[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6162512,"mediaKeyId","5438135-14731c37ed252297cfcfa39e8282fed9","parentId",5438135,"title","Residents, solar customers urge commissioners to oppose El Paso Electric rate increase","audioSeconds",361,"startMs",4163000,"endMs",4524000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5438135-14731c37ed252297cfcfa39e8282fed9&start=4163&end=4524","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5438135-14731c37ed252297cfcfa39e8282fed9/thumbnail_4163000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6162512/El-Paso-County/Texas/Residents-solar-customers-urge-commissioners-to-oppose-El-Paso-Electric-rate-increase","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6162512-667160868b4e56744ea3b55eb399285b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770939085&Signature=dmoT9pFm53zTCMGIO9y9zy5VwGSNdBaaoeyNTyH6z1B0ZvQ4bWdyOEP7EEcCx~HeCOzfIgyh2mC~dz3z5xZzaZeT5eMb6XlwqkUKF2q1HlVeB8YA-FRM3lYfMs78j~PZBoSAtlcStxH0xNZij2SPFLZ7XQyK~1plJtm-V9mlUu~dTtmbqfPhh6xKCi1g2V3KGya8BV8~jLLNrkZFOr0DiAos0rBWkV18FCQQUvBAUKZo3UqVjDhLdUu~Xgo7xizNx4niM8yNygDV6tablvTfjWZ7TIKUKq0C74PC95GJjZX4BsscDCGaT58TyefVov737vVuCFo1ZKi8y5VK3QV4RQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","El Paso County, Texas","date","2025-07-22T12:06:59.347Z","article","At the July 21 El Paso County Commissioner's Court meeting, residents and rooftop-solar customers urged the court to oppose a proposed El Paso Electric rate increase and asked commissioners to support interveners in the upcoming Public Utility Commission of Texas hearing.

The request came during the public-comment period from speakers who said the utility’s filing would raise bills for households, harm people who depend on powered medical equipment, and penalize customers who installed rooftop solar. Veronica Carbajal, speaking for the Semgrande Esperanza Coalition, said her group's analysis estimates that about 40% of El Paso County households — roughly 118,000 households, or about 341,000 people — would exceed recommended electricity-cost-to-income ratios under the company’s proposal.

Why it matters: Speakers said higher power bills would force some residents to choose between electricity and other necessities. They also argued the company’s proposed small payment for customer-generated solar and new demand charges for solar customers would discourage rooftop systems and shift costs to lower-usage residential customers.

Carbajal described the coalition’s work and evidence-based estimates and said the coalition mailed technical comments and 600 written comments to the utility commission on July 18. “We estimate that the proposed electricity rate increase will cause 40% of El Paso County households — approximately 118,000 households, approximately 341,000 people — to exceed the recommended ratio of electricity expenses to income,” Carbajal said. She emphasized the group’s numbers are estimates and invited the utility to provide its own analysis.

Solar customer Mario Solano recounted his household’s 2024–25 usage and compensation experience. Solano said his rooftop system exported 2,044 kilowatt-hours to the grid between July 2024 and June 2025 and that El Paso Electric credited him about $33 for that energy (about $0.016 per kilowatt-hour). Solano said the utility sold that power to other customers at a higher price and netted between $155 and $186 on his generation after resale; he also said his account paid a $30.25 monthly minimum that added about $142 to his costs over the year. “If El Paso Electric keeps the same rate for paying us for the excess energy we sell them, they will net as much as 860% for the energy that I provided,” Solano said.

Saul Gonzalez, also speaking for neighborhood residents, framed the issue in human terms: higher bills could mean less medication, less food and greater health risk during extreme heat months. “We’re not talking about convenience — we’re talking about survival,” Gonzalez said.

Speakers described two technical findings the coalition released: a bill-impact calculator posted at 711915.org and an affordability analysis they said shows lower-use households would see larger percentage increases than some heavier users. Carbajal said the coalition’s model shows a single-person apartment with modest usage could see a 31–35% increase under some published scenarios, and that the frequently-cited “23%” company figure does not reflect the distributional impacts on small residential customers.

Next steps: Carbajal told the commissioners the contested case hearing will begin Aug. 7 at the Public Utility Commission of Texas unless interveners and the company settle. She asked the court, the county and others to oppose the increase and urged protections for vulnerable customers, including those who rely on medical equipment.

No formal action: Commissioners listened during public comment; the transcript shows no court vote on the utility filing during the July 21 meeting.

