Neighborhood Services

COMMUNITY
&

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

SPRING 2013

City and School Districts on May Ballot

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

General Election Day is May 11th and early voting begins April 29th - May 7th. On this ballot El Paso voters will decide on a new Mayor, City Council Representatives, District School Boards and amendments to the Citys Charter. Voting is a basic form of civic engagement where citizens can take part in the decision making process and hold elected officials accountable, but in El Paso County, voting participation lags behind the national and state average. For local races, voting participation tends to be even lower; however, local races have the greatest direct impact on the community in terms of policy, land use, spending decisions, and school organization. A small number of voters can dramatically change the political landscape of an election. Low voter turnout can also distort the meaning of representative democracy and policies might only be serving a small portion of the population. New El Paso Mayor There are eight candidates running to be El Pasos 49th Mayor. The new Mayor will be the head of the City government and preside over City Council. The Mayor also represents the City in
City Hall, 300 N. Campbell

May Ballot Coordinators Corner

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EPNC Aesthetics 2 Campaign Look Inside New City Hall One-Stop Shop

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intra-governmental and intergovernmental relations to foster constructive links within the city and between federal, state and other local government entities. City Representatives (Districts No. 2, 4, 3, & 7) There are twenty-one candidates running for the four open positions for City Council. The Council has legislative powers to pass, amend, and appeal laws; raise or lower taxes, and adopt the operational budget. They also have the duty to direct the City Manager and make appointments to City boards and commissions. City Charter The City of El Paso is also proposing amendments to the City Charter. There are forty-two proposed charter amendments that will be combined in nine ballot questions. Some of the amendments include: Move City general elections to November of

Spring Activities Relocation Directory

even years (beginning in 2018). Increase the annual salary of the Mayor and City Council. Prohibit Council members from holding any other public employment conforming to state law. Provide for nondiscrimination in employment and provision of benefits. School Districts School District Board of Trustees are elected councils that determine educational policy and oversee management of the districts. EPCC (Districts No. 4 & 6) EPISD (Districts No. 1, 3 & 5) YISD (Districts No. 1, 2, 5 & 7) SISD (District No. 1)
For more information on voting locations, view sample ballots, or view districts maps, visit: www.epcountyvotes.com For more information about the City Charter amendments, visit: www.elpasotexas.gov

City of El Paso Community Development PO Box 1890 El Paso, TX 79950-1890 Ph: (915) 541-4643 www.elpasotexas.gov

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Coordinators Corner
By Mark Weber, Neighborhood Services Coordinator

Neighborhood Services Team:

Mark Weber, Coordinator Olivia Montalvo, Senior Planner Jane Tomchik, Neighborhood Specialist Contact: 541-4377

Hello again neighborhood leaders and residents of this great city. Id like to start off by thanking all of the neighborhood associations that completed and returned the Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP) survey that Olivia sent out. Your comments are being incorporated into the new policies and procedures that we are developing for implementing the next ten rounds of NIP funding that have been made possible through the 2012 Quality of Life Bond. We expect to take those policies and procedures to City Council sometime in June or July, and we hope

to open up the first round of funding by late summer or early fall. For those of you that are not familiar with the NIP, it allows for recognized neighborhood associations to apply for small-scale, physical projects in their neighborhoods. Past rounds have allowed for projects costing up to $50,000, but under the new policies and procedures we are looking to increase the maximum amount of funds that can be put towards a proposed project. We will fill you all in on the specifics of the upcoming NIP rounds as the process moves forward. Id also like to remind all neighborhood associations

that your annual reports are due in to Neighborhood Services by June 30th. We are emailing the annual report forms to the associations and snail mailing the forms to those few associations that do not have emails. If you require any assistance in completing your annual report forms, please contact me directly at 541-4918. These reports are important to us as they keep us up-to-date on your main contacts and let us know if any associations are no longer functioning. Thank you all for everything that you do to make your neighborhoods great and I wish you all a safe and healthy spring season.

El Paso Neighborhood Coalition and its Aesthetics Campaign

By Mark Benitez, Chairmen El Paso Neighborhood Coalition

EPNC is looking for new candidates to run for Chairperson at the annual Neighborhood Summit.

As Chairman of the EPNC the last four years, the vital element I found crucial to any successful outcome was the ability to compromise. It is a key ingredient to establishing and building good, lasting relationships. In partnering with so many different entities from associations to community leaders, we were able to craft a document that was representative of the communitys desire to improve itself. The Aesthetics Campaign is a product of this effort. In January 2012, the EPNC Council presented the Aesthetics Campaign to City

Council, in which they wholeheartedly endorsed the plans mission to have impact on the community by highlighting the importance of maintenance and demonstration of pride of residential and commercial properties. This plan came forth because of the intense interest in improving the appearance of our city and region. We realized that this was going to be a herculean effort, but one worthy of a city that has such a storied past. In our desire to improve this community, we actually have now made aesthetics a key element to many new and ongoing city and community projects.

