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El Paso County publishes voter-approval tax-rate ceiling, sets Aug. 17 public hearing
Summary
County staff presented midyear budget results and projected rates; the Commissioners Court voted to publish the voter-approval ceiling (0.504717 per $100) to preserve flexibility while finalizing the FY27 budget and scheduled a public hearing for Aug. 17 at 5:30 p.m.
The El Paso County Commissioners Court this week voted to publish a proposed voter-approval tax-rate ceiling of 0.504717 per $100 of assessed value and scheduled a public hearing for Aug. 17 at 5:30 p.m. Budget director Carmen Arita Candelaria told the court the calculation reflects certified 2026 taxable values and provides a ceiling the court can use during the FY27 budget process.
"So 1st, we have our no new revenue rate for 2026.... our M and O rate... is 0.388134... for a total rate of 0.451133," Carmen Arita Candelaria said while explaining rate options for the court. Commissioners discussed the trade-off between publishing the voter-approval ceiling (which gives maximum flexibility) and public communication concerns; a majority approved publishing the voter-approval rate, with one commissioner recorded as voting against the motion. The court amended the public-hearing time to 5:30 p.m. to accommodate residents who work daytime hours.
Candelaria and budget staff also presented a preliminary FY27 budget book showing a recommended total budget of about $696.8 million, including proposed COLA and step increases for many employee groups and an economic-impact fund allocation. Commissioners asked staff to return with additional detail on unfunded state mandates, the county's reliance on federal inmate revenue, and options to shift one-time dollars between the economic-impact fund and capital improvement program.
