Local Governments Hold Steady San Angelo Property Tax Rates

SAN ANGELO, TX — Property tax payers in San Angelo will have a better idea about how much their property taxes will be after the San Angelo Independent School District board of trustees adopts the district’s tax rate at a special meeting Monday evening.  

The school property tax rate is the largest portion of the total property tax bill.  The tax rate combined with new appraised values determine the total tax amount. San Angelo residents pay a property tax to the school district, the city of San Angelo and Tom Green County.  

The current combined tax rate, that provides general revenue to all three government entities, is $2.521 per $100 in property value.  Of that $2.521, $1.21 goes to the San Angelo ISD, 0.776 cents goes to the city of San Angelo and 0.535 cents goes to the county.  

School districts in Texas are funded with a combination of local property taxes along with a combination of federal and state revenues.  The San Angelo ISD has projected total revenues for 2018 -19 at $111,010,000. Local property tax revenue is $54,365,000 of the total. State revenue is projected at $55,580,000 with federal funding at $1,065,000. 

According to the agenda for Monday’s meeting, the San Angelo ISD school board is considering adopting a budget that will leave the tax rate at $1.21 per $100 in property value, the same as this year.  The San Angelo city council has indicated its tax rate will remain the same at 0.776 cents per $100 in property value. The San Angelo city council is set to adopt a budget and tax rate on Sept 18.  

The city can afford to leave the tax rate the same.  At last week’s city council meeting, Finance Director Tina Dierschke reported that sales tax revenue for fiscal year 2018 is over year-to-date budget by 21.8% and $1,449,226 after August 2018 receipts.  According to San Angelo Public Information Officer Anthony Wilson, the City Council will engage in a budget workshop Tuesday morning as it pores over the General Fund budget. This is the portion of the City budget that is supported with property and sales taxes. Included in the General Fund are the police and fire departments, streets, planning and development, finance and other administrative functions, parks, and health services.  The San Angelo City Council meets at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in council chambers at the McNease Convention Center.  

Tom Green County Commissioners voted earlier to set a maximum tax rate of 0.545 cents per $100 in property value which would be one cent higher than the current rate.  The court can adopt a lower rate but cannot exceed the 0.545 cents. Commissioners are scheduled to adopt a budget and tax rate on Sept. 4. Commissioners are wrestling with funding the new jail and additional requirements for criminal justice system funding including court appointed attorneys for indigent defendants.  

The maximum combined property tax rate in San Angelo for 2018-19 could be $2.531 per $100 in property value, up one cent from the current year, due to the county's anticipated increase.

The taxable property value in Tom Green County in 2018 was estimated at $6,453,917,394.  The appraised value for 2019 is estimated at $6,642,083,450 or an increase in new taxable property and appraised value of $18,816,606.  

The San Angelo ISD board of trustees meets at 5:45 p.m. Monday in the administration building on University Ave. and the meeting is open to the public.