BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL SIGNS OFF ON TAX FREEZE FOR ELDERLY, DISABLED HOMEOWNERS

  

The City of Brenham is joining Washington County, Blinn College and Brenham ISD in offering a tax break to elderly or disabled homeowners.

The Brenham City Council at its meeting today (Thursday) approved setting a property tax freeze for homeowners 65 or older or disabled.

Finance Director Carolyn Miller said back in 2005, all taxing entities in the county were considering a tax freeze for citizens 65 and older. Blinn, Brenham ISD, and Washington County elected to adopt the freeze, while the city increased the exemption limit from $12,000 to $24,000.

Miller said that decision was based on how increased tax exemption gave immediate relief to those that qualified. In contrast, tax freezes only provide relief when valuations and/or tax rate increases occur, and the decision to implement a tax freeze at the local level is, in her words, “irrevocable”.

Miller noted that the tax freeze will be enacted this year, and that only the tax bill will be frozen, not valuations or the city’s tax rate. She said whatever tax bill is received in October from the Washington County Appraisal District is what is owed moving forward, if a homeowner stays in their current home and does not make significant improvements.

Miller stated the impact on the City of Brenham will be “minimal”.

 

Washington County Chief Appraiser Willy Dilworth said frozen taxes act more so like ceilings, because payments would go down if property valuations or tax rates went down.

 

City Attorney Carey Bovey said the council would come back with a separate ordinance at a later date to deal with the amount of the exemption for disabled homeowners.