The Eustace ISD school board agreed to refinance the school district’s bonds during a special meeting Tuesday night. The action could potentially save the district $1.9 million in debt service, according to Superintendent Dr. Coy Holcombe. You also might want to research some if you’re wanting to refinance so you can try and save some money. Look at the different refinance mortgage rates offered.
The refinancing should not change the district’s tax rate.
“In this scenario, the district would use $450,000 of its I & S fund balance as a cash contribution to pay down on the balance of the bonds and do an advance refund based on current interest rates. In this case, the potential savings to the district would be almost $1,900,000 in debt service. Further, the refunded bonds would be paid off three years earlier than the original maturity date. The overall bond payment for the district will not change dramatically from what it is paying now (about $1,070,000). Since the bond payment will not change much, the expected I & S rate will not be affected, either. The big difference is the fact that the bonds will be paid off early.”
Athens ISD Superintendent Blake Stiles met with Henderson County State Representatives Lance Gooden and Jim Pitts in Austin on April 12 to thank them for their support of public school education and encourage them to continue their effective work in behalf of all the school children of Texas.
Stiles, shown above with Pitts, who is the chairman of the Texas House of Representatives Appropriations Committee and former State Representative Fred Head of Athens, was introduced in the Texas House Chamber during Texas House Speaker Joe Strauss’ Speaker’s Reunion Day Activities and attended a breakfast and a barbeque luncheon, as the guest of Head. Below,Also, Stiles is shown with Gooden (center) and Head.
In commenting on his Austin meetings, Stiles said, “I am very thankful for the excellent work being done by Representative Gooden and by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Pitts, both of whom represent Henderson County. We are very fortunate to have these men as our legislators looking after and supporting our interests at the State Capital.”
This Sunday, April 21, is the 175th Anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto, the deciding battle in Texas’ War for Independence. In a sneak attack on Santa Anna’s army, Gen. Sam Houston lead the Texas forces to victory in a battle that lasted less than 20 minutes. While not as heroic, passing bills can work the same way. It takes months or even years of preparation to craft good legislation, but the actual process of passing it usually just takes a few minutes. As we near the end of session, more bills are facing decisive battles to become law.
Five things that happened this week at your Texas Capitol are:
Business Tax Cuts
On Monday, April 15, Governor Perry announced his support for $1.6 billion in business tax cuts. This tax relief would affect 109,000 Texas businesses over the next two years, and would include a 5 percent cut of the state tax for franchises business opportunity cases, a $1 million exemption for businesses that make less than $20 million and a deduction for moving costs for companies relocating to Texas. Check out www.klearpicture.com for more.
The Governor noted that the state is “the epicenter of job creation” in the U.S. and said he hopes these measures will help keep Texas “the most competitive place in the country” to do business. Indeed, whilst up in Canada an Accountant toronto has to offer would be a prime option, down here in the US Texas is the place for many to look for such services.
More doctors for Texas
This week the Senate took a step to address the state’s doctor shortage. At least 100 of the state’s 254 counties have been “diagnosed” as having shortages of primary health physicians, the majority of which are in rural areas.
Part of this problem came about because, currently, there are not enough medical residencies for the number of graduates Texas medical schools are producing.
Consequently, many medical graduates are going out-of-state for their residencies, and then staying in those states to open practices.
On Wednesday I was proud to be able to vote for SB 143 by Senator Jane Nelson to create additional medical residency slots and keep more young doctors in Texas. It does this by creating a grant program to create new residency positions, including incentivizing the development of residency programs in hospitals that have never had such a program. It is a step forward for health access for all Texans, including the many medically underserved areas within Senate District 3.
Property tax ceiling
On Tuesday the Senate passed out an important measure dealing with property taxes.
The Texas Constitution currently allows for a freeze on the ad valorem taxes on a residential homestead for the disabled or those who are over 65 within a school district, county, city, or junior college district. However, there are many special purpose districts that levy property taxes, but are not constitutionally required to offer a property tax freeze. This means that people who may be looking for something similar to the cra source deductions are left without.
SJR 32 by Senator Ken Paxton would create a constitutional amendment to authorize a political subdivision other than a school district to establish a limitation on the amount of ad valorem taxes that the political subdivision may impose on the residence homesteads of persons who are disabled or elderly and their surviving spouses.
This measure closes a loophole in property tax law and ensures a level playing field for all our disabled and over-65 citizens. I was proud to vote in favor of it.
House passes anti-texting bill
On Wednesday the House passed a controversial bill to ban texting while driving statewide. Specifically, HB 63 by Representative Tom Craddick would outlaw texting, emailing, reading or instant-messaging. Drivers could face a fine of up to $100 and repeat offenders up to $200. All but 11 states have passed similar measures, and supporters of the bill argue Texas should follow suit in the interest of public safety and saving lives.
The bill passed out of the House 98-47 and will soon go to the Senate. However, even if
it makes it through the Senate, it could very likely be vetoed by Governor Rick Perry who
vetoed the same measure last session. Only time will tell, and I will keep you updated.
