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EAGLE LAKE – The city council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, July 11 to discuss property taxes, ordinances and a proposed fitness court.
Colorado County Chief Appraiser Mark Price was in attendance to answer questions from the council members concerning the Colorado County Central Appraisal District’s preliminary 2024 budget.
He spoke on the appraisal district’s software system, which he says will need two to three years to be cleaned up.
“And by that I mean, there were adjustments on properties, but no notes on why the adjustments were made,” Price said. “What should happen each year in an appraisal district is that the cost schedules used to calculate the property of a home need to be updated. We update them using Marshall Swift Valuation Service...Those adjustments will probably be a half a percent, a percent, maybe down a percent, but each year you keep up with it so you can continue to value properties at market value.”
Price noted that the schedules have not been adjusted in the county for at least eight years, and possibly 10 years.
“So, what we had to end up doing was taking those old schedules and bringing them up to today’s cost and think about what the cost was to build the home 10 years ago, versus what the cost to build it is today,” Price said. “It’s been a jolt to property owners, and I understand that, but if we do not get these numbers up to where they are at market value, the school districts are going to start getting funding penalized.”
Price also mentioned that the appraisal district is currently understaffed and that the majority of the increase in the budget is due to adding one appraiser and three clerical employees, which he said would impact salaries, health care retirement numbers.
He also noted that the appraisal district’s server is eight years old and needs to be changed this year, which is about $26,000.
Price also explained the current legislative bill concerning property taxes, which he said is intended to lower property taxes and go into effect this year.
“The current homestead exemption is $40,000. That comes off the top. Now it’s going to be $100,000,” Price said. “So, they’ll take your $100,000 of the top and then they will calculate what your tax bill is. The school rate is going to be compressed or lowered. And the theory is that the state is going to make the school district’s whole by that amount that they compress.”
Since the city council meeting, Gov. Abbott released the following statement on July 13 on the Texas Legislature’s passage of historic property tax cut legislation during Special Session No. 2.
“I made a promise to Texans during my campaign that the State of Texas would use at least $13.5 billion from our historic budget surplus to provide substantial relief to property taxpayers across Texas,” Gov. Abbott said. “Today, we will deliver even more with over $18 billion in property tax cuts. The Texas House and Senate fulfilled our promise with an agreement that delivers a comprehensive, long-lasting solution to increasingly burdensome property tax bills.”
He adds, “I thank my partners in the Texas Legislature for coming together to honor the best interests of hardworking Texans who want to own their property—not rent it from the government. I look forward to signing this legislation into law to provide Texans with the largest property tax cut in Texas history.”
Prior to Sept. 15, Price said the appraisal board has to have the final budget approved, which the city will have 30 days to review the budget and then approve or reject the budget. Price said that once they know what the tax rates are, they will be able to calculate the city’s percentage of the budget.
Price noted that he also spoke before the Columbus City Council regarding the budget.
The council also heard a presentation regarding a proposed fitness court through the National Fitness Campaign.
“It’s a 38 by 38-foot pad and then it has a softer surface on top and it’s got 21 or 22 different exercise stations on that path,” City Manager Charles “Tink” Jackson said. “The back area is actually a wall. It has the pull up and push up stainless steel structures along the back of the edge. Everything is concrete or stainless steel. There’s no way for it to get torn up. The weather’s not going to hurt it and it’s something that we have plenty of places here where it fits in.”
Some of the areas proposed by the council to install the fitness court include the park, near the swimming pool, and tennis court.
“There’s unlimited potential for what different groups could do with this and it doesn’t really compete with a gym,” Jackson said. “It’s not a weightlifting machines type of exercise deal. This is more about agility and physical exertion without machines.”
Jackson said the cost of the court is $205,000. However, Jackson said with the submitted grant application for the fitness program, the city received $40,000, leaving the city with $165,000 to build the fitness court.
Council approved the proposed fitness court and said they will use $85,000 from the special fund and $80,000 from the contingency fund to help with paying for the fitness court.
Residents can learn more about the campaign by visiting nationalfitnesscampaign.
com.
The council also discussed taking action on adopting Ordinance No. 2023-04, which authorizes the issuance and sale of the city certificates of obligation, series 2023; levying a tax and providing for the security and payment thereof.
Representatives Ben Rosenberg and Johnathan Frels spoke and answered questions regarding the ordinance and said the city will have funds by Aug. 10, which will allow the city to start paving roads.
The council approved the ordinance.
“The current homestead exemption is $40,000. That comes off the top. Now it’s going to be $100,000.”
Colorado County Chief Appraiser Mark Price
