ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

CITY REP ALEJANDRA CHAVEZ RAKES IN $55,457 FROM ONLY 37 CONTRIBUTORS

Item 14 of the City Council Agenda for June 23 reveals that Alejandra Chavez, City Representative of District 1 and a prominent member of the Oligarchy Caucus, recently raised $55,457 from only 37 individuals.

We all recognize the most prominent names: Gaddy, Porras, Mora, Cardwell, Aguilar, Goodman, Spier, Burton, Rubin, Hunt, Dipp, Foster, Houghton, Robison, Francis, Jobe, Castro, Margo, Fernandez, Osborn, Karlsruher, and Escudero.

Of course, Chavez voted for a property tax increase without blinking and she will do it again. She believes in large “capital improvement” projects and is totally committed to the Debt Plaza. She has no compunction about issuing large bonds and spiking our debt.

In short, she supports anything her elite contributors desire, no matter the cost.

Thankfully, she is being challenged this November by Dr. Sam Armijo, a fierce fiscal conservative who holds a PhD in Materials Science from Stanford University, was General Manager of Global Nuclear Fuels for General Electric, administered $500 million in orders, and has more financial acumen than the Mayor and all eight members of City Council combined.

We asked him why he is running for office and he told us “I want El Paso to be fiscally sound with the lowest tax burden possible. I want City spending focused on essential services and not on entertainment projects such as the Deck Plaza.”

Armijo will represent the taxpayers of District 1.

Chavez represents whoever gives her the most money.

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

WATCH RENARD LIE

https://t.co/8t5p6KmPKP

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

EPISD SALARIES REVEALED

At the El Paso Taxpayer Revolt, we regularly publish the salaries of public servants, and today we are sharing the salaries of all 7,462 EPISD employees in descending order.

The list is current as of May 21 and we received it after submitting an open records request, for which the district charged us $30.00. We have never once been charged for a salary list by a local taxing entity until now.

EPISD payroll accounts for 89% of their budget, and given their current financial challenges, we felt it important to share this information with the media and public at large.

The highest paid employee is Superintendent Brian Lusk, who earns $360,000, more than double the salary of Governor Greg Abbot.

120 employees earn over $100,000 per year, up from 98 employees in August 2023 (the last time we checked).

Ranking the employees in descending order of income, one must scroll down to the 473rd employee before finding a teacher! That would be Maria Hughes, who teaches art to elementary students and earns $82,559 per year.

It is sobering to remember that Lyndon B. Johnson was educated in a one-room school house that had only a single employee (the teacher), and he went on to become President of the United States.

How did it come to this, and how is it that we have nine school districts, each with a superintendent and hundreds of administrators, in a County with less than 878,000 inhabitants?

Lord help us.

EPISD SALARIES: https://t.co/54IZaCWfUT

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

CITY TO INCREASE AVERAGE PROPERTY TAX BY $105, FY2027 BUDGET TO INCREASE 1.7% TO $1.405 BILLION

Mayor Renard Johnson promised repeatedly to lower our property tax while campaigning for office.

How has that worked out?

For FY 2026, the Mayor presided over an average property tax increase of $83 and then tried to deceive the public by bragging about a lower tax rate (which was more than cancelled out by the increase in property valuations).

For FY 2027, the Mayor will preside over an average property tax increase of $105.

Thus, since the Mayor assumed office on January 7, 2025, we have seen the City property tax on the average-valued home increase by $188.

The Mayor is a liar and should resign.

Any questions?

TAX INCREASE FOR FY 2026:
https://t.co/ZFicxQmmnl

TAX INCREASE FOR FY 2027:
https://t.co/lUzfbR1NlL

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

CITY TO INCREASE PROPERTY TAX 2ND YEAR IN A ROW

The Mayor promised repeatedly to lower our property tax during his election campaign.

We are now facing the second tax increase since he entered office.

Renard Johnson is a liar of the lowest order.

https://t.co/e6Lj9D9rKx

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

EPISD BOARD PRESIDENT LEAH HANANY REACTS TO NEWS OF $52.7M BUDGET GAP

We guess Hanany will no longer be able to implement her Marxist agenda.

She claims she had no knowledge of this financial debacle until today.
Maybe it would have been wiser to close Lamar and the other schools that are mostly empty instead of virtue-signaling while the district sank into debt.

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

CITY POPULATION DECLINES BY 2,209 FROM 2024 TO 2025, BUT WHY?

