Maverick County Hospital District Board To Approve Tax Rate Increase For 2017-18 Fiscal Year At September 14th Meeting

By: Miguel Munoz, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2017

The Maverick County Hospital District Board of Directors are having a special meeting on Thursday, September 14, 2017, at 12 Noon, at the District’s Second Floor Conference Room located at 3406 Bob Rogers Drive in Eagle Pass, Texas “to vote on the tax rate” increase for the 2017-2018 Fiscal Year Budget from the current $.09 cents per $100 valuation to the proposed tax rate of $0.129864 cents per $100 valuation, an increase of $.039864 cents (almost 4 cents) per $100 valuation, according to a Notice of Tax Revenue Increase published in a local newspaper.

“The total tax revenue proposed to be raised this year (2017-2018) at the proposed (increased) tax rate of $0.129864 for each $100 taxable value, including tax revenue to be raised from new new property added to the tax roll this year is $3,392,135 (Million)” compared to last year’s (2016-2017) tax revenue raised at $09 cents taxable value totaling $2,286,733 (Million), a tax revenue increase of $1,105,402 (Million) for the new 2017-2018 Fiscal Year Budget.  Thus, the total amount of tax revenues to be increased as a result of the proposed $.129864 cents per $100 taxable value tax rate ($1,105,402) is 45.67% in excess of the rollback tax rate or effective tax rate.

The primary reason for the significant tax rate increase and tax revenues to be raised with the proposed $.129864 per $100 taxable value is that the Maverick County Hospital District Operating Budget proposed for 2017-2018 Fiscal Year has a huge increase of $4,183,342 (Million) from the current year’s budget of $8,052,027 (Million), the largest single year increase in its history, due to expansion of medical specialty doctors to be hired, the construction of additional medical offices, and increased costs of services and goods.

The Maverick County Hospital District Board held two public hearings on August 29th and September 5th, 2017 to provide taxpayers an opportunity to express their opinion on the proposed tax rate and tax revenues increases, but unfortunately not a single taxpayer showed up to these public hearings, most probably because taxpayers work during the 12 Noon meeting time that these public hearings were held.

Maverick County taxpayers are concerned that the Maverick County Hospital District has suffered large financial losses every single year since it sold the Maverick County Memorial Hospital to United Health Services, Inc., the parent company of Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center, in 2000.  Last year, the Hospital District took a $566,066 during 2015-2016, another loss of $2,297,565 (Million) during 2014-2015, and another $2,490,773 (Million) during 2013-2014.

Maverick County taxpayers are encouraged to attend the September 14, 2017 Maverick County Hospital District Board of Directors  to express their opinions on the proposed tax rate and tax revenues increases proposed for the 2017-2018 Fiscal Year Budget, as the District’s Notice of Tax Revenue Increase provides.

The Maverick County Hospital District Board of Directors is composed of Adolfo “Fito” Olivares, Chairman, Jesus Casas, Vice-Chairman, Rebecca “Becky” Robinson, Secretary-Treasurer, Juan Manuel “Chuco” Farias, and Ronald Hixson.