County Commissioners: Blame County Property Tax Increase on Texas Legislature

 

SAN ANGELO, TX — “In ten years I won’t be able to afford a home.” Johnson Brown told Tom Green County Commissioners during a public hearing on the County’s proposed three cent property tax rate increase Tuesday.  

Brown was one of five taxpayers who testified at length before the court opposing the proposed increase.  He was referring to the increase in his property tax appraisal which comes from the Appraisal District of Tom Green County and not the Commissioner’s Court.  

The appraisal district sets the value of property.  The court sets a tax rate each year as does each taxing entity including cities, school districts, counties and special districts like water districts and emergency services districts which collect property tax to fund services.

County Judge Steve Floyd detailed the county’s budget process in a powerpoint presentation.  Tom Green County has $9.23 billion in taxable property.  After deducting the 20 percent homestead exemption and the $25,000 exemption for property owners who are over 65-years-old and all other mandatory exemptions, the county only assesses property tax on $6.49 billion.

The process for assessing and collecting property tax in Texas is complicated.  In recent years, property tax values have been driven by the method of funding public schools.  Basically, the Texas Legislature sets a budget every two years which includes a specific amount of funding for public schools.  

Then the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts sets a value of all the property in each school district.  The appraisal districts then have to assess property values within five percent of the value set by the Comptroller.  Then taxing entities set a tax rate to fund the services they provide.  

In Tom Green County, the fiscal year 2017 tax rate was 51.5 cents per $100 in property value.  The proposed rate for fiscal year 2018 is 54.5 cents per $100.  To put that into perspective, Floyd said, “The very first property tax rate assessed in 1878 in Tom Green County was 50 cents per $100 in property value.”

Some of the people at the meeting were there because Pct. 1 Commissioner Ralph Hoelscher said the County had to increase the tax rate to avoid bankruptcy during a budget hearing earlier this month.

Floyd said part of the increase comes from the cost of capital murder cases and indigent defense attorneys.  County taxpayers pay for all trials held in the County.  Capital murder cases are very expensive because of expert witnesses, multiple attorneys and the time it takes to bring a capital murder case to trial.  

Floyd said it’s difficult to specify the exact cost of an average capital murder trial.  “I’ve seen estimates from $300,000 to $3 million.”

Currently there are 15 capital murder cases pending in Tom Green County.  

San Angelo taxpayer Mary Casper was the first to address the Court. “There are a lot of people who are upset that they saw the County was facing bankruptcy and giving elected officials a two percent raise at the same time.”

Casper had a copy of the proposed budget.  “Why are we paying longevity pay for elected officials?  Why is the budget for travel and training over $300,000?” She asked.  

Floyd explained that elected officials perform a job just like appointed department heads and should be compensated the same way.  He also said that the travel and training in addition to having employees and elected officials attend conferences that some of it was to bring professionals to the county to train here.  

Former County Human Resources Director Terry Mobley testified that he was against the proposed tax increase while he understood the pressure of unfunded mandates from the State Legislature.

Gilbert Gallegos testified. “I have a problem with the Court getting a two percent raise.”  “It’s time for leadership.”  He told the Court to give the employees a pay raise but not the Court.  

Grape Creek resident Chris Younts said no one wants the County to go bankrupt.  “I was very confused and I’m still not real clear. Y’all are the managers of the County.”  Younts said as a businessman when your going bankrupt you don’t get paid.  

After two hours of testimony the Court took a short break.  After the break, Floyd and the court held a wide ranging discussion with the attendees describing how the legislature had already passed a state budget that included increased school property taxes.  He said lawmakers at the special session in Austin were working on a property tax relief plan that would limit how much cities and counties could raise tax rates without an automatic tax rollback election, but that plan will not affect the state budget already passed.  

The Commissioners' Court has a final public hearing on the proposed property tax rate this Friday, August 18 at 6:00 p.m. on the second floor of the Keyes building, 113 W. Beauregard.  

 

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regarding the automatic tax rollback election proposal hilarious. Either they are stupid or they think we all are.

First, they argue that it somehow violates the voters will to give the voters a say in whether tax rates should go up. Excuse me? Letting the voters vote on it and express their will, violates their will? How many of them ran on a platform promising to jack tax rates to the sky and won? That's what I thought.

Second, in many areas tax appraisals are increasing at the 10% maximum allowed every year. Anybody here seeing their wages increase 10% per year? On top of that elected officials feel they need the ability to raise tax rates an unlimited amount as well? That's ridiculous. With a 10% increase in appraisals and a 4% increase in the tax rate, they are bringing in 14.4% more revenue without having to get approval as it is. If your economy is growing at 2% and your government at 14.4%, you have a problem.

I'm pretty sure none of us voted for that.

