ECISD officially adopts last part of new tax rate
By BRENDA SOMMER news1@leader-news.com

The tax rate is finally official for the El Campo Independent School District, after trustees passed the final part of the rate Sept. 4.

El Campo ISD's board of trustees passed its $30.8-million budget Aug. 21, but only part of its tax rate at that time. The district was advised it could propose a tax rate and lower part of it when it adopted the rate at that meeting, but found out later it could not do so.

The state's new school funding fix forces districts to lower the largest portion of their rate, that set aside for maintenance and operations, or M&O.

The M&O rate, which was approved in August, is $1.04005 per $100 in valuation, the state-mandated rated. But the district wanted to drop the Interest & Sinking rate, from 15.28 cents per $100, to 11.791 cents per $100.

The state comptroller's office told the district it would need to run a new notice in the newspaper of the correct I&S rate before it adopted it, which is exactly what happened during Tuesday's meeting.

That makes the total rate $1.15795, a considerable drop from the 2006 rate of $1.43 per $100 in value.

The average ECISD home was worth $73,350 last year, deriving a $834.40 bill at the 2006-2007 rate of $1.43 per $100 in value. This year, the average home is worth $81,610, but at the new rate of $1.15795 per $100, the average bill actually drops to $771.20, a decrease of $63.30.