Politics
El Paso Water Rates: November Referendum Impact
El Paso voters decide November water infrastructure referendum. Learn how the quarter-cent sales tax could affect your utility bill and water system repairs.
How we reported this
El Paso residents will vote in November on a ballot measure to create a one-quarter cent sales tax for water system upgrades, applying to purchases made within city limits and directly affecting monthly utility statements for the more than 670,000 people counted in the latest U.S. Census Bureau data for the area.
The proposal arrives as the city updates its 2027 capital improvement plan amid repeated reports of aging pipes that lose an estimated 15 percent of treated water before it reaches homes, a figure drawn from the El Paso Water Utilities annual system loss audit filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Under the measure, revenue would support replacement of transmission lines along the Upper Valley corridor and expansion of conservation rebates already offered to customers who install low-flow fixtures, changes that would appear as a separate line item on water bills rather than a general property tax increase.
Community Input on Service Delivery
Policy analysts reviewing the draft ordinance note that the tax would generate roughly $28 million annually based on current taxable sales reported by the Texas Comptroller, money the legislation restricts to capital projects and not to operating costs or administrative salaries. Local advocates point out that households using more than 10,000 gallons per month could see an average $4 to $7 rise in combined water and sewer charges once the tax takes effect in 2027, while lower-volume users in multifamily buildings would experience smaller shifts.
City budget documents show that emergency water purchases from the Rio Grande Project exceeded $12 million in fiscal year 2025, costs the new fund is projected to offset over time by reducing reliance on spot-market supplies during dry periods.
Ballot language must be finalized by the city clerk by 1 August, after which the measure will appear on the uniform election ballot alongside any county propositions, with early voting scheduled to begin 19 October at the El Paso County Coliseum and other designated sites.