Sunday's Internet Edition, September 05, 2010.
Clean up the city
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The city commission also tweaked the budget in preparation for a public hearing to be held Sept. 17.
Retired Kingsville educator and senior citizen community leader Raul Garza blasted the city of proposing to raise taxes and fees while cutting back on services.
“What kind of benefit are we going to get,” Garza asked, “or are you going to enhance our benefits (with the tax raise).”
Garza criticized the poor condition of city alleys and curbs and gutters. He said seniors citizens have been hit hardest by the city’s cutback on services that were once considered the city’s responsibility.
Another resident also complained about the poor condition of streets and alleys. He handed the city photos of some of the poor conditions and remarked that the city’s street sweeper deposited more dirt on the streets than it picked up.
Still another senior citizen noted that his taxes continued to rise even though he remains on a fixed income.
Most of his concern, however, was directed at the Kleberg County Appraisal District.
He said the district has raised the appraisal on his home considerable over the years, including last year.
Following the public hearing an ordinance was introduced calling for a tax rate of 77.813 cents per $100 valuation compared to a current rate of 68.544 cents. The rate is one-thousandth of a penny less than the rollback rate that would trigger an election to give voters the option to push back the tax rate.
The proposed rate includes 51.072 cents per $100 valuation for maintenance and operations and 26.741 cents for paying off bonds and certificates of obligation that have been used to fund capital improvements and major equipment purchases.
The proposed tax rate ordinance also includes an exemption of $8,400 of the value of a resident’s homestead property that would be granted to any person 65 or older.
The average residential homestead appraised value in Kingsville is $53,824 for the current tax year compared to $52,362 for the previous year.
The city managed to shave a few more dollars off the proposed budget that goes into effect on Oct. 1.
In the general maintenance and operations fund, the city is looking at expenditures of $13,007,506 with revenue of $13,125,356, which is $117,850 more than expenditures.
In the water utility fund, the city has budgeted expenditures of $6,653,578 with revenue of %6,725,675, which is $72,097 more than expenditures.
In the South Texas Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force, the city has budget expenditures of $874,226, with forfeitures and seizures expected to be enough to fund budgeted operations.