Dateline: August 31, 2006

Petitions put tax freeze initiative onto ballots

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

A tax freeze for citizens over the age of 65 and disabled citizens will go on the ballot this November for three local taxing entities.

Donley County, the City of Clarendon, and the Clarendon College District have all received petitions in recent days from the Concerned Citizens of Donley County bearing the required number of signatures to force the issue to a vote.

A petition for a fourth entity, the City of Hedley, was delivered to Moffitt Hardware instead of City Hall and will be considered next Thursday, city officials said.

Each entity will hold separate elections during the General Election on November 7 this year. If the proposition passes, the dollar amount of ad valorem taxes on qualified homesteads would be frozen on January 1, 2007.

“No one knows exactly how it would effect us if it passes,” said County Judge Jack Hall.

Paula Lowrie, Chief Appraiser with the Donley Appraisal District, said the freeze places a ceiling on the dollar amount of taxes for those that qualify.

“If the tax rate goes down, the taxes go down; but if the tax rate goes up, the taxes can’t go above that ceiling,” Lowrie said. “Of course, if you build a new garage or make improvements, then your taxes are adjusted and frozen at a new level.”

The tax freeze would only apply to declared homesteads and would not apply to business property or personal property, such as cars, boats, and planes.

A tax freeze already exists for the elderly and disabled for school taxes. The law does not allow for hospital districts and groundwater districts to be subject to similar petitions, Lowrie said.

Local boards expressed concern about the freeze but by law had to put the issue on the ballot after the Concerned Citizens obtained the signatures of more than the minimum five percent of registered voters.

Clarendon Alderman Janice Knorpp said at last Tuesday’s city meeting that the freeze would handicap the city’s ability to make improvements.

“It puts us in a real bind to be able to do anything,” Knorpp said. “[The Concerned Citizens] want the taxes frozen, but they want all the services. I don’t think they really understand what they’re doing.”

Alderman Michael Tibbets questioned why anyone under the age of 65 would have signed the petition and said most of those who signed were probably really upset with the appraisal district.

“There are people over the age of 65 who can afford taxes,” Tibbets said. “It’s out of control appraisals that is driving this. We all want lower taxes, but services cost money.

“We all need to think about this clearly before we vote this fall,” Tibbets said.

Approximately 120 signatures were needed out of 2,403 registered county and college district voters, and 220 valid names were on the petition. A total of 113 valid names were on the petition to the city, more than the 64 that were required.

A copy of the petition is on file at the County Clerk’s office and is available for public inspection. The petition contains the name of two elected officials – Clarendon Alderman Michael Tibbets and Hospital Board Chairman Alan Fletcher.

Howardwick City Hall said they have not received any petitions from the Concerned Citizens, but that city’s tax rate is legally capped at 25 cents per $100 valuation.