Published: August 23, 2008 09:10 pm            

County tackles tax policy again

Commissioners to set proposed tax rate Monday

The Navarro County Commissioners Court will meet at 10 a.m. Monday to consider adopting a new tax abatement policy for large businesses interested in investing in the county.

The move towards a policy stems from the interest of two large power plants in coming to Navarro County worth a combined value of about $1.6 billion.

The commissioners had help writing the policy from a legal expert, Betsy Elam, who’s written similar policies for other cities and counties in the past. The policy is a general guideline of what a company has to do, and what the county would be willing to do, in such an instance. In the past, the county has followed the policy already established by the City of Corsicana, but two potential power plants are seeking to build outside the city limits, which puts the county on the spot.

This three-step process requires the county to set a policy, then to create reinvestment zones where it would be willing to allow tax abatements, and then to draw up a specific agreement with an individual company. Passing the policy is the only part of the process on Monday’s agenda.

Originally, the commissioners had intended to also hold a public hearing for two reinvestment zones, but that hearing has been delayed until 6 p.m. on Sept. 2.

Other items on the agenda for Monday are consideration of the burn ban, whether or not to sponsor Corbet’s Water supply for a grant, ordering a general election on Nov. 4, changing a polling place for Precinct 2, renewing a software contract for indigent health care, and approving a proposed tax rate for 2008-2009.

The county’s auditor has recommended the rollback rate of a fraction more than 58 cents for every $100 of appraised value, an increase of less than a cent from last year’s rate. The rate is at the rollback rate, the maximum the commissioners may collect without an election.

The final approval of the rate won’t be voted on until late September. Public hearings are scheduled for Sept. 3 and Sept. 8.

Commissioners are also scheduled to hold a closed executive session as part of the meeting Monday, to discuss real estate issues.

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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com

        

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