Commissioners set to approve tax increase

NEW BOSTON, Texas— After holding a public hearing earlier this month on Bowie County’s property tax rate, the Commissioners Court will consider raising that rate during their 10 a.m. meeting today.

Commissioners plan to raise the tax rate by slightly more than 2 cents to a bit more than 42 cents per $100 valuation.

The proposed property tax increase is aimed at helping the county pay for a 5 percent costof-living pay raise for all Bowie County employees as well as a possible increase in the county employees’ health insurance.

The proposed salary hike will be the first cost-of-living pay increase county employees have had since 2011. County officials are also expecting about a 20 percent increase in health insurance costs for employees during the upcoming fiscal year.

Besides the anticipated rise in health care costs, retirement benefits are also expected to cost the county about $100,000 more for fiscal year 2016-17, which starts Oct. 1.

Along with the property tax rate, commissioners will also consider approving the county’s proposed $31.9 million budget for fiscal year 2016-17.

The salary and benefit increase will add slightly more than $930,600 to the county’s proposed budget.

County officials project county income for the next fiscal year to come in at about $31,055,600. This would leave more than an $883,000 year-end deficit that could be covered by some costs adjustments.

The proposed budget includes more than $9.7 million for operating the Bowie County Correctional Center, $3.4 million to run the sheriff’s office and $1.4 million for the district attorney’s office.