Posted on 10/04/2006 7:16:38 AM PDT by anymouse
TEXAS CITY — The way Loretta Bigford sees it, her efforts to force a rollback election of Texas City’s recently adopted tax rate will amount to a belated Christmas present for residents — and maybe at the same time put some coal into the stockings of city commissioners.
The Texas City resident is among a handful of folks who launched a petition drive last week after city commissioners unanimously approved a tax rate, which, while not different from last year’s rate, was high enough to make it vulnerable to an election forcing a decrease.
The group has until about Christmas to gather more than 2,800 signatures of registered voters in the city to force an election.
Thus far, Bigford’s effort has received a greeting usually reserved for Santa Claus, she said.
“(The response) has been very good,” said Bigford. “Almost everybody I have approached with the petition has been more than happy to sign it.”
Six days into the effort and she didn’t have a firm count on just how many people had signed, but if the messages on her answering machine are any indication, she is confident the effort will have more than enough signatures.
That is somewhat surprising given that few people, including Bigford herself, showed up to protest the tax rate prior to its passage last week.
Bigford claimed to have the support of local chemical and refinery workers who agreed to make petitions available on the job sites at BP and Dow Chemical.
Even the folks sipping beers at Shenanigans bar — known for its late owner’s crusade against the current city administration — have taken up the cause, she said.
She has even enlisted the help of County Tax Assessor-Collector Cheryl Johnson, herself no fan of Texas City Mayor Matt Doyle following a dispute about tax collections earlier in the year.
“Anything we ask, she has been more than willing to give us the information,” said Bigford. “She has been real good about answering questions.”
For her part, Johnson said she has only provided information the petition drive organizers have requested, including voters rolls and tax information.
However, the tax assessor said that as part of her efforts to push the Legislature to make such rollback’s an automatic process — avoiding the need for a petition drive — she plans to use Texas City as an example.
The Grinch, if there is one in the effort, turns out to be Doyle, whose adamant support of the tax rate has his detractors accusing him of being arrogant and unfeeling toward their needs — a contention Doyle disputes.
The mayor points out that the city’s tax rate has remained unchanged for three years.
He said only because of fluctuations in property values has the rate come within the rollback rate.
He maintains that the extra revenues generated as a result this year will help pay for major road projects that otherwise the city would have to borrow money to complete.
“We’d prefer to pay for things as we go and not have to come back and ask the (residents) for a bond election and take on debt to pay for these projects,” Doyle said.
Still, Bigford and others say the city is biting off more than taxpayers are willing to chew.
And while it’s a daunting task to collect the signatures, the response thus far has given her hope it will succeed.
“At first it was a concern, but now I know if we get to the right people they are more than happy to help out,” Bigford said.
What: Texas City tax rollback petition drive
Call: 409-948-0571
About the tax rate
Adopted tax rate: 45.624 cents for $100 assessed value
If rollback petition and subsequent election is successful the tax rate must be lowered to 42.3971 cents
Adopted rate vs. rollback rate
City tax bill for an average home in North Texas City appraised at $122,850
2006 adopted rate: $560.49
At rollback rate: $520.84
Savings: $39.65
* Taxpayers are expected to pay their tax bills at the adopted rate. Should a rollback be successful the city must refund the difference.
You need to jump on this with both feet and bring Cheryl with you.
Galveston County ping
tax ping
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