Posted on 03/15/2005 6:13:12 PM PST by anymouse
GALVESTON — County leaders on Monday backed legislative proposals to curb property appraisal increases, but added a condition of their own.
County Judge Jim Yarbrough proposed an amendment to ask state lawmakers to stop handing down unfunded mandates if they’re going to hinder the county’s ability to raise revenue.
Several bills before the Legislature would lower the cap on homestead appraisals from 10 percent to 3 percent or 5 percent.
Commissioner Ken Clark, the sole Republican on the commissioners court, proposed the resolution. It calls for support of a 3 percent cap on homestead appraisals.
The cities of Bayou Vista, League City and Friendswood have adopted similar resolutions and several others are considering them, said County Tax Assessor-Collector Cheryl Johnson.
Democrats on the commissioners court noted that Republicans, if they are serious about lowering the caps, have the numbers to pass them.
“Certainly with all the conservatives in the Legislature, this shouldn’t be hard to get out of the House,” Yarbrough said.
Clark agreed with Yarbrough’s amendment, saying that unfunded mandates from the state for everything from beach cleaning to the rapid Mirandizing of the arrested “eat our lunch.”
Yarbrough said that even with the lower cap, the county would come out ahead if state lawmakers agreed to pass no more unfunded mandates.
Critics including the Texas Municipal League and the Texas Association of Counties have argued a lower cap shifts more of the tax burden from the rich to the poor and hamstrings the finances of local governments.
They also have complained representations by Johnson and others that the average homestead value increased 31 percent since 2000 are likely to be misunderstood. That increase holds true only if new homes are included in the average. If a static stock of homesteads is considered, the increase is 22.3 percent since 2000.
Supporters say the lower caps are fair and don’t limit the revenues of local governments — just their ability to hide tax increases in property appraisals.
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Comparing tax rates
The property appraisal on the average homestead existing in 2000 rose by 22.29 percent by 2004.
Had the 3 percent cap been in place during those years, the owner of a home appraised in 2000 at $50,000 would have saved $35.77 in county taxes in 2004. For the owner of a $150,000 home, the savings would be $107.30. The tax bill on a $750,000 home would be cut $536.51.
Galveston tax reform ping.
The TML is almost like a shadow gov't. The cities give TML money and TML usually pushes legislation that either increaes taxes and/or fees. Go here and look at their legislative program.
The TML is a not-for-profit, I presume that's a nonprofit. If it is a nonprofit it's one of the few that I cannot find any copies of their IRS 990 posted on their web site or at guidestar.org. When did the state of Texas pass a law that allows city officials, elected officials, to basically hire someone like TML then have them push legislation that the elected officals want passed but do not directly involve themselves in. They appear to me to hide behind the TML and then are not directly accountable.
Seems to stink.
Fortunately, we have a 3% annual limit in Florida. Property values here have been increasing 25-47% per year for the past several years. We also have a $25K annual homestead exemption. Whew!
Calling appraisal caps "tax reform" is quite a stretch. Appraisal caps are simply tinkering with the same old existing system of property tax.
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