According to estimates from the US Census Bureau, the population of the City of El Paso decreased by 2,209 inhabitants from 2024 to 2025.

During the same period, the portion of El Paso County outside the city limits gained about 245 people.

According to a report by Bob Moore of El Paso Matters, El Paso saw the largest population decline of any Texas city and the seventh largest in the nation.

He suggests this trend stems from (1) rapidly declining birth rates, (2) less immigration from Mexico, and (3) young adults leaving El Paso for better economic opportunities.

Moore adds that private-sector wages in El Paso County are 38% below the Texas average and that the job growth rate is approximately half that of the state.

He interviewed UTEP Prof. Tom Fullerton, who speculated that “anti-trade movements” and the recent “immigration crackdown” are also factors in the population drop.

IGNORING THE GIANT PINK ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

In his analysis, Moore does not show that El Paso birth rates are declining faster than in the rest of Texas. He presents no statistics for the decrease in immigration from Mexico or the exodus of young adults from El Paso. Likewise, Fullerton does not quantify how federal trade and immigration policies impact El Paso.

As far as we can tell, it is all speculation.

Moore and apparently Fullerton ignore completely the gigantic pink elephant in the room: high taxation.

Our property tax is obscenely high and continues to rise as local governments pass one bloated budget after another. It is driving people from their homes, especially the poor and elderly.

There are no statistics for how many El Pasoans are fleeing for New Mexico, Arizona and other places because the property tax is lower, but we all know former neighbors who have moved to Santa Teresa, Las Cruces, etc. for this very reason.

That is why the New Mexico communities in close proximity to El Paso have seen their populations explode in the last 15 years. El Pasoans are moving there in droves.

Bob Moore, Mayor Johnson, Ricardo Samaniego, and their political allies do not want to discuss the direct relationship between high taxation and our demographic decline because it does not suit their political agenda. They will always think of other reasons and advocate publicly to distract us from the truth.

Fortunately, we are not that stupid and can see the pink elephant standing right in front of us.

https://t.co/AbLRZRGkqh

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

Mayor Johnson campaigned on lowering our property tax but City Council voted to increase it 4.3% last August without a whimper of opposition.

When asked last week by KTSM 9 News when he planned to implement his strategy to lower our property tax, he admitted "I may not ever see it in my lifetime."

Mayor Johnson campaigned on fixing our streets but the annual earmark remains only $10 million, with $66M in bond debt picking up the slack over the next two fiscal years.

Mayor Johnson campaigned on bringing industry to El Paso but all the current successes were engineered by the previous City Council.

More than 16 months into his term, it is clear that Renard Johnson is nothing but a tool for the big developers and their bankers and attorneys.

The only thing he seems passionate about is a Debt Plaza over Interstate 10, which will definitely increase our taxes even more.

Mayor Johnson has betrayed his campaign promises to the taxpayers, who have already taken back control of the County Commissioners Court. Now it is time to replace Johnson with a fiscal conservative and fix City Council.

We need a team leader to recall Johnson as well blockwalkers and other volunteers. We will also need financial conrributors to pay for the effort.

Please message us with your name, email address, and phone number if you are with us and can volunteer time or money!

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

KENNEDY ACCUSES COUNTY OF ILLEGAL BACKDOOR DISCUSSIONS FOR MANAGEMENT OF COLISEUM

At the May 4 Commissioners Court meeting, Tony Rodriguez of the El Paso Sports Commission alleged the County entered into secret talks with UTEP to manage the County Coliseum, leaving the Judge and Commissioners in shock.

Chief Administrator Betsy Keller insisted there will be an RFP for a new management contract, to start October 1, 2027, and that a vendor has not yet been selected.

We asked her via email: "Did you enter into negotiations with UTEP to replace the Sports Commission in the management of the Coliseum, and without the knowledge of the Commissioners Court?"
She responded, "No, I have not entered negotiations with UTEP (or anyone) to replace the Sports Commission in the management of the Coliseum.[...] What my staff has done is work on an RFP to prepare to go out for bid for these services as we head into the end of the current contract with the Sports Commission."

BRIAN KENNEDY INVESTIGATES

But during public comment at the Commissioners Court meeting this past Monday, Brian Kennedy accused County staff of engaging in an illegal backdoor deal and jeopardizing his own company's plan to submit a bid.

In other words, Kennedy has standing to sue the County for illegally steering a contract.

