Commissioners set to adopt FY 2023 budget, vote on tax rate

Hays County Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposed Ad Valorem Tax Rate at Tuesday’s meeting.

The proposed Ad Valorem Tax Rate is $0.3125 per $100 assessed property value, according to the agenda packet.

Commissioners will also discuss at court on Tuesday whether to ratify the property tax increase reflected in this year’s budget.

The proposed budget will generate more property tax revenue than the last year’s budget “by an amount of $5,679,017 or 5.85% increase,” the agenda packet states.

Final budgetary changes and adoption of the FY 23 budget will also be considered at Tuesday’s meeting, along with a proposed $3 million American Rescue Plan Act funding grant agreement and mandatory payment rates for institutional healthcare providers.

Hays County Emergency Services District (ESD) #5 may be the next beneficiary of ARPA funding working capital to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.

ESD #5 covers the area from Dripping Springs and Wimberley in the West to the Hays County line in the East, according to the Hays County ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) Project packet. Its northern border extends to Buda city limits and its southern border extends to Blanco River and San Marcos city limits.

If approved, the district will receive $3 million to renovate a fire station located on 127 High Road, a 8,203 square ft. property, to “mitigate and recover from pandemic induced construction price escalation” and to “improve response times to impacted and disproportionately impacted populations.”

The $3 million will provide for a sleeping area for seven fire and EMS personnel, three apparatus bays, (a) brush truck and San Marcos/Hays County EMS ambulance, according to the project overview.

The overview also outlines the following goals that the district hopes to achieve through ARPA funding:

Recover the increased cost of their construction project; and decrease response times to black, Hispanic, and low- or moderate income households; and  increase maintenance cycles on response vehicles.

Other business items include Commissioners holding a public hearing to “discuss, consider, and take appropriate action” on the proposed mandatory payment rate to be assessed on institutional healthcare providers in FY 2023, according to the agenda item summary.

Hays County’s participation in a County Health Care Provider Participation Program is authorized by House Bill 3175 passed during the 84th Texas Legislature, the item summary reads. The program authorizes a county to collect mandatory payments from health care providers to establish a participation fund, which can be used to fund certain intergovernmental transfers and indigent care programs “as provided by Chapter 293 of the Texas Health and Safety Code.”

The new assessment proposed by Commissioners will apply to FY 2022.

The commissioners court meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at the Hays County Historic Courthouse located at 111 E. San Antonio St.

Those looking to participate in public comments can submit a public participation/witness form to the county clerk before 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

For those not attending the meeting but are still wishing to submit public comments to be read during commissioners court, visit the Hays County website to fill out and submit a PDF form to publiccomments@co.hays.tx.us no later than 5 p.m. the evening prior to a commissioners court meeting.

To view the full meeting agenda or watch the commissioner court livestream, visit https://hayscountytx.com/commissioners-court/court-video.