BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL TO MOVE FORWARD WITH TAX RATE
The Brenham City Council is set to move forward in adopting its proposed tax rate.
The City Council will meet for a special session for the first reading of the tax rate on September 12th at 8 a.m. at City Hall.
The City Council held a second public hearing on the proposed rate at their meeting today (Thursday), at which time no citizens spoke about the rate. The council will move forward to adopt the tax rate of 50.7 cents per hundred dollar valuation, which is 3.4 cents higher than the current tax rate for the City of Brenham. That amounts to a 7.64 percent increase in taxes paid by individuals and businesses who own property within the city limits.
The City Council went on to approve a request from the Washington County Appraisal District to retain its unused funds from the 2014-2015 budget year. According to Chief Appraiser, Willy Dilworth, the Washington County Appraisal District was $54,633 under budget during the 2014-2015 fiscal year. Dilworth said the funds would be used for a variety of purposes. Of the funds, $33,859 will be spent on a 2017 pictometry flight, $12,774 will be used for a 2020 pictometry flight, and $8,000 will be used to buy new computers.
The City Council also approved the Appraisal District’s 2016-2017 Budget. The budget is a $38,711 increase over the prior year’s budget. This is due in large part by the addition of a new Field Appraiser. Dilworth said that each Field Appraiser is currently responsible for 7,000 accounts. A new appraiser will reduce that number down to 5,000 accounts for each person.
The Council also approved the acceptance of a grant between The Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library for $16,350. The grant provides funding for programs that expand library services to populations with special needs. The library currently offers a weekly musical program to members of the Brenham State Supported Living Center. The grant will allow the program to have a wider reach in the community. It is a reimbursement grant which will allow for the purchase of new technology and related components in the library’s new program room.
The Council also approved a cooperation grant from the Texas State Library for $15,500 for the “Library Small Business and Workforce Development Hub” program. The grant will allow a partnership between the Blinn College Small Business Development Center and the Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library. The partnership aims to train small businesses and entrepreneurs with quarterly workshops, create a business space with mobile printing resources, and help develop digital literacy skills of the local workforce.
The City Council also approved the first reading of an ordinance approving a loan from the Bank of Brenham for $450,000 for furnishing and equipment for the Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library; voted to approve the selection of Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool Board of Trustees; and approved a one year contract extension for gasoline and diesel fuel for the City of Brenham’s equipment fleet.
The City Council also declared September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in Brenham. In addition, the Council proclaimed September 6th through October 18th as the official period for the Washington County READ program.