Reprint from the Progress Times - August 24, 2007
©Progress Times 2007 - All Rights Reserved

Palmview considers tax increase

By Kathy Olivarez

The City of Palmview is considering increasing the city’s ad valorem tax rate from the current $0.337 to $0.352, this year’s rollback tax rate.

Palmview City Council met Tuesday to discuss the proposed tax rate and will hold public hearings on the proposed rate on September 4 and 11.

City Manager Johnn Alaniz told the Palmview City Council the city has a certified tax value of $165,250,161. An additional $1,491,420 is under protest. If added to the tax value, the city’s value could rise to $166,741,581.

Due to growth the effective tax rate, the amount of taxes needed to generate the same amount of revenue as last year, dropped by $0.10947 to $0.326.

Using the current tax rate of $0.337 the projected revenues would increase 3.57 percent and would yield revenues of $582,547 for the city.

Taking the tax rate, or $0.352 to the rollback rate would mean an increase of 7.99 percent in taxes over the effective rate. The new rate would still be one of the lowest tax rates in the Rio Grande Valley, according to acting tax assessor Lupe Rodriguez. He told the council that some cities across the Valley have tax rates that are nearly twice as high as Palmview’s tax rate.

In other action the council was told that the official taxable value of the city had risen from $155,762,207 in 2006 to $166,741,581 in 2007.

Police Chief Christopher Barrera reported that lightning had struck a power line near Abram Road and a live power line had fallen across both lanes of the expressway backing traffic up as far as Ware Road in McAllen earlier in the evening. Power on Abram Road had been knocked out temporarily but the situation had been corrected by the time of the meeting.

The council was told that street projects to be done were pending approval of Precinct 3 approval. Work should begin in approximately two weeks.

Bids will be accepted for sale of a white suburban belonging to the City of Palmview until September 14. It will be sold to the highest bidder.