Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack and Precinct 4 Commissioner Jim Clark have set forth a resolution from Montgomery County supporting efforts by the Texas legislature to bring about meaningful property tax reform.
“Showing our legislators in Austin that tax reform initiatives are something that we, as a court, collectively believe in and desperately need is imperative to our success in providing significant relief to the taxpayers of Montgomery County,” Commissioner Noack said. “I am calling on our legislators to recognize our support and assist us in this battle to relieve our residents from these unnecessary and burdensome taxes.”
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. Through this resolution, Noack and Clark seek to make sure that the stool Montgomery County taxpayers sit on rests easy.
“Property tax reform is a huge undertaking and it involves many taxing entities and state and local public officials,” Commissioner Clark said. “We must start at home by reducing spending and using better budgeting methods.”
The resolution also supports legislature including:
- State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, has filed SB 2, which would “lower the rollback tax rate from 8 to 4 percent, mandate all members of appraisal district boards be elected officials, set deadlines for all property tax protests, and establish review panels in counties with populations of 120,000 or more to hear more complex taxpayer protests.
- State Rep. Mark Keough, R-The Woodlands, has filed House Bill 44, which would place a maximum limitation of 105 percent, opposed to 110 percent, on the appraised value of homes.
- State Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, filed House Joint Resolution 41 and House Bill 538, which seeks to provide relief to Texas businesses.
In addition, the proposed resolution supports legislation that would help Texas business owners through a franchise tax rebate to help struggling and new business owners that are operating at a loss.
“Tax and spending will no longer be acceptable to me or to the citizens of Montgomery County,” Commissioner Clark said. “Myself, along with Commissioner Noack have committed to bringing about change in our way of doing business-through local action and letting our State officials know we are willing to work with them to bring about sweeping change to our current and broken property tax system.”
This resolution is to be presented to the Montgomery County Commissioners Court for approval during the regular Tuesday, Feb. 14, Commissioners Court session.
