LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Two Lubbock County commissioners skipped Monday morning’s meeting to prevent a tax increase.

If, pursuant to state law, four members of the Commissioners Court are not present to vote on the proposed tax rate, the tax rate shall be adopted without raising any new revenue.

At the proposed rate of 35.8989 cents per $100 of assessment, the average homeowner whose home value increased from $207,092 to $219,456 would pay the county $68.16 more annually, according to data released by the county. The total amount for a $219,456 property would be $787.82. The proposed rate is the voter approval rate, meaning it is the highest that could be approved by commissioners without forcing an election.

The no-new revenue rate is 33.4702 cents per $100 of value. This is the rate that will give the county the same revenue for properties on the tax rolls both last year and this year. In other words, if the estimated change in value of your property is the same as the average across the county, the no-new revenue rate would keep your bill the same as last year.

Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parish said the two who were not present, Second District Commissioner Jason Corley and Fourth District Commissioner Jordan Rackler, must appear so their views could be heard.

“They talk about wanting to be open and transparent, which is something I feel very strongly about, but if two commissioners decide not to show up, that effectively means their voice is no longer there,” Parrish said.

Corley and Rackler said they would listen to their constituents, some of whom appeared in county commissioner’s court to voice their concerns about the proposed increase.

“Please don’t force a tax increase on us, please listen to us, everyone is struggling with inflation, we can’t go on like this,” Rackler said, relaying the feedback he has received. “Everyone thinks the district is spending money wastefully, please do that for us.”

KCBD spoke with Corley and Rackler at He-Brews Coffee at 10 a.m. Monday. Since they were not at the courthouse at the time, the required quorum needed to vote on a tax rate was not met.

They want the district to not allow any new sources of income.

Parrish says the court will have to cut millions of dollars in requested budget increases. A new budget funded with the no-new-revenue rate would still be higher than this year’s budget. We’re working to get concrete numbers from the county auditor’s office on the difference.

“That’s $7.5 million less in an already very tight, very fiscally conservative budget,” Parrish said. “So there are some pretty tough, pretty difficult decisions that are going to have to be made in the next few days to get that $7.5 million cut.”

Parrish said the absence of the two commissioners had set the county back.

“We need to make sure this county, its infrastructure, its court system, its public safety, its fire departments and our facilities are prepared for future growth,” Parrish said.

Corley and Rackler say they are here to fight and be the voice of their constituents.

“We were both in the courthouse today. I was there at nine o’clock and decided to leave the courtroom to represent my constituents in the fourth district because I was asked not to push through a tax increase,” Rackler said.

“I want to tell my constituents that your voice has been heard, the die has been cast and it has happened,” Corley said.

Parrish says commissioners need to voice the concerns of their constituents at the podium.

“The three commissioners who show up to work are the ones who have to do the job, and District 2 and District 4 will have no say because they will not be represented at the table,” Parish said.

There will be two more opportunities to vote on the tax rate for the next tax year.

September 30 is the last day to reach an agreement, otherwise there will be no new revenue rate that would bring the county the same amount of revenue last year and the current year from the properties on the tax roll.

Click here to go to the state’s website to see how each taxing agency’s proposals will affect your bill. Our previous report on property tax access.

We reported last month that there was disagreement during budget work sessions over how much additional funding should be provided to the sheriff’s office. The next day, several citizens told commissioners they cannot afford a tax increase.

Sheriff Rowe discussed the needs of his department in this report.

Tax rates in Texas

Data from the Texas Comptroller’s Office shows that Lubbock County’s tax rate enacted last year is the 185th highest out of 254.

This is not a nationwide comparison, as assessed value is part of the property tax equation. In some counties, the average home value is $200,000, while in others it is over $400,000.

Here are last year’s adopted property tax rates in cents per $100 of value. Note: Some counties collect taxes for an optional Road & Bridge Fund (see R/B below) and/or a Farm to Market/Flood Control Fund (see FMFC). The list is sorted by last year’s adopted rate excluding R/B or FMFC.

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