Elgin Courier (Elgin, Tex.), Vol. 129, No. 8, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 20, 2019 Page: 4 of 14
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PAGE 4A
ELGIN COURIER - ELGIN, TEXAS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019
Senate panel focuses on funding public ed
★
3
9
in Technology Early College unanimously approved by
Voters could decide tax cut route
on school property taxes to 50 And they’d have to get vot-
TD
J
www.elgincourier.com
be well advised to check with
Be Heard: Where to Write
ers to approve a sales tax of
as much as 10.25 percent, up
from the current maximum of
8.25 percent. State Rep. Matt
Capital
Highlights
percent. Others think his idea
of adding a sales tax to gaso-
course, along with counties,
cities and special districts.
It’s hard enough for the
Find us on Facebook
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By Ross Ramsey
Texas Tribune
105 North Main St.
P.O. Box 631
Elgin, TX 78621
ucation is the great equalizer,
and we need to make sure all
Texas students have access to
a quality education,” Nelson
added.
Ron Ramirez
SPORTS REPORTER
Linda Bauer
THE WINNING SHOT
Sports Photographer
Heather Ott
ADVERTISING SALES
ads@elgincourier.com
Reagan Roehl
SPORTS EDITOR
reagan.roehl@taylorpress.net
Gail Schobey
OFFICE MANAGER
ar@elgincourier.com
— Establish a program al-
lowing youth to be screened
for mental health conditions
through telemedicine.
SB 10 also would:
— Increase residency op-
portunities for psychiatry stu-
dents in community settings;
— Expand and coordinate
mental health research at our
health-related institutions; and
— Direct that judges be ed-
ucated about mental health re-
sources in their communities.
Jim Beaver
INTERIM PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING
publisher@elgincourier.com
Julianne Hodges
REPORTER
julianne.hodges@elgincourier.com
Ed
STERLING
education, based on an esti-
mated 65,000 additional stu-
dents per year;
— $3.7 billion in additional
funding for teacher pay raises;
— $2.3 billion to reduce
reliance on recapture under
the so-called “Robin Hood”
system;
— $8 million, an increase
of $3 million, for Pathways
PRESIDENT
Donald Trump
202-456-1111
The White House; 1600
Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington, D.C. 20500;
president@whitehouse.gov or www.
whitehouse.gov/contact
High School, a partnership
between technology-based
companies and public educa-
tion; and
— $230 million to main-
tain current health insurance
premiums and benefits for
our retired teachers through
TRS-Care.
Nelson also mentioned SB
500, the supplemental appro-
priations bill, which as pres-
ently written includes $100
million for school safety,
more than $600 million to
address Hurricane Harvey-re-
lated expenses for public ed-
ucation and $300 million to
EI GIN SCHOOl.
DISTRTCT
SUPERINTENDENT
Dr. Jodi Duron
512-281-3434
jodi.duron@elginisd.net
1002 N. Ave C
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
■ President Byron Mitchell, District 1
■ Vice President Beth
Walterscheidt, District 3
■ Parliamentarian
Angie Edmon, District 4
■ Secretary John Altmiller, District 7
■ Geno Chavarria, District 2
■ J.D. Harkins, District 5
■ Juanita Valarie Neidig, District 6
Affiliations:
TA2019
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
Phone:512-285-3333
Fax:512-285-9406
publisher@elgincourier.com
Viewer displays
more data
The Texas Railroad Com-
mission on Feb. 12 announced
that its public geographic in-
