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Anderson approves inspection committee

September 14, 2022 - 00:00
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ANDERSON – Anderson City Council held a tax rate hearing before their regular meeting, discussing the plan for property taxes to be lowered to .15 from the .17 rate last year. At the meeting Sept. 8, it was stated appraisal values are going up, which was part of what guided the council’s decision. The appraisals are up to the appraisal district, which determines the market value of the property. The proposed tax-rate passed with all in favor.

The proposed fiscal year budget for Oct. 1 thru Sept. 30 totaled $180,024, with expenditures equaling the same amount. Last year’s amount on the general budget was set at $153,060. It was stated the increase is due to recovery from COVID-19 from previous years. The sewage budget was also discussed. Total receipts for the upcoming fiscal year are $85,900 and expenditures are $111,050. The reason for this, as explained by council, is the auditors are requiring depreciation of the sewage plant in the budget, which has never been required before. The budget passed unanimously.

Sewer Rate Increase by Ordinance #153-22 An increase in sewage bills from $20 to $30 for the first 1,000 gallons of water, and any excess water used over 1,000 gallons will increase from $1.50 to $1.75 per gallon. This was another reason council voted to not raise taxes. As previously discussed, this is the first increase since the sewage plant was built.

There was talk of a $20 fee being charged for late payments, but council decided not to charge a late fee until payment processing control is further discussed. As a new customer you will be charged $30 for usage and then the following month will be charged based on usage. The winter the rate will be set to $33.50 if you have not had a meter long enough to track usage.

Tap fees were also discussed in this session. The current price to install a tap is $300 for a 4-inch line. There was a suggestion to charge $500 for 6-and 8-inch lines and $1,000 for a commercial 6-and 8-inch line. Along with these will be a $50 deposit, new customer and new sewage hookup. These rates carried with a unanimous vote.

Tax Rate by Ordinance #155-22 for Tax Year 2022 The council proposed a no new revenue tax-rate to keep the same rate at .151058 for every $100 evaluation. The proposed budget will raise $1,088 more than last year, which is a 3.44% increase. The motion passed 5-0.

Grimes Central Appraisal District for Tax Assessment/ Collection for 2023 Council passed an agreement for the appraisal district to collect taxes for the town of Anderson. This is a $125 per quarter charge and has not been changed for the upcoming year.

Approval for Inspection Committee

The committee to inspect houses before an abatement process was discussed. This committee is composed of Paul Malek, Michael Kimich, and Harry Walker. The motion to approve the inspection committee was made and passed unanimously. Council is hoping to start progress on abandoned buildings throughout the town soon. A vote also passed, due to community complaints, to start inspection on the house located at 348 N Main St.

Texas Municipal League nominations Consideration was made in nominating a candidate for the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool Board of Trustees Election, but the council unanimously voted to abstain from voting due to lack of knowledge of the candidates.

Updating Vendor Permits

Council discussed creating a special event vendor permit that is in effect for 1 day, though there were conflicting views on this. Ultimately council decided to implement a 30-day expiration of permits until further planning and discussion is done. It was motioned to implement this change and to revisit this topic at the next meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

Planning Workshop

A planning workshop has been scheduled for Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. This meeting is open to the public and will include discussions of a 5-and-10 year plan along with vendor permits.