El Paso County staff briefed the Commissioner’s Court on Nov. 20 about progress on voter‑approved 2024 bond propositions and the capital improvement plan, including procurement schedules, community engagement, and near‑term milestones.

Betsy (county administration) said the team is at the one‑year anniversary of bond approval and highlighted that the county will mark its first project completion on Dec. 11. "We're committed to getting these projects out, rolling them out to the public, being responsible with these funds," she said.

On financing, county staff presented a proposed bond issuance timeline and noted an initial allocation that staff described on screen as roughly $811.8 million to be routed into appropriate budget accounts for project spend‑down; each issuance would still require separate authorization by the court. The budget office said staff expect to publish a financial meter and additional issuance detail early in the calendar year.

Procurement and project status updates included:
- The animal shelter: Purchasing has received and is reviewing a large CMAR solicitation package; county staff expect the contract and award process to be complete to permit a possible award to the vendor in August 2026, with efforts to accelerate if feasible.
- Park projects: Competitive sealed proposals and CMAR instruments are being used for the Escarate Park administration building and other park projects. Community meetings for Reisinger Park, Westway and Aladolce Park are complete; staff aim to bring awards for those parks to the court in January 2026. The sports park lighting installation was described as substantially complete, with a lighting ceremony planned for Dec. 11.

Staff emphasized close coordination across budget, purchasing, public works and legal to ensure contracts, funding allocations and procurement instruments align with the bond schedule. Purchasing, legal and public works said they are preparing bid packages, AIA contract templates and evaluation criteria that weigh best value rather than lowest bid in certain projects.

Commissioners asked about outreach and staffing to support community input; communications staff said they will use signs, QR codes, targeted emails and park‑based distribution of meeting materials to increase attendance at upcoming meetings. Staff also noted ongoing work to finalize project scopes, consultant contracts and design deliverables.