Public hearing on county property tax rates moved

The Commissioners Court has moved the public hearing and associated vote for next year’s property tax rate a week earlier. The public hearing on the tax rate will move to Sept. 8 at 9 a.m. while the vote on the proposed tax rate of 37.4359 cents per $100 of property valuation will take place on Sept. 15. County Judge Sam Biscoe pushed for having a week between the hearing and the adoption of the tax rate, saying, “I have always felt a bit guilty … about having a public hearing at 9 a.m and taking action at 9:30 a.m. or 9:45 a.m.” Commissioners voted unanimously to move both dates up by a week. While Biscoe said there is no telling how many residents will come to comment on the property tax proposal, he noted, “There’s a whole lot there that could be commented on by the public.”