Vote to lower property taxes

Rising property taxes are something we all feel on an annual basis. These taxes have continued a painful increase for too long and our families are burdened with paying a property tax bill that sometimes feels like a second mortgage. Texans need meaningful property tax reduction, and we will vote on two constitutional amendments that if approved will provide tax relief.

I was proud to co-author both of these proposals passed during the 2021 special sessions and will continue to advocate for additional property tax relief in the future.

The first item on the ballot, Proposition 1, allows for school property taxes to decrease year after year for homeowners who are disabled or 65 or older. This fixes an oversight from 2019 legislation that reduced property taxes but excluded these homeowners from this reduction because their tax rates were frozen.

Current law puts a ceiling in place for these taxpayers, and their school property taxes cannot rise above that for as long as they are in their home. However, the ceiling for these homeowners cannot be adjusted downward either. Proposition 1 fixes this error by adjusting the ceiling downward to reflect the new ceiling at the lower amount anytime tax rates are lowered.

The second proposition on the ballot, Proposition 2, makes a serious down payment on decreasing property taxes for all homeowners by increasing the homestead exemption from $25,000 to $40,000. This follows an increase in the homestead exemption, which I also co-authored and the voters approved in 2015, from $15,000 to $25,000. Just like in 2015, this increase in the homestead exemption will lower the amount of your home’s value subject to school taxes — the largest share of property tax bills.

If approved, Proposition 2 will save Texans more than $350 million in 2023; a number that will only increase in subsequent years. These savings will be made up by the state and have zero effect on the funding for our schools.

Texas is blessed to have a strong, robust economy to help cover these costs. However, we must also recognize that we were able to not only balance the budget but walk away with a surplus thanks to federal stimulus dollars provided in the American Rescue Plan.

I hope you will join me in supporting both of these overdue propositions and provide real property tax relief to Texans. You work hard to earn your money, let’s keep more of it in your pocket. Vote for these propositions on Saturday, May 7.

State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa

McAllen

Water fees

garner fire

Finally we have a commissioner who cares that we, the people of San Benito, cannot afford an increase on our water bill.

San Benito has the highest water rate not only in the Valley, but in all the state of Texas! On top of the garbage and water rate, San Benito has an extra $2 fee, and a $1.50 storm water fee.

I had asked before, what was storm water? No other city has these two rates. Now, where does that money go? How is it used?

There are more than 6,000 meters in San Benito. At $3.50, that’s about $21,000 a month. Where does that money go? Again, where does that money go? Where did all that money to fix the street go? We are still the pothole city; the city manager did get $5,000 raise.

Thank you, commissioner Pedro Galvan. Show the other commissioners how to run a small town like San Benito.

Rosie Olivarez

San Benito

Voting

fiasco

With regard to the recent election administration fiasco, which effected my wife’s right to cast her vote, we still have time before the next election in November to do better.

We tried to participate in the drive-thru voting available at the county’s AnnexBuilding on North Closner in Edinburg. There was no traffic control. Traffic was directed to come north on 10th Street and turn right onto Peter Street. That’s not a problem if one is already on 10th Street going north. I can attest that the traffic going west on Peter Street has the most difficult task of trying to cut into the line of traffic going east on Peter.

The one police officer working the exit on the north side of the parking lot had his hands full. At the very least another police officer or two were needed to direct traffic for drive-thru voting.

Better yet, why doesn’t the county utilize other drive-thru facilities, such as when COVID-19 testing is available? Setting up one drive-thru location in each precinct beforehand could and would alleviate the congestion at the one location. The soccer park in Edinburg and Payne Arena come to mind.

We can’t have a repeat of what happened during the primaries to reoccur during the general election.

Eduardo Estrada

Edinburg