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County updates progress on HB 718 operations at tax assessor—s office; backlogs shrinking, hires approved
Summary
Human Resources reported to the court that the tax assessor-collector—s office reduced a web-dealer backlog and received approval to fill five entry-level vacancies and to use limited overtime to address remaining transactions.
El Paso County—s human resources department told the Commissioners Court on Monday that recent actions are producing measurable progress in the tax assessor-collector—s office as the office implements operational changes tied to HB 718.
Why it matters: HB 718 (as implemented locally) has affected workload and transaction flow in the tax office; the county is tracking staffing, overtime, training and a web-dealer backlog as the department works to meet statutory duties.
Human resources director Valeria Fernandez said the hiring waiting-period exemption to fill five entry-level vacancies was approved by the county committee on Sept. 29 and interviews have already been scheduled. The county approved a limited overtime authorization (the county administrator can approve up to $10,000 in overtime and fringe costs) and HR will monitor usage and return to court if additional overtime funding is needed.
Fernandez reported the web-dealer backlog stood at 4,130 transactions on the morning of Oct. 6, down from 5,663 transactions in the prior report; the remaining web-dealer items date back to Sept. 24 and do not include mail-in or drop-off work. The tax office staffed a Saturday workday (Oct. 4) with 18 employees, including management and accounting staff, to reduce the backlog; the department also scheduled dealer training sessions (one English, one Spanish) at El Paso Community College for Oct. 10.
Court direction and next steps: HR will continue weekly monitoring and training coordination and will share additional recommendations from an ongoing 2025 time-and-motion study when finalized. The county administrator told the court staff may consider moving to biweekly updates after the next holiday period to allow more time for implementation and measurable results.
No formal policy change was adopted at the meeting; the court received the update and directed HR and the tax office to continue the staffing, training and backlog-reduction measures and to report back.