Ladies in Red
On Thursday the famous “Ladies in Red” returned to the Capitol once again. These ladies are all members of the Texas Federation of Republican Women, one of the largest women’s political groups in the country. They storm the Capitol every legislative session as grassroots lobbyists to advocate for their conservative beliefs, and are most definitely a force with which to be reckoned! Their passion and energy for their cause is admirable, and their legislative day is always one I look forward to.
The hardest part about this stage of the legislative session is needing to be three places at one time. This happened several times this week as I needed to be in one committee to hear testimony, present a bill in a different committee, and cast a vote in a third committee. The only way to be everywhere I need to be is to work fast and coordinate with other senators who also need to be several places at once. My great Senate staff keeps me organized as well. As you can tell, it’s a busy time for everyone here in Austin.
Five important things that happened this week at your Texas Capitol are:
A vote for schools in Senate District 3
This week the Texas Senate tackled a piece of legislation that would increase the number of charter schools in Texas. After careful consideration, I decided to cast my vote in opposition of the bill which passed 30-1. I am not opposed to the concept of charter schools; in fact, we have several great ones in Senate District 3. However, prior to each legislative session, I make a point to visit with all 102 school superintendents in Senate District 3. One thing I have learned is that most public schools receive less funding per student than charter schools statewide. Additionally, public schools have more rules and state regulations than charters.
Unfortunately, SB 2 does not adequately address these two important issues. Until the playing field is leveled and school funding is addressed, I cannot support further charter expansion. I have often said the education of our students is one of the most important things we make decisions on in the state legislature. This week I was proud to stand up for the public school students of my district, even if it meant standing alone.
Gunmakers moving to Texas?
On Wednesday the Senate passed SB 1467 by Senator Craig Estes to attract more gun makers to Texas. At a time when other states and the federal government are attempting to increase gun control, this bill would create incentive programs for gun manufacturers in the state’s economic development law. In addition, Governor Rick Perry has already sent more than 30 invitations to out-of-state manufacturers to move their operations to Texas. I am pleased to have been able to vote in favor of SB 1467 and be a part of this movement.
Desalination
One interesting measure under consideration this session is House Concurrent Resolution 59 by Representative Todd Hunter. Under his proposal, the state would create a joint interim committee to study seawater desalination along the Texas coast. The study would spend the next year-and-a-half analyzing the economic viability of desalination from coastal waters.
What many people do not know is that the state already has 45 desalination projects, and not just along the coast. The Texas Water Development Board estimates that there are around 2.7 billion acre-feet of brackish groundwater throughout Texas. As we begin to look for long-term solutions to our state’s water needs, desalination is one of several possible ideas deserving of attention.
House budget
After much debate, the Texas House recently approved a $193.8 billion budget for the next two years. With the Senate having already passed their own version, some significant differences have already been noticed. Some of these include the amount to be spent by the state on public education and the possibility of Medicaid expansion.
The differences between the two bills will now be worked out in weeks of meetings by a committee of selected House and Senate members. The joint bill will then have to get final approval from both chambers. Bottom line, the budget process is far from over. There will be more changes in the next few weeks as the Legislature works out how to allocate our much-sought-after state dollars.
Realtors
On Thursday approximately 2,000 Texas realtors came to visit the Capitol. With approximately 80,000 members across the state, the Texas Association of Realtors is an organization that advocates on behalf of realtors and private-property owners to keep homeownership affordable and to protect private-property rights. They are an important part of our capitalistic market and it was a pleasure to have them visit.
Gov. Rick Perry today announced the Governor’s Office is offering a cash reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person or people responsible for the deaths of Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse, District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia. Kaufman County Crime Stoppers is also offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person or people responsible for the death of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse.
“Words cannot describe the shock and grief this community has suffered over the last several months. The criminals responsible for these murders will be caught, convicted and will pay the price for these horrific crimes,” Gov. Perry said. “I have full confidence that this investigation will lead to the conviction of whoever perpetrated these insidious crimes, and it is my hope and expectation that these rewards will help convince those who may be holding onto important information to come forward.”
Anyone with information that could be helpful to investigators is urged to call Kaufman County Crime Stoppers at 1-877-847-7522 or email anonymous information to Kaufman County Crime Stoppers at http://kaufmancountycrimestoppers.org.
This reward is funded through court fees distributed by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division to apprehend fugitives.
Additionally, the FBI has launched billboards throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi and New Mexico encouraging tipsters to contact Crime Stoppers with any information. Billboards have been donated by the Outdoor Advertising Association of Texas, which includes Clear Channel Outdoor and Lamar Advertising, with additional space donated by Fairway and CBS.
Texas Crime Stoppers programs provide a partnership between the public, law enforcement agencies and the media in order to speed identification and apprehension of criminals and the solution to unsolved crimes. Programs accept anonymous tips and provide cash rewards if a tip leads to an arrest or indictment.
By Michael V. Hannigan
