Posted 2:57 am Saturday, August 29, 2009
ESD No. 2 To Hold Tax Rate Steady
By ADAM RUSSELL
Staff Writer
The Emergency Services District 2 board Friday approved the district's tax rate and budget for the coming fiscal year without questions or concerns from county residents during public hearings.
Staff Writer
The Emergency Services District 2 board Friday approved the district's tax rate and budget for the coming fiscal year without questions or concerns from county residents during public hearings.
"I hope (the reason people did not attend) was because we kept the tax rate the same and did not have to raise it," said board member Sarah Maynard following the board's vote. The five-person ESD board approved its tax rate and Fiscal Year 2010 budgets unanimously Thurs-day night after its final public hearing.
The board voted to hold the tax rate at 8.5 cents per $100 in property value despite a dip in property values. Funding for the district is down about 2 percent, according to the Smith County Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Michael Barnett.
Because of the reduction in taxable value, the district is expecting a funding decrease of more than $92,000, according to ESD 2 numbers.
The district's effective tax rate, the rate needed to bring in the same amount as this fiscal year, is 8.68 cents per $100. By holding the tax rate steady, the district will bring in $4.4 million rather than $4.49 million. The district's maximum tax rate available is 10 cents per $100 valuation. Members also unanimously approved the district's $4.4 million budget.
Departments within the district trimmed more than $860,000 from their initial budget requests. The 11 departments requested less than $4.6 million but reduced that amount to almost $3.7 million for 2010 during budget workshops in July.
More than $600,000 covered the district's administrative duties and its transition to a digital radio system, which cost more than $200,000. ESD 2 includes Arp, Bullard, Chapel Hill, Dixie, Flint-Gresham, Jackson Heights, Noonday, Red Springs, Troup, Whitehouse and Winona Volunteer Fire Depart-ments. Residents within the city of Whitehouse do not receive or pay for ESD 2 services.
Board president Alan Adams said the budget will keep the district and departments on track with preparations for an Insurance Services Office audit in 2012. Creating the district was touted as a way to lower rural home owner's insurance rates by increasing the ISO fire safety ratings within the district.
"People are starting to understand what ESD 2 is doing with the (volunteer) fire departments and when they see what we are doing as far as response times, equipment and training the response has been positive," he said.
