El Paso City Council Continues To Vote Against Its Constituents With Rises In Property Tax

El Pasoans packed City Hall for hours, passionately demanding that the City Council put an end to the massive Meta data center project in Northeast El Paso. Residents, students, and community groups raised valid alarms over environmental impacts, soaring electricity demand, and the heavy burden on the desert’s precious water supply. Yet, despite nearly 200 public comments with an overwhelming majority begging council members to scrap the deal, the El Paso City Council voted 5-3 to keep the economic development agreement with Meta intact. Spitting in the faces of El Paso citizens.

Adding to public frustration, Council also approved the Fiscal Year 2026-27 $658.6 million General Fund budget and adopted a property tax rate of $0.798000 per $100 of taxable value. Despite trim-downs totaling nearly $6.5 million in reductions, the move leaves single-family homeowners facing estimated property tax increases ranging from $9 to $20 per month. The tax hike is driven by rising public safety operational costs, debt service, replacing expiring federal funding, and state-mandated exemptions. Only Representatives Lily Limón and Cynthia Trejo voted against the budget measure.

City Council passing a policy banning future hyperscale data center incentives, refusing to pull back on the Meta contract while simultaneously raising local property taxes, makes one thing painfully clear: when it comes to standing up for the region's actual needs, City Hall continues to prioritize corporate interests over the voices of the people who elected them.

For a deeper look into the public reaction inside City Hall during the data center decision, check out the El Paso Council Backs Meta Data Center Amid Opposition video, which captures the intense community debate and crowd response.