{"id":439081,"date":"2026-09-17T18:44:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T18:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/439081\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T18:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T18:44:09","slug":"from-austin-to-hawaii-el-paso-county-commissioners-travel-tab-nears-a-quarter-million-dollars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/439081\/","title":{"rendered":"From Austin to Hawaii, El Paso County commissioners’ travel tab nears a quarter-million dollars"},"content":{"rendered":"

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) —\u00a0This summer, El Paso County commissioners postponed two Commissioners Court meetings to attend educational sessions and policy meetings at a Louisiana conference — part of a travel pattern that has cost taxpayers\u00a0nearly a\u00a0quarter-million dollars in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An ABC-7 analysis found county commissioners and the county judge spent\u00a0nearly $234,000\u00a0on travel since fiscal year 2022. Of that amount, Commissioner David Stout accounted for more than $126,000, exceeding the combined travel spending of the county judge and all other commissioners.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ABC-7 obtained\u00a0nearly five\u00a0years of travel and expense records through an open records request under the Texas Public Information Act. The records span from fiscal year 2022 through May 2026. El Paso County’s fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The records show commissioners\u00a0frequently\u00a0traveled to Washington, D.C.; Denver; Las Vegas; and, most often, Austin. <\/p>\n

Some trips went much farther. In May, Stout traveled to Hawaii for a conference, and last year, County Judge Ricardo Samaniego traveled to Taiwan as part of a six-day economic development trip.<\/p>\n

Stout’s travel spending<\/p>\n

Expense records from the County Auditor’s Office analyzed by ABC-7 show that from fiscal year 2022 through May 2026, David Stout spent\u00a0more than $126,000\u00a0on travel, more than four times the amount spent by the next-highest spender on the court.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Commissioner Iliana Holguin spent\u00a0nearly $30,000\u00a0during the same period. Judge Ricardo Samaniego spent about $28,000. Commissioner Sergio Coronado spent almost $23,000.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The newest member of the court,\u00a0Commissioner Jackie Butler, has spent more than $16,412 since taking office\u00a020 months\u00a0ago. Her predecessor, Carlos Leon, spent about $10,381 during his final\u00a039 months\u00a0in office.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The figure above shows the total travel expenses for each El Paso County commissioner and County Judge Ricardo Samaniego since fiscal year 2022.
(Courtesy: KVIA)<\/p>\n

Stout’s\u00a0annual travel spending peaked in fiscal year 2024 at $37,725, up from $29,701 in fiscal year 2023 and $13,425 in fiscal year 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Records show he made nine trips to Austin that year, including testifying during a special legislative session, attending a Border Network for Human Rights\u00a0rally\u00a0and\u00a0participating\u00a0in\u00a0Texas\u00a0Conference of Urban Counties policy committee meetings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In an interview with ABC-7, Stout defended the spending, arguing that such travel helps county officials advocate for El Paso and bring back ideas from other\u00a0jurisdictions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I think it’s very important to make sure that we have a seat at the table as often as possible,” Stout said. “Again, we are in far West Texas. Austin forgets about us often. We are far away from Washington, D.C. If we are not there talking about what we need, there’s really nobody talking about what counties need if we aren’t in\u00a0the space, if we’re not sitting at the table.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of Stout’s most expensive trips occurred during fiscal year 2024. The costliest was a May 2024 trip to\u00a0Yosemite\u00a0for the National Association of Counties’ Western Interstate Region Conference. Records show Stout\u00a0departed\u00a0two days before the start of the conference on\u00a0May 5 and returned May 10. The trip cost taxpayers\u00a0about $3,559.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“So for example, I learned about doing energy audits at a conference that I went to. Brought that back home, talked to the commissioner’s court. We had an energy audit done and are now working with Schneider Electric to basically invest in energy-saving infrastructure within our buildings that will save county taxpayers $40 million over the next 20 years.”<\/p>\n

– Stout<\/p>\n

The following month, taxpayers funded a trip to Las Vegas for Stout to attend the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials conference at the Bellagio Hotel.\u00a0Expense records show the trip cost more than $3,250.<\/p>\n

Through May of\u00a0this year, records show Stout spent\u00a0more than\u00a0$18,000\u00a0on travel.\u00a0That includes a four-day National Association of Counties Western Interstate Region conference in Maui, Hawaii, in May.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A county travel expense form shows the trip cost taxpayers about $4,800.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Records show David Stout left El Paso on May 1, four days before the conference began, and returned May 10, two days after it ended.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Travel forms show taxpayers paid for his stay at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort <\/a>and Spa from May 3 through May 8. Conference records show preconference events began May 3, while the conference officially opened May 5 with an optional mobile tour of Haleakal\u0101 National Park.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“To save the county on costs, the only hotel nights paid for by the county were those of the WIR conference,” Stout wrote in response to ABC-7’s questions about the Hawaii trip.<\/p>\n

Records also show Stout earned 7,024 Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points from\u00a0the\u00a0taxpayer-funded round-trip flight between El Paso and Maui.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The travel being scrutinized represents a small fraction, approximately 0.02% of a nearly $500 million County budget.”<\/p>\n

– Stout<\/p>\n

Records\u00a0indicate\u00a0Stout was accompanied by at least one county staff member on the Hawaii trip.<\/p>\n

Stout said he often brings staff\u00a0on larger\u00a0conferences and advocacy trips, particularly when simultaneous sessions require\u00a0additional\u00a0coverage or when staff can help coordinate meetings with agency officials and congressional offices.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked whether family members, friends or other non-county personnel had\u00a0accompanied\u00a0him on taxpayer-funded trips, Stout said they had, but added he personally covered their expenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stout also said traveling with a significant other\u00a0is “not uncommon” among commissioners. When asked about taxpayers paying for a hotel room that could also accommodate a guest, Stout said the cost would be the same regardless of whether someone\u00a0accompanied\u00a0him.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The hotel room is going to cost the same whether you have one or two people staying in the room,” he said.<\/p>\n

Samaniego’s Taiwan trip and reimbursement\u00a0<\/p>\n

In fiscal year 2025, the largest single trip expense belonged to Samaniego.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Records show\u00a0his March\u00a02025 trip to Taiwan to attend the Smart City Summit & Expo\u00a0initially\u00a0cost taxpayers\u00a0about\u00a0$9,200, including\u00a0roughly $7,855\u00a0in\u00a0business-class\u00a0airfare.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the Smart City Summit & Expo website, the annual conference in Taiwan brings together government officials, business leaders and technology companies to discuss smart-city development, infrastructure, sustainability and economic growth.<\/p>\n

Before the trip, commissioners debated whether outside donations could help cover some of the costs. During a March 10, 2025, meeting, Commissioners Court voted unanimously to allow Samaniego to accept donations to help cover the cost of the six-day trip.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A week later, on March 17, while Samaniego was in Taiwan, Commissioners Court revisited the issue\u00a0at his urging\u00a0and reversed its earlier decision in a 4-0 vote, according to records reviewed by ABC-7.<\/p>\n

During that meeting, County Chief Administrator Betsy Keller said Samaniego “ended up paying himself and did not accept donations for his travel,” referring to any expenses above the\u00a0normal tab\u00a0covered by the county.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To\u00a0determine\u00a0how much taxpayers spent on the Taiwan trip, ABC-7 filed an\u00a0open records request with the county on Aug. 24 seeking records detailing the travel expenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A receipt shows Samaniego reimbursed the county $4,024 on Sept. 2, 2026, one week after ABC-7 submitted a public records request for the travel records and more than a year after he filed a disclosure reporting $2,000 in outside funding for the trip.<\/p>\n

Click to read Judge Samaniego’s travel disclosure report+<\/p>\n

Samaniego said the county initially reimbursed the full airfare for the Taiwan trip. However, as the auditor\u2019s office prepared records for release to ABC-7, staff identified what they described as an error because county policy covers only economy-class travel. As a result, he said he reimbursed the county $4,200, representing the difference between the economy fare and the higher-priced business-class ticket he used.<\/p>\n

