For a second time in two weeks, two Lubbock County commissioners skipped a meeting in order to block a property tax increase.
Commissioners Jason Corley and Jordan Rackler intentionally missed Monday’s commissioners court meeting, ensuring that a quorum would not be present to vote on a budget and tax hike supported by the other three members of the county’s governing body.
State law requires a quorum of four commissioners court members to approve a tax levy.
The deadline to set a tax rate for the next fiscal year is September 30.
If Corley and Rackler break quorum one more time this month, the county tax rate will default to the No New Revenue rate, which raises the same amount of revenue from the same properties taxed the previous year.
Any rate above the NNR is a tax increase.
Corley and Rackler also avoided the last commissioners court meeting on August 26, siding with citizens opposed to the county’s proposed property tax increase.
Some of the citizens who protested at last month’s meeting wore shirts that read, “Crazy Kooks against tax increases.”
The shirts were inspired by Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parrish asking one of the commissioners, “Who are you going to listen to, the crazy kooks or me?”
County resident Cyndi Acuff, who sported one of the shirts, posted to Facebook Monday:
The “crazy kooks” were at the county commissioners meeting again today, in support of not-present Commissioners Jason Corley and Jordan Rackler, who are doing EXACTLY what the overwhelming majority of their constituents have asked them to do.
Parrish claimed that the lower tax rate would require officials to cut $7.5 million from their proposed budget.
“Great job by Commissioners Corley and Rackler to stop the tax increase! Commissioner Flores and Judge Parrish need to be replaced,” Lubbock County resident Jim Baxa commented following Monday’s meeting.
Baxa, who was recently elected to the Lubbock Central Appraisal District board of directors, added, “Judge Parrish even said that if we don’t want higher taxes, then we should move.”
Acuff urged Lubbock County residents who support Corley and Rackler to contact their commissioners. “It takes a courage that I’m not sure many elected officials have.”
The next commissioners court meeting is set for September 23.
