Ysleta ISD adopts $1.2005 tax rate after public hearing; board votes 7-0

The Ysleta Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 7–0 Wednesday to set the 2025–26 property tax rate at $1.2005 per $100 of assessed value, including a maintenance-and-operations (M&O) component of $0.7705 and a debt-service component of $0.4300.

The vote followed a public hearing required by Texas Education Code 44.004 and a detailed presentation from district finance staff explaining how state and local homestead exemptions and rising property values affect homeowners’ bills.

District staff member Miss Cambern told the board that Ysleta ISD has 68,587 taxable accounts, of which 38,985 receive a homestead exemption. Cambern said the district’s local optional homestead exemption reduces assessed homestead value by 20 percent and noted that the state recently increased the statewide homestead exemption to $140,000 (a change subject to voter approval). Using a $205,000 example home value and the local exemptions, she said a Ysleta homeowner would see a district tax bill of about $288—“$400 less than a Socorro homeowner” and “$414 less than an EPISD homeowner” in her apples‑to‑apples illustration.

Why it mattered: Trustees pressed staff on whether the district had flexibility to lower the rate without losing state funding. Cambern and trustees explained that Texas sets a maximum compressed rate for school districts; if the district sets a lower local M&O rate it risks reduced state funding. Trustee Chris Hernandez called the recommended rate “the absolute lowest rate we can adopt without forfeiting state funding,” and the motion to adopt the rate was made by Trustee Connie Woodruff and seconded by Trustee Chris Hernandez.

Board discussion also emphasized the district’s recent pattern of lowering rates as taxable property values have increased. Cambern said Ysleta’s total tax rate has fallen about eight cents since 2023 while the district’s outstanding voter‑approved debt obligations still require a 2025 debt payment of $49.9 million. Cambern noted that the district has reduced total outstanding debt since 2023 by roughly $27 million.

During the hearing trustees asked how the statewide homestead exemption affects local funding. Cambern said when the state raises that exemption, the state offsets the local revenue loss; she characterized Ysleta as a district that receives a substantial portion of its funding from the state rather than from local property wealth. Trustees also asked for clarification about comparisons with the City of El Paso, Socorro ISD and El Paso ISD; Cambern used median home values and tax bases to show how different exemptions and tax bases produce different final bills for homeowners.

Formal action: Trustee Connie Woodruff moved to adopt the tax rate as proposed; the motion carried 7–0. The board recorded the motion text and the separate components (M&O $0.7705; debt $0.4300) in the board order presented for adoption.

What’s next: The adopted tax rate will be reflected in the district’s tax levy for fiscal 2025–26. Cambern and trustees emphasized that the district’s rate is constrained by state formulas and that comparisons with other local taxing entities require accounting for differences in local homestead exemptions and total taxable value.

(Reporting note: discussion and figures above are drawn from the district’s tax‑rate presentation and the public hearing recorded at the Sept. 10 board meeting.)