A Proposed Tax Hike in Smith County

TYLER – A proposed property tax hike for Smith County residents has been given preliminary approval. The county commissioners, at Tuesday’s meeting, approved a tax rate of 33.7311 cents per $100 valuation. The current tax rate is 33 cents. The slight increase in the tax rate is solely due to the amount of debt service funding needed on the voter approved bonds for road and bridge projects. The commissioners will make a decision on the property tax rate when when they approve the budget on August 28th. Public hearings on the proposed rate hike have been scheduled for August 7th and 14th.