Floyd County Courthouse (Alex Driggars/Floyd County Record)
FLOYDADA – “You can’t set a tax rate until your budget is set, but you can’t build a budget until you know how much money you’re bringing in.”
That’s how exasperated county judge Marty Lucke summed up Monday morning’s Floyd County Commissioners meeting. The judge and commissioners commiserated about the order in which the Texas Legislature requires things, but moved ahead with their plans to serve the county without a major increase in taxes.
Monday’s meeting called for commissioners to approve a 2022-2023 budget that comes with a 2.65 percent increase over this year, with much of that increase coming in cost-of-living raises for county employees.
The final budget was approved unanimously, with a “record vote” requiring a signature from each commissioner on how they voted. The budget is similar to the one proposed by Judge Lucke on August 1, with the biggest change being an additional $50,000 in road and bridge repairs.
Now that the budget is set, the tax rate discussions can begin, with commissioners agreeing to a $0.656 cents on $100 valuation in property taxes, or $650 for a $100,000 home. “I had to pick a tax rate to set a budget, now it’s up to y’all to decide if that works,” Lucke joked with commissioners.
Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the tax rate, tentatively set for September 6 at 8:15 a.m. Once approved, the rate will go into effect on January 1, 2023.
