City Commissioners approve 2020 appraisal roll, set dates for public hearings on tax increases

The Breckenridge city commissioners approved the 2020 appraisal roll from the Stephens County Appraisal District which is pursuant with Chapter 26 of the Texas property tax code. The approval occurred during the Tuesday, August 4 City Commissioners meeting inside the Breckenridge City Offices Chamber.

The appraisal roll assesses all taxable property located in the city of Breckenridge and gives hearings to owners of properties, who desire to be heard on the protest of valuations of their property.

“In plain English, that means we going from a $1.07 to $1.12, whether we want to or not, to raise the same revenue as last year,” David Wimberley, City Commissioner of Place 3 said. “I am not ready at this point after getting that rate to approve the budget so we’re going need more budget looking. Having to raise five cents just to break even, we’re going to have to take more out of the budget.”

The commissioners will need to make repairs to various areas within the city with funds in the current budget. These repairs include upgrades to the sewer plant. If the repairs are not made, the city could face significant fines due to mandates from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

The Breckenridge City Commissioners also set two dates for public hearings on increasing taxes within the city.

The set dates for the special meetings will be Tuesday, August 18, and Tuesday, August 25 to discuss the 2020-2021 budget. These meetings will culminate into a Tuesday, September 1 public meeting regarding the general budget and may include a vote on the proposed budget.

During the general budget public hearing, city commissioners can pass an ordinance adopting the 2020-2021 budget. Once the new budget is agreed upon, an ordinance must be passed to adopt the 2020 tax rate for the city.

The new tax rate must be adopted at least 30 days after the budget is filed with the City Secretary, but after the date city commissioner holds a hearing on the budget.

With changes to the truth and taxation procedures, the city of Breckenridge is no longer required to hold two public hearings and can hold only one if the city is adopting a rate above the no new revenue tax or the effective tax rate, but below the voter-approved tax rate previous named the rollback tax rate.