Samaniego said the $2,000 donation was from the Taiwanese Council.\u00a0ABC-7 found no record of the County\u00a0Court\u00a0voting again to allow donations to offset travel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked about\u00a0the use of business-class tickets, Samaniego said,\u00a0“You don’t want an elected official spending 19 hours sitting up and not being able to relax, not being able to read your material properly and getting ready for the trip, for the business experience.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

County Judge Ricardo Samaniego said the trip helped pave the way for Wiwynn’s expansion in Socorro. The company said it has invested more than\u00a0$1.6 billion\u00a0in its El Paso-area operations and expects to create\u00a0nearly 1,000\u00a0jobs through 2027, with employment\u00a0ultimately reaching\u00a04,000 workers when the facility reaches full capacity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It\u00a0cost, let’s say,\u00a0the $10,000. We now have 2,000 jobs,” Samaniego said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After receiving the records, ABC-7 followed up with Samaniego regarding the $2,000 donation, asking whether the money was paid directly to him and whether the donation had been approved by the court.<\/p>\n

Mariana Barraza-Mitchell, senior policy\u00a0advisory\u00a0in the judge’s\u00a0office, said his office is reviewing the matter.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

So far, we have not heard back.<\/p>\n

ABC-7 has also reached out to contacts listed online for the Smart City Summit & Expo for comment.<\/p>\n

County officials said the Taiwan trip’s net cost to taxpayers was about $5,200 after the reimbursement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Policy changes: Blanket travel approval for defeated commissioners\u00a0<\/p>\n

In El Paso County, travel for official business and training is permitted under county\u00a0policy.\u00a0County records show about $6.3 million has been budgeted for travel and professional education since fiscal year 2022.<\/p>\n

“We have a travel policy, and it applies to everyone in the county from a regular employee who’s traveling to an elected official to a commissioner, and of course, the judge also,” County Auditor Barbara Parker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Under Texas law<\/a>, Commissioners\u00a0Court has\u00a0the authority to\u00a0set\u00a0travel expenses and other allowances for county officials and employees. State law also requires county commissioners to complete at least 16 hours of certified continuing education each year. First-year commissioners must complete the training in person. Afterward, commissioners may take courses online with court approval and carry over up to eight excess hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Parker said all county-funded travel must be reviewed by her office and approved by Commissioners Court before travel funds are issued. Travelers then have\u00a010 days\u00a0after returning to submit\u00a0an expense voucher documenting what they spent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The only thing that we don’t ask for receipts on is the per diem because we don’t need your receipt for meals when we’re paying for the per diem,” Parker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When ABC-7 asked whether the county has a policy governing travel rewards earned on taxpayer-funded trips, Parker said El Paso County has no policy addressing travel rewards, airline miles or other loyalty benefits earned on county business.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0county’s\u00a0travel policy\u00a0also\u00a0states\u00a0that officials who lose a primary election or are not seeking re-election must receive\u00a0additional\u00a0court approval before traveling on county business.<\/p>\n

“If there was an elected official that did not go before Commissioners Court and they’re in that situation, we would not process the travel. We would kick it back and tell them they need to go to Commissioners Court first,” Parker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ABC-7 reviewed Commissioners Court agendas following the March 3 primary and found that on March 30, about four weeks after Commissioner David Stout lost\u00a0his\u00a0re-election, he sought authorization through the consent agenda for himself and his staff to continue county-funded travel through the end of his term. Commissioners approved the request, according to meeting records reviewed by ABC-7.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I\u00a0continue\u00a0to be a commissioner until the end of the year. And the duties that are assigned to me do not end until Dec. 31,” Stout told ABC-7 when asked about his request.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On June 29, Commissioner Sergio Coronado\u00a0made a similar request and it\u00a0was approved.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Records show neither resolution specified how much additional travel was anticipated, and both listed the projected fiscal impact as unknown or not provided.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Parker said she had not seen such\u00a0broad\u00a0approval for post-election travel until this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I personally, I haven’t seen a blanket approval until this year, but there have been individual instances that have gone to Commissioners Court\u00a0to get approved,” Parker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Former Commissioner Andrew Haggerty, who served on Commissioners Court from 2015-18,\u00a0told ABC-7\u00a0he would have opposed the blanket travel approval granted to Stout and Coronado after they lost their primary races.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“That was a mistake by the court,” Haggerty said. “The basic duty of a county commissioner is managing the budget, and giving two lame-duck commissioners carte blanche for the rest of the year doesn’t feel like being a fiduciary of that budget.”<\/p>\n

