County Proposes Tax Rate

Staying slightly under the calculated rollback rate, the Van Zandt County Commissioners’ Court approved a proposed 2008-2009 fiscal year tax rate of .38689 per $100 property valuation.

It is an increase of just over three cents compared to last year’s county tax rate of .35533.

Two required public hearings on the proposed rate also were set. One will be Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. in the county courtroom, the other being the following Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 6 p.m. in the county courtroom.

If the proposed rate gains final approval, it would mean a person with $70,000 in taxable property value would pay $270.82 in county taxes.

County auditor John Shinn calculated the taxes on the average home in Van Zandt County at $294.80. That figure disregards residence homestead exemptions available to disabled persons or those aged 65 or older.

Shinn said the average tax levy in the county last year was $239.30, based on last year’s tax rate.

Average taxable values were up from $67,345 last year to $76,198, Shinn said.

Also in Tuesday’s session, the commissioners’ court set salaries, expenses and allowances for the county’s elected officials as was published in the July 27 edition of the Van Zandt News.