozens of 2012 quality of life projects that cost more than initially estimated.
Registration Open for City’s Neighborhood Leadership Academy
Registration for the city of El Paso’s 18th annual Neighborhood Leadership Academy is now open. The 16-week academy gives participants a glimpse into the inner workings of city government, services and programs through a series of presentations and on-site field trips to public facilities.
The academy is free, but space is limited to the first 60 participants who enroll. Classes are held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays at locations throughout the city. The first class is Jan. 29, with the last class set for May 14.
Registration is open to residents age 13 or older, although participants ages 13-17 must be accompanied by an adult also enrolled in the program.
Applications are available at the Neighborhood Leadership Academy website. Application deadline is Jan. 17.
Information: 915-212-1681 or NeighborhoodServices@elpasotexas.gov.
Firm’s Contract Boosted to Include El Paso Fire Headquarters
The City Council on Tuesday approved amending a contract with Dekker LLC to include the design of the El Paso Fire Department headquarters.
The firm was hired in July for about $4 million for architect and engineering services for the new police headquarters. Both headquarters will be located at the future site of a joint training facility on a 300-acre parcel in Northeast El Paso.
The additional work boosted the contract to about $4.5 million.
Voters in 2019 approved a $413 million bond for multiple public safety projects. The new and updated facilities are expected to improve response times in expanding areas of the city and continue the regional command policing model.
The post El Paso health authority Hector Ocaranza gets $25k raise, contract extension; plus other Borderland news appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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