Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack designed a calculator for the Precinct 3 website, allowing taxpayers to estimate the impact of a general homestead exemption of up to 20 percent.
“This calculator allows citizens to quickly determine the approximate savings a general homestead exemption would yield the taxpayer using the current 2016 tax rate,” said Commissioner Noack. “All you need to do is enter the appraised value of your home and then choose a general homestead exemption rate of up to 20 percent as permitted by state law.”
Commissioner Noack developed this calculator for illustrative purposes in consultation with Tax Assessor-Collector Tammy McRae. She believes the calculator is a good tool to engage the public but cautions that it does not account for every individual’s situation, such as frozen levies and other tax circumstances.
Commissioner Noack is hoping that if the citizens see the actual amount of money they can potentially save then they will be encouraged to get involved in the property tax reformation process.
“Our citizens have been demanding a more fiscally responsible government and we need them to see that we are doing everything in our power to be just that,” said Commissioner Noack. “I am thrilled to provide this very easy to use calculator to the Precinct 3 website.”
Currently, Montgomery County accounts for about 16.5 percent of the total tax bill so Commissioner Noack is hopeful that local taxing entities that are without or under the maximum 20 percent homestead exemption will either increase or institute their own homestead exemption. Only then will the taxpayer experience meaningful relief. Commissioner Noack applauds Precinct 3 entities that already have put the maximum 20 percent exemption in place, including the South Montgomery County Mud and the cities of Oak Ridge and Shenandoah.
Commissioner Noack has referred to the areas that must be addressed in order to achieve the goals of property tax reform as the three-legged taxpayers’ stool. He specified the three legs as appraisals, the tax rate/homestead exemption and spending. He plans to release more details on reducing county spending in the coming weeks.
Use the Precinct 3 Taxpayers’ Calculator here: General Homestead Exemption Calculator
