County Pushes for 3-Cent Property Tax Increase to Avoid Bankruptcy

 

SAN ANGELO, TX – Tom Green County Commissioners voted to raise property taxes in 2018 no more than three cents more than the 2017 tax rate, triggering two public hearings this month. 

Frustrated by the skyrocketing cost of murder trials and cuts in state funding, Precinct One Commissioner Ralph Hoelscher read a list of 12 reasons the county had to increase property taxes. 

Hoelscher said, “In order to avoid county bankruptcy and a total shutdown of county services which includes law enforcement, the County Judge, Commissioners and others shall figure an estimated amount that would fully budget the county departments, increase the employee salaries and a contingency fund available to cover unknown expenses such as lawsuits and court appointed attorneys.”

The county tax rate for FY2017 is 51.50 cents per $100 in property value.  The rollback rate for FY2018 is 54.60 cents per $100 in property value.  Precinct four Commissioner Bill Ford argued that they needed to raise the tax rate to the rollback rate to balance the budget.  In the end, the court unanimously approved publishing a tax rate of 54.50 cents per $100 in property value, which creates a budget surplus of just over one million dollars.  

Hoelscher’s list included that the proposed budget with a tax rate of 52.50 cents per $100 had a deficit of $192,665.00, and the Texas legislature passed a measure to reimburse counties for spending on defense attorneys or indigent defendants who couldn’t afford to hire a lawyer.  The commissioner says the state has only reimbursed the county 5 percent of what it has spent. 

Hoelscher lists that the proposed budget and tax rate does not cover the unknown costs to house prisoners in other jails, or provide a new computer system for the Justices of the Peace, or cover state mandated indigent health care.  The proposal didn’t have enough funding for parks or roads or libraries and the “road department’s budgets should not be reduced to help fund court appointed attorneys. 

The commissioner says the proposed budget does not provide sufficient funds for volunteer fire departments or for cost of living raises for county employees and that additional revenue needs to be generated in 2018 for the county to be able to operate sufficiently if the legislature passes a law capping the amount of revenue the county could generate. 

Publishing the higher tax rate triggers two mandatory public hearings.  Those hearings will be held in the Commissioner’s Court room on the second floor of the Keyes building on August 15 at 9:30 a.m. and again on August 18 at 6:00 p.m.

In other business, commissioners set county elected officials salaries at two percent higher than the current base rate.  The 27 elected officials have ten days to contest the new salaries.  Commissioners also voted to add one attorney to the District Attorney’s office effective August 7.  

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ckc, Tue, 08/01/2017 - 19:07

According to my math if the tax rate for 2917 is $51.50 per $100 in property value and they unanimously approved publishing a tax rate of 54.50 cents per $100 in property value for 2018 that is an increase of $3 increase not 3 cents

Slate, Tue, 08/01/2017 - 21:50

VOTE NO ON THIS! WE DONT NEED ANY MORE DEADLY DRUGS FILLING THE STREETS KILLING OUR CHILDREN

If I understand it correctly, the current rate is $.5150 per $100 and the new rate would be $.5450 which is the 3 cent increase. It appears the original article didn't put the decimal in the correct place.

AWW NO! We do not need to tax increase. Maybe we need to have new commissioners, a new country judge, or lower their salaries. That sounds good, we need to lower their salaries . And a new DA ,OMGOSH! This is really getting out of hand. We are not Ft. Worth, Austin, or San Antiono. We are in a Small town that wants to act like we are big fish, hey! Really all we have are banks, stripes , and burger joints on every street here , oh sure we are getting new shops , and places to work.... but also we DO NOT HAVE THE WATER .

CAN,T AGREE MORE.JUST LOOK AT THE LATEST COMMISSIONERS REPORT,IT POST THEIR SALARIES.OUR ONLY OPTION IS TO VOTE THE GOOD OLE BOY SYSTEM OUT.IT,S TIME FOR CHANGE !!!!!

that's too bad Susan. Any of those cities have cheaper county tax rates than us. Dallas Co is only half as much as Tom Green

source - 2016 rate searches via google
Dallas (Dallas Co) 0.2523
San Antonio (Bexar CO) 0.2975
Austin (Travis Co) 0.3838
Houston (Harris Co) 0.4173
Lubbock (Lubbock Co) 0.4484
San Angelo (Tom Green) 0.5125

twr_98, Fri, 08/04/2017 - 12:03

The simple flaw in your logic is that TGC land is not worth as much as the urban land you are referring to. They can raise the value of your homes/lots/buildings/farm land, and reduce the amount of your taxes, but you will still need to contribute the same amount to cover the budget. Example: Raise the value of a currently $200,000 home to $300,000, reduce the tax rate to say .363 from .545 and you get the same taxes. Would that make you happier? That is why a POS house in Austin is worth $300,000 when here it would be worth $70,000.

Here we go again, the meeting is when? 9:30 a. m.? That's just great! They have it then so that a lot of people can not attend. Rate increase, no, they need to cut their salaries , I think 85,000 is a bit too much for a country judge ? I may have to reread the article but just who in the SAM HILL do they think they are??? Everyone is going broke trying to pay taxes. I am so sick of this town acting like we are something we are not. We are really a retirement town, and should stay that way. But this town has really grown in 20 years and not all of it is good. Does anyone remember that Bell Street was nothing but BEER JOINTS? I DO! I Learned how to dance under the stars at age 5 , good ole days...lol... San Angelo, used to be a good little town, it seems like with all the new people coming in, new places to work, ect. we have forgotten how to help each other, be kind, I could go on and on.... All we think about now is how to put the screw to someone, how to steal, kill, hurt, and the city and county how to tax you, make rules , put your butt in jail for trash and weeds? pets not fixed???? OMG! what will be the new rules? WHAT WILL THEY TAX NEXT? Where did the common sense go? Yes, we need to start all over and get rid of everyone in office and get some dumb redneck ranchers and farmers in there . Then I think or know they could balance the budget, and keep the nut cases at bay. I really liked Mayor Lowe and we could use him now.

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