The Aesthetics Campaign has a long way to go; however, through the efforts of the City of El Paso, many of the goals, objectives and recommendations are being reviewed by Environmental Services and Keep El Paso Beautiful (KEPB). Hopefully through the course of the coming years they will be implemented. If you would like to help in our efforts with this project, please contact the EPNC. Remember:To love ones city and have a role in its advancement and improvement is the highest privilege and duty of a citizen. Daniel Burnham
Mark Benitez, (915) 204-7980 Amarkb49@aol.com

N EIGHBORHOOD S ERVICES

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A Look Inside the New City Hall at 300 N. Campbell

Front entrance off Campbell

Council Chamber will open in May

Mayors Office

The New City Hall is two-levels and each floor has four wings. You can find your City Representatives on the 2nd floor.

Front desk in foyer

Council Chamber foyer

Legal Library

One-Stop Shop Gets it Done!

The One-Stop Shop provides a variety of services that provide customers the convenience of handling business in one easy location at 811 Texas Ave. The One-Stop Shop transactions include: The City Development Department encourage customers to handle business matters initially through the One-Stop Shop. The One-Stop Shop will reach out to the Planning and Business Permits/ Inspections divisions to provide more resources and additional guidance for each business matter. Hours of operation are 7a.m. to 6p.m. Monday through Thursday and Friday from 8a.m. to noon.
Assistance is also available over the phone at: (915) 541-4558

Express Front Counter

Services Building Permits (Residential & Commercial) Business Licensing Commercial Building Tenant Improvements Code Compliance Information Fire Inspection Information Food Establishment Permits Special Events Permits Special Privilege Licenses Expedited Plan Review Zoning Information

Check with the One-Stop Shop to see if your neighborhood associations might need a special permit or privilege license to host a block party or parade.

The One-Stop Shop, 811 Texas Ave.

T HE C ITY OF E L PASO

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Spring Time Events & More...

Alfresco Fridays Every Friday from May to Sept. starting at 6pm in the Arts Festival Plaza (next to the El Paso Museum of Art) Enjoy FREE live music by local musicians from a variety of styles including salsa, rock, jazz, funk and reggae. First Light Credit Union is sponsoring the 11th year of this event. EPPD Volunteer Program volunteer your unique skills to a wide variety of duties for the El Paso Police Department, such as administration support, disabled parking enforcement, chaplain program, citizen advisory boards and much more... Applications are available on the EPPD website under Join EPPD. 3rd Annual Neon Desert Music Festival May 25th at Cleveland Square Park in Downtown Produced by Splendid Sun Productions, which is a group of native born El Pasoans that have set the stage for local artists to showcase their talents alongside national and international alternative and electronic music headliners.

Checkout the Parks and Recreation online catalog filled with activities from aquatics, daycare program, leisure fitness & music classes, youth & senior programs, mini sports camps and youth & adult sport teams.

To see full lineup visit: For more information contact www.alfrescofridays.com the Elisa Chaides at 564-7349 Summer weather line: 534-0665 or c1504@elpasotexas.gov

For more information visit www.neondesertmusicfestival.com

City Department Relocation Directory

New City Hall,

300 N. Campbell To visit the Neighborhood Services Division, enter the ORourke Center on the Montana Ave. entrance. Mayor & City Council, 541-4000 City Manager & Deputy City Managers, 541-4844 City Attorney, 541-4550 Chief Financial Officer, 541-4011 Financial Services, 541-4435 Human Resources, 541-4504 Insurance & Benefits, 541-4208 Municipal Clerks, 541-4127 Public Affairs, 541-4206 Purchasing, 541-4308
N EIGHBORHOOD S ERVICES

ORourke Center,
901 N. Virginia / 701 Montana Parks and Recreation Administration, 541-4331 Community Development, 541-4643

Tillman Center,
222 S. Campbell Engineering & Construction Management, 541-4200 City Development - Planning Division, 541-4065 Building Permits/Inspections, 541-4557

Wells Fargo Building,

221 N. Kansas Office of Management & Budget, 541-4777 Tax Office, 541-4054

Chase Tower,
201 E. Main - Suite 106 Economic Development 588-4342

Union Plaza Transit Terminal, 400 W. San Antonio

Museum & Cultural Affairs, 541-4481 Pension Office (non-uniform), 541-4260

Development Center,
811 Texas Ave. One-Stop Shop, 541-4056