EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso County commissioners have proposed the highest property tax rate they could adopt without triggering an election, but county officials stressed Monday that the number is only a ceiling and a lower rate could still be approved.
Commissioners voted to propose a rate of $0.504717 per $100 of taxable property value for the 2026 tax year. The county identifies that number as the voter-approval rate, which is generally the highest rate a taxing entity can adopt without asking voters to approve it in an election.
“So historically, Commissioners Court has published the voter-approval rate, which is the highest rate that the county can adopt without going out for an election,” El Paso County Budget Director Carmen Arrieta-Candelaria said.
The county said commissioners have not adopted a final tax rate and could still choose a lower one as they finalize the fiscal year 2027 budget.
The proposed voter-approval rate is higher than the $0.458889 rate commissioners adopted last year, according to the county’s tax-rate presentation. The presentation also lists this year’s no-new-revenue rate at $0.451133 per $100 of taxable value.
REVISED 8.2.26 FY2027 Proposed Tax Rate Presentation 08PDF previewPreview PDF
The county describes the no-new-revenue rate as the rate calculated to bring in about the same amount of property tax revenue from properties taxed in both years.
Arrieta-Candelaria said the county’s recommended budget was developed around the lower no-new-revenue rate rather than the full voter-approval rate.
County officials said proposing the higher number gives commissioners flexibility to make changes as they continue reviewing the budget. The county also said the proposal allows it to move forward with required public notices and a formal tax-rate hearing.
“This is not a final decision,” Arrieta-Candelaria said. “This is just giving the board that flexibility.”
Recommended county budget totals nearly $697 million
The county’s fiscal year 2027 all-funds recommended budget totals $696,772,296 and remains subject to change, according to the budget presentation.
The county breaks that amount down into:
$542,352,990 for the General Fund$86,950,774 in special revenue funds$49,064,940 for debt service$12,296,568 for capital projects$6,107,024 in enterprise funds
The General Fund would increase from about $495.5 million in fiscal year 2026 to about $542.4 million in fiscal year 2027, an increase of about $46.9 million, or 9.46%, according to the county’s budget presentation.
The county’s recommended public safety spending would also increase from about $165.5 million to $180.9 million.
Arrieta-Candelaria said public safety is one of the county’s largest spending areas and includes the Sheriff’s Office and constables.
The budget also includes proposed pay increases for county employees, including workers not covered by collective bargaining agreements and certain Sheriff’s Office employees and constables.
“It’s a very conservative budget,” Arrieta-Candelaria said. “I don’t think that there’s a lot of fluff in the budget, and we’ve been very conservative in our revenue estimates as well.”
What happens next
According to the county’s budget calendar, a budget hearing is scheduled for Aug. 10, with Aug. 11 reserved if additional time is needed.
During those hearings, members of the public will be able to comment on the county’s proposed spending plan before commissioners take further action on the budget.
A separate public hearing on the proposed property tax rate is scheduled for Aug. 17 at 5:30 p.m. The county said members of the public will be able to speak before commissioners consider whether to adopt a final rate.
Commissioners could adopt the proposed voter-approval rate or choose any lower rate.
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