DeWitt County adopts tax rate, budget

  • DeWitt County Constable Precinct 1 Kelly Phelps addresses the commissioners court during the proposed tax rate and budget public hearings Aug. 22. Photo by Hans Lammeman.
    DeWitt County Constable Precinct 1 Kelly Phelps addresses the commissioners court during the proposed tax rate and budget public hearings Aug. 22. Photo by Hans Lammeman.
  • Constable Precinct 1 Kellys Phelps expresses his disagreements with the proposed budget during Monday’s meeting at the County Courthouse. Photo by Hans Lammeman.
    Constable Precinct 1 Kellys Phelps expresses his disagreements with the proposed budget during Monday’s meeting at the County Courthouse. Photo by Hans Lammeman.

    The DeWitt County Commissioners Court approved a 10% decrease in the property tax rate for fiscal year 2022, expected to raise property tax revenue by 49.3% – more than $9.5 million.

     

    The commissioners voted unanimously to adopt a 2022 tax rate of 0.42243 alongside the 2023 budget during their Aug. 22 meeting at the County Courthouse. County Judge Daryl Fowler said the decreased tax rate aimed to address the hiked property values for local homesteads.

     

    “We know there are exceptions, but generally speaking, on average, our local taxpayers with homesteads experienced a 10% increase in the value of their properties this year…,” said Folwer before the public hearing. “I’m suggesting, and it’s published, that we lower our tax rate as a way to demonstrate we recognize that these appraisals are going up and our local companies are trying to get back on their feet, and other people are adjusting to the high inflation in their lives through groceries and fuel.”

     

    Total certified appraised values in DeWitt County increased by 59%, or $2.57 billion, according to the adopted budget information packet available online at co.dewitt.tx.us.

     

    “(Certified appraised values saw) a 59% increase this year over last year, taking our taxable values to $7,117,000,” said Fowler. “Out of that, 65% is mineral wealth owned by Conco, Devon, Ensign and the other big operating companies.”

     

    The approved budget appropriated $18.1 million for road construction and equipment in all four precincts. These projects will be funded through the oil and gas royalties from House Bill 2521, local tax dollars, and fees.

     

    The approved budget included a 5% cost of living increase for all county staff and elected officials. This follows a 3.5% cost of living adjustment in the 2021 budget and no adjustment last year. 

     

    The only speaker during Monday’s three public hearings was Constable Precinct 1 Kelly Phelps, who voiced his opinion against the proposed budget for his office.

     

    “I’m here today to voice my displeasure and frustration with what I see as an unjust budget that you proposed for Constable Precinct 1,” started Phelps. “I did not come here to debate the proposed budget with you; I’m just here to state the facts and make my voice heard, not only as your Precinct 1 constable but also as a taxpayer of this county.”

     

    Phelps explained that he had held the Constable Precinct 1 role since 2015 and has worked the position full-time since 2016. He said the proposed budget provided similar funding to Constable Precinct 2 despite unequal workloads.

     

    “To put my budget in perspective, I have to compare my budget with the budget of Constable Precinct 2. Constable Precinct 2 took office Jan. 1, 2021, and has stated to the Commissioners they have a full-time job and he does his constable duties when he is not working at this other job. To an average person, this would mean that he is a part-time constable and not a full-time constable like myself,” said Phelps. “It appears that the budget you proposed does not take this into account as his salary is the same as mine and the rest of his budget is also a mirror of my budget.”

     

    Fowler said he hoped to look into methods to address the constable’s concerns but said the 10-day window to file a grievance had passed.  Commissioner Precinct 4 Richard Randle discussed the idea of defining constables' duties and responsibilities for future budgets to create fair salaries based on performance, potentially with a committee research team.

     

    “I don’t care if y’all do anything with the budget or approve it today. I mean, I’ll work on this again next year, all the equipment that I requested,” said Phelps during the public hearing. “I’m getting donations from the citizens of DeWitt County to cover expenses that y’all will not cover, and I will continue to run my office in an effective and safe manner.”