Elfant named tax assessor-collector of the year

The Tax Assessor-Collectors Association of Texas has named Bruce Elfant the 2017 Tax Assessor-Collector of the Year. Elfant, who has been Travis County’s tax assessor-collector since 2012, was recognized at a luncheon last Tuesday where Linda Bridge, the association’s vice president, said that he “embodies the spirit of excellence in public stewardship and consistently demonstrates a deep devotion to public interest, civic duty and social justice.” Elfant was recognized for his innovation in being the first to adopt the Property Assessed Clean Energy Program, which provides businesses and nonprofits with low-cost long-term financing for projects involving energy conservation. Other accomplishments he garnered kudos for were an online mapping service showing the county areas with the fewest registered voters and the fact that Travis County was the first county to fully pilot WebDealer, the online titling and registration service for the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Elfant is also an active volunteer, and has held leadership roles in numerous community committees such as Austin/Travis County Family Violence Task Force, U.S. Census Complete Count Committee and Community Action Network Community Council. He has received many awards in his career with Travis County, including in his previous position as constable, however, he still spoke graciously of the “special honor” of receiving this particular distinction at the luncheon. “In this age of political rancor and divisiveness, the state’s tax assessor-collectors, who are elected Democrats and Republicans, are a shining example of how people from different parties can work together,” he said. “We can engage in healthy debate on issues that impact our offices, but we respect each other and are always unified under a singular goal to deliver exceptional customer service to the people we serve in our counties.”