Reprint from the Progress Times - September 2, 2005
©Progress Times 2005 - All Rights Reserved

County Decides To Keep Same Tax Rate Of 59 Cents

 

Expect the Hidalgo County commissioners to receive congratulations at their meeting next week. They voted, 4 to 0, at the Tuesday, August 30, meeting, to keep the same tax rate of 59 cents per $100 valuation for 2005.

County Judge Ramon Garcia was absent (out of town) but he indicated recently he favors the action. In his absence, Precinct 1 Commissioner Sylvia Handy presided.

This year, if the tax rate exceeds the effective rate (56.80 cents), two public hearings are required. The court set them for September 13 and 20, both Tuesdays, at 9 a.m. in the administration building. This rate is estimated to generate $115,801,176 from the property tax levy at an estimated 92 percent collection rate. Other revenues add $14,924,560 and after $12,933,790 is deducted for debt service, the net total is $117,791,946.

Before the matter was brought before the court by Tax Assessor-Collector Armando Barrera Jr., two members of OWLS (Objective Watchers of the Legal System) spoke during the Open Forum part of the meeting. Most anyone could have figured their remarks would be about adoption of a tax rate for the county.

"If you are considering raising taxes, you have got to be kidding," Virginia Townsend said. "Remember we had a huge new appraisal and that should be enough. If it’s not enough, you need to go back to the drawing board. Everybody can’t have everything they want. I don’t think people will stand for it."

She added if the Appraisal District had not reappraised property values, it might be understandable.

Fern McClaugherty said she had been told that any non-profit group approaching the county court could count on getting some help from the court. "I’m here for the children of families who can’t pay their taxes now. Please don’t make them spend more money that they could spend on school clothes," she said.

Townsend also told the court that she had received several phone calls from concerned citizens wanting to know if the new Rio Grande Valley Health Services District in the process of getting established would have taxing power. Since it was a Public Forum item and no answer is required, she said people should call their own precinct commissioner.

Humberto Garcia, administrative assistant to the judge, said the Health Services District is not a taxing entity. It is an advisory board that will oversee operations of the county’s Indigent Health Care Program.

Drainage District #1 also kept its same tax rate, 4.35 cents per $100 valuation, at the recommendation of Manager Godfrey Garza. "It is my belief that the district can operate on this proposed rate," he said in a letter to the judge and each commissioner.

Human Services Executive Director Rudy de la Vina reported that the county’s Indigent Health Care Program would begin a new year with the state Thursday, September 1, the date the state’s fiscal year begins. De la Vina said $9,299,849 was spent on indigent health care in the county for the year. The county spent eight percent of its property tax levy as mandated by the state and that amount totaled $7,443,848. The state gave the county $1,760,401, and 5,241 people were serviced. Of that total, 3,374 were undocumented workers.

For the year beginning Thursday, September 1, the county’s eight percent will be $8,386,442, an increase of $942,596 - or almost $1 million, De la Vina said.

Under the old rules, Hidalgo County was limited to 35 percent of the total allocation for the entire state. (After spending the eight percent, the state begins to pay 90 cents on each dollar over that amount.) Under new rules, that has dropped to 20 percent. De la Vina said Hidalgo County always got the lion’s share of any such overages before the state ran out of money.

Comparing the new estimate of $1.1 million to the $1.7 million paid by the state for the year ending this week, the county will have $600,000 less from the state to work with, he said. "I got a call yesterday at 5 o’clock from the state. They have $36,000 more and they asked me, ‘Do you need it?’ Of course I said yes," De la Vina said.

At the director’s recommendation, the court also voted to retain options under the program, which include items such as diabetic supplies, dental care, vision care, advanced practice nurses and colostomy medical supplies. He advised one exception and the court agreed. Under the options, Nuestra Clinicas across the county could charge $110 for each visit from an indigent needing services, even if services dispensed to that indigent were for, say, a $20 test, he said. "We don’t use those rates. We pay for a routine lab visit or lab work for whatever amount it is," he said.

Another item appeared on Tuesday’s agenda regarding indigent health care and was listed on the agenda under Precinct 2’s Commissioner Hector "Tito" Palacios. Approval of a resolution in support of indigent care agreements between the county and various hospitals was discussed but no action was taken.

Only five hospitals were listed and De la Vina told the court more hospitals receive funds under the county’s program. In addition, county counsel Steve Crain objected to the wording, specifically the word "affiliation." The resolution states that the commissioners court endorses and fully supports the county entering into an indigent care affiliation agreement with the hospitals.

The resolution stated that in participation in the county’s program, the five hospitals - Edinburg Regional, Knapp Medical, Mission Medical, Rio Grande Regional and McAllen Medical - incur costs of more than $24,000 annually in excess of payments and reimbursements for their services. The resolution says there exists an opportunity for Hidalgo County hospitals to receive additional federal funds through a Medicaid Upper Payment Limit Program (UPL Program). The resolution states that establishment of a UPL Program would require use of state or local government funds, which in turn are matched by federal funds.

