EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Voters in two school districts in El Paso County are being asked to approve a tax rate increase during the election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Voters in the Socorro Independent School District, one of El Paso’s largest districts, are being asked to approve an ad valorem tax rate of $1.0589 per $100 of valuation.
While the ballot initiative labels it as a tax increase, district officials said it is a “penny swap” within the existing tax rate and will not raise taxes.
As previously reported, the district will be increasing the tax rate for maintenance and operations by $0.12 but reducing the portion of the property tax that goes toward interest and the sinking rate by the same amount.
District officials said there will be no financial impact to property owners within the district if the ballot question is passed.
At the other end of the spectrum, Tornillo ISD, one of the County’s smallest school districts, is also asking its voters to approve what is being labeled as a tax increase — a tax rate of $1.2078 per $100 valuation.
That includes $0.7389 for maintenance and operations and $0.4689 for debt service.
That represents a $0.12 increase, which triggered the election, district officials said.
Officials with Tornillo ISD says it has adopted a deficit budget for two consecutive years, totaling more than $1 million.
That has made a tax increase necessary, they said.
If Texas Proposition 13 passes, that would increase the homestead exemption for school districts from $100,000 to $140,000.
Under that scenario, about 42 percent of Tornillo taxpayers will not be impacted by the district’s proposed tax rate, district officials said.
Those households would not pay school property tax since the value of their exemptions is greater than their taxable valuation, the district said.
Voters throughout El Paso County will be able to vote on 17 state ballot initiatives. Most of them are meant to lower taxes for various categories of Texas voters including homeowners, businesses, elderly and disabled homeowners and spouses of veterans, among others.
Proposition 3 would create a constitutional amendment denying bail under certain circumstances.
Voting centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4 in El Paso County. You can click here to find a voting center near you.
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