El Paso County Commissioners set to discuss University Medical Center’s $345 million bond

EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso County Commissioners are set to discuss University Medical Center's multimillion dollar expansion project on Monday.

The hospital district is seeking $345 million in certificates of obligation, a bond that does not require voter approval.

The court asked UMC officials back in June to publicly post their proposal, after the project caused concern for taxpayers. Commissioners would either approve it, place it on the ballot for the upcoming May election, or reject the project altogether.

"I wish that we had allowed the public to have much more engagement before the item was actually placed on the commissioner's court agenda (earlier this year)," said Iliana Holguin, county commissioner for precinct 3.

"I think that the way that it was done is what caused a lot of concern for residents, because they weren't really aware that this was something that UMC was considering until it was placed on the agenda."

The hospital district is hoping to expand capacity, create a cancer center, and other projects with the funds. As ABC-7 has reported, UMC says property taxes could go up by two percent if approved. According to UMC, homeowners would pay about $55 per year on a home valued $100,000 for the next 10 years.

However, local group, the Libre Initiative, claimed to have collected 25,000 signatures from El Paso County voters to submit a petition that would allow the item to be placed on a general election ballot due to new state law.

In a statement, CEO and President of UMC Jacob Cintron said he's thankful to El Pasoans for attending community meetings, adding "We also thank the Commissioners Court for their consideration and direction regarding our request, and will await the County’s verification of the signatures submitted."

No word on how the petition could change Monday's discussion. The regular agenda item is still placed on the commissioners court agenda.

Stay with ABC-7 for updates.