Where do El Paso’s tax dollars go? City holds town hall on budget

EL PASO, Texas -- "We want the public to know where their tax dollars are going," City of El Paso CFO Robert Cortinas said as he hosted a virtual town hall meeting Wednesday evening, detailing for the public the city's proposed fiscal year 2021 budget.

The budget plan outlined was approximately $977 million, a decrease of approximately $69 million from the current budget due to what Cortinas called "financial challenges created by the pandemic."

He said the budget focuses on the basics: Public safety, streets and the city's workforce - while also "preparing for unknown revenue losses and expenses" that may occur as the pandemic continues.

"Only a fraction of every tax dollar collected is allocated to city services, such as police, fire and streets," he explained. "More than half of every tax dollar goes to other entities help pay for non-city services such as public schools, county roads and other vital programs."

Cortinas emphasized that the proposed budget contained no tax rate increase; it is based on maintaining the tax rate at $0.907 per $100 of property valuation.

According to the city, the average value of a single-family home increased only slightly, by less than 1 percent.

El Paso's average home is valued at $133,540 and the city said that valuation could potentially increase to $134,794.

City Council is expected to adopt the new budget at its Aug. 18 meeting. The new fiscal year for that budget starts September 1.