Texas-side officials approve natural gas rate increase

Higher natural gas rates can go into effect Sept. 1, the Texarkana, Texas, City Council decided Monday.

The council voted 4-2 to grant CenterPoint Energy a rate increase of approximately 10.1 percent, which according to company documents will raise the average Texas-side customer’s monthly bill by more than $7.

The change will affect both Texarkanas and and Nash, Redwater and Wake Village in Texas. It is CenterPoint’s first rate increase in almost 10 years.

Ward 3 Councilmember Betty Williams and Ward 6’s Josh Davis voted against approving the new rates.

During a public hearing on increasing the city’s property tax rate for fiscal year 2018, one resident criticized the taxing mechanism that captures much of the property taxes collected north of Interstate 30 to be used only there. David Potter recommended that the council consider dissolving the tax increment reinvestment zone established in that part of the city.

A TIRZ maps out an area and establishes its base value as the its total appraisal the year it is created. If the zone’s appraisal goes up, property taxes collected above the base value can be spent only in the zone.

Potter argued that keeping that tax money in the TIRZ has resulted in a need to increase revenue in other ways, through higher fees and the proposed property tax increase.

“The way that comes down is the wealthiest among us get hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer revenue to supplement private projects. … It would be hard to claim that in that part of our city, that without this incentive development would not happen,” he said.

The plan is to raise the property tax rate from $.70 to $.74. The new rate would generate more than $885,000 and mean $40 more a year in property taxes per $100,000 in home value.

Chief Financial Officer Kristin Peeples presented some minor updates to the proposed fiscal year 2018 budget, which is scheduled for a council vote Sept. 11. She said city staff has been answering questions from the citizens’ advisory committee recently formed to provide input on the budget. The committee will meet Thursday, chairman Van Alexander said.

Monday afternoon, Alexander withdrew from this year’s race for the Ward 5 council seat, leaving Pleasant Grove Independent School District administrator Bill Hand to run for the seat unopposed. Hand will succeed Councilmember Christy Paddock, who has said she is stepping down to spend more time with her children.

Alexander, who has served five terms representing Ward 5 on the council, said he initially decided to run out of concern that the seat would be left empty. After meeting with Hand on Saturday, Alexander decided to leave the race, he said.

During the meeting’s open forum, several residents rose to say Texarkana has an animal overpopulation problem and an ordinance requiring pets to be spayed or neutered could be a solution.

Kandy Hirsch with Partners for Paws Texarkana said she did not have all the answers to the pet population issue.

“All we ask is that you acknowledge” the problem and begin working toward improving the situation, she told the council.

Greg King told the council about the abandoned and stray dogs he captures to get them veterinary care and find them homes.

“It’s horrible. I rescue walking skeletons,” he said. “I just pray something can change.”

The council voted unanimously to extend Economic Developer Jerry Sparks’ contract beyond its Sept. 30 expiration date. Sparks has announced his intention to retire but will continue to work parttime to assist his replacement transition into the position.

The council will hold a public hearing on the tax rate at 6 p.m. Sept. 5 in City Hall. Its next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 11.

On Twitter: @RealKarlRichter