Socorro City Council adopts FY2025–26 budget, ratifies tax rate and approves organizational chart and five‑year CIP

The Socorro City Council on Sept. 11 approved an ordinance adopting the fiscal year 2025–26 budget, ratified a tax increase tied to that budget and authorized the El Paso City Tax Office to assess and collect city property taxes.

The measures drew little public opposition at the meeting, though one resident urged the council to pursue unpaid property taxes. Council also adopted an amended organizational chart that adds positions and a transit department, and approved Resolution 832, the city’s five‑year capital improvement program.

Council voted unanimously to approve the budget for the fiscal year commencing Oct. 1, 2025, and ending Sept. 30, 2026. City staff had presented three columns of options during the meeting — a “no change” column, a “no new revenue rate” column and a “voter approval rate” column — and recommended adoption of the voter approval rate.

The council also ratified the tax increase set out in the budget ordinance. During the public reading of required language, the meeting record shows the property tax rate stated as “0.645233¢ per $100,” described in the record as “effectively a 1.7113% increase in the tax rate.” The council then approved an ordinance authorizing the assessment and collection of those property taxes and designating the El Paso City Tax Office to perform the assessment and collection on Socorro’s behalf.

City staff presented the proposed five‑year capital improvement program and capital priorities. “We currently have approximately $20,000,000 in proposed projects for this fiscal year, and we’re building on that foundation with a growing portfolio of grant‑funded projects now totaling nearly $59,000,000 in active grants,” staff told the council. Staff said the city intends to use 2026 certificates of obligation to help address roads, drainage, public facilities and community amenities, and that federal American Rescue Plan Act funds have been used selectively to leverage other project funding.

The council adopted an amended organizational chart that reclassifies the parks and public works director position to city engineer, adds a full‑time crime analyst position in the police department, realigns code‑enforcement under planning and zoning, creates a grants and special projects position and adds custodial services to support Fort Bliss through an intergovernmental support agreement (ICSA). The city also authorized creation of a transit department for an evolving transit system.

During the public comment period Jesse Montelongo, identified as a volunteer street‑watch coordinator in District 4, asked the council to investigate properties he said were not paying proper taxes and offered to provide addresses. “You guys are being cheated a lot of money,” Montelongo said. The record shows a council response that staff would look into potential collection on properties that have not paid.

Other routine items — including a consent agenda and removal of agenda items 14–16 — were approved without extended discussion. The meeting adjourned at 6:23 p.m.

Votes at a glance: the record shows unanimous approval by the five council members present for the budget ordinance, the separate ratification of the tax increase, the ordinance authorizing the El Paso City Tax Office to collect city property taxes, the amended organizational chart and Resolution 832 approving the five‑year capital improvement program. For the consent agenda, the meeting record lists a motion by Alejandro Garcia with a second by Cesar Nevarez; for other items the record shows motions and seconds but does not consistently name movers.

Looking ahead, staff told the council they will pursue grants and certificate financing as outlined in the CIP and will follow up on the public comment about potential unpaid property taxes.