Mayor’s Message – Pleasanton




 

 

Tomorrow night at 5 p.m. there is a workshop on the city budget. Let’s talk about some of the items. First of all, items 3, 6 and 7 are just asking staff to bring a budget for council review. This is just part of the process that’s prescribed to the city. First, staff makes the budget and asks for what they want. Then the city council asks the staff to bring a budget to them for review and possible adoption. Item number 8 is a public hearing. So, after the staff decides what they want, they can ask the city through a mandated public hearing. The state requires us to have public hearings on certain items, the budget being one. This is for citizens to ask questions, make comments and get answers. This is the citizens’ time to comment.

Before we move onto number 4. And 5, I’ll try to explain the property tax system in Texas. First, an appraisal district in each county sets the value of property. Second, an appraisal review board will listen to disagreements. Third, local taxing entities decide how much money it will take to facilitate their budget. Item number 4, no new revenue tax rate, is the tax rate the city is using to run the budget. This used to be referred to as the effective rate. This tax rate is used to help ensure the city doesn’t make any less money than the previous year. You have to agree it is probably not a good practice to budget to make less than the previous year. Plus, the state makes sure that cities don’t plan that way, it’s required. I’m pretty sure the state makes us do that so they don’t have to help us out if we have a shortfall. Next is the voter approved tax rate that used to be known as the rollback rate. It is the maximum rate above the effective rate the taxes can be increased to without an election. Item number 5, ad valorem tax, is property tax rates based on appraised value and the tax rate set by the city. I hope this answers some questions. If you have questions, call the appraisal district or a CPA because this is about all I know!

CLINTON POWELL is the Mayor of Pleasanton. You may reach him at mayor@ pleasantontx.gov.

2 responses to “Mayor’s Message – Pleasanton”

  1. Ramiro Canales says:

    very well put and simple to understand the process of how a value starts goes to the ARB settled then values are certified then given to governmental enties to start a process of adopting its tax rate and its budget

  2. Austin Teutsch says:

    A word of how my father met budget needs. Once the city he was Mayor of filed their budgets, and once the taxes had been calulated to cover that budget, it was passed. If there was any shortfall, prioities came into play. Water, Sewer, Fire, Police and road maintance. Any amount needed over that shortfall came from the private sector. Case in point: When Atascosa County was bathed in oil, THAT is when they should have paved the streets and fixed water, sewer lines ect. Baseball fields, swimming pools, museums and other luxuries came AFTER the budet was set and the shortfall exposed. Atascosa County failed it’s citizens horribly. They were full of tax-oil money and for 5 or 6 years, could have paved every bad street and county road in the entire county and then built your luxuries. Good government lives and dies by addressing priorities. Simple as that. Atascosa County should have passed an added fuel taxs from the trucks running oil and used that money ONLY for street repair. I’ve been to Pleasanton and the streets aren’t very good, Jourdanton is worse and Charlotte is little Mexico. I wish you well in the budge process.

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