San Antonio's rate is only tentatively raised to $3.25 from $2.53 per $1,000 of taxable property value.
By Times Staff Writer
Published July 12, 2003
SAN ANTONIO - The city's tax rate could go up this year, but it probably won't, city officials said this week.
Setting the tentative property tax rate for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, commissioners on Tuesday unanimously voted to up the rate from $2.53 per $1,000 of taxable property value to $3.25.
But, Mayor Roy Pierce said, that's just to give commissioners wiggle room as they begin the budget process. Early in the process, cities are required to notify the Pasco County tax collector of a tentative rate. Lowering the rate later is easy, Pierce said, but adding to it is very difficult and costly.
As proposed, a state formula would list the $3.25 rate as a 35 percent increase over the rollback tax rate of $2.40 per $1,000 of taxable value. The rollback rate is calculated by rolling back the current tax rate to a level that would raise the same amount of revenue as in the prior year, taking into account increased assesments.
Pierce said he did not expect the rate would rise above the current $2.53 rate.
A budget workshop is scheduled for Aug. 5, and the first public hearing will be set for a date in September.