He revealed his law firm is investigating and has already acquired evidence of malfeasance: "Beginning last September, there was meetings, lunches, and substantive agreements about handing the Coliseum over to UTEP with an interlocal agreement that would not require a bid."

He accused County staff of violating both state and federal law and of potentially committing a third-degree felony, concluding with "Someone got caught!"

We applaud Kennedy in his effort to identify and root out corruption in our County and hope he builds a strong case and files suit. It would be interesting to see whether Keller and her staffers would submit to discovery and depositions.

KENNEDY'S REMARKS:
https://t.co/hdEknbh7cc

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

MAYOR ON LOWERING PROPERTY TAX: "I MAY NOT EVER SEE IT IN MY LIFETIME"

Andy Morgan of KTSM 9 News recently interviewed Mayor Johnson.

We learned the network sent the Mayor's office the questions in advance, which was a huge mistake. No journalist should ever submit questions in advance to a sitting politician!

The interview was a standard fluff piece, with the Mayor musing about the future potential of the City without being forced to explain what he has actually done.

But we give Morgan credit for one big zinger. When asked what his plan is for implementing a lower property tax in the future, the Mayor responded:

"I may never see it in my lifetime."

We have watched the Mayor's core campaign pledge to lower our property tax evolve into "It will take time" and finally into "Not in my lifetime."

It is rare that a sitting politician utters a phrase, Intentionally or not, that will totally destroy his political career, but there it is!

Whoever runs to unseat Renard in 2028 will send out a lethal mailer with the Mayor's quote in bold type across the front.

https://t.co/HArqgbRRSM

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

DR. SAM ARMIJO TO CHALLENGE CITY REP. ALEJANDRA CHAVEZ OF DISTRICT 1!

Dr. Sam Armijo is a fierce fiscal conservative and is running for City District 1 against tax-and-spend incumbent Alejandra Chavez.

Armijo, who holds a PhD in Materials Science from Stanford University, was General Manager of Global Nuclear Fuels for General Electric, administered $500 million in orders, and has more financial acumen than the Mayor and all eight members of City Council combined.

We asked him why he is running for office, and he told us “I want El Paso to be fiscally sound with the lowest tax burden possible. I want City spending focused on essential services and not on entertainment projects such as the Deck Plaza.”

He authored Proposition 1 for the Republican primary ballot, opposing “the spending or commitment of tax dollars for the promotion, design, or construction of the proposed” Debt Plaza. 15,361 Republicans voted for the proposition, which passed by 65%.

On May 4, Armijo submitted the required form to the City Clerk designating a campaign treasurer and announcing his candidacy.

He was one of four candidates for City Council in the General Election of November 5, 2024 but lost in the first round to Chavez and Monica Reyes after winning only 15% of the vote.

We feel confident Armijo will run a far stronger and better financed campaign this time and will overpower Chavez, who voted to increase our property tax, supports the Debt Plaza, and is a tool of the Oligarchs.

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

DID KELLER ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS TO REPLACE MANAGEMENT OF COUNTY COLISEUM?

Yesterday the El Paso Sports Commission gave its quarterly financial presentation to the County Commissioners Court, reporting $459,873 in revenue in the second fiscal quarter.

The presentation was typical and unremarkable until Tony Rodriguez, Director of Events, made an interesting comment toward the end.

He stated that four different individuals told him–including one in April–that there is a plan for UTEP to replace the El Paso Sports Commission in the management of the County Coliseum.

The nonprofit Sports Commission has managed the facility for nearly 23 years, bringing in a variety of big-ticket events while also accommodating local schools and professional sports teams.

COMMISSIONERS COURT LEFT IN THE DARK

After his remarks, the County Judge and Commissioners stared at Rodriguez in stunned silence, as they had no idea what he was talking about. Last year there had been a single casual mention that UTEP might be interested in the Coliseum, but that was it.

In reply, Samaniego exclaimed “It’s never come through the Commissioners Court!” That’s right. The Commissioners Court never voted to direct staff to negotiate with the university.

Betsy Keller, the Chief Administrator of the County, was the only one who seemed to be in the know and it was obvious she had communicated with UTEP officials.

She confirmed that a RFP is in the works and that the County will be soliciting bids to manage the Coliseum once the Sports Commission’s contract expires at the end of next fiscal year, September 30, 2027.

She hastened to add that the bidding process will be open to all parties, including the El Paso Sports Commission, and so UTEP has not been selected.

