Tax rate rollback election scheduled for Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD Nov. 6
San Jacinto Newstimes , October 2007

COLDSPRING – A public meeting to discuss a tax rollback election for the Coldspring-Oakhurst Consolidated Independent School District (COCISD) is scheduled for 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 16 in the high school cafeteria.
COCISD board of trustees voted on Aug. 28 to propose the new tax rate. The election is scheduled for Nov. 6, with early voting starting Oct. 22 and ending Nov. 2 at the Senior Annex Building in Coldspring, across from the San Jacinto County Courthouse.
COCISD Superintendent Dr. Lynn Cummins said the proposed rate actually represents a decrease in the current COCISD tax rate.
 “The proposed rate is $1.24 per $100 evaluation versus the current rate of $1.45 per $100 evaluation,” he said.
Voter approval is required, however, because it is still more than the State’s compressed rate of $1.09 per $100 evaluation.
 “At the State rate,” Cummins said, “the district could be fiscally balanced but it could not compete for quality teachers.”
He says monies collected from the proposed rate will be dedicated to teacher salaries, including raises for current faculty members as well as competitive compensation for new faculty members.
“At the community meeting,” Cummins said, “we will have information by which to compare our district salaries to those of districts of similar size. We must remain competitive. Otherwise, we will lose valuable staff members and be unable to replace them with equally qualified candidates.”
On the ballot, voters will be asked to vote for or against “Approving the ad valorem tax rate of $1.24 per $100 valuation in the Coldspring-Oakhurst Consolidated Independent School District for the current year, a rate that is $0.1415 higher per $100 valuation than the school district rollback tax rate.”
Also on the Nov. 6 ballot are 16 proposed constitutional amendments that voters will be asked to decide. Pros and cons of proposed amendments one through six, provided by the Texas House Research Organization, may be found on page 8 of this edition of the San Jacinto News-Times. The remaining amendments will follow next week.