Connally ISD taxpayers will soon find financial relief in the form of lower school tax rates, thanks to the approval of a new total tax rate of $0.980300 cents per $100.00 of property valuation. The new rate represents a 10.7 cent decrease from last year’s rate and was agreed upon at the August 28 meeting.
The financial maneuver was made available to the district after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a variety of sweeping property tax reform measures during this summer’s second special legislative session in late July.
“We are very appreciative to have the opportunity to propose this tax cut for the members of our community,” Superintendent Jill Bottelberghe said. “In today’s economy, any chance that we have to help out the taxpayers is one worth investigating. We are dedicated to making decisions that are financially prudent with the taxpayers' dollars while also taking care of our students.”
The proposed tax rate, which was drafted utilizing the current $40,000.00 Homestead Exemptions available to eligible homeowners, will allow the district to accelerate the expected timeline for completion of payments on existing bond debt. Taxpayers will see further savings if voters pass a proposed constitutional amendment during the general election this November. Should that amendment pass, homeowners will, on average, pay $880.22 less in school taxes on a home valued at $200,000 than last year.
“This year provided us with a rare opportunity to honor our taxpayers in two different ways,” Assistant Superintendent of Business and Support David Timmons said. “Not only were we able to lower our tax rate by the 10.7 cents that our legislature promised, but we were also able to make additional payments on the principal of our previous bond debts.”
Voters last approved a bond in 2007, which allowed for the construction of the district’s multipurpose athletics facility as well as safety upgrades to the high school entrance and science classrooms. In 2016, that bond was refinanced to be repaid under a more convenient structure for the taxpayers. This year’s proposed school tax rate would be the first of a multi-year plan to shave off an additional 3.5 years of the life of those payments, saving the community a minimum of $206,000.00.
“Any opportunity that we have to be fiscally responsible with the money paid to us by our district’s taxpayers is a win,” Timmons said. “We have a commitment to serve as good financial stewards to our taxpayers not only by providing quality instruction to our students, but by also behaving in a way that does as much as possible to save their money.”
The funds generated by the proposed tax rate may only be used to pay off the principal of existing bond debts. The revenue cannot be stockpiled for future projects, allocated towards salaries, or used to construct or renovate existing buildings. The district’s board of trustees feel that dedicating the returns towards paying off the last bond while simultaneously lowering the tax rate is the best way to bring financial relief to the community in both the short and long term.
“We are not only here to make decisions in the best interests of our students and staff, but to also look after our community’s interest,” CISD school board member Danny Raines said. “As a board, we serve the Connally Cadet Nation, so being able to help our tax payers out while taking care of our staff and kids at the same time is an awesome thing. The district has a great group of hard working people serving on every campus as well as an elected school board that is committed to serving the needs of our schools and communities today and long into the future.”
Moving forward, the district plans to continue operating with fiscal responsibility when constructing an operating budget. Mr. Timmons intends to do so without relying on future governmental intervention.
“Our school board and administrative team recognize how important it is to have high quality educators working with our students,” Timmons said. “Unfortunately, we cannot always rely on outside help from lawmakers to award us the funds to do so. We have every intention of continuing to build a budget that allows us to provide effective instruction in safe, learning conducive environments. That is the expectation held by the entire Connally community; that’s the Cadet Standard.”