However, the optics were poor and there were several embarrassed faces in the room.

We asked Keller if she had been negotiating to have UTEP replace the Sports Commission in the management of the Coliseum and without the knowledge of the Commissioners Court, but we did not receive a reply.

$12M FOR COLISEUM INFRASTRUCTURE, SECOND SHEET OF ICE AND FIELD HOUSE TO BE BUILT

At then end of the presentation, Cory Herman, founder of the El Paso Hockey Association and owner of the Rhinos, announced plans to add a second sheet of ice to the Coliseum for hockey and competition skating, and then build an indoor field house for lacrosse, volleyball, and other sports.

This morning the Sports Commission announced they “have joined with the El Paso Rhinos to give a huge improvement in the quality of life for everyone.” Not only will there be a second sheet of ice, but 12 million dollars will be injected “into the infrastructure of the Coliseum without using property taxes.”

The statement indicates there will only be a deal if the Sports Commission is retained as the manager of the Coliseum.

We expect the RFP to be released within two or three weeks and will continue to follow this story.

El Paso Taxpayer Revolt

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

KVIA TAKES POSITION AGAINST LIMITING SPEECH OF CITY REPS

On April 1, City Council voted 6-2 to direct the City Manager and City Attorney to draft a resolution designating the Mayor as the sole spokesperson of the City for emergencies and “high-level” issues, effectively restricting the speech of City Council representatives.

The co-sponsors of the agenda item, Reps. Art Fierro and Deanna Maldonado-Rocha, claim the aim of the proposed policy is to disseminate correct information during crises and prevent confusion, but its obvious purpose is to stifle dissent.

Only Reps. Acevedo and Canales voted “nay.”

During discussion, City Attorney Karla Nieman stated, “In speaking with my colleagues across the state, none of the cities that have a city manager form of government have anything like this.”

City Manager Dionne Mack claimed Dallas has a policy similar to the one under consideration but Engle checked with Dallas and confirmed this is false, which was then corroborated by City Spokeswoman Laura Cruz-Acosta.

KVIA TAKES A STAND

We were the first media outlet to report on this issue but apparently not the only one feeling alarmed.

Today Lesley Engle, Content Manager for ABC-7 and one of the most respected investigative journalists in El Paso, sent a letter to the Mayor and City Council strongly opposing the proposed policy, which would “limit and restrict public discussion by elected officials.”

According to Engle, the policy “risks creating message control at the expense of transparency.”

This afternoon we spoke to the General Manager of the network, Brenda De Anda-Swann, who confirmed that Engle’s letter accurately represents the position of KVIA.

We hope other local media outlets will also have the courage to take a stand against the proposed City policy, which would be an intolerable violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

El Paso Taxpayer Revolt

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

CITY’S BOND OVERVIEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE NOW OVERSEES ALL GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS

We reported on March 27, 2025 that Reps. Chris Canales and Lily Limon spearheaded an effort to expand the scope of the Bond Overview Advisory Committee, which only had purview over the 2012 Quality of Life Bond.

On November 5, 2019, the voters approved the Public Safety Bond, authorizing the issuance of $413,122,650 for Police and Fire facilities, including $90.6 million for a new police station, $38.6 million for an Upper East Side Regional Command Center, and $74.4 million for renovating several fire stations.

On November 8, 2022, the voters went on to approve all three propositions of the $272,480,000 Community Progress Bond, which provides $246,480,000 for street improvements, $20,800,000 for parks and recreation facilities, and $5,200,000 for climate initiatives.

In total, we’re talking about $685,602,650 in debt issues, amounting to well over $1 billion in principal and interest.

On April 1, 2025, the proposal to expand BOAC to provide citizen oversight of both the 2019 and 2022 general obligation bonds came before City Council for a vote but failed 6-2, with Canales and Limon as the lone supporters.

Canales had hoped to “expand BOAC’s role and make it a permanent standing committee�� but he and Limon failed to convince their colleagues.

After that vote, there was a great deal of behind-the scenes wrangling before there was enough momentum to bring forward the proposal for a final vote, which happened September 3, 2025, when it appeared on the consent agenda as item 10 and passed unanimously.

We are pleased to report that BOAC now has purview over all general obligation bonds, now and in the future, and that it currently includes several citizens with solid business acumen. The committee met for the first time since the September vote on March 16, 2026 and is supposed to meet twice each year.

