By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
City council members have approved property tax relief measures for Del Rio homeowners aged 65 or older and those who claim a homestead exemption. City council members unanimously approved an ordinance aimed at providing the property tax relief during their regular meeting on June 27.
The approved ordinance increases the property tax exemption amount for persons age 65 or old from $7,000 to $10,000 and adopts a residential homestead exemption in the amount of $10,000, according to an informational handout provided to council members by City Budget Analyst Roxy Soto.
“Due to the increase in property values, staff is proposing raising the property tax exemption amount for persons age 65 years or older from $7,000 to $10,000 and adding a residential homestead exemption in the amount of $10,000, which will allow all homeowners to reduce their homes’ taxable value,” Soto wrote.
Mayor Pro-tem Steve Webb made the motion to approve the ordinance, with Councilman J.P. Sanchez giving the second.
At the start of the discussion on the ordinance, City Manager John Sheedy said the city currently offers a $7,000 homestead exemption for homeowners 65 and older, and the city staff has recommended extending that exemption by an additional $3,000. He said staff has also recommended a separate homestead exemption of $10,000, which will be available for all Del Rio homeowners, regardless of age.
According to the information provided to the council by Soto, “to qualify for the 65 or older residence homestead exemption, the individual must be age 65 or older, have an ownership interest in the property and live in the home as his or her principal residence.”
“To qualify for the general residence homestead exemption, an individual must have an ownership interest in the property and use the property as the individual’s principal residence. An applicant is required to state that he or she does not claim an exemption in another residence homestead in or outside of Texas,” Soto wrote.
City Finance Director Alberta Barrett told council members the ