If paying high property taxes is your goal, El Paso is the place to be.
Getting Better
In For whom the bill tolls we saw that El Paso was the 6th most expensive city for property taxes on a $150,000 home among the largest 50 cities in the country for the year 2009.
We saw us getting closer to first place with a 2011 rating of 5th place.
These numbers come from the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence. The issues of state income tax, average home values, and commercial taxation were covered in For whom the bill tolls.
And better
The 2012 numbers are out. El Paso now ranks as the 4th most expensive city using that same ranking study.
If our goal is to get to the top of that list we are well on our way. We’ve steadily gotten higher on the list, going from 6th place to 5th and then to 4th.
More to come
The 2012 numbers are before demolishing city hall, remodeling new buildings for city staff, building the ballpark, building new hospital clinics, and the quality of life bonds we passed last year.
Wait until next year
We are seeing the local governments come forward with public and hidden tax increases. If the cities above us on the list don’t get to work and raise more taxes it looks like we can get to the number 3 spot for 2013.
This 2011 US News and World Report article puts the 2009 median household income for El Paso as next to last among US metropolitan areas of 500,000 people or more.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
The juxtaposition of the 4th highest tax rates against the 2nd lowest income level is an equation for disaster.
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One wonders if the appraisal district’s valuations of property are intentionally and fraudulently inflated in order to enable the city and county to collect more taxes. Have appraisal district and city and county management conspired to raise or arbitrarily raised valuations? Case in point is some of the huge increases in commercial property valuations, which many property owners complained about in recent years. Who actually reviews and analyzes the data and methodologies used to support these valuations and the increases in valuations? Even if they use an outside accounting firm to assist with that, the motives of the outside firm have to be questioned if they are being paid by the appraisal district.
The documents and e-mails related to appraisals and tax increases are the ones I would be interested in seeing. Imagine the treasure trove of internal and inter-agency communications. This is a class action lawsuit waiting to happen. Unlike Western Refinery, most homeowners individually do not have the knowledge, time or financial means to challenge the appraisal of their property and their tax bill.
These are the kinds of questions the local media should be investigating.
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