This week the Texas House approved a bill to change how property owners receive notice about property tax rate hearings for school districts. It sits in the Senate as of press time.
The bill, proposed under the guise of improving transparency makes publishing the notice in a newspaper optional. But it requires the district to mail a copy of the hearing notice to every property owner.
On the surface it sounds reasonable – newspapers are having fewer subscribers, and the Internet makes it easy for everyone to see what’s going on.
Unless you’re in rural Texas where access is spotty at best.
And the USPS is reliable and delivers locally sent mail quickly, easily, and in a timely manner.
The catch to this bill, which the House claims has little fiscal impact to the State, will cost JISD about $13-14,000 per year to make that notification. Postage will be about $11,180.66, plus the cost of paper, envelopes, and preparation to mail.
This year it cost JISD $328.32 to run it in the Jimplecute.
Avinger ISD had to run their notice twice due to an change, $422 total. They would have had to mail it twice.
How does the Legislature expect rural districts to afford this change?
Rep. Jay Dean, voted to approve it.
Oh, and there was only 1 day’s notice given for public hearings on this bill.
This is NOT good governance.
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