SUBMITTED REPORT

The Hays County Commissioners Court Tuesday made few changes to the county judge’s proposed FY 2013 budget and set dates for public hearings on the tax rate and budget.

Following a discussion of expected budget expenses, the court proposed a slightly lower property tax rate of 46.90 cents per $100 in assessed property value. The current tax rate is 46.91 cents and would have remained the same under the judge’s proposed budget.

On average homeowners will pay under $1 less in taxes levied by Hays County government alone. The Central Appraisal District has valued the average home for fiscal year 2013 at $157,899, including a $5,000 homestead exemption, versus the current year’s value of $158,038. However, the total taxable property value for the county is up slightly for fiscal year 2013.

County government taxes are only a portion of the overall “county” total tax bill that most residents see. Residents who live within a city limit also pay taxes imposed by their city, and school districts and special districts also have their own tax rates that fund their respective budgets.

Changes to the judge’s proposed budget include hiring a part time records manager to resolve record-keeping issues brought to the court’s attention after the judge’s proposed budget was offered to the court, consolidating countywide vehicle requests and purchases through a fleet committee rather than by department and re-grading several positions in the County, some upward and some downward.

The court maintained a proposed three-percent merit pool for county employees, including elected officials. Also included is a two-percent salary increase for most law enforcement officers required by the county’s collective bargaining agreement.

The Commissioners Court also agreed on a proposed budget for FY 2013 of about $167 million, down from the FY2012 (current) budget of $221.5 million. The decrease is due largely to less road and building construction planned for FY 2013, which begins Oct. 1.

CORRECTION: The info box with this story originally reported the wrong times for two of the public hearings.