Provenance: Public comments on this topic appear in the meeting transcript beginning with Veronica Carbajal’s remarks and ending with her closing appeal to the court and the audience. The coalition’s technical filing and the Aug. 7 hearing date were referenced in those remarks.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","July 21, 2025 El Paso County Commissioners Court Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","At the July 21 El Paso County Commissioner's Court meeting, residents and rooftop-solar customers urged the court to oppose a proposed El Paso Electric rate increase and asked commissioners to support interveners in the upcoming Public Utility Commission of Texas hearing.","taxTitle","taxId",2703,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6162508,"Commissioners adopt local recognitions and approve Domestic Relations Office and law-library fees",4645,1061000,5706000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5438135-14731c37ed252297cfcfa39e8282fed9&start=1061&end=5706","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5438135-14731c37ed252297cfcfa39e8282fed9/thumbnail_1061000.jpg","/articles/6162508/El-Paso-County/Texas/Commissioners-adopt-local-recognitions-and-approve-Domestic-Relations-Office-and-law-library-fees","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6162508-c044902dd65b0fb8dcf099dfb4a8f17b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770939085&Signature=E0nF6vlZyNg~xG74pRxDmQUZjKhd8e4I8FVjZYF9DmfYExucBjLoWVNomzr58CdnijVTettDRrbEWnduWiU401gatVc~XRWrQq8QL3Wi25jn414b2byUdWMN~reqZsor2GAB~jfK4nPjOADDzY6rGo6ZkE2KaVLXjKPjpvE3t8hNdHbtfL6w0nchRVDiqUfsoNvHXUTXsqVmbqpBU1qYLfQ58u1CixER9r5hw-eG-Xrje-LfM~YY1RxYu75nCN00GiS4B01PLpAR7d8EBWrnPpdQEmuzl7zs5A1H0P6QHx2EXhva78mQF5QHAw4yAvBS~q8uC9nWeCvyhV9NFAm2Gw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The El Paso County Commissioner's Court on July 21 adopted three resolutions recognizing local achievements and observances and approved updated service fees for the Domestic Relations Office and the county law library.

The court unanimously approved a resolution recognizing Annabelle Rosiles for “exceptional achievements, leadership and positive impact in the El Paso community.” Judge Ricardo Samaniego moved the resolution; Commissioner Veronica Olguin seconded. Commissioners Stout, Olguin and Coronado and Judge Samaniego voted aye; Commissioner Butler was absent.

The court also adopted a resolution recognizing July 20–26, 2025, as Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week in El Paso County. The motion to adopt was made by Judge Samaniego and seconded by Commissioner Coronado; the resolution passed by recorded voice vote with commissioners Stout, Olguin and Coronado and Judge Samaniego voting aye. County criminal-justice officials, probation and supervision officers, and juvenile-probation staff attended and several staff members spoke about services and the theme “Heroes Behind the Mission, Transforming Lives and Enhancing Public Safety.” Catherine Jones, criminal justice director for the county’s Criminal Justice Coordination Department, and Magdalena Morales (director, El Paso County Community Supervision and Corrections Department) each introduced department staff who explained supervision, treatment referrals, electronic monitoring and specialty courts.

The court adopted a resolution declaring July 2025 Disability Pride Month. Commissioner Stout moved the resolution and Judge Samaniego seconded; the motion carried. The resolution and a series of remarks cited local disability-advocacy groups and programs, including The Arc of El Paso, Desert ADAPT, Volar Central (Center for Independent Living), Down Syndrome Coalition for El Paso and others. Advocates and the county ADA coordinator (Amanda Manning) addressed accessibility improvements such as all-abilities playgrounds, ongoing use of sign-language interpreters and county efforts to improve social-media accessibility.

Service-fee changes approved: The court held a public hearing on proposed fee updates for the Domestic Relations Office (DRO) and the county law library and then voted to adopt the new schedule. The DRO explained some items are currently covered by grants and that the office has not provided paternity testing in roughly 25 years and recommended removing a $125 paternity-testing fee. The court approved establishing a new “supportive supervised visits” service with a $50 application fee and a $75 fee for a two‑hour visit conducted by DRO social workers (intended as a bridge to supervised and then unsupervised visits). The law-library copy fee, set at $0.10 since 1984, was raised to $0.20 per copy. Family-court services (adoption evaluations, consultations, limited investigations) were updated to reflect higher staff costs; the DRO told the court the adjusted adoption-evaluation fee remains lower than comparable counties (Harris and Tarrant were cited as higher).

Motions and votes recorded in the transcript match the court’s roll calls: where recorded, Commissioners Stout, Olguin and Coronado and Judge Samaniego voted aye; Commissioner Butler was listed as absent for votes taken in open session.

Other actions: The court postponed selection of two commissioners to an MPO International Border Crossing Strategic Plan Steering Committee for one week, deleted one executive-session item, and took no action on an interlocal amendment for the Pelicano Drive project (staff requested no action at this time).

Provenance: The resolutions are recorded under agenda item 5; the public hearing and fee-adoption are recorded under item 7 and appear in the transcript sections that include the DRO presentation and the roll-call vote to adopt the fees.

","At the July 21 meeting the El Paso County Commissioner's Court adopted three resolutions recognizing a youth honoree, pretrial/probation week and Disability Pride Month, and approved updated service fees for the Domestic Relations Office and the county law library.","actionData","errors"]

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Residents, solar customers urge commissioners to oppose El Paso Electric rate increase

Commissioners adopt local recognitions and approve Domestic Relations Office and law-library fees