Texarkana College sets public hearings on 2017-18 tax rate

The Texarkana College Board of Trustees set two public hearings on the FY 2017-18 tax rate during its regular meeting Monday. They will be held Aug. 14 and 21, with a final meeting to adopt the tax rate scheduled for Aug. 28.

The proposed budget does not include an increase in the current tax rate of $.110718 per $100 assessed property valuation, because the certified values from the Bowie County Appraisal District were not available until today. Those values will be figured into the final plan of the budget, which is expected to be adopted during the Aug. 28 meeting. The tax rate was last increased in August 2016, generating around $300,000 for the 2016-17 budget.

In 2015, the board considered raising the tax rate to .113, which would have increased the budget by half a million dollars. An anonymous donor gave $1 million in September 2015, with the board then voting to keep the existing rate. In November 2016, trustees also sought to annex TC’s service portion of Cass County, with voters unanimously defeating the measure.

In other business, Suzy Irwin, TC’s director of institutional advancement, presented an updated advertising plan. It is designed to support the school’s Strategic Plan, which has a goal of boosting enrollment to 8,500 this year. The plan includes new advertisements, which will be used on billboards and in multiplatform digital ads.

Rick Boyette, the director of facilities services, also gave a report on the renovations to the Humanities Building. The project, initially estimated to cost $1.5 million, is nearing completion at close to $600,000. Boyette said 14 heating and air systems units have been replaced, with floor tile in the building scheduled for completion by Aug. 15. All work in the building, which also includes replacement of ceiling tiles and restroom renovations, is scheduled to be completed by the first day of class, Aug. 23.