COUNTY & SCHOOLS
News from Tarrant County, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, Carroll ISD & Colleyville
Commissioners approve 2 new tax exemptions for homeowners
Administrator announces his retirement
EXEMPTION CHANGES The Tarrant County commissioners approved two tax exemptions on June 6 to provide breaks for homeowners.
10% County tax exemption 10% County hospital district tax exemption $34 Projected average annual property tax savings for
BY MARK FADDEN
July 1 of the tax year to offer an exemption.
TARRANT COUNTY G.K. Maenius announced his retirement as county admin- BY MARK FADDEN
TARRANT COUNTY Commission- ers approved two new homestead exemptions on June 6. The first exemption is for a 10% exemption on the county tax rate. The second exemption is also a 10% exemption for the Tarrant County hospital district tax rate. The details: According to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts website, homestead exemptions remove part of a home’s value from taxation, thereby lowering the taxes on that property. Rules that counties must take into consideration before approving an exemption include: • The exemption may be up to 20% of a home’s value. • Each taxing unit decides if it will offer the exemption and at what percentage. • The taxing unit must decide before
The 10% county tax rate exemption, which was approved unanimously, translates to an average savings of $34 in the property taxes homeowners will pay. County Administrator G.K. Maenius estimated the exemption will cost the county between $28 million-$30 million. Quote of note: “Keep in mind, [$34] is a small number now. ... It ends up being in the several hundred dollars 10 years down the road,” Judge Tim O’Hare said. “Right now it looks small, but every dime helps.” Also of note: The second tax exemp- tion for the Tarrant County hospital district proved to be a more debatable issue, passing with a 3-2 vote. O’Hare, along with commissioners
G.K. Maenius
each homeowner $28M-$30M
istrator on June 8. His last day in office is Sept. 30, according to a Tarrant County press release. Maenius is the longest-serv- ing county administrator in Texas, according to the news release. He has held the posi- tion since 1988 and is the only administrator in county history. He has worked with four county judges: Roy English, Tom Vandergriff, B. Glen Whitley and Tim O’Hare. A national search is under- way for his replacement.
Expected amount the homestead exemption will cost the county
SOURCE: TARRANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
Manny Ramirez and Gary Fickes, approved the 10% hospital district tax because JPS Health Network has exceeded their revenue goals over the past several years. Commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roy Charles Brooks voted to deny the hospital district exemption because of the $800 million bond package that is underway.
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