Trustees Lower Comal ISD’s Tax Rate by Four Cents
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Comal ISD’s Board of Trustees lowered the district’s tax rate by four cents on Tuesday, making it the lowest tax rate since 1990.
The new property tax rate is $1.2757. It goes into effect immediately. The previous rate was $1.32. Trustees voted to reduce the rate at their Sept. 29 meeting.
“This is the lowest rate in Comal ISD since 1990,” Board of Trustees President David Drastata said. “In addition, when you factor in the 20-percent homestead exemption that Comal ISD provides on top of the $25,000 homestead exemption granted by the state, residents of Comal ISD pay an effective tax rate of approximately $1.02. No other district in our area provides that type of benefit to its residents.”
In 2019, Comal decreased its tax rate from $1.39 to $1.32. In 2014 the tax rate was lowered from $1.43 to $1.39.
However, District Superintendent Andrew Kim warned that continued rapid growth will present financial challenges in the years ahead.
“While the lowered tax rate is a good thing overall in terms of providing taxpayer relief, the funding from the state falls short in making up the difference in lost revenue, particularly in fast-growth districts like Comal ISD,” he said. “While we will continue to find ways to reduce costs and be conservative with our budget, we will need to explore new ways to generate additional revenue.”
Five-year projections show enrollment growth of around four percent, he said. The district will need to build new schools and hire more teachers and staff.
The new tax rate for maintenance and operations is $0.9257. This funds day-to-day district operations. The debt-service portion is $0.35. It pays off bonded debt.
“Besides the fact that our maintenance-and-operations tax rate continues to shrink, I think it is also important to note that even though voters approved bond packages in 2015 and 2017 of $147 million and $263 million respectively, our debt-service tax rate has not increased at all in the past six years since we lowered it from $0.39 to $0.35 in 2014,” Drastata said.
People can do their own math here. CISD may have lowered the tax rate… but because of their clout on the CAD Board of Directors who are direct representatives of the local governments of which put them there and do their bidding, people will keep falling for this con game. That is why a tax conscious person with integrity is never appointed by any of the local governments to represent the local government on this important CAD Board. The only CAD Board meeting I have ever attended was one where the head of the Board talked of getting back to the local governments and finding out how much revenue these entities needed. The basis for increasing property valuation should be based on sales… NOT HOW MUCH REVENUE THESE GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES NEED!!!
Values again rose… so the entities will blame the increase you will see in paying your tax bill next January on the Appraisal District. The joke is on you the people as the CAD is overseen by the taxing entities.