We erroneously reported this past April 10 that BOAC did not have purview over the two current GO bonds. We regret the error as well as our failure to report on the September 3 vote extending BOAC’s authority to all GO bonds.

We wish to congratulate Reps. Canales and Limon on a job well done!

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

PER-STUDENT COST OF CANUTILLO ISD CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION MORE THAN DOUBLE EPISD

Socorro ISD recently compiled statistics on the five largest school districts in El Paso County: Socorro ISD, El Paso ISD, Ysleta ISD, Clint ISD, and Canutillo ISD.

The Budget Advisory Committee of Socorro ISD shared these statistics with the Board of Trustees in the form of a PowerPoint presentation.

Page 11 shows the per-student cost of the central administration of each of the five school districts and it jumped right off the page at us!

By a very wide margin, Canutillo ISD has the most bloated central administration, costing $661 per student, compared to $276 for Socorro ISD, $304 for El Paso ISD, $338 for Ysleta ISD, and $390 for Clint ISD.

If these stats are accurate, Canutillo ISD has a very serious financial problem that needs urgent attention.

Canutillo ISD is the same district that promoted a massively bloated $386.2 million bond, which the voters passed May 4, 2024 with only 4.75% turnout. The following September 10, their Board of Trustees enacted a record increase, resulting in $281 additional property tax for the average-valued home.

Canutillo ISD is a financial basket case and urgently needs a structural audit.

We just submitted a public information request for a complete list of their employees along with their job titles and salaries.

2026 BAC REPORT:
https://t.co/OWbfofj8Ot

[ElPasoTaxpayerRevolt @EPTaxRevolt]

SHOULD MAYOR JOHNSON BE THE SOLE CITY SPOKESMAN ON “HIGH-LEVEL” ISSUES?

On June 10, 2019, City Council voted to establish a Code of Conduct, confirming Mayor Dee Margo as “the designated representative of the Council to present and speak on the official city position.”

The Code further stipulates that City Representatives and other City officials "must support and advocate the official City position on an issue, not a personal viewpoint."

When assuming office, City Representatives must sign this document which, in our view, includes blatant violations of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

APRIL FOOLS' DAY POWER GRAB

Fast forward to this past April 1, when Reps. Art Fierro and Deanna Maldonado-Rocha put up agenda item 31, directing the City Manager and City Attorney "to draft a resolution establishing the City’s Institutional Spokesperson Roles for citywide policy and administrative matters."

This one slipped past our local media, probably because the language of the proposal conceals its real intent. Fully understanding the item requires watching the video of the 68-minute discussion starting at the 5:06 mark.

Clearly, the aim of the proposed resolution is to empower the Mayor to be the sole spokesman for the City on "high-level" or "emergency" issues, with staff determining which issues meet that threshold.

Fierro insisted this "has nothing to do with muzzling" members of City Council, but rather is meant to establish "guardrails" to prevent the spread of misinformation.

Mayor Johnson added that the public and media deserve the "best information" during moments of crisis and that he alone should be the one to provide that information in order to prevent confusion.

Yet according to City Attorney Nieman, no other Texas city has such a policy: "In speaking with my colleagues across the state, none of the cities that have a city manager form of government have anything like this."

She admitted the proposed resolution would "regulate speech" but then claimed it will not "muzzle speech."

Rep. Canales pointed out the Code of Conduct already establishes the Mayor as the official City spokesman, though it permits City reps to express their personal opinions.

Rep. Acevedo was concerned the resolution might curtail his First Amendment right to communicate whatever he pleases to his constituents.

The one public speaker, Patricia Osmond, excoriated City Council: "We do not vote for each and every one of you so you can be in lockstep with the Mayor."

In the end, City Council voted 6-2 in support of the agenda item, with Canales and Acevedo dissenting.

The bottom line is this: If the media wish to contact the Mayor during a crisis, they are free to do so, and if they wish to contact a City Council Representative to obtain an alternate opinion, they should be free to do so as well.

Our City Council has no business restricting the speech of City Council representatives for any reason whatsoever. Democracy can be chaotic and that is the price of government by consensus.

We did not appoint a king to rule El Paso and exclusively represent its policies and actions. All elected representatives and even staffers should have the right to express their opinions.

Restricting the speech of elected representatives is a step toward monarchy, period, and no politician will convince us otherwise!

When this abomination returns to City Council for a final vote, we will oppose it with every ounce of our energy.

CITY CODE OF CONDUCT: https://t.co/0JD50EW72l