( Texas Scorecard) – Backed by local residents declaring they are taxed enough, two Lubbock County commissioners blocked a proposed property tax increase by skipping a tax rate hearing scheduled for Monday.
Commissioners Jordan Rackler and Jason Corley intentionally missed Monday’s commissioners court meeting so a quorum would not be present to approve the tax hike.
State law requires a quorum of four commissioners to approve a tax levy.
Without a quorum vote by the end of September, the county tax rate will be set at the No New Revenue rate, which raises the same amount of revenue from the properties taxed the previous year. Any rate above the NNR is a tax increase.
Corley and then-Commissioner Chad Seay used the same quorum-break strategy to fight a tax increase in 2019.
“I thank Commissioners Corley and Rackler for having the courage to stand up against the tax-raising judge and protecting the taxpayers of Lubbock,” taxpayer advocate Jim Baxa told Texas Scorecard. Baxa was recently elected to the Lubbock Central Appraisal District.
Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parrish and Commissioners Terence Covar and Gilbert Flores supported raising residents’ property taxes.
The proposed rate of 36 cents per $100 of valuation is the highest possible rate that would not require voter approval and is about 2.5 cents above the NNR rate.
Protesters at Monday’s meeting held signs reading “Taxed enough,” “Cut spending,” “No tax increase,” and “Tighten your budget, not mine.”
Some wore red shirts reading “Crazy Kooks against tax increases.”
Cyndi Acuff told Texas Scorecard that the phrase comes from Judge Parrish asking one of the commissioners, “Who are you going to listen to, the crazy kooks or me?”
“When asked who he was referring to, Parrish specifically named me and my husband,” said Acuff. “So we decided to embrace the moniker and had shirts made.”
On social media, Acuff thanked the “tireless minority” who showed up to speak against the tax increase, as well as the two commissioners who stood with them.
“Commissioners Rackler and Corley had the courage to stand up for what their constituents have instructed them to do,” Acuff added. “It was a WIN for today!”
The next Lubbock County Commissioners Court meeting is set for September 9.