Group waiting for city’s answer on tax-freeze petition
Residents Sharon Pittard and Kay Renick spent part of Nov. 8 gathering more than 200 signatures for a petition calling on the council to voluntarily freeze municipal property taxes for disabled residents and those 65 and older.
The petition was turned into City Hall earlier this week. If the freeze is approved, disabled residents and the elderly would have their taxes permanently set at this year’s rate, even if the council raises the property tax rate in the future.
“I have met a lot of these people, and they’re living on just $700 from their Social Security,” Renick said. “Some of them simply can’t pay these taxes.”
Renick said the issue wasn’t considered by residents until the council in September approved a 14.5-cent property tax increase to pay for part of an ambitious capital improvement plan that’s expected to cost more than $116 million.
The tax hike, which set the property tax rate at 63 cents per $100 of property value, added about $200 to the property tax bill for homeowners living in a $150,000 home, and was protested by some residents.
Texas voters in 2003 approved an amendment to the state constitution giving leaders in cities across the state authority to freeze property taxes for certain residents through a city ordinance.
Pittard said her group gathered 202 signatures, or a little more than the 5 percent of registered city voters required to bring the issue before voters.
“Hopefully the council will approve it themselves,” she said. “But if not, they have to call for an election within 60 days.”
According to a Web site for the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature, Burnet County commissioners and council members in Granite Shoals have approved the tax freeze, though Marble Falls leaders have yet to make the change.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, residents 65 and older comprised 21.5 percent of the population of Burnet County in 2005. In Llano County, the same demographic made up 30.3 percent of the local population. On a state level, only 9.9 percent of the population of Texas consisted of senior citizens.
Those numbers are guaranteed to grow substantially within the next decade, experts say. In 2001, 77 million Americans were 50 and older (comprising 28 percent of the population). By 2020 that segment will be 36 percent of the population. Analysts add that roughly 6,000 Americans turn 65 every day. That figure will jump to 9,000 as baby boomers, the largest segment of the American population consisting of people born between 1944 and 1964, continue to age.
The city is currently in the third year of the seven-year capital improvement project that includes repairs and upgrades to city streets, utility lines and several new city facilities. So far, officials have issued about $34 million in certificate-of-obligation bonds to pay for the first phases of the project,
“In light of the economy, the tax increase is truly a big burden,” Renick said. “Some of the people I’ve talked to have had some really heavy doctor bills. One lady said her husband had to have surgery, and because of that they couldn’t pay their taxes.”
City Manager Judy Miller said City Attorney Patty Akers is currently reviewing the submitted petition.
“She’ll review it and analyze it, and I’m sure it will end up on the (council) agenda at some point,” Miller said.
Staff writer Julia Hockenberry contributed to this report.
chris@thepicayune.com