*NOTE: This post is flawed because we only discuss tax rates without indicating whether they are above or below the no-new-revenue-tax rates.
When City Manager Gonzalez assumed office on June 23, 2014, our City property tax stood at $0.66 for $100 of valuation.
Today it stands at $0.91, representing an increase of 38% while our population has risen only 1% during the same period.
We now have the second highest homestead tax rate among the 50 largest cities in the United States. You may verify this on p. 67 of the State Property Tax Comparison Study FOR TAXES PAID IN 2019.
How did this happen?
Our City Council reps voted to raise our property tax seven times since August 2013.
Here are the voting records of our current City Council reps:
SVARZBEIN, District 1, 7/6/15-present
8/18/2015 Increase City property tax from $0.699784 to $0.729725 NO
8/23/2016 Increase City property tax from $0.729725 to $0.759656 YES
8/22/2017 Increase City property tax from $0.759656 to $0.803433 YES
8/21/2018 Increase City property tax from $0.803433 to $0.843332 NO
8/20/2019 Increase City property tax from $0.843332 to $0.907301 YES
8/18/2020 Keep City property tax at $0.907301 YES
ANNELLO, District 2, 6/27/2017-present
8/22/2017 Increase City property tax from $0.759656 to $0.803433 YES
8/21/2018 Increase City property tax from $0.803433 to $0.843332 YES
8/20/2019 Increase City property tax from $0.843332 to $0.907301 YES
8/18/2020 Keep City property tax at $0.907301 YES
HERNANDEZ, District 3, 6/27/2017-present
8/22/2017 Increase City property tax from $0.759656 to $0.803433 YES
8/21/2018 Increase City property tax from $0.803433 to $0.843332 YES
8/20/2019 Increase City property tax from $0.843332 to $0.907301 YES
8/18/2020 Keep City property tax at $0.907301 YES
MOLINAR, District 4, 1/5/2021-present
First opportunity to vote on tax rate will be in August 2021.
SALCIDO, District 5, 1/8/2019-present
8/20/2019 Increase City property tax from $0.843332 to $0.907301 YES
8/18/2020 Keep City property tax at $0.907301 YES
RODRIGUEZ, District 6, 2/17/2020-present
8/18/2020 Maintain City property tax at $0.907301 ABSENT
RIVERA, District 7, 6/27/2017-present
8/22/2017 Increase City property tax from $0.759656 to $0.803433 YES
8/21/2018 Increase City property tax from $0.803433 to $0.843332 YES
8/20/2019 Increase City property tax from $0.843332 to $0.907301 NO
8/18/2020 Keep City property tax at $0.907301 YES
LIZARRAGA, District 8, 7/25/2017-present
8/22/2017 Increase City property tax from $0.759656 to $0.803433 YES
8/21/2018 Increase City property tax from $0.803433 to $0.843332 YES
8/20/2019 Increase City property tax from $0.843332 to $0.907301 YES
8/18/2020 Keep City property tax at $0.907301 YES
This should resolve any question about why our City property tax is so damn high.
Please note that City CFO Robert Cortinas recently told Anthony Jackson of the El Paso Times that there will be no adjustment of the current $0.907301 tax rate this coming August, even as we face double-digit increases in our property valuations.
Enjoy your day.
