NEWS BRIEFS $411 million budget adopted at Lone Star College
Houston HOV lanes to be open on weekends
BY ANDREW CHRISTMAN
million for elections and $810,000 for safety initiatives. Mott said there were $11.6 million in expense reductions to offset those increases. The board will set a public hearing for the tax rate in September. Following the special hearing, the board will vote to adopt the tax rate. STABLE TAX RATE The proposed tax rate from the Lone Star College System board of trustees for 2022-23 is the same as the 2021-22 tax rate.
1% of the market value, whichever is greater. The exemption increases to $75,000 for people 65 years or older and disabled persons. LSCS Chancellor Stephen Head said the college system is down around 2.8% in credit hours being taken by students going into the fall semester, which results in a loss of around $5 million in revenue. Head said the board will be putting together additional information regarding enrollment and exemption information to share with residents at a future date. Mott said around $7 million of the revenue comes from increased tuition and fees that were adopted in March for the fall semester. Included in the expenditures was $21.6 million in compensation increases and $4.8 million in infla- tion contingencies. Other increases included $3.5 million in coronavirus initia- tives, $1.1 million to replenish the repair and replacement fund, $1
BY RENEE FARMER
The Lone Star College System board of trustees voted to accept the proposed budget for its 2022-23 year, which includes increases in both revenue and expenditures with no expected change to the current tax rate during an Aug. 11 meeting. Budget documents from LSCS state the fiscal year 2023 budget includes a total of $411.8 million in expenses, a 5.6% increase compared to FY 2022, and $422.1 million in revenue, a 5% increase from FY 2022. LSCS Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Mott said the 2022-23 budget main- tains a property tax rate of $0.1078 per $100 of valuation. During public comment, multiple residents asked for an increase in their homestead exemptions from the current 1% of market value up to 20% allowed by state law, citing concerns stemming from a combination of high appraisals and rising inflation costs. Homeowners currently are eligible for $5,000 or
Weekend use of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County’s high-occupancy vehicle, or HOV, and high-occupancy toll, or HOT, lanes is here to stay. Following a pilot program this summer that opened the agency’s five HOV/HOT lanes for use on weekends, the board voted Aug. 25 to make the program permanent. Under the program, the lanes will be operational seven days a week. The addition will cost the agency up to $3.3 million, according to Nader Mirjamali, METRO HOV/HOT lane project manager, adding $644,500 to the agency’s contract with TransCore ITS to operate the lanes. The plan includes METRO’s five HOV and HOT lanes along I-45 North, I-45 South, I-69 North/ Hwy. 59 North, I-69 South/ Hwy. 59 South and Hwy. 290. The permanent program was slated to begin Sept. 10 after press time.
Proposed tax rate:
2022-23: $0.1078 per $100 valuation Revenue increases: 5% Expenditure increases: 5.6%
SOURCE: LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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