formation system map viewer
Opinion
Email the Editor at cindye.ginsel@elgincouner.com
CITYOEELGIN
MAYOR
Chris Cannon
512-516-0813
mayor@ci.elgin.tx.us
CITY MANAGER
Tom Mattis
310 N. Main St., Elgin, TX 78621
512-281-5724
tmattis@ci.elgin.tx.us
POLICE CHIEF
Patrick South
512-285-5757
FIRE CHIEF
Randy Reyna
512-281-4025
state of tfxas
GOVERNOR
Greg Abbott
800-843-5789
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428, Austin, TX 78711-2428
Email via http://gov.texas.gov
LT. GOVERNOR
Dan Patrick
512-463-0001
PO Box 12068, Austin, TX 78711
LTGconstituent.Affairs@ltgov.state.tx.us
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Ken Paxton
512-463-2100
U.S. SENATORS
■ John Cornyn
512-469-6034
221 W. Sixth St., Suite 1530, Austin,
TX 78701
Email via www.cornyn
.senate.gov/contact
■ Ted Cruz
Panel OKs mental
health bill
Senate Bill 10, legislation
to create the Texas Mental
Health Care Consortium, was
512-916-5834
300 E. Eighth, Suite 961,
Austin, TX 78701
Email via www.cruz.senate.gov
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Michael McCaul
512-473-2357
http://mccaul.house.gov
9009 Mountain Ridge Dr., Austin Bldg;
Suite 230; Austin, TX 78759
STATE SENATOR
Kirk Watson
512-463-0114
P.O. Box 12068, Austin, TX 78711
Email via www.watson.senate.tx.us.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
■ John Cyrier
512-463-0682
1017 Main Street, Bastrop, TX 78602
Email via www.house.state.tx.us
■ Celia Israel
celia.israel@house.state.tx.us Phone
(512) 463-0821
P.O. Box 2910 Austin, TX 78768-2910
BASTBOP COUNTY
COUNTYJUDGE
Paul Pape
512-332-7201
804 Pecan St., Bastrop, TX 78602
paul.pape@co.bastrop.tx.us
SHERIFF
Maurice Cook
512-549-5100
200 Jackson St., Bastrop, TX 78602
Email via www.bastropsheriff.org
COUNTY COURT AT LAW
Judge Benton Eskew
512-581-4277
804 Pecan St., Bastrop, TX 78602
Jennifer.ensinger@co.bastrop.tx.us.
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE
■ Cindy Allen (Pct.l)
804 Pecan Street, P.O. Box 336,
Bastrop, TX 78602
512-581-4258
■ Raymah Davis (Pct.2)
1624 NE Loop 230, P.O. Box 5,
Smithville, TX 78957
512-581-7112
■ Katherine Hanna (Pct.3)
5785 FM 535, Cedar Creek, TX 78612
512-332-7288
■ Larry Dunne (Pct.4)
1125 Dildy Drive, Elgin, TX 78621
512-581-7162
COMMISSIONERS
■ Mel Hamner (Pct.l)
803 Pine Street, Room 105,
Bastrop, TX 78602
512-332-7295
mel.hamner@co.bastrop.tx.us
■ Clara Beckett (Pct.2)
804 Pecan St., Bastrop, TX 78602
512-360-2764
clara.beckett@co.bastrop.tx.us
■ Mark Meuth (Pct.3)
804 Pecan St., Bastrop, TX 78602
512-303-6800
mark.meuth@co.bastrop.tx.us
■ Donna Snowden (Pct.4)
804 Pecan St.
512-332-7267
bubba.snowden@co.bastrop.tx.us
CITY COUNCIL
■ Mary Penson (Ward 1)
512-281-4158
mpenson@ci.elgin.tx.us
■ Jessica Bega (Ward 1)
512-653-1900
jbega@ci.elgin.tx.us
■ Juan Gonzalez (Ward 2)
512-285-6499
Email jgonzalez@ci.elgin.tx.us
■ Susie Arreaga (Ward 2)
512-750-8178
sarreaga@ci.elgin.tx.us
■ Daniel Lopez (Ward 3)
512-281-5724
dlopez@ci.elgin.tx.us
■ Phillip Thomas (Ward 3)
512-661-8411
pthomas@ci.elgin.tx.us
■ Sue Brashar (Ward 4)
512-689-5692
sbrashar@ci.elgin.tx.us
■ Neil Beyer (Ward 4)
nbeyer@ci.elgin.tx.us
Out of county
One year ................. $44
Out of state
One year ................. $49
ELGIN COURIER
(U.S.P.S. 172-740)
6
’ • ®
' 4
~Y
the expertise of Texas’ med-
ical schools to bolster mental
health resources for Texas
children and adolescents. The
Senate budget, as outlined in
SB 1, would allocate $100
million in new funding for
SB 10.
