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THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING, UH, TODAY ONE OF, UH, IT'S THREE THAT ARE ACTUALLY REQUIRED THAT WE'LL GO FROM.
THIS ONE IS, UH, STRICTLY DEALING WITH THE, UH, UH, TAX RATE, UH, THAT WE WILL BE SET, AND WE WILL DISCUSS THAT JUST IN A FEW MOMENTS, UH, AND GIVE ANYONE HERE THAT WISHES TO, UH, ADDRESS THE TAX RATE AND THE REASON FOR THE INCREASE.
UH, WE WILL GIVE EVERYBODY THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, TO DO THAT.
BUT I THINK, UH, BEFORE WE START THE MEETING THIS MORNING, UH, I WOULD LIKE FOR US, UH, I THINK WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO THE, UH, OPENING CEREMONY.
I WAS NOT GOING TO DO THAT, BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO DO THAT CONSIDERING ALL THE THINGS WE HAVE GOING ON IN OUR COUNTRY, UH, ESPECIALLY OVERSEAS AND, UH, IN THE, UH, MIDEA AND, UH, OTHER, UH, UH, WE'RE JUST LIVING KIND OF TURBULENT TIME, SO I THINK WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO THAT.
SO YOU'LL STAND WITH ME, THE MOST GRACIOUS HEAVENLY FATHER, ME, THANK YOU FOR TODAY.
AND WE THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE AS CITIZENS AND AS EMPLOYEES AND ELECTED, UH, OFFICIALS OF, UH, THIS COUNTY.
WE THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY YOU'VE GIVEN US TO, TO WORK HERE AND TO LIVE IN THIS GREAT COUNTRY.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE BLESSINGS THAT YOU PROVIDE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US.
SOMETIMES WE DON'T RECOGNIZE THAT, OR WE DON'T THANK YOU ENOUGH.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZING GRACE.
THANK YOU FOR THE, UH, THE OPPORTUNITIES YOU GIVE US TO SERVE AND ALSO THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE FROM TIME TO TIME.
LORD, WE PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY AND OUR PRESIDENT AND OUR CONGRESS, AND ALL OF THOSE THAT ARE IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS AS WE'RE, UH, DEALING WITH, UH, PEOPLE AND, UH, OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD THAT, UH, ARE CERTAINLY NOT FRIENDS OF OUR COUNTRY.
AND WE PRAY THAT YOU WILL GIVE ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE MAKING THOSE IMPORTANT DECISIONS, EVEN AS WE SPEAK TODAY.
UH, IF WE PRAY TODAY, UH, THAT YOU'LL GIVE THEM THE, UH, WISDOM AND GUIDANCE, UH, TO MOVE FORWARD.
UH, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL THE BLESSINGS YOU PROVIDE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US.
THESE THINGS WE ASK IN OUR SONS HOLY NAME, AMEN.
I ANCE FLAG THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE SUPER REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD AND INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG, I THE ALLEGIANCE TO THE ONE SAVED GOD, ONE INDIVIDUAL.
AND I DUNNO IF, UH, COMMISSIONER CLARK, I KNOW HIS BE HERE AND I DON'T, SOMEBODY CAN TEXT HIM, UH, MAYBE AND SEE WHERE HE IS.
UH, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND I THANK YOU AGAIN, THE, UH, THE HEARING.
AND, UH, YOU DO HAVE, UH, SOME INFORMATION, UH, THAT IS PLACED, UH, ON THE, UH, TABLE THERE IN FRONT OF YOU, OR NOT IN FRONT OF YOU, BUT ON THE SIDE CONCERNING, UH, THE TAX RATE.
AND WHEN WE OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING.
JUST A MOMENT, I WILL ASK YOU TO APPEAR YOUR COMMISSIONER, WE COMMITTEE.
YOU'VE ALREADY BEEN POINTED TO A COMMITTEE.
