El Paso homeowners will pay about $105 more a year in city property taxes under the newly approved budget—though City Council trimmed the rate from its initial proposal, saving the average homestead about $26.82.
According to the city’s budget announcement, council adopted a property tax rate of $0.798 per $100 of taxable value—down about 1.1 cents from the originally introduced rate of $0.809487. That works out to roughly $8.75 more per month for the average homestead.
Why the bill is going up
Several pressures hit at once this budget cycle. Police and fire costs are rising by a combined $11.9 million—partly because 18 police positions and 19 firefighter positions funded by expiring federal grants are being moved into the General Fund.
State-mandated property tax exemptions are also biting harder. The revenue the city loses to those exemptions jumped from $21.6 million to $33.4 million, a hit of nearly $12 million. Required debt payments—largely tied to voter-approved Community Progress Bond projects—rose another $4.3 million.
What the city cut before raising rates
City Manager Dionne Mack pushed back on any suggestion the rate hike came before the city looked inward. “The City identified nearly $27 million in recurring savings before asking residents for additional revenue,” Mack said. “This budget maintains essential services while providing targeted financial capacity for public safety.”…