Senior Citizen property tax reform10/4/2023 Medina County senior citizens property tax exemption proposal. Proposal Details:
a. The homeowner must be aged 65 or older. b. The homeowner must have primary residence status in Medina County, Texas. c. The homeowner must meet all existing requirements for property tax exemptions in the state of Texas. Tier #1 Eligibility : The homeowner must have a combined income of not more than $47K per year. Tier #2 Eligibility: The homeowner must have a combined income of not more than the median income in Medina County, currently $67K. 2. Property Tax exemption adjustments. Tier #1 Eligibility : Senior citizens who meet this eligibility criteria will receive the New homestead exemption rate equal to the median price of a home in Medina County resulting in a major and sizable reduction of their property taxes. Tier #2 Eligibility: Senior citizens who meet this eligibility criteria will receive the New homestead exemption rate equal to ½ the median price of a home in Medina County The new exemption rates will be applicable to the assessed value of their primary residence only. 3. Funding and Compensation: a. The reduced tax revenue resulting from this proposal can be offset by reallocating funds. Most notably from the massive increases in new homes in Medina County resulting in new tax revenue. b. Alternative sources of revenue, such as grants or donations, may be sought to supplement the reduced tax revenue, if necessary. 4. Implementation and Communication: a. The Medina County Tax assessor’s office will be responsible for implementing the new homestead exemption rate for eligible senior citizens. b. The Medina County Tax assessor’s office will collaborate with other relevant departments and agencies to ensure a smooth transition and accurate implementation. c. Public awareness campaigns will be conducted to inform eligible senior citizens about the homestead exemption rate and the application process. 5. Review and Evaluation: a. The impact and effectiveness of this proposal will be reviewed after five years. b. A comprehensive evaluation will be conducted to assess the financial impact on the county and the well-being of senior citizens. c. Adjustments may be made to the bill based on the outcomes of the review and evaluation process. I kindly request your consideration and support for this proposal. By recognizing the financial challenges faced by our senior citizens and providing them with much-needed relief, we can foster a more inclusive and compassionate community for all residents of Medina County. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or require further information. I would be more than happy to discuss this proposal in greater detail. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Loyd Richeson Medina County Tax Advocates Loyd55@yahoo.com 830-320-0151 What we are working on right now. We are trying to get legislation in place for the ballot in 2024. Our proposal to raise the exemption rate for low income seniors will lower or eliminate their property taxes. We plan on making a presentation to the Medina County Commissioners Court. A version of this program is already in use in Harris County Texas protecting their senor citizens from being taxed out of their homes. We recently had a meeting with Judge Lutz explaining our thoughts and plans. He was very polite and listened to my presentation. He spent the rest of the meeting explaining how the county had so many other expenses they most likely could not afford to lose the revenue. This will not be a quick or easy proposal to get passed. The commissioners court will always have good examples as to why they need more revenue. "This will never change" Keep in mind that the county has increased revenue in the last five years from $30 million to $69 million. Balancing their budget from social security checks is not acceptable. We need your support even if you don’t attend meetings. In the end we will need to get our proposal/referendum on the ballot via petition signatures, despite not having the support of the commissioners court. The day will come when we need your signature. We will need to raise money for legislative attorneys as well as public awareness. Like all community Non Profit help programs we need donations to help us move forward with our legal fees. Please see our donations page. Thank you Loyd Richeson |