UH, LEMME JUST SAY, AS WE, UH, BEGIN THE PUBLIC HEARING IN A MOMENT THAT, UH, WE WOULD, UH, ASK, UH, YOU, IF YOU, IF YOU DO HAVE, THERE'S TWO DOCUMENTS THAT I CERTAINLY WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO LOOK AT.
ONE OF THEM IS THE KAUFMAN COUNTY TAX RATE FROM 1999 TO 2014.
THIS WOULD BE FOR THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THIS COMING YEAR, WHICH WE WILL BE HAVING A PUBLIC HEARING ON MONDAY.
UH, THE OTHER DOCUMENT IS THE INFORMATION THAT BY LAW WE PUBLISHED, AND YOU'LL SEE THE, UH, UH, EFFECTIVE TAX RATE AND THE ROLLBACK TAX RATE.
AND YOU'LL, UH, WE'LL DISCUSS THAT JUST IN A, IN A MOMENT.
BUT BEFORE WE START, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, HAVE A MOTION THAT WE ENTER INTO THIS PUBLIC HEARING.
SO, MAY I HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER SHANE AND A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER MANNING? UH, YOU ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
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HEARING WILL BEGIN.JUST TO KIND OF SET THE FRAMEWORK ON HOW I WOULD, UH, EXPECT THAT WE WOULD DO THIS.
UH, WE WILL HAVE, UH, THREE MINUTES, UH, OR WE WILL ALLOW YOU THREE MINUTES, UH, TO SPEAK IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.
CERTAINLY NOW IS THE TIME TO ASK THOSE.
I DO EXPECT, UH, THAT THE, UH, HEARING WILL BE RESPECTFUL.
I WILL NOT ALLOW PERSONAL ATTACKS.
UH, AND, UH, THAT'S NOT THE WAY WE WILL OPERATE, UH, IN THIS, UH, MEETING TODAY, AND I DON'T EXPECT THAT THAT WILL BE A PROBLEM.
BUT WE CERTAINLY ARE INTERESTED IN HEARING ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU HAVE, UH, ABOUT OUR, UH, PROPOSED TAX RATE THAT IS LISTED HERE.
UH, AND IF YOU SIGNED UP, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER WE HAVE ANYBODY THAT HAS, UH, SIGNED UP.
UH, EVEN IF YOU HAVE NOT SIGNED UP, IT IS A PUBLIC HEARING AND YOU STILL ARE WELCOME TO, UH, UH, TO ASK QUESTIONS.
AND, UH, SO NOW WOULD BE THE TIME THAT YOU DO THAT.
LET ME EXPLAIN TO YOU AS WE START THIS HEARING.
THE REASON THAT THE TAX RATE IS INCREASING, UH, 1.97 CENTS OR ALMOST 2 CENTS IS STRICTLY BECAUSE OF THE $30 MILLION OF BONDS THAT THE COUNTY, UH, SOLD BACK IN, UH, FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR.
AND, UH, IT IS JUST LIKE A MORTGAGE ON A HOUSEHOLD.
IF YOU GO TO A LOAN COMPANY, A MORTGAGE COMPANY AND BORROW MONEY, WELL, THEY KIND OF WANT YOU TO PAY IT BACK, UH, IN MOST INSTANCES.
AND IF YOU DON'T PAY IT BACK, WELL THAT BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN.
AND THAT'S THE SAME WAY WITH THE $30 MILLION WORTH OF BONDS THAT WE HAVE NOW SOLD.
UH, WE ARE BEGINNING TO SPIN SOME OF THOSE BOND AREA, UH, QUIETLY OR NOT QUIETLY.
WE'RE BEGINNING TO SPIN SOME OF THOSE FUNDS VERY QUICKLY, I SHOULD SAY, BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO GET AS MUCH WORK STARTED IN THE COUNTY AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.