Taxes with this tax increase this year have gotten out of hand. Last year unfortunately we were able to file a disability exemption of our taxes which decreased them around 450.00 per year. Now with the increase they are back up. Needless to say I don't see our income doing up. The people next door also filed a protest against the higher rate and lost that battle also. There house was appraised for more by the appraiser with the real estate agency than what they could even sell it for but they ended up selling it for the tax appraisal value of $175,000. Now that is after he paid 177,000 it and put in all new appliances, all new hardwood floor, new landscaping, new paint, a water softner and RO system and a alarm system. They lived there less than a year before they had to move. So no one can tell me the tax appraisal value are fair. He sold it for 175,000 and took a HUGE loss. I feel sure if I were to sell mine it would not appraise for what it did in 2015 nor would it appraise for the tax value. Land does not just jump up $10,000 in value when there are not lots in the area for sale to compare to. I wish I could get a 2% raise and wish I had medical insurance too. So for the County employes,count your blessings.

LOL..... As I have said before, get rid of al of them and put someone in there that will do the job correctly . Give them 90 days, if the public does not like what and how they are doing, give them the pink slip.
Demand a budget and publish what, who and where they spend the money, no working lunches, how many of us take a sandwitch? Get down to the basics. They use the taxpayers money too freely.

I know what your talking about. they are going to vote for an increase on their salaries!!!!! OMG! TOO MUCH! WAKE UP SAN ANGELO! We the people need to do something and not sit on our butts and gripe. This has gotten so out of hand. What ? 300,000 for travel and education? no way!!!! We need to stop some if not all the ""travel and education"" we have been lax in not paying attention .

Local Tax Assessors offices have Carte Blanc to set valuations based on sales in neighborhoods. Local taxing entities like school boards, county management boards, etc keep getting more money from rates assessed and that money is too often used for pay raises rather than road and bridge maintenance. Pay raises and administrative perks need to be shut down! These actions are in no way "conservative!"

twr_98, Fri, 08/18/2017 - 16:30

Are you people kidding? $300,000 is for the ENTIRE county, not just the Commissioners from my understanding. The State mandates that training be done so you don't have idiots handling the County. Treasurer's Office, Indigent Health, Courts, DA, County Attorney, Adult and Juvenile Probation, Sheriff's Office, CASA, Jail. All require new materials every time laws, rules and regulations, etc change and those materials are not cheap. When a new system is installed to streamline, do you think that it's easy to convert to a new system without training? Get a grip.

Put a pencil to it, the tax increase for most will be less than $50 a year. If you only figure the County tax. County offices do many things that require more training as the laws change state and federal so the training is needed.

No, you need to get a grip . It does not take that much money, With any new system there is training, But the training comes online or someone comes to teach how its done.
Also, what about income tax? You can deduct travel, education, and such off, I do not know if you all do an income tax, but you should. Also who does the accounting /I think all of that is public intrest.
No, we are not stupid, but some others are if they think we believe all the stuff that's being told to us.

twr_98, Mon, 08/21/2017 - 13:45

Susan,
Do you think that online trainings are free or that a trainer comes to do trainings for free? It doesn't happen. You have to pay for each person being trained. How many people work for the county, what is average cost of training each one? That is what you should ask. What about income tax? Do you propose that employees pay for the trainings themselves to do their jobs? Would you? I sure wouldn't pay thousands of my own dollars to wait until the end of the year to deduct a portion of it while I work for someone else? The accounting, by my understanding, is done by the Treasurer and the County Auditor. All of it is public information. Do a FOIA request if what you're getting isn't up to your standard. No, I don't think "we" are stupid, but some like you choose to be because you don't think things through, you gut react to what you think should be, not reality. If you don't like it, run for office.

I just may run for office, because I sure as heck do not like the way things are being done. As for trainings- I do pay for training every year to keep current . also if you buy the software the training is provided and they will send someone to teach it to you for free. And for books and such, you buy 1 or 2 and copy off the rest . There is always a way to cut costs and keep the cost down. As for deducting the cost of education that would be the county at the end of the year and I am very certain they will get some of that back. I DO PAY TO KEEP CURRENT AND I DO DEDUCT IT AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND I DO WORK FOR SOMEONE ELSE. But then I guess I am the stupid one because I want to make sure what I tell clients is the truth , the whole truth and nothing but the truth.OH! by the way! there are online courses for free you just have to look for them.

twr_98, Tue, 08/22/2017 - 11:04

Susan,
Sigh....Counties don't pay federal, state, or local taxes. They are a government entity. Taxing itself would be counter productive. Maybe you should run, it would be a good eye opener for you. Also, it is illegal to copy copyrighted material without the express consent of the publisher/author. If you work for someone else and they don't provide you with training, yes, you may be the stupid one. That is unless you are a contractor who is required to maintain their own certifications.

You don't have enough money so you vote yourself a raise and increase taxes. You know what a business does, ask Mosiac, they were in a budget crunch and they cut salaries. I will not vote for my current commissioner or the judge.

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