Gov. Abbott declared the
legislation an emergency
item in his State of the State
address. All 31 senators are
signed on as co-authors of
SB 10.
“Texas has been making
strong progress on mental
health with innovative pro-
grams that expand access to
care. This bill will help bet-
ter identify children and ad-
olescents with mental health
would get rid of some popular year.
The Elgin Courier is
published weekly
by Blacklands
Publications, Inc.
at 105 North Main,
Elgin, Bastrop County,
TX 78621. Established
in 1890. Periodical
postage paid at Elgin,
Texas, 78621. Any
erroneous reflection
upon character,
standing, or reputation
of any individual, firm
or organization that
may appear in the
columns of this paper
will be corrected if
brought to the attention
of the publisher.
We do not hold
ourselves responsible
for the views of our
correspondents.
©2019 Elgin Courier.
All rights reserved.
Material may not be reproduced
without written permission.
state to keep those taxes from line taxes might need a voter
growing, since it requires the OK, but Springer, a Republi-
A
Subscription
Rates
Payable in advance
in County
One year ..................$41
the Senate Health & Human — Establish the Child Psy-
Services Committee on Feb. chiatry Access Network,
12. Next stop for the bill will allowing pediatricians and
be consideration by the full primary care providers to
Senate. consult with mental health
Authored by Sen. Jane Nel- experts on treatment options
son, the bill would leverage for their patients; and
OPINION POLICY
The Elgin Courier Letters to the Editor column is an open
forum offering opportunities to the public to comment on
issues of interest or concern to the community. They should
refrain from making personal attacks on the individuals,
and comments which in the opinion of the editors are
potentially libelous or in bad taste will not be printed.
Letters should be brief, 300 words or less, if possible. We
solicit and encourage such comment. The deadline for
Letters to the Editor is Friday at noon. It is our policy not
to print letters with political opinions, ideals or views after
early voting begins. All letters must be signed and include
the address and phone number of the author. The Courier
will not withhold the name of letter writers and anonymous
letters will be discarded. Send e-mails to cindye.ginsel@
elgincourier.com or publisher@elgincourier.com. Website
is www.elgincourier.com. Call 512-285-3333. News and
ad copy deadline is Friday at 5 p.m. Letters to Editor
deadline is Friday at noon.
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
BETTER NEWSPAPER CONTEST
Award Winner
“==== 2018 ===s
Legislative efforts to lower
property taxes could end up
in the hands of Texas vot-
ers — that is, if the propos-
als don’t die in the House or
Senate.
Whether it’s a proposal to
force the state to pay at least
half the cost of public edu-
cation or an attempt to raise
the homestead exemption on
school taxes to 50 percent, the
Legislature alone might not
be enough. Voters might have
to change the Texas Constitu-
tion to get this done.
It’s no certainty that the
Legislature will even give tax
cuts a serious run. The state’s
top leaders — Gov. Greg Ab-
bott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and
House Speaker Dennis Bon-
nen — have presented their
list of priorities enough times
for all of us to memorize it:
school finance, property tax
reform and teacher pay raises.
These people are quite well-
trained in the art of messag-
ing, and not one of them has
been talking about tax cuts.
But everyone else has.
Property tax legislation is
a growth industry in Texas.
Lawmakers, directly and in-
directly, are trying to lasso a
tax that the state itself does
challenges and connect them now displays data for multiple
with the treatment they need oil and gas wells in a defined
before they become a danger radius area set by a user.
to themselves and others. Surface and down-hole data
Under this legislation we on multiple wells can now be
can also better address our downloaded and opened with
workforce needs and support commonly used computer
mental health research,” Nel- software. Those who have an
son said. Internet connection may re-
in addition to creating the search information for mul-
consortium, SB 10 would: tiple wells in a specifically
— Establish mental health designated area, rather than
“hubs” at health-related insti- one well at a time.
tutions consisting of psychia- The map viewer may be
trists, social workers, referral accessed online at http://
specialists and other mental wwwgisp.rrc.texas.gov/
health professionals; GISViewer2/.
