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No county tax raise planned
BY CHARLYN FINN
The county property tax rate remains at 49 cents per $100 value in 2009 despite lower appraisal values because the county will have an $11,500,000 cash reserve to roll over, County Judge Michael Pfeifer said Wednesday.
“Our tax rate will remain the same because we have a strong cash reserve ($11,500,000),” said Pfeifer. “We think we can weather the storm,” said Pfeifer.
Because the property tax rate remains unchanged and is below the effective tax rate, by law the county does not have to hold public hearings.
The county will vote on the budget and tax rate on Sept. 11.
Pfeifer and his commissioners’ court and County Auditor Cindy Mueller have completed the upcoming fiscal year budget and have placed a copy for public viewing in County Clerk Anita Fricke’s office. New this year is the presentation of the county budget on the county’s websitewww.calhouncotx.org2009%20Proposed%20Budget.pdf.
The public may view the budget on their own computers or go to the Calhoun County library or use the public computers in Fricke’s office.
Inflation, higher gas prices, higher road material prices and higher prices of supplies in general are the challenges for 2009, Pfeifer and Mueller said.
Partially the projected end of the year cash reserve is due to an unanticipated sales tax increase. “ The sales tax increase the last four quarters is quite high,” Pfeifer said.
Pfeifer and Mueller note that they did not anticipate such a large end of the year cash reserve at the beginning of 2008. “At the moment the county is in very good financial position,” Pfeifer said. “Will this continue in 2009? You never know.”
If it wasn’t for the end of year cash reserve, the county could have had problems. According to Pfeifer, compared to certified tax values last year, the county has lost $33 million in taxable values. He said industrial values countywide decreased by $300 million dollars. Industrial inventory though and subdivision appraisals increased by $100 million, but this was insufficient to make up for the total decrease.
The county taxpayers are saved from a higher property tax rate, even though expenses are increasing by 4.8 percent, the inflation rate goes up 4.3 percent, there is a 3 percent employee raise, higher fuel, road material and supply costs.
From this same end of year cash reserve, the county will be able to balance the general operation fund, according to Mueller. Revenues anticipated for 2009, $21,584,930, are $481,965 short proposed expenditures of $22,066,895. The difference will be transferred into the operation fund from the reserves.
Mueller reported additional good news. There will be $100,000 left in the debt service reserve giving the county a little break when it pays its debts in 2009. Total debt to be paid in 2009, according to Mueller, is $1,401,709. The county debt involves the bonds sold for the Memorial Medical Center renovations, the construction of the new jail and the county courthouse renovations.
Million dollar and over budgets include Emergency Medical Service, $1,606,181; jail operations, $2,300,351; sheriff, $2,339,250; and road and bridge Pct. 4, $1,636,869.
Rural fire protection has been a priority of commissioners’ court since budget preparation began this summer. Rural fire protection has additional funding this year, according to the budget document. Each of the six rural fire departments in Calhoun County will receive $10,000 for providing their services to the county, which is a $5,000 increase from the current year. The City of Port Lavaca Fire Department will receive $130,000 for its services, which is a $5,000 increase from the current year. Seadrift Volunteer Fire Department will receive an additional $5,000 for capital outlay and Six Mile Volunteer Fire Department, a new department, will receive an additional $20,000 to purchase pagers, bunker gear and other needed equipment. Port O’Connor Volunteer Fire Department will receive an additional $50,000 to be used as a match when it receives a grant for a new fire truck.
There will be no new capital projects but projects in the 2008 budget will commence in 2009, according to Pfeifer.
These include the renovation of the Rhodes Building across from the courthouse into an area for the finance departments (treasurer and county auditor), the new Emergency Medical Service building near the fairgrounds, the beginning of the airport runway project and the upgrading of bridges countywide.
“Our tax rate will remain the same because we have a strong cash reserve ($11,500,000),” said Pfeifer. “We think we can weather the storm,” said Pfeifer.
Because the property tax rate remains unchanged and is below the effective tax rate, by law the county does not have to hold public hearings.
The county will vote on the budget and tax rate on Sept. 11.
Pfeifer and his commissioners’ court and County Auditor Cindy Mueller have completed the upcoming fiscal year budget and have placed a copy for public viewing in County Clerk Anita Fricke’s office. New this year is the presentation of the county budget on the county’s websitewww.calhouncotx.org2009%20Proposed%20Budget.pdf.
The public may view the budget on their own computers or go to the Calhoun County library or use the public computers in Fricke’s office.
Inflation, higher gas prices, higher road material prices and higher prices of supplies in general are the challenges for 2009, Pfeifer and Mueller said.
Partially the projected end of the year cash reserve is due to an unanticipated sales tax increase. “ The sales tax increase the last four quarters is quite high,” Pfeifer said.
Pfeifer and Mueller note that they did not anticipate such a large end of the year cash reserve at the beginning of 2008. “At the moment the county is in very good financial position,” Pfeifer said. “Will this continue in 2009? You never know.”
If it wasn’t for the end of year cash reserve, the county could have had problems. According to Pfeifer, compared to certified tax values last year, the county has lost $33 million in taxable values. He said industrial values countywide decreased by $300 million dollars. Industrial inventory though and subdivision appraisals increased by $100 million, but this was insufficient to make up for the total decrease.
The county taxpayers are saved from a higher property tax rate, even though expenses are increasing by 4.8 percent, the inflation rate goes up 4.3 percent, there is a 3 percent employee raise, higher fuel, road material and supply costs.
From this same end of year cash reserve, the county will be able to balance the general operation fund, according to Mueller. Revenues anticipated for 2009, $21,584,930, are $481,965 short proposed expenditures of $22,066,895. The difference will be transferred into the operation fund from the reserves.
Mueller reported additional good news. There will be $100,000 left in the debt service reserve giving the county a little break when it pays its debts in 2009. Total debt to be paid in 2009, according to Mueller, is $1,401,709. The county debt involves the bonds sold for the Memorial Medical Center renovations, the construction of the new jail and the county courthouse renovations.
Million dollar and over budgets include Emergency Medical Service, $1,606,181; jail operations, $2,300,351; sheriff, $2,339,250; and road and bridge Pct. 4, $1,636,869.
Rural fire protection has been a priority of commissioners’ court since budget preparation began this summer. Rural fire protection has additional funding this year, according to the budget document. Each of the six rural fire departments in Calhoun County will receive $10,000 for providing their services to the county, which is a $5,000 increase from the current year. The City of Port Lavaca Fire Department will receive $130,000 for its services, which is a $5,000 increase from the current year. Seadrift Volunteer Fire Department will receive an additional $5,000 for capital outlay and Six Mile Volunteer Fire Department, a new department, will receive an additional $20,000 to purchase pagers, bunker gear and other needed equipment. Port O’Connor Volunteer Fire Department will receive an additional $50,000 to be used as a match when it receives a grant for a new fire truck.
There will be no new capital projects but projects in the 2008 budget will commence in 2009, according to Pfeifer.
These include the renovation of the Rhodes Building across from the courthouse into an area for the finance departments (treasurer and county auditor), the new Emergency Medical Service building near the fairgrounds, the beginning of the airport runway project and the upgrading of bridges countywide.
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