All seven entities that contract with the city of El Paso’s Animal Services kept their agreements when they renewed Sept. 1 despite higher shelter-service costs that have left some owing thousands of dollars in unpaid bills.
The city was still owed about $1.5 million from four local governments as of Aug. 12, including about $1 million from El Paso County, about $84,000 from San Elizario, $261,000 from Horizon and $84,000 from Fort Bliss. In mid-July, the city was owed about $1.8 million from various entities – some which paid down their bills while others just kept increasing.
Several of the entities stopped or delayed payments to Animal Services last year when the city increased the cost of accepting and caring for animals from outlying jurisdictions in 2024. The city increased the intake fee from $60 to $100 and removed the cap that previously limited how many days the city could charge the daily fee. Previously, the city charged $18 a day for up to six days per animal. Now, it charges $27 a day for as long as the animal remains in the shelter.
The agreements automatically renew each fiscal year after the city adopts its annual budget and tax rate. The rates did not increase for the 2027 fiscal year that started on Sept. 1.
El Paso County Chief Administrator Betsy Keller said the county is auditing invoices to ensure the animals for which they’re being charged are from within the county limits. The county has made two large payments to the city – about $251,000 in 2025 and about $741,000 in July – and is working to settle the remaining balance.
“We have not received a report from the staff yet regarding the audit outcomes or updates, but this is in progress. We are hopeful that we can come to a more clear agreement and billing guidelines,” Deputy County Administrator Joel Bishop said.
The higher costs have some entities trying to renegotiate the agreement to make it more financially feasible.
“I’m really hoping for them (the city) – that they agree to go back to the early 2024 rates or terms,” San Elizario Mayor Miguel Chacon said.
San Elizario sent a formal letter to the city Aug. 13 that states it finds the “proposed rates for the upcoming contract renewal term unacceptable.”
The city of El Paso declined to comment on any potential contract negotiations as they are still under review.
“I didn’t have any problems paying $5,000-$6,000 per month, but now we are into the $18,000-$16,000 per month – so that’s why I’m approaching it (the agreement) – to negotiate those terms to put it back again to alleviate the financial burden to our city, especially our size,” Chacon said.
Removing the cap on the number of days the city of El Paso charges per animal is not financially sustainable, he said.
San Elizario does not have funding to build its own shelter, but also cannot afford to pay the higher costs for the agreement with the city. Chacon said they stopped paying the invoices earlier this year. In July, their outstanding balance was about $52,000.
The city of El Paso sends the partner municipalities weekly intake numbers for animals that are taken to the city shelter from their jurisdictions.
Interim Animal Services director Michael Wachsmann said the fees are necessary to cover the associated costs of caring for animals at the shelter that include factors such as their medical condition, any treatment required and their length of stay.
“There’s a financial attachment to the animals,” Wachsmann said. “We want there to be some kind of ownership of these animals.”
He said the mission remains keeping animals out of the shelter.
“At the end of the day, we’re trying to get animals into loving homes as quickly as possible,” he said. “We don’t want them to be here for those extra long days.”
The county is in the design phase of a $32.7 million animal shelter approved by voters in 2024 and last month approved a $21 million construction manager-at-risk contract with Dantex Construction Company Inc. The shelter is not expected to open until late 2029 and is expected to accommodate about 290 dogs and 100 cats, along with limited space for other animals to serve the county and unincorporated areas.
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