Shelved accountability measure\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last March, while Ricardo Samaniego was in Taiwan, he proposed a policy that would have required members of Commissioners Court to submit a report within\u00a030 days\u00a0of returning from county-funded\u00a0travel,\u00a0according to county meeting records reviewed\u00a0by ABC-7.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Records show the proposal was initially postponed and later brought back after Samaniego returned. He completed a report following his Taiwan trip but\u00a0ultimately moved\u00a0to\u00a0delete\u00a0the item, saying the county attorney needed to review several issues before it could be reconsidered.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Click to read Judge Samaniego’s Taiwan trip report+<\/p>\n

Asked why the measure never returned to Commissioners Court, Samaniego told ABC-7 it was “such a great idea to make them accountable,” but said it ultimately “fell through the cracks” amid staffing changes in his office.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Samaniego said requiring elected officials to report on county-funded travel could reduce the amount of travel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“When I did it in Cementos de Chihuahua, we cut back about 30% of the travel because they knew it wasn’t just going to go have fun and come back,” Samaniego said. “It was going to be you go, but you come back and you report on what you’re going to be doing.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Samaniego said he still supports the proposal and intends to bring it back.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I’ll make sure I get it back on the agenda,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0discussion comes as questions\u00a0remain\u00a0about how the county\u00a0approves\u00a0travel that exceeds its annual spending limit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The county’s travel policy generally limits employees to $6,000 annually for county business travel; however,\u00a0Chief Auditor Parker\u00a0explained\u00a0trips\u00a0related to legislative priorities or when someone is on the board for\u00a0a\u00a0conference are exempt\u00a0from the cap.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When ABC-7 asked for the list of exemptions, we were told there isn\u2019t one.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

ABC-7 asked County Judge Ricardo Samaniego whether the county should establish clearer criteria or limits for granting exemptions\u00a0rather than leaving those decisions to the court’s discretion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Given the amount of taxpayer-funded travel approved under exemptions, should the county establish clear criteria or limits for when exemptions can be granted rather than leaving those decisions to the court’s discretion?” ABC-7 asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Yeah, I do agree,” Samaniego responded.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He\u00a0said the\u00a0court\u2019s\u00a0discussion highlighted shortcomings in the current system and that the county should do a better job documenting the purpose and outcomes of\u00a0travel\u00a0so officials can explain what taxpayers received in return.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Commissioner Jackie Butler also said she would support such a requirement.<\/p>\n

“I think that that’s perfectly reasonable. I certainly do my best to communicate what I’ve been bringing home from the travel that I’ve been part of,” Butler said.<\/p>\n

ABC-7 requested interviews with Commissioners Iliana Holguin and Sergio Coronado. Coronado’s office said he would be unavailable for several weeks, while Holguin’s office did not respond to requests for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Judge Samaniego is running for reelection against Republican candidate Minerva Torres Shelton in the November general election. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) —\u00a0This summer, El Paso County commissioners postponed two Commissioners Court meetings to attend educational…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":439082,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[138,147003,140,139,152072],"class_list":["post-439081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-el-paso","tag-el-paso","tag-el-paso-county-commissioners-court","tag-el-paso-headlines","tag-el-paso-news","tag-travel-tab"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=439081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/439082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=439081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=439081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=439081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}