CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Commissioner Brent Chesney is asking for no tax rate increases for Nueces County property owners - That request was sent in a letter to Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales asking her to consider it when setting the effective tax rate for the 2021 budget.
This might be easier said than done, especially since there may need to be some sacrifices made.
"I have always been a strong advocate for not raising taxes when at all possible," Chesney said.
Chesney says if not now, then when? When would be a better time to give Nueces County taxpayers a break?
"We should be sending a message to our constituents that we care," Chesney added.
'We understand what they're going through and that we're going to say right up front that we will not raise your taxes this year because of the conditions and hard times that people are going through."
Chesney says he hopes other taxing entities would follow the county's lead.
"The effective tax rate means that you can only pass a budget that takes in the same amount of revenue that you took in last year, plus legitimate new growth is new construction, new rooftops, new commercial projects that we're not on the books before," Chesney said. "That would be a true effective tax rate."
Appraisals were already been calculated and sent out to property owners back on April 25.
The findings of those appraisals were then sent to the more than 30 taxing entities in Nueces County. The findings for appraisals remained the same at about five to six percent.
Chief Appraiser Ronnie Canales with Nueces County Appraisal District chimed into the conversation.
“Each entity is responsible to accommodate its budget by its tax rate," Canales said.
"We, in turn, are the ones that give values to all these entities. Hopefully by July 25, that's in a normal year, a normal situation, that's when we certify the tax rolls. On that day, that's when we start delivering the numbers to all the taxing entities in Nueces County."
By September, all the entities will have adopted their tax rates. These are then sent to the county tax office. The office then prepares them as tax bills for mail to property owners by October 1.
With businesses closed, many people are not working and many entities are already in the red.
“How are you going to generate revenue if you start cutting tax rates?" Canales said. "You generate revenue to make up for the deficit that you lost from this year. How are you gonna do that?”
Canales says the only way to make up a deficit is by cutting services and even jobs. This is omething even commissioner Chesney says may need to be done.
“It's going to be difficult, there's going to be challenges, there might have to be cuts, but this is the time that I believe we have to, as a community, say to those that we represent, 'We hear you, we feel you, we understand what you’re going through and we're going to stand by you and not raise your taxes,” Chesney added.
We reached out to Judge Canales who agreed the county's goal should be to hold tax rates flat. Saying in part, "it is important to take into consideration different ways to keep the county fiscally responsible as we work to recover our economy."
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