Proposed tax rate announced at DeWitt Commissioner’s Court meeting

The DeWitt County Commissioner’s Court approved a proposed tax rate of 36.601 cents per $100 of taxable property for fiscal year 2024-25 at the Aug. 12 meeting.

This is different than the calculated tax rate of 33.026 cents per $100 of taxable property. The current rate is 36.601 cents per $100 of taxable property so there was no change on the proposed tax rate.

“We are proposing the tax rate to stay the same as the current rate because it will match our budget and our long-term planning purposes,” Judge Daryl Fowler said. “The long-term planning purposes are built upon the need to have money in reserve to pay for the repairs to the damaged roads when the last oil-field truck leaves DeWitt County. The mineral values of the wells that they’re drilling now have been depleted and are no longer a key component of our tax base and will bring substantially less revenue from oil and gas. What we have attempted to do for the last 12 years is build balances to make sure we have enough funds available to pay for the damages and repairs to those roads after those oil companies leave.” 

The voter approved tax rate lands at 41.082 cents per $100 of taxable property. 

A public hearing for budget and tax rate adoption will be held at the next Commissioner’s Court meeting on Aug. 26 at 9 a.m.

Other items on the agenda include:

• The court adopted $10 for County Road and Bridge fee amounts.

• A public hearing was set for Aug. 26 regarding the consideration of the annual written archive plan for funding the preservation and restoration of the county clerk’s records.

• A permit application from Select Water Solutions LLC for the installation of a temporary water line along Cabeza Road and Frank Hinojosa Road in Precinct No. 3 was approved. Another permit application for the installation of a temporary water line along Ckodre Road from SWS was also approved.