[[{“value”:”
Dear News Editors and General Managers of Television News Networks,
Every August our City Council votes on a budget and tax rate for the next fiscal year, and every August most journalists covering the issue uncritically report the City’s talking points rather than correctly informing the public.
We are asking you to please get it right this year and assign journalists who understand City budgeting and the difference between the adopted tax rate and the effective tax.
Please require your journalists to analyze the backup to agenda items 19-21 for the August 4 City Council meeting. There they will learn the City of El Paso received its certified appraisal roll on July 24, according to which the certified taxable value of property within City limits for FY 2027 is $57,141,379,357, an increase of about $1.2 billion over FY 2026. The average taxable value of a single-family home is now $232,669, an increase of $2,088 over last year.
The backup also reveals that the no-new-revenue tax rate for FY 2027, based upon the certified taxable value of property, is $0.747490 per $100 of valuation.
The City’s Preliminary Budget is roughly $1.405 billion and includes a tax rate of $0.783 per $100 of valuation, resulting in a tax increase of about $105 on the average-valued single-family home, since the proposed rate is 3.6 cents above the no-new-revenue rate.
Please make your journalists understand that any tax rate above the new-new-revenue tax rate is a tax increase and require them to attend the City Council meeting in person tomorrow and follow every word of what is said.
MEDIA OUTLETS ROUTINELY DECEIVE THE VOTERS
Last year, our City Council voted 8-0 to increase the City property tax by 4.3%, amounting to $83 dollars per year for the average-priced single-family home.
By contrast, the tax rate dropped dramatically because of the sharp spike in property valuations. Yet the City disseminated the narrative that the adopted tax rate was the lowest in a decade even though the effective tax increased 4.3%.
In other words, they put bright red lipstick on a pig!
The Mayor then made a cute speech commending City staff on achieving the lowest tax rate in a decade, as if we are too stupid to tell the difference between the tax rate and effective tax.
We were especially disappointed with CFO Robert Cortinas, who is usually the voice of reason. He not only pushed the City’s false narrative but referred to the tax increase as “tax relief.”
Acevedo, who is a financial moron, went so far as to gloat, “We are lowering taxes this year… This is a really, really big deal.” We wish we could give him a pill to make him smarter.
Jesus Balthazar of KTSM and Harrison Parker of KFOX14 mimicked the City’s talking points. Rather than doing the hard work of analyzing the budgetary figures, they relied upon the City’s propagandistic press release: “El Paso city leaders have proposed reducing the city’s property tax rate to its lowest level in a decade.”
Reporting of this type deceives tens of thousands of voters and keeps dishonest politicians in office.
OUR LYING MAYOR
Speaking of dishonest politicians, please remember that Renard Johnson campaigned hard on lowering our property tax but is about to preside over the second tax increase since assuming office.
That is a story in itself so please tell the public and get him on the record.
The El Paso Taxpayer Revolt will closely examine local reporting on the FY 2027 budget and publish an essay on journalistic accuracy later this month!
“}]] Read more: Read More