Mission holds tax rate discussion workshop

This article originally appeared in the Friday Aug. 9, 2019 issue of the Progress Times.

The city of Mission held a workshop on Wed. Aug. 7 in order for the council and city manager to discuss the tax rate. Mayor Armando O’caña was unable to attend this workshop, as he had another meeting to attend.

Council and Randy Perez, city manager, discussed what changes were to be made to the current tax rate in Mission. After presenting information about a potential rate increase in property taxes, Mayor Pro-Tem Norie Gonzalez Garza said she wanted to have another budget workshop before moving forward on raising the tax rate.

“I kind of feel like we need to have a budget workshop so that we can kind of see line-by-line items on what the revenues and expenses are, and compare them,” Gonzalez Garza said. “Really just for last year or the year before we move forward with a tax increase.”

A budget workshop was set to discuss further on Aug. 13, 2019. An additional tax rate workshop is set for Aug. 21.

Gonzalez Garza added that she didn’t feel comfortable moving forward on a tax rate change without O’caña present, which was reiterated by council member Jessica Ortega-Ochoa.

“I don’t want to be in discussion when he’s not here,” Gonzalez Garza said.