Future Of Children’s Hospital Could Be Decided Today + More Local News

Future Of Children's Hospital Could Be Decided Today

The future of El Paso Children's Hospital could be decided today in Austin. That's where a federal bankruptcy court judge is expected to make a ruling that could gut the hospital's operating budget. The judge is expected to rule on whether the hospital must pay back rent to University Medical Center, which owns the building Children's is using. If the judge rules that the children's hospital must pay, the non-profit will have to take nearly $3 million out of a reserve that has already dropped to around $9.5 million and continues to shrink. Court filings show the hospital is losing about $2 million a month.

Commissioners Court Expected To Approve No Tax Increase

The El Paso County Commissioners Court is expected to finalize a decision not to increase property taxes next year at a meeting later today. The court will keep the current tax rate of just over 45 cents per $100 of property value, creating $172 million in tax revenue next year. The decision to keep the current tax rate is based on a reduction in costs that allows the county budget to grow at a smaller rate than previous years. Next year's budget of $261 million is just a 3.3% increase from last year.

Fort Bliss General Retires

Brigadier General Jon Lehr is on his way to becoming a civilian. The commander of Joint Task Force North was given a retirement ceremony at Fort Bliss Friday. Lehr will officially retire Nov. 1, but he's being allowed to start the retirement process early. Lehr is one of that most rare breed of top officers in any branch of the military. Lehr began as a private in the Army and advanced all the way to the rank of general during his 30 years in the military.

El Paso Fire Recovers Body In Canal

El Paso officials are working to discover the identity of a man whose body was found in a canal near the Bridge of the Americas. Border Patrol officers found the body just after midnight Sunday night at a canal gate near the intersection of Cypress Street and Delta Drive. Foul play is not suspected. Fire department officials say they want to remind people to be safe around canals and not to try to wade through them at any time.