Setting a proposed Tax Rate for the next fiscal year is on the agenda this week for Fairfield City Council.

A Special Called meeting will be held beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 4, 2022 at the Green Barn Civic Center for discussion and possible action on the measure.

Council members will be looking at two documents when considering setting of the tax rate:

—Certification of 2022 Appraisal Roll – certified by Chief Appraiser Don Awalt, and

—2022 Tax Rate Calculation Worksheet – calculated and signed off by Tax Assessor Collector Daniel M. Ralstin.

According to Chief Appraiser Awalt, the portion of the approved appraisal roll of the Freestone Central Appraisal District for properties taxable by the City of Fairfield show a Total Certified Taxable Value of $264,850,341 for 2022.

This is 15.25% higher than the Total Taxable Value for the previous year, which stood at $229,894,328 in 2021.

Using this appraisal information, and working through a 7-page worksheet, Tax Assessor / Collector Ralstin presents the 2022 Property Tax rates as follows:

—No-New-Revenue Rate: $0.400686 per $100 assessed valuation

This is the tax rate that would produce the same amount of revenue in taxes if applied to the same properties taxed from the previous year. In other words, property owners would see a tax bill similar in amount to the previous year.

—Voter Approval Rate: $0.432511 per $100 assessed valuation

Setting a tax rate above this amount would trigger an election for voters to approve the increase.

—De Minimis Rate: $0.585178 per $100 assess valuation

The de minimis rate is the sum of a taxing unit’s no-new-revenue M&O rate; the rate that, when applied to a taxing unit’s current total value, will impose an amount of taxes equal to $500,000; and a taxing unit’s current debt rate. It is designed to give smaller taxing units, including cities with a population of less than 30,000, some flexibility to budget for extraordinary costs that may not be possible under the three and a half percent voter-approval tax rate.

Click here for a calculation of expected revenue with each tax rate.

Last year’s tax rate was set at $0.460137 for the City of Fairfield.

Looking at comparable municipalities, Fairfield’s tax rate has historically been on the lower scale. Below are a comparison of 2021 tax rates for cities in the area:

–Teague | $0.627900

–Mexia | $0.840900

–Groesbeck | $0.624800

–Corsicana | $0.612000

–Athens | $0.645221

–Rusk | $0.423750

–Jacksonville | 0.689950

–Crockett | $0.564000

–Buffalo | 0.446872

A Visitors and Citizens Forum is also on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting, prior to the tax rate matter.

During this time, any person not already on the agenda may speak to the council. However, no formal action can be taken on these items during this time.

A workshop will follow the Special Called Meeting to discuss the 2022-2023 Fiscal Year Budget. A second Budget Workshop is scheduled for the following day on Friday, August 5, 2022 beginning at 5:00 p.m., also at the Green Barn Civic Center.

For further information, contact the City Secretary’s Office at 903-389-2633. Or, visit the City’s website online at fairfieldtexas.com