Kerrville city officials approved a resolution on Tuesday evening without opposition, which may lead to an increase in property taxes to cover costs from recent flooding.
Although no tax hike has been passed, many people who attended the city council meeting departed feeling that it is unavoidable.
Under Texas law, local governments are allowed to increase property taxes by up to 3.5% above the no-new-revenue level without requiring an election. However, due to an active disaster declaration, this limit has been increased to 8%.
Last week, Kerr County commissioners passed a comparable resolution, enabling County Tax Assessor Bob Reeves to determine the potential revenue from a tax hike. On Tuesday, city officials took the same action.
“This doesn’t involve setting a tax rate. It’s simply giving you the details needed to conduct your business,” Reeves said to the council members during the meeting.
Five individuals registered to speak in opposition to the resolution prior to the vote. Mayor Joe Herring Jr. pledged to the public that the city would maintain openness during the procedure and highlighted that the vote did not obligate the council to increase taxes.
I pay taxes. Everyone here pays taxes,” Herring Jr. stated. “I don’t want my taxes to increase. I also didn’t want a flood to occur from the river and result in 120 deaths.
Nevertheless, the residents who commented voiced frustration, although many appeared unsurprised.
It’s clearly a ball rolling down the hill,” stated George Baroody, who asserts that the council has already decided before the vote. “Property taxes are a cost for individuals. They aren’t income for the government — they’re an expense. Even a small rise means housing becomes more expensive.
Garrett Baxley, 21, who has lived almost half of his life in Kerrville, also addressed the audience during the public comment period. He expressed concern that increasing taxes might prevent him from purchasing a home in the town where he aspires to eventually start a family.
“We really enjoy being here. It would simply make living here much more challenging,” Baxley stated.
City officials are set to keep talking about the matter during a budget meeting on Tuesday next week.
