| ILIANA HOLGUIN COUNTY COMMISSIONER PRECINCT 3 |
| August 19, 2025 |
| Commissioner Iliana Holguin Was the Lone “No” on Property Tax IncreaseSays Unfunded Mandates Can’t Be a Blank Check—Cut Costs First, Use Reserves Responsibly |
| EL PASO COUNTY, Texas – On Monday, the El Paso County Commissioners Court voted 4–1 to raise the property tax rate for Fiscal Year 2026. While coverage has focused on the Court’s approval of the increase, it is important to note that Commissioner Iliana Holguin (Precinct 3) voted NO and was the only dissenting vote. “Our residents are still struggling, and raising taxes should be the absolute last resort,” Commissioner Holguin said. “Counties will always face unfunded mandates from the State of Texas, but we cannot keep using them as the automatic justification to raise taxes on our residents.” The adopted rate is $0.458889 per $100 of property value, up from $0.426323 last year, and will add about $137.81 per year, or $11.48 per month, to the average homeowner’s bill. “We have other tools at our disposal. Before asking taxpayers to shoulder more, we should be looking at where we can reduce costs and make programs more efficient, especially in areas that are not mandated by law. And we should be willing to use our reserves responsibly—this is exactly the kind of situation they exist for. We can fund our essential services, meet our legal obligations, and maintain public safety without defaulting to tax increases. My vote was about protecting families and pushing for fiscal discipline.” |
