August is a busy time for Scurry County’s seven taxing entities, filled with meetings and hearings as tax rates and budgets are finalized for the upcoming fiscal year.
Several of the governing boards will hold public hearings over the next several weeks to receive input on the property tax rate or budget.
Next week, the Scurry County Commissioners’ Court has scheduled the first of two public hearings on its proposed tax rate of 44.98 cents per $100 valuation. The first hearing will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the county courtroom located on the third floor of the Scurry County Courthouse.
The proposed tax rate is almost seven cents more than the current rate and just below the rollback rate of 45.47 cents.
Despite cuts in several department budgets, the county’s proposed $17.94 million budget represents an increase of about $820,000.
Commissioners will hold a second public hearing at 10 a.m. Aug. 28 on the tax rate. On Sept. 11, the court is scheduled to adopt the 2019 budget and tax rate.
The Snyder City Council also voted to increase its tax rate, from the current rate of 44.1 cents to 47 cents per $100 valuation. The first hearing on the proposed tax rate is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. while the second will be held Sept. 4 at 5:30 p.m. The council will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 10 to vote on the budget and tax rate. Both hearings and the meeting will be held in the council chambers at Snyder City Hall.
Earlier this week, council members approved the first reading of the budget ordinance. This year’s $18.8 million overall budget includes $7.54 million in the general fund, which pays for most city operations; $501,405 in the city’s special revenue fund, which includes $425,000 in hotel occupancy taxes and $76,405 for the Tax Increment Financing zone; $10.37 million in the enterprise fund, which includes water, sewer and sanitation services; and $397,495 in the central garage fund.
The Scurry County Hospital District will hold a public hearing on its budget at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 29. The meeting will be held in the Cogdell Memorial Hospital administration wing boardroom.
Last month, the board of directors learned the administration would recommend a 29.35 cent rate, which is the district’s effective tax rate, meaning it would bring in the same amount of tax revenue as the current year. The hospital district’s 2018 tax rate was 29.2002 cents. The hospital district is planning to operate in 2019 on a $39 million budget.
Western Texas College’s board of trustees will not hold public hearings on its proposed tax rate this year. The board approved using the effective tax rate of 31.12 cents for the 2018-19 fiscal year to fund the more than $19.6 million budget.
The board will hold a special meeting at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 27 to adopt the tax rate and budget.
Scurry County’s three school districts have each set proposed tax rates and hearings for their 2018-19 fiscal years. School officials are still finalizing budget totals for the board to adopt during the final week of the month.
Snyder ISD trustees will meet Aug. 30 to receive public input on the $1.184 tax rate and to adopt the budget.
Last week, trustees gave preliminary approval to the new $1.184 tax rate, which is a decrease of 4.6 cents from the current rate.
The decrease is reflected in the interest and sinking portion of the tax rate, which is targeted to drop from 12.4 cents to 7.8 cents. No change is anticipated to the maintenance and operation tax rate of $1.04 per $100 valuation.
Hermleigh ISD and Ira ISD trustees both have scheduled meetings and public hearings on Aug. 27 for the tax rate and budget.
Hermleigh ISD’s board, which will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 27 in the administration office boardroom, set its proposed tax rate at $1.29, the same as the current year.
Ira ISD officials also maintained the current tax rate of $1.60 for the fiscal year. Aug. 27 The board will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Roy Sallee Gym boardroom.
Image
Body