De la Vina said he had a question. "There are other hospitals in the county. Doctors Hospital at Renaissance was up there, not with McAllen Medical, of course, but they are ahead of Edinburg Regional," he said.

Humberto Garcia, administrative assistant to Judge Garcia, said the resolution had been presented to all hospitals but he did not know if all of them wanted to be a part of it.

Commissioners took no action on another request, this one presented by Ann V. Millard, Ph.D., an associate professor at the South Texas Center, Texas A&M Health Science Center, School of Rural Public Health.

She carries out research and evaluation on public health and currently is working on a project related to reducing bioterrorist threats under the Border Health and Environmental Threats Initiative funded by the Department of Defense. She asked the court to consider funding a feasibility study on changing the official population census that was too low when it was established in 2000 and is even lower now.

"In other words, how feasible is it? This is a proposal to see what is the best way to calculate the population, to find out how to do it and what it would cost," Dr. Millard said.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Oscar Garza answered. "We already sued to change it … Let’s assume the study would tell us they are off a certain percentage. The Census Bureau never changes its numbers. Is this a public or private venture?"

Admitting they are probably considering both, she said the monies would go to the center to pay for some labor and material costs of projects.

Garza said the lawyers they hired had struck out three times on the challenge and once it had gone to the Supreme Court. He told her the county’s lawyer Crain had told them legally they could not fund such a study. Garza invited her to return if she learns of any way to address it.

In another matter introduced by Dr. Lorie Ochoa, assistant to the county judge, the court said yes. Commissioner Garza said he and the Santa Cruz Irrigation District are trying to come up with a win-win arrangement to pick up and get rid of tires illegally dumped - from 3,000 to 4,000 of them. "Although their ditches are not part of our system, they are tributaries. It would kill my budget if I went in there and cleaned it up," he said, asking the county for $15,000 from the general fund for that purpose.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Palacios said, "Each of the precincts is faced with that problem. Precinct 2 spends $10,000 a year. We collect them and dispose of them."

Commissioner Garza said he had several dumpsites but people don’t use them. "It’s a drainage problem," he said.

Ray Garza, director of Santa Cruz Irrigation District, said Constable Larry Gallardo in Precinct 3 had secured a grant to hire a person who goes to every tire shop in the precinct and takes inventory of tires being disposed of and sprays them a certain color. Precinct 1 Commissioner Handy said they have made several arrests in her precinct over the dumping. Precinct 3 Commissioner Joe Flores told Garza he needed to buy a baler and pick them up.

Although the court agreed to help Garza, the request must be placed on next week’s agenda for approval.

Marty Salazar, purchasing agent, reported a total inmate population for the county of 1,273, with 1,100 physical count, 147 in the La Villa facility, 169 adjudicated and sentenced to the Texas Department of Corrections, and 23 "other." A breakdown shows 1,028 males, 72 females, 11 federal prisoners, with 85 paper-ready for TDC, 61 pending paperwork from courts and 23 pending charges from courts.

Under Planning, the court granted another 60-day extension to Paul Daniec, developer of Watson Heights Subdivision. Daniec has been trying to get final approval on Watson Heights Subdivision from the troubled La Joya Water Supply Corporation, which is currently under investigation by the state.

Commissioner Garza said he had heard there is a letter being circulated to the effect that there’s sufficient pressure to service the existing non-recorded subdivisions.

Planning Director Raul Sesin said, "As you know, everything is at a standstill. My office sent a letter requesting a decision based on their connections - to see if we could record existing subdivisions that have been constructed but not recorded. Their response said no because the Attorney General’s Office has to do away with their lawsuit or they need to comply. They are working on it. Our office is trying to assist them."

Under Urban County business, the court:

- Approved $10,000 each from Precincts 1, 2 and 3 for Mujeres Unidas (Women Together), the non-profit organization that offers services to battered women and children. Funds from Precinct 1 will provide playground equipment for the organization’s transitional supportive housing program and also for one case worker for the program. Funds from Precinct 2 will go for one Community Education/professional trainer for education and crisis counseling and two part-time advocates to assist families living at the shelter. Precinct 3’s donation will provide four staff members for counseling and support services for individuals and families seeking services at the Family Justice Center, McAllen Outreach Center and Transitional Housing Complex.

- Granted the City of Penitas’ request to be exempted from competitive bidding and to enter an agreement for $4,200 with Raba Kistner Consultants in connection with all of the city’s street improvement projects. The city is entering the agreement for engineering services on turning lanes on Tom Gill Road and West Diamond Avenue. Raba Kistner was the highest rated of three firms.