EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The City of El Paso said hundreds of vacant jobs will be cut and tax rates will go up as the City works to balance its budget for next year.

The City of El Paso said it is cutting over 300 vacant positions from all departments as it works to come up with a budget amid rising costs, expiring federal funding, voter-approved debt obligations and state-mandated tax exemptions.

“So over 70% of the city’s general fund budget is our workforce, and so we basically backed out or eliminated just about every vacant position that we have,” said Robert Cortinas, the Deputy City Manager of Support Services & Chief Financial Officer for the City of El Paso. “So it’s about 350, almost 360 positions that are either going to be deleted or will be unfunded for the budget for next year.”

The City is actively recruiting for about 100 positions, and those will continue to be filled, “We didn’t touch those positions,” Cortinas said.

Something that won’t be affected are police and fire academies, as the City said it has recognized that the community’s priority is safety.

“We know that it’s a part that we continue to invest in those two departments through the staffing. So we have three police academies for next year. That’s on top of the three police academies we did this year, so we’re increasing the size of the police force and so if you’re adding more officers. You’re increasing your cost and so that’s going to be one of the big cost drivers,” Cortinas said.

The City said it lost about $16 million in revenue, $11 million being from state-mandated property tax relief.

Furthermore, in its preliminary budget, the tax rate is estimated at $0.78 per $100 valuation– compared to last budget’s $0.76 per $100 valuation.

According to the City, this means that roughly, the average El Paso home, of a taxable value of $233,549, could see a tax increase of about $8.75 per month or $105 per year.

The City’s preliminary budget also includes a raise in minimum wage for non-uniform employees that goes from $15.75 to $16.25.

The preliminary budget totals approximately $1.405 billion across all funds, an increase of approximately 1.7% compared to the last budget.

The City stressed that this is the preliminary budget and that a budget and tax rate won’t be adopted until August.

City Manager Dionne Mack said the preliminary budget was released six weeks ahead of schedule to allow more time for the council to discuss the budget and seek input from the public.

“The FY 2027 Preliminary Budget begins the City Council and community discussion process,” said City Manager Dionne Mack. “By starting six weeks earlier, we are creating more time for discussion, increasing transparency, and giving the community more opportunities to understand the proposal and provide feedback. This budget reflects a fiscally responsible approach focused on maintaining core services, supporting public safety, investing in infrastructure, and protecting the City’s long-term financial stability.”

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FY 2027 community budget meetings are scheduled for:

June 1

Irving Schwartz Library
1865 Dean Martin Dr.
5:30 p.m.

June 2

Westside Regional Command Center
4801 Osborne Dr.
6 p.m.Municipal Service Center
At the Cotton Patch Room
7968 San Paulo Dr.
6 p.m.

June 8

City Hall
At the Main Conference Room, 2nd Floor
300 N. Campbell St.
5:30 p.m.

June 9

Memorial Senior Center
1800 Byron St.
6 p.m.Northeast Regional Command Center
9600 Dyer St.
6 p.m.

June 10

Valle Bajo Community Center & Library
7380 Alameda Ave.
6 p.m.

June 11

The Beast Urban Park
13501 Jason Crandall Dr.
6 p.m.Below is the preliminary budget and the overview presentation of it:

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