EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 Residents in East El Paso got a closer look Monday night at the City of El Paso\u2019s preliminary budget for next year \u2014 a spending plan city officials first presented last week that totals about $1.4 billion across all funds.<\/p>\n
City staff reviewed the proposal during the first community budget meeting at the Irving Schwartz Library. The meeting is part of an effort City Manager Dionne Mack said was moved up to give the public more time to weigh in before City Council adopts a final budget in August.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we moved up our budget process this year, six weeks to really allow community to have an opportunity to provide feedback, to city council and to us directly before we adopt our final budget in August,\u201d Mack said.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s general fund \u2014 which pays for many day-to-day services \u2014 totals about $655.3 million. City leaders said they began the process facing a projected $13.6 million gap, and the preliminary budget is their plan to close it.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s preliminary budget documents are available below:<\/p>\n
A key piece of that plan is a proposed property tax rate of about 78 cents per $100 of property value, up from about 76 cents in the current budget. The city said that for the average home, the change would mean about $105 more per year.<\/p>\n
The city is also looking at cutting hundreds of vacant positions. Officials said the city lost about $16 million in revenue, including $11 million from state-mandated property tax relief. Mack said eliminating vacancies would save millions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis budget actually reduces our staffing by over 350 people. And so we deleted over 75% of our vacancies. And we’re saving about $26.1 million going through that,\u201d Mack said.<\/p>\n
One resident said cutting vacant positions should be only the beginning.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s not a savings. Those people aren’t being used now, why would we hire them if they’re not used? That is not a savings, but it is a start,\u201d the resident said.<\/p>\n
Residents were also shown a budget simulator<\/a> during Monday\u2019s meeting. The tool allows users to adjust spending and revenue and submit their ideas to the city.<\/p>\n Public safety was a major focus of the discussion. City staff said about $371 million is slated for public safety. Officials also said the preliminary budget includes funding for 55 new police officers.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we’re looking at is what the community expects from our response time. You call we want to be there. And so we were seeing that number really get long in terms of, you know, our ability to respond,\u201d Mack said.<\/p>\n The city is holding more community budget meetings this week. City Council is expected to vote on the final budget Aug. 18.<\/p>\n Below are the remaining scheduled FY 2027 community budget meetings:<\/p>\n June 2<\/p>\n Westside Regional Command Center<\/p>\n 4801 Osborne Dr.<\/p>\n 6 p.m.<\/p>\n Municipal Service Center<\/p>\n At the Cotton Patch Room<\/p>\n 7968 San Paulo Dr.<\/p>\n 6 p.m.<\/p>\n June 8<\/p>\n City Hall<\/p>\n At the Main Conference Room, 2nd Floor<\/p>\n 300 N. Campbell St.<\/p>\n 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n June 9<\/p>\n Memorial Senior Center<\/p>\n 1800 Byron St.<\/p>\n 6 p.m.<\/p>\n Northeast Regional Command Center<\/p>\n 9600 Dyer St.<\/p>\n 6 p.m.<\/p>\n June 10<\/p>\n Valle Bajo Community Center & Library<\/p>\n 7380 Alameda Ave.<\/p>\n 6 p.m.<\/p>\n June 11<\/p>\n The Beast Urban Park<\/p>\n 13501 Jason Crandall Dr.<\/p>\n 6 p.m.<\/p>\n RECOMMENDED: City of El Paso’s preliminary budget: cutting 300+ vacant jobs amid revenue loss<\/a><\/p>\n RECOMMENDED: El Paso council approves $840,000-plus sale of historic A.B. Fall Mansion<\/a><\/p>\n