Interesting letters to the editor this week

Three years in Camp County I guess I am still considered a new comer (non-native)..............

I read the letters this week with interest. Two of the letters pleaded for new space not a new high school. I found this interesting! I am still a bit confused about the bond election. I was visiting with a neighbor and I was questioning him about the naysayers (STOP group) to which one of the writers referred. My neighbor told me that he visited with a gentleman two years ago and this individual helped him with his property valuation. He said this gentleman could probably answer questions about the group. I called the gentleman on the phone. I asked if he was related to the individual who wrote the letter to the editor. He informed me that he had not picked up a copy of the paper yet so he did not know who wrote the letter. I stated that he had the same last name. He informed me that he was not related. I asked if I could ask some questions about STOP. Sure, was his reply.

The first question I asked is what is STOP. He informed me that the informal group started about four years ago in response to excessive property valuations. "The state had came in and informed the local CAD that the PVS showed that some commercial and residential property in Camp County was extremely undervalued. A meeting was held at the local winery to help educate property owners as to what they could and could not do in regards to protesting their property valuations." He said the group was a little radical in the beginning in order to get officials attention. He referred to the Boston Tea Party being radical and leading to change. The group started in similar fashion, but over the past three years had mainly worked on educating property owners on how to protest their valuations. "The group brought State Rep. Bryan Hughes in for a town hall meeting to give property owners a chance to share their opinions with their state rep." I got the impression the group has made presentations in several locations across the state.

He went on to say that the group had joined with several other similar groups across the state in regards to property appraisal reform efforts. He said several members of the group had spent a lot of their personal time, money, energy, effort, etc. appearing before committee hearings in Austin in regards to appraisal reform and school finance issues. He said he worked as a grassroots coordinator for the governor appointed task force on appraisal reforms two years ago. He said the group had worked with Americans for Prosperity on issues in regards to appraisal reform and school finance issues. He mentioned that after Susan Combs was elected as Comptroller the group met in Austin with her Property Tax Division staff and her chief of staff on issues regarding property valuations and the property value study. He went on to say that he and others had worked with property owners in Camp, Titus, Franklin, Bowie, Lamar, Red River, Comal, Morris, Upshur, Ellis and Wood counties in regards to educating on the information needed to protest and the procedures on how to protest and what to expect from CAD staff and appraisal review boards.

He said that the group is still active with other groups across the state on appraisal reforms. He expressed disappointment with the last legislative session in that they got so close, but Rep. Fred Hill blocked all appraisal reform proposals. He was more positive on the upcoming legislative session since Rep. Hill had chosen to retire from the legislature.

The group offered testimony during the special session on school finance. "The group along with others across the state worked to get the property tax lowered, and we did. The school property tax was lowered from $1.50 to $1.33 the first year and then this last year is was lowered to $1.00. Each local district had the option to add an additional 4 cents without the consent of voters. He said the PISD elected to adopted the additional 4 cents to give PISD a tax rate of $1.04 last year. What we were unhappy about was the shift in the local property taxes to businesses. This year any incorporated, LLC, LLP, etc. will be paying more in franchise tax. The group along with the other groups we work with will be back in Austin in 2009 to work on the franchise tax." Sounds like the STOP group has been active in a good way for taxpayers.

He went on to say that he remembers the meeting at the winery, and that several of those there that night could be supporters of the bond issue today. He said he saw nothing wrong with this in that most are educated individuals and they are entitled to what they want and do not want to support. I asked him if STOP was endorsing a NO vote on the bond issue. He responded, "To his knowledge STOP had never endorsed a candidate, position, etc. We are more concerned with revamping the system statewide; however, we have to remain active on the local level in order to be heard in Austin. As to the issue on the school bond - individuals associated with the group are entitled to their own opinions and will do their own homework." He said a few of the members had talked about some of the differences in data and information, but each would draw his/her own conclusions. I asked him how he sided on the issue and he responded that at this time he had not made up his mind. He understands there are some needs, and he has kids in the school system, but he had not come to a conclusion. He said he was a little disappointed in the anonymous letters being sent. He understands that some can become emotional about such an issue, but the name calling, etc. was not a good thing for such a small community.

I informed him that the writer of the letter felt that the group was unthankful that just a few years ago the tax rate went down. His response, "the STOP group and other groups across the state worked to get the tax rate lowered and we did accomplish this two years ago. No one on the local level had anything to do with the lowering of the tax rates. This was part of the new school finance reform package that came out of the special session. So, I don't think we are unthankful for working to get the tax rate lowered for all property owners of this state. This goes back to the individuals spending their own time and money to attend these hearings and provide testimony to the legislative committees. We never asked for any thanks, and we never expected any thanks."

I asked him about the history of the tax rates for the PISD. I informed him that the writer of the letter stated "when the bond election passes, the tax rate will only increase to what it was a few years back." His response, "evidently they don't know what the PISD tax rates have been the past few years. The rate three years ago was $1.44 with 7 cents being a payoff for a previous bond debt. The rate two years ago I believe was a $1.40, but I would have to confirm that. I know the state dropped the rate to $1.33 and I am not sure if the PISD dropped the rate to a $1.26 and then added the 7 cents for bond debt are not. In 2007 the PISD tax rate was $1.04 plus .07 for bond debt for a total rate of $1.11. If you add the new bond debt rate of 43 cents to the current rate then the rate for 2008 will be $1.54. This is 10 cents higher than it was before the state lowered the rate. The writer of the letter must be confused on the numbers." Based upon the coffee shop roundtables I have been attending there appears to be a lot of confused numbers floating around!

The gentleman was extremely polite and seemed very knowledgeable on the property valuation process, central appraisal districts, appraisal district boards, property value studies, and the property tax division of the comptroller's office. I got lost on the property value study and how it applies to school funding. Each will have to draw their own conclusions and how they cast their vote in the coming PISD bond election.