Smith County cuts property tax by penny, passes new fiscal budget

TYLER — Smith County Commissioners Court took action steps Tuesday to lower the property tax rate. The new rate is down from 34.5 cents per $100 valuation to 33.5 cents for the 2021 fiscal year. However, in spite of the tax cut, the county will still take in more money from property taxes next year due to new property being developed that will bring in new revenue. The new budget will be $14.5 million dollars smaller than the current fiscal year. The county made several cuts, including delaying the previously planned bond election for a new Courthouse, originally planned for November of this year.

Other budget adjustments include:

Transfer of $1.8 million from the Capital Improvement Projects Fund to the General Fund to cover the decreases in revenue;
Using $2.2 million from the Road and Bridge Department Fund Reserves to support continued FY 2021 Road and Bridge maintenance and operations to ensure that the priority on infrastructure is not affected;
Cuts a number of general operating expenses under local control;
Reducing fleet expenditures from $1.2 million to under $400,000; and
Reducing the number of total employees in the County, by eliminating a variety of positions, while reclassifying other positions to cover new needs in the Sheriff’s Office and Office of the District Attorney.