THE REASON THAT I PREPARED THE INFORMATION ON THE HISTORIC TAX RATES IN OUR COUNTY GOING BACK TO NINE NINE 2000, IS TO SHOW YOU HOW THAT HAS CHANGED.
NOW, NINE, NINE 2000 IS WHAT, 14 YEARS AGO? NEAR 15 YEARS AGO, I GUESS.
AND, UH, SO YOU CAN SEE HOW THAT HAS CHANGED OVER, UH, THE LAST, UH, SEVERAL YEARS.
WE ARE A MUCH DIFFERENT COUNTY TODAY IN A LOT OF WAYS THAN WHAT WE WERE IN NINE, NINE 2000.
WE WERE MORE OF A RURAL COMMUNITY.
OUR POPULATION WAS, I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT, BUT IT WAS SOMEWHERE PROBABLY 40 OR 50,000 PEOPLE.
UH, I DON'T REMEMBER THAT, BUT I'M, I'M ASSUMING THAT'S SOMETHING LIKE THE CLOSE.
BUT AS YOU KNOW, TODAY, OUR POPULATION IS ESTIMATED TO BE APPROACHING 110,000 PEOPLE.
SO WE CONTINUE TO BE ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING COUNTIES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
AND WITH THAT, IT MAKES THE TAX RATE SHIFT.
UH, SO I WANTED YOU TO SEE THE TAX, TOTAL TAX RATE, UH, WILL BE 0.5 7 6 2 57 6 2 CENTS AS COMPARED TO LAST YEAR'S TAX RATE OF 0.5 5, 6 5.
AND IF YOU ADD, SUBTRACT THAT, YOU'LL SEE THAT THAT IS A DIFFERENCE OF 0.197 OR ALMOST 2 CENTS.
SO THAT BEING SAID, I WOULD, UH, UH, CERTAINLY, UM, UH, IN INVITE YOU AND ENCOURAGE YOU, UH, TO COME FORWARD AND COMMENT ON, UH, THE TAX RAISE.
IF ANYBODY WOULD APPEAR TO DO THAT AT THIS TIME.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE ANOTHER TIME MONDAY MORNING.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE ANOTHER TIME MONDAY WEEK.
SO WE, WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT THIS TAX RATE IS BEFORE WE GET THROUGH.
SO, AGAIN, LET ME ASK AGAIN, DOES ANYBODY WISH TO ADDRESS THE COURT CONCERNING THE PROPOSED TAX RATE? I WISH MY CLASSES HAD BEEN JUST QUIET WHENEVER I DAYS FOR THE THIRD TIME.
DOES ANYONE WISH TO ADDRESS THE COURT CONCERNING THE TAX RATE? OKAY, I DON'T WANNA FORCE YOU TO SPEAK, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HEARING.
I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION NOW THAT WE, UH, EXIT THE HEARING ON THE, UH, TAX RATE.
SO MAY, UH, COMMISSIONER MANNING, UH, MAKES THAT MOTION COMMISSIONER SECOND MOTION.
WE WILL AGAIN DISCUSS THIS ON, WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER HEARING.
THERE'S, UH, THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE BY LAW ON, UH, MONDAY MORNING.
AND, UH, AT THAT MEETING WE'LL ALSO BE DISCUSSING OUR BUDGET AND, UH, THE PARTS OF THE BUDGET.
WE'RE GOING TO ENTER INTO A BUDGET WORKSHOP NOW, AND SO WE'RE GOING TO EXIT, UH, WHERE WE'RE SITTING UP HERE AND GATHER AROUND THE TABLE, UH, WHERE WE'LL BE A LITTLE EASIER FOR US TO COMMUNICATE BACK
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AND FORTH.UH, SO, UH, I WOULD, UH, WE'LL TAKE A QUICK BREAK AND WE'LL GATHER UP DOWN HERE.
YOU'RE WELCOME TO STAY FOR THAT OR YOU CAN, UH, LEAVE WHEREVER YOU'D LIKE TO.