Officials Take First Steps To Require Street Signs, House Numbers Outside City Limits

County officials met Monday to discuss taking the first steps in making outlying areas safer in El Paso when it comes to emergency response.

On the agenda for Commissioners Court: discussing the possibility of adopting a county ordinance that would require street signs and property numbers for areas outside city limits.

Proposing a requirement for streets and buildings to be clearly marked might seem like a trivial issue, but it can delay the response time of emergency services.

“We many times respond to our deputies by using landmarks trying to get them to the location, and it can delay a response 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes, and that can have a significant impact on somebody’s life. So, we want to try and eliminate that delay,” said Sheriff Richard Wiles with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

Currently signs and numbers are only required for buildings in El Paso city limits.

The next step in adopting the ordinance is holding a meeting for the public as well as emergency services to voice their concern over the lack of proper signage.

“We need to take public testimony. We need to listen to what the public hears. We need to hear maybe what the fire department and the sheriff’s department and EMS folks believe, and then weigh all of that and make a determination on whether or not we will require that of residents and businesses,” said El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar.

If the ordinance is adopted, it would be up to residents to foot the bill for clearly posting property numbers on their homes.

The county will be responsible when it comes to paying for adding the street signs, even though there is currently no funding for them.

Escobar said will be a financial priority since it will help keep residents safe.

“We are going to have to find the funding for that. That is a priority. That is very important to me. It’s one of the complaints that I have heard from residents in the outlying areas and it’s a legitimate complaint,” said Escobar.

A date has not yet been set for the public to voice their opinions on the issue, but county officials say they expect for it to be scheduled sometime in June.