Included in the November 2024 ballot is the presidential election, along with local district elections, county sheriff elections and school district board member elections.
Additionally, the capital improvement bond, which is divided into five propositions will be on the ballot and aims to improve county facilities and resources. Although some El Pasoans may be wondering, what’s on the bond proposition ballot?
Deputy County Administrator for El Paso County, Jose Landeros, oversees strategic capital development which includes the capital planning team. He said that the severity of voting in this election is great.
“We really want to urge people to go out and vote and express your opinion,” said Landeros. “There’s a number of races on the ballot, everything from president to our local propositions for the county, those are all agencies with an election that voters will have a chance to put their input on Nov. 5”
Proposition A: Parks and Recreation
The proposition amounts to $95.6 million dollars and includes 19 projects across the county. After receiving feedback from the community, the county adopted a master plan in 2021 to improve different parks in the county.
Some of the plans that fall into the proposition include improving the Ascarate Regional Park.
If approved, Ascarate can see a new festival ground including landscaping, lighting, and creating hardscaping which would cover approximately 20 acres of the park. Additionally, the county would build a 3-mile trail that connects to Playa Drain Trail and more.
Besides Ascarate, there are various other improvements planned for parks across El Paso County, from parks in Tornillo to Horizon City. These improvements include hike and bike trials, new benches, trees, playgrounds and more.
Proposition B: Medical Examiner
The tasks of the Medical Examiner are to investigate unattended deaths in the community and forensic scene investigations, among other things. Their office was originally built in the 1990s, and originally held 45 decedents, then increased to 130 during the pandemic.
If approved, the office will hold up to 300 bodies, according to Landeros. However, the new office’s location is still yet to be determined. The $26.7 million proposition includes acquiring land and building a new office.
Proposition C: Courthouse and related annexes
The proposition amounts to $63.3 million and includes three projects. The first project is to transform the previously located Naked Harem strip club to a community annex at Corbin Sambrano. The annex will include mental health services, provide resources to victims of crime, community garden, and more.
The second project is expanding the Ysleta Courthouse’s annex commercial kitchen that supports the county’s senior nutrition program, which delivers 2,400 meals daily. If approved, the meals will increase to a capacity of approximately 10,000 meals served daily.
The third project is to build an annex in Far East Montana, which would limit the need for residents who live in the area to go downtown for different services. The proposed annex includes providing services such as a tax office, county commissioners office and more.
Proposition D: County Coliseum renovation
The proposition amounts to $105.5 million and includes improvements to the entire campus. If approved, the County Coliseum would see renovations in the HVAC system, roofing improvements, and seating that complies to ADA accessibility. Another proposed renovation is to the Sherman Barn, which is currently a storage unit, which would become a small music venue.
Proposition E: Construction of County Animal Shelter
The county currently does not have an animal shelter, but the proposed $32.7 million project would build the county’s first near the jail annex on Montana. Services included would be vaccinations, spay and neutering and more.
El Pasoans will have the opportunity to vote on each proposition separately.
If all five propositions are approved, the total will amount to approximately $323.8 million; it would increase an owner home valued at $200,000 on the county’s portion of a tax bill by $60 in 2025.
Propositions that are approved will begin progress in Spring 2025. Landeros estimates all five projects being done approximately in 2031, a five-to-six-year window.
On the bond propositions, the ballot will say “For” or “Against”. Marking “For” is authorizing the county to start the project, while marking “Against” will not.
Typically, early voting gives residents two weeks to vote at any polling center, however, on election day, voters are limited to their designated polling location. Although, this year Landeros said the elections department allowed residents to vote in their nearest polling center on election day, regardless of whether it is their designated polling location, to increase accessibility.
Early voting begins on Oct. 21 and runs until Nov. 1. Election day is Nov. 5.
Sofia Sierra is the sports editor and may be reached at [email protected].