Commissioners adopt budget, set tax rate
San Jacinto News- Times - October 2009

COLDSPRING – San Jacinto County Commissioners’ Court adopted the county’s 2009/2010 budget and set the county tax rate during a special meeting held Friday, Sept. 25. The new budget and tax rate will go into effect Oct. 1, 2009 and ends Sept. 30, 2010 With the adopted tax rate of $0.6264 per $100 of taxable value, the amount of taxes imposed this year on the average home will be $433.86 or an increase of about $31.37 on an average home. The average taxable value of a residence homestead in the county during 2010 is $72,615. While the new rate is higher than the effective rate of $0.59657, it is a decrease from last year’s rate of $0.6287. Although Pct. 2 Commissioner Royce Wells made a motion to lower the rate to the effective rate based on current economic conditions, San Jacinto County Judge Fritz Faulkner said he reducing taxes to the effective rate would create long term problems for the county because it could lead to budget shortfalls in subsequent years.

“There’s only so much you can go up each year,” Faulkner said, adding in four out of the last fi ve years the court has voted to lower property taxes. Wells’ motion to cut the rate and take up to $500,000 out of the county’s fund balance to offset the loss of revenue died for lack of a second. The difference between the current rate and the effective rate will generate $317,715 more than the 2008-2009 budget. Of that amount, $193,154 will come from new property that has been added to the tax rolls this year, Faulkner said. The new budget includes one additional person in the San Jacinto County Tax Offi ce and six new employees in the sheriff’s department. The additions to the sheriff’s department were needed due to the jail expansion, according to Faulkner. “By leasing extra cell space to surrounding counties the jail is currently bringing in about $1,600 per day,” he said. Other highlights of the new budget include an across-theboard salary increase for county employees and a decrease in part-time employees for the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the county treasurer’s offi ce.

The new budget would in-crease spending in the general fund by $317,715 over last year’s general fund budget, according to Faulkner, while lowering the tax rate from .6287 in 2009 to .6264 in 2010. Total proposed general fund budget is $8.5 million. The Pct. 1 Road and Bridge proposed budget shows expenses totaling $754,443.00 with $61,189.00 coming from the Pct. 1 fund balance of $109,929 to give Pct. 1 a total proposed budget of $815,632.00 for both income and expenses. The Pct. 2 Road and Bridge proposed budget shows expens- WOODVILLE – The Regional Medical Director for the Texas Department of State Health Services, Dr. Paul Mc- Gaha, spoke to the elected officials on the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) Board Thursday about his department’s plans for dealing with the H1N1 flu. While giving a brief history of the disease’s emergence, he commented that further study has shown the virus to be part swine flu, part avian flu and part common human flu, so now the disease is being identified as H1N1. He went on to say studies have shown children under the age of twelve to be hard hit by the disease, so the initial inoculations will be made available for them and in the form of a nasal spray. Dr. McGaha said the Texas Department of State Health Services will be placing its orders for H1N1 vaccines at the end of September with the first releases expected to arrive in mid-October. Also speaking to the DETCOG Board were State Representative Jim McReynolds and State Senator, Bob Nichols.

McReynold’s talked about the recent groundbreaking for the Burke Center’s Psychiatric Emergency Service Center. He said that, until recently, law enforcement agencies in Deep East Texas didn’t have a place to take people in need of emergency psychiatric care, and he was pleased to have a part in its creation. After noting his work with Representative McReynold’s on behalf of the region, Senator Nichols talked about the division in the Texas Senate being more “rural verses urban interest” than political parties. Expressing his concern over the region maintaining its control of water rights, he said the upcoming redistricting resulting from the 2010 Census may make that fight more difficult to win. In other business, DETCOG Second Vice President, Houston County Judge, Lonnie Hunt reported on the recent Texas Association of Regional Councils (TARC) conference. He announced that DETCOG Regional Solid Waste Planner, Gary Hanlon, had received recognition as “Solid Waste Planner of the Year” from TARC. The award is given “for outstanding service and dedication to fellow planners and councils of governments” as well as “the improvement and maintenance of environmental quality in the State of Texas”. Hanlon administers solid waste and recycling grants for DETCOG’s twelve county region.

He is an expert in storm debris and works closely with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on a variety of environmental issues. Because of a conflict with a Texas Municipal League conference, the next DETCOG Board meeting was rescheduled from October 22 to October 15. That meeting will be held in Newton County. DETCOG Board gets update on H1N1 flu Dr. Paul McGaha (center), Regional Medical Director for the Texas Department of State Health Services, updates the DETCOG Board on the department’s preparations and recommendations for dealing with the H1N1 flu. Also pictured are DETCOG President Donnie Henson (left) and DETCOG Second Vice President Ben Bythewood (right). es totaling $702,466.00 and an income budget total amounting to $804,815 and expense budget totals of $804,643.00. The Pct. 3 Road and Bridge proposed budget shows expenses totaling $781,270 with income budget totals amounting to $840,953 and expense budget totals amounting to $840,838.00 The Pct. 4 Road and Bridge proposed budget shows expenses totaling $817,305.00 with income budget totals amounting to $851,928.00 and expense budget totals amounting to $851,910.00.