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Bob Moore of El Paso Matters claims that in 2024 “the median property tax bill [in El Paso County] required 6.1% of the median household income,” according to his analysis of data from the Census Bureau and the nonprofit Tax Foundation.
When I read that, I immediately calculated how much of my own income I pay towards my property tax. I have owned my home on the Westside since 2010 and have challenged my property valuation every year since. In spite of my efforts, my home comes with a property tax bill of $9,744, including my homestead exemption. Fully 10.8% of my income goes to my property tax (13.6% after I pay federal income tax), and I suspect that most households in my neighborhood also face a double-digit burden.
I took a hard look at how Moore arrived at his 6.1% figure and realized the following:
1. His calculation is based upon property valuations from 2024, when the median home value in El Paso County was $180,400. For the current fiscal year, the correct figure is $213,718.
2. Because Moore’s figures are two years old, they do not include the 11.5% in City property tax increases in FY 2026 and FY2027, nor do they include the increases from the other taxing entities. My own property tax bill increased 18.6% in the last two fiscal years.
3. A very significant proportion of El Paso homeowners pay disproportionately low property tax because of the low valuations of their properties and the recent increases in the school district exemption. Those who own properties assessed at, say, over $250,000 pay much more property tax as a proportion of their income, sharply skewing any analyses of median tax bills. especially when comparing El Paso County to other Texas counties.
Moore states that “most local governments raised property taxes this year,” but if you live in EPISD, SISD, or YISD, all taxing entities increased their property tax, so his statement is misleading.
Moore concludes that “El Pasoans actually pay less on average than other Texas urban areas” and he states this in the present tense, as if his figures are current.
Why does Moore want to convince us that our property tax is more bearable than that of other cities? Obviously he wants to support the progressive incumbents who are on the ballot for November 3.
Ricardo Samaniego and Alejandra Chavez, in particular, are darlings of his friend Veronica Escobar and Moore certainly would not want them to be thrown out of office as Stout and Coronado just were. Thus, convincing El Pasoans at large that the tax increases they voted for are not worth complaining about is a political strategy!
El Pasoans need to understand that when Bob Moore opines about taxation or population trends, he is always thinking about helping his allies in government gain political advantage. Thankfully, more and more El Pasoans are on to him.
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