October 18, 2018 500 AM
EL PASO — The Rio Grande Council of Governments held its Annual General Membership meeting on Friday, September 28 at the El Paso Women’s Club. In attendance were elected officials from throughout the COG’s seven-county region. During the meeting, El Paso County Commissioner Andrew Haggerty assumed his new role as Chair of the COG’s Board of Directors. Haggerty served as the First Vice-Chair for the board for FY18. Brewster County Judge Eleazar Cano of Alpine replaces Haggerty in that seat, and El Paso City Council Representative Alexsandra Annello, formally of Marfa, took on the Second Vice-Chair position vacated by Cano.
Awards were also presented to the Organization and Elected Official of the Year. Small Business Majority (SBM), a national non-profit organization, was awarded the Organization of the Year for 2018. Mary Overbey, Missouri Outreach Manager with SBM, was on hand to accept the award on behalf of the organization. Over the last several months, Overbey has collaborated with RGCOG staff in conducting a small-business study funded through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
El Paso County Commissioner Andrew Haggerty was presented with the award for Elected Official of the Year. Commissioner Haggerty has served as Precinct 4 Commissioner since 2015. “This is not something I expected at all,” said Haggerty after receiving his award. Haggerty has served on numerous COG committees, most recently on the Finance Committee.
The COG’s Annual Operating Budget was also approved during the meeting. Executive Director Annette Gutierrez and Commissioner Haggerty provided a general overview of the budget and it was approved at $6.2 million with funding originating from numerous federal, state and local sources.
A resolution from State Representative Cesar Blanco was also presented to AAA Employee Rosa Rangel. Rosa retired from the COG after more than 30 years, most recently as an Information & Referral Specialist.
