The ongoing issue behind Socorro's annexation of parcels of land has gone a step further after the El Paso County Attorney's Office filed a lawsuit against the Socorro City Council.

As KFOX14 previously reported, the County Attorney's Office released a letter Feb. 4 that ordered the Socorro City Council to stop the process of annexing land in the county.

The letter stated that the county will file litigation to stop the annexation process "unless legal issues concerning the terms of office of the council are resolved."

Those legal issues stem from December 2011 when members of the council and the mayor extended their terms in office from three to four years. That was a move that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said was against state law.

Around 4 p.m. Tuesday, El Paso County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal filed the lawsuit against the Socorro City Council members. The lawsuit states that a council without legal authority to hold office doesn't have the authority to complete the annexation.

The lawsuit also states that those city officials unlawfully extended their terms by 18 months.

The city of Socorro has yet to issue a response to the lawsuit.