The San Marcos City Council approved a one-cent increase to the city’s tax rate during its Sept. 7 meeting.
The new rate will amount to about $655,000 in city revenue that will be allocated toward public safety, primarily by hiring additional traffic officers and 911 telecommunicators. The number of telecommunicators working with the San Marcos Police Department has not increased since 2013, according to Chief Stan Standridge. SMPD receives all of the city calls for emergency medical, fire and police dispatch.
Previously the tax rate was $0.5930. The added cent of revenue will set the tax rate at $0.6030. Under the tax, every $100 worth of taxable value of property not exempt from taxation will be taxed $0.6030 cents. The new rate will amount to about $655,000 in city revenue that will be allocated toward public safety.
The new tax rate will go into effect by the 2021 San Marcos tax year.
The tax rate increase passed with a vote of 5-2, council members Alyssa Garza and Shane Scott voting against. City Council member Mark Gleason expressed his support for wanting to increase public safety funding but suggested the funding be acquired through an alternative measure.
“Of all the projects we have in the budget, public safety should be the main priority, and if it’s a priority for this extra cent to generate six or seven extra hundred thousand dollars to help public safety that we go back and look at the [capital improvement budget] book and find that six or seven hundred thousand dollars,” Gleason said.
According to City Council member Melissa Derrick, the increased tax rate is necessary because people within the community need support.
“The most important thing we provide for our citizens is health, safety and welfare,” Derrick said. “We have people with needs now.”
City Council also voted to approve a contract with the Alpha Building Corporation through the Texas Buy Board Purchasing Cooperative to provide maintenance and repairs at the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter in the amount of $240,047.55. Along with the maintenance and repairs a full-time veterinarian is set to join the shelter.
Additionally, City Council passed a motion to order a general and special election to be held on Nov. 2. The motion will establish early voting and election day polling locations for upcoming elections.
The San Marcos City Council meets virtually at 6 p.m. every first and third Tuesday of each month. For more information, visit the City Council website.