Brown County taxpayers will see an increase in their county taxes in the next year as Brown County Commissioners’ Court adopted a total tax rate of $0.5744 per $100 valuation at Monday’s meeting of the court. Commissioners also adopted an $18.2 million budget for Fiscal Year 2013/2014.
The general tax fund rate was adopted at an increased rate of $0.4451/$100 valuation, the road and flood portion of the county tax was adopted at a rate of $0.081/$100 valuation and the debt service rate/INS was increased to $0.0492/per $100 valuation. Commissioner Gary Worley explained this increase in his motion to adopt the tax rate.
“That will make the total tax rate 0.5744; therefore, I move that the property tax rate be increased by the adoption of the adoption of the tax rate of 0.5744¢, which is effectively a 10.42% increase in the tax rate,” Worley explained.
During the public hearing portion of the meeting regarding the tax rate and Fiscal Year Budget, there were no comments or questions from the public. Commissioners also adopted an $18.2 million budget FY 2013/2014, a $2.8 million dollar increase from the previous year due to $1.5 million dollars of tax notes approved in July of this year, a 3% increase in health insurance rates and a 3% cost-of-living raise for county employees.
In other matters on the agenda:
*Commissioners did not take action to issue a burn ban. Commissioner agreed recent rains have kept most of the county from needing a burn ban.
*City of Brownwood Parks and Recreation Manager David Withers received approval of a resolution authorizing a county grant for “Texans Feeding Texans: Home-Delivered Meal Grant Program.” According to Withers, this is the same grant that the county has received from the Texas Department of Agriculture for the past five years, resulting in an average of $3784/year. The amount of this year’s grant funding will not be determined until December, and will depend on how many senior organizations apply for the grant monies.
*Brown County Sheriff’s Captain Tony Aaron received approval on employee changes of three jailers. Two will start at base pay of $2000/month and the third, who had previously worked as a jailer 4 months ago will receive the same salary he was receiving when he ended his position with BCSO, at $2447/month.
*Aaron approached the court regarding a possible exemption for the Brown County Sheriff’s Office employees’ maximum accrual rate of vacation time; however received no action on the matter at this time. He explained to the court that typical county workers have 8 hour days, but due to the 24 hour service of the BCSO, jailers are required to work 12-hour days and that he would like to see the maximum rate of accrual clarified to state the work day hours as related to each employee, rather than an across the board policy of maximum accrual of vacation hours being based on twenty 8-hour days. This conversation was brought about due to a jailer recently leaving with 197 accrued hours and only receiving 160 hours paid. The county’s policy and procedure does not currently state clearly what the hours of the vacation day are, but rather relies on an unwritten policy that has been historically upheld as twenty 8-hour days, according to Aaron and Jail Administrator Becky Caffey, who also appeared before the court Monday. Caffey explained that due to the current shortage of jailers, the ability to take time off is not always possible.
*Aaron requested of the court to have a representative from BCSO appointed to the county’s employee policy committee, which is currently made up of members Commissioner Precinct 2 Joel Kelton, Administrative Assistant Amy Hamrick, Court Administrator Jayme Madson and County Treasurer Ann Krpoun (chairman of the committee). County Judge Ray West recommended that the county employee policy committee and the Brown County Sheriff’s Department policy committee have a joint meeting before any consideration is made to an appointment to the Brown County employee policy committee.
*Commissioners approved the replacement of three lights, in entry ways and in the stair well between the 2nd and 3rd floor of the courthouse. The total cost, parts and labor of this electrical work will be $1068, as listed on a proposal from Weldon Wilson Electric who will do the work.
*Precinct 1 Commissioner Worley received approval for the installation of a private water line to be installed by Brookesmith Special Utility District on County Road 221. The installation will require a bore under the paved county road.
The Brown County Commissioners’ court recessed until their next meeting scheduled for Monday, October 7th at 9:00 a.m.
