El Paso is gearing up for a summer-long budget debate over a preliminary Fiscal Year 2027 spending plan that clocks in at roughly $1.405 billion across all funds. City officials say the draft would nudge overall spending up, bump some city workers’ pay, and pour more money into public safety and infrastructure, while also edging up the average homeowner’s tax bill.
Before the numbers are locked in, the city is taking the show on the road in June, with a string of neighborhood meetings designed to let residents kick the tires on the proposal and tell leaders what they think.
The City will host Community Budget Meetings beginning Monday, June 1 at Irving Schwartz Library (1865 Dean Martin Dr.) and running through Thursday, June 11, at The Beast Urban Park, according to the City of El Paso. Officials are also rolling out an online Budget Simulator so residents can play with tradeoffs between services and taxes. The city’s release spells out dates, start times, locations, and the simulator link for each stop on the tour.
What The Numbers Mean
The draft budget totals $1.405 billion, about a 1.7% increase from FY 2026, with a preliminary tax rate estimate of $0.783 per $100 of taxable value. Using the city’s projections, the average single-family taxable value would be roughly $233,549, which officials say would translate to an average homestead tax-bill increase of about $105 a year, or roughly $8.75 per month.
The proposal also includes annual salary adjustments and a proposed minimum wage bump for non-uniform employees from $15.75 to $16.25. The city says it will not adopt a final budget until August, as reported by KVIA.
Where The Money Would Go
City leaders say the plan leans into public safety, infrastructure, and quality-of-life projects while still covering contractual and voter-approved debt obligations. Internal budget materials tie the proposed investments to the City Council Strategic Plan pillars and flag rising operational costs and the impact of certain unfunded state exemptions as key pressures on the bottom line.
The city’s news release and meeting handouts walk residents through how those pressures affect specific departments and what tradeoffs are on the table.
How To Weigh In
Residents can show up at any of the June community meetings, try out the online Budget Simulator, or contact the Office of Management & Budget directly to submit feedback. The schedule is set up with multiple evening options and locations to reach different corners of the city.
Staff will refine the preliminary plan over the summer, with additional public hearings and council readings before the final FY 2027 budget is adopted in August. For an overview of what is proposed and what happens next, see KVIA.
