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.
El Paso County Commissioners Approve UMC Tax Rate, Budget
Most El Paso County taxpayers will see an increase in their University Medical Center tax bills after the County Commissioners Court on Monday approved a tax rate and budget for the public hospital.
The tax rate of 24 cents per $100 property valuation means the owner of an average-value $221,726 home will pay $534 in hospital taxes – an increase of about $72 over the previous year. The rate includes an increase to the interest and debt service portion to begin paying off debt from the $396.6 million bond approved by voters in November for surgical suites, equipment, beds, laboratory services, a burn center and critical care unit at the main hospital, among other projects.
The tax rate will help fund the hospital district’s $1.9 billion expense budget for the next fiscal year, though property taxes only account for about 10% of the district’s revenue.
The Commissioners Court plays an oversight role for the hospital district, which includes approving its tax rate and budget.
EPISD to Interview Superintendent Search Firms
The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees will interview superintendent search firms to find qualified candidates to replace former Superintendent Diana Sayavedra.
Trustees voted 6-1 Wednesday to use an evaluation instrument designed by the district and to conduct interviews to decide which search firm to hire. The evaluation gives candidates points based on price, reputation, quality of services, the firm’s history with EPISD and other factors.
Trustee Daniel Call voted against the measure after raising concerns over the board members’ lack of input in the evaluation.
Information on the companies bidding for the job and the potential cost of the contract “can only be released after evaluations have concluded and a vendor has been awarded,” said Haydee Pena, EPISD’s executive director of Procurement and School Resources.
The interview will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3, at the EPISD Administration Building, 1014 N. Stanton St. The district plans to award a contract for a search firm by Sept. 16.
Chief Financial Officer Martha Aguirre has served as interim superintendent since June after Sayavedra suddenly resigned following a change in the board majority.
UTEP Names Executive Director of W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation
James P. Carney has been named executive director of the University of Texas at El Paso’s W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation, effective Sept. 1. He previously served as manager of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation at Sandia National Laboratories. He also previously managed the Advanced Materials Laboratory at Sandia and held leadership positions at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center and the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Carney in a statement said he was thrilled to join UTEP and lead the center.
“The center’s impressive infrastructure and multidisciplinary approach position it uniquely to drive innovation in advanced manufacturing while preparing the next generation of engineers and scientists for the rapidly evolving manufacturing landscape,” he said in the statement.
The W.M. Keck Center is a multidisciplinary research facility that encompasses more than $8 million in research infrastructure, including over 100 advanced manufacturing systems. The center focuses on 3D printing, technology development, engineered and structured materials, and advanced additive manufacturing applications.
Carney replaces Keck Center founder Ryan Wicker, a former professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, who retired last year in the wake of the suspension of the National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines grant – which has since been terminated. He had been with the university for more than 30 years.
Information: utep.edu/keck
Drainage Improvement Project to Begin in Northeast
Construction of drainage improvements in the Sun Valley subdivision in Northeast El Paso will begin Sept. 1 after a legal settlement between neighborhood homeowners and the subdivision’s developer and design engineer, the city said in a news release Wednesday.
The work, estimated to cost $475,000, will help reduce flooding caused by excessive rainwater runoff along Palomino Street and Laramie Circle. The project will take six months to complete “barring any unforeseen events or weather delays,” the city said.
The work, which will be done under the city’s Capital Improvement Department, includes installing new concrete flumes on the north and south sides of Laramie Circle to allow stormwater to drain into the existing concrete channel owned and maintained by El Paso Water.
The lawsuit was filed in 2023 by a group of homeowners against Bowling Enterprises and CEA Engineering Group, Inc., court records show.
The post El Paso County approves UMC tax hike, EPISD to interview superintendent search firms appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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