Legislature, in effect, to regu- can state representative from Krause, R-Fort Worth, has a
late those local governments. Muenster, doesn’t think so. similar proposal that would
It’s nearly impossible to ac- State Rep. Charlie Geren, also apply to cities.
tually lower the rates those R-Fort Worth, has proposed All of those have the disad-
governments are charging; a constitutional amendment vantage of leaving the final de-
setting a cap on local tax that would require the state to cision to the voters, but that’s
rates, for instance, could be cover at least 50 percent of the also apolitical advantage:
interpreted as setting a rate cost of public education — a Those voters, having done the
for those taxes. Setting a rate proposition that would take deed themselves, couldn’t pin
would be tantamount to levy- a lot of financial pressure off the blame on their elected of-
ing a property tax, and that’s of local school property taxes ficials.
unconstitutional. but that, like Springer’s idea, They’re all trying to skirt
Even so, it turns out that un- would require the state to the biggest of all obstacles to
happy taxpayers are willing spend billions of dollars it’s property tax cuts: replacing
to yell at politicians at every not spending now. The state the revenue with something
level about their unhappiness, currently covers about 36 per- else. Statewide cuts like those
And legislators, like the rest cent of the cost of public edu- proposed so far would require
of those politicians, want to cation, according to the state’s the Legislature to pony up an
make those taxpayer/voters comptroller of public accounts; additional $12 billion to $15
happy. bringing it up to 50 percent billion every two years.
So here we are. (assuming no dramatic cut in That’s why the three top
There’s the Drew Springer education spending) would leaders have stayed away. And
legislation, not yet filed, that cost upwards of $7 billion per it’s why everybody else would
enue. The ballpark estimate of address the Teachers Retire-
total general revenue is $112 ment System pension.
billion. “As a former teacher,” Nel-
Senate Finance Committee son said, "I want to ensure
Chair Jane Nelson, R-Flower that our schools have the
Mound, said SB 1 includes: resources necessary to prop-
— $2.4 billion to fund en- erly educate our students and
rollment growth for public prepare them for success. Ed-
AUSTIN — When Texas
legislatures meet every two
years, lawmakers’ singular,
must-do assignment is to pro-
duce a state budget.
Toward that goal, the Sen-
ate Finance Committee held
meetings on Feb. 11, 12 and
13 to work on Article III of
Senate Bill 1. That article fo-
cuses on the public and higher
education parts of the state
budget for fiscal years 2020
and 2021.
The meetings, replete with
acronym-spattered expert tes-
timony from the Texas Edu-
cation Agency, the Teacher
Retirement System and oth-
ers, dealt with funding areas
within public education.
Lumped together, public ed-
ucation funding almost cer-
tainly will require more than
half of the state’s general rev-
not levy. In fact, the state lower rates by about a dime. If wipe out their property taxes,
constitution says lawmakers he manages to move that pro- They wouldn’t be allowed to
cannot raise money with a posal through, it will require a use the new sales tax to raise
tax on property. constitutional amendment to extra money — just enough
School districts can, of raise the homestead exemption to cover the property tax load.
T = e
ACm
— and some obscure — ex- He’s got another idea that voters first.
emptions to sales taxes, rais- wouldn’t require state voter Ross Ramsey is the executive
ing more than $6 billion a year approval, but would require editor of the Texas Tribune, a
to pay for bigger property tax it from local voters: allowing non-profit digital news orga-
homestead exemptions, lower Texas counties to add a penny nization focused on statewide
business property taxes and to or two to their sales taxes to legislative andpolicy issues.
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Elgin Courier (Elgin, Tex.), Vol. 129, No. 8, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 20, 2019, newspaper, February 20, 2019; Elgin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1555480/m1/4/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Elgin Public Library.