The Socorro City Council on Aug. 7 approved the El Paso County 911 District fiscal year 2026 budget after district representatives told the council the district’s available revenue will not fully meet operational obligations this year.

City officials said the 911 District Board of Managers approved the budget and submitted it to participant entities for review as required by statute. Chief Robert Rojas, who serves on the 911 district board and is Socorro’s police chief, told councilors the district is facing a revenue shortfall because state appropriations did not materialize and because revenue collected from landlines has declined as customers transition to wireless service.

“To address this, the district has implemented reductions to certain programs and will use reserve funds to maintain continuity of core emergency communication services,” Rojas said. He said cuts are concentrated in areas such as training and certain license-fee support for partner agencies; Socorro would continue to support other agencies if they cannot cover licensing fees, Rojas added.

Councilors discussed the budget and asked staff about the numbers; no member opposed the district’s spending plan and the council approved the budget by voice vote.

Why it matters: The 911 District operates the region’s emergency-call infrastructure. Declining dedicated revenues and lower state support could affect training and services for local dispatch operations if reserves are depleted.

Next steps: The district will continue operations using reserves and scaled-back programs. Rojas said he would communicate the council’s offer to support neighboring agencies that may need help paying licensing fees.