Surprise!

Well, there it is.

The El Paso Times reports that the University Medical Center, overseen by the El Paso County Commissioners Court and yet itself a taxing entity, will raise its tax rate this year by the largest amount allowed under Texas law without putting it to a vote by the citizens.

The University Medical Center of El Paso Board of Managers is proposing a 1.3 cent property tax increase for the new 2017 fiscal year.

The proposed increase represents about $17 more a year, or $1.40 a month, for an average homeowner. The average home value in El Paso County is $123,000.

The UMC board is proposing adopting the rollback tax rate of 23.34 cents for every $100 of taxable property value. The rollback tax rate is the highest tax rate a government organization can adopt before taking it to the voters for approval.

The only question now is who will drop the next shoe? The Community College, or the Children’s Hospital?

How many taxing jurisdictions are there in El Paso? Eight? Ten? A thousand? I reckon there are enough shoes left to drop that El Paso falls somewhere between a spider and Imelda Marcos.

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