With two months remaining in its fiscal year, El Paso County is collecting its revenues about 10% faster than at the same time last year, but it also is spending more, with higher costs for staffing, public safety and economic development initiatives.
“The actual dollar variance year-over-year was a positive, or more revenue” in 2026 than in 2025, said Carmen Arrieta-Candelaria, El Paso County’s budget and finance director.
She made the budget presentation at the Commissioners Court meeting Monday, Aug. 31. The meeting also touched on an El Paso Girl Scout’s movie debut, an El Paso Electric milestone and an internationally acclaimed sculptor.
Arrieta-Candelaria told commissioners that $35.8 million more has been collected in the first 10 months of the fiscal year than during the same period last fiscal year.
“That consisted primarily of the property taxes, due to the amount that was assessed,” she said.
The county also has spent 3% more than it had at this point in 2025, or about $9.5 million more, Arrieta-Candelaria said.
The county has spent $5.8 million, or 7%, more in the “general government” category, partly due to additional hirings. About $5.4 million, or 4%, more has been spent in public safety, which Arrieta-Candelaria said was “primarily due to the sheriff’s office expenses being higher year-over-year.”
The county also has spent nearly twice as much on “resource development,” increasing from $1.4 million in 2025 to $2.7 million so far this year.
“That is primarily due to the payments under all of the approved 381 agreements and the economic impact fund initiatives compared to 2025,” Candelaria said, referring to financial incentives the county has approved for companies to move to El Paso or expand.
Some of the higher costs were offset by lower expenses in other areas. Expenses came down by 2% in “administration of justice,” about 4% in “culture and recreation” and 7% in “health and welfare.” Expenditures in public works also declined about 3%, according to Arrieta-Candelaria.
Debate over Binational Affairs Division
At the Commissioners Court meeting, there was also a testy exchange between El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego and Commissioner David Stout over an agenda item to move oversight and responsibility of the Binational Affairs Division into the judge’s office.
Samaniego described it as a way to avoid a duplication of services and save the cost of an additional salary, which he estimated at $160,000 including benefits.
But Stout said the salary would be a good investment for the county because of the increasingly critical role of the Binational Affairs Division.
“I advocated heavily over a number of years to create this position once we got our Economic Development Department created,” Stout said.
The complexities of that position call for it to remain institutionalized under county administration rather than within a politician’s office, he said.
“If it’s under any commissioner’s office or the judge’s office, it may not receive that same type of dedication that is necessary,” Stout said. “There are a number of issues that have to do with binational affairs that are important to all (commissioners), and it makes it much more difficult for us to be able to direct and provide input on what we would like to see if it’s under one individual’s office.”
Samaniego pushed back, saying, “I do have the right as a county judge to do all of those things, independent” of Commissioner’s Court, and added that he was nonetheless bringing it to the court for a vote.
Stout said he was surprised to learn of the effort to bring that position under the judge’s office.
“I really hope that in the future if this position is brought under your office that you actually take the time to reach out to the commissioners and engage us on what is going on with binational affairs,” he said.
Samaniego made the motion to move the Binational Affairs Division under the oversight of the county judge and have it assessed again in March 2027. Commissioner Sergio Coronado seconded the motion.
All but Stout voted in favor.
Resolutions for El Paso Electric, Fort Bliss commander and the ‘K-Man’
Commissioners Court also passed a resolution recognizing September 2026 as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and honoring El Paso Children’s Hospital for its “commitment to pediatric cancer patients and families.”
In addition, September 2026 was declared “National Deaf Awareness Month,” and commissioners recognized Samuel Ornelas, also known as the “K-Man,” for his “enthusiasm, community spirit and support of the El Paso Chihuahuas.”
Kelly Tomblin, CEO of El Paso Electric, accepted a commemoration for the utility’s 125th Anniversary.
“We couldn’t be more proud to contribute to the economy to keep our communities safe and thriving,” Tomblin said. “There’s nothing that we can’t and won’t do, and we’ll continue to transform the energy landscape for the growth and prosperity of our region.”
The county also passed a resolution honoring Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commander of Fort Bliss and the 1st Armored Division, for his “leadership, service and commitment to strengthening the partnership between Fort Bliss and the El Paso County community.”
“I’ve been serving in the military for 33 years. I’ve been around military bases for 54 years, so for a half century. I’ve seen them all, and there is no place where the community reaches out more and invests in Fort Bliss than right here,” Taylor told commissioners.
A screenshot from the trailer for “Cookie Queens”
Screenshot from YouTube
‘Cookie Queens’
A resolution also designated Aug. 31, 2026, as “Cookie Queens Day” in El Paso, commemorating the recent debut of the “Cookie Queens” documentary, which follows four Girl Scouts, including one from El Paso, during the 2024 cookie-selling season.
Shannon Elizabeth Stevens, a Girl Scout from El Paso Troop 500063, is one of the cookie sellers featured in the film, which was produced by Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. A trailer was shown during the Commissioners Court meeting, with highlights of Stevens and her family at various El Paso locations.
“If that did not bring tears to your eyes, I don’t know what would,” said County Commissioner Iliana Holguin afterward.
Stevens, now 10, thanked commissioners for the resolution, which passed unanimously, and spoke about her strong feelings for El Paso.
“I am especially proud that this journey is connected to El Paso. I am proud to be an El Paso girl. El Paso is my home. El Paso is where my family is. El Paso is where my Girl Scout troop is. El Paso is where I learned karate,” she said. “El Paso is where my friends are, and is where so many people have supported me. El Paso is a community that knows how to come together. When people talk about El Paso, I want them to know that we have amazing kids here. We have girls who have big dreams.”
The “Cookie Queens” website did not list any El Paso showings of the movie.
Artist Sebastián
The county also recognized Mexican sculptor Enrique Carbajal, known as Sebastián, for his “artistic career, his international contributions to monumental sculpture and contemporary art, and the cultural legacy he has created in El Paso and around the world.”
Sebastián is the artist who made “La Equis,” the towering red “X” next to the Rio Grande that is visible from much of El Paso and Juárez. He also created “El Aguacero,” a 45-foot-tall steel sculpture next to the Paso del Norte Port of Entry in Downtown El Paso, and “Esfera Cuántica Tlahtolli,” a 13-foot-tall steel sphere erected on the UTEP campus outside the Fox Fine Arts Building.
“Maestro Sebastián has built a remarkable artistic legacy that transcends borders with monumental works displayed in public spaces throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Bringing Mexican creativity, culture, and artistic excellence for audiences around the world,” said Samaniego, reading the resolution from the lectern.
The county also announced that Sebastián will be in El Paso on Sept. 10 to present the annual “Rosa del Desierto” award to selected regional leaders in the arts, philanthropy, medicine and community development.