EL PASO, Tx., September 21, 2026: El Paso’s fight over a $6 monthly charge on residential bills may turn out to be about considerably more than the money collected for the City’s Environmental Services Department. It could cost the city taxpayers over $100 million within five years in lost revenues leading to higher taxes to offset the losses our analysis has found.
In June, the Texas Eighth Court of Appeals upheld a lower-court ruling declaring that the City’s Environmental Franchise Fee is an impermissible tax. The decision puts about $14 million a year in recurring city revenues at risk and opens the possibility for substantial refunds. The City continues to litigate the case, although Joe Pickett, the plaintiff, has offered numerous times to settle the case.
Pickett is a former member of the Texas House of Representatives (D-79 1995-2019) and a former city representative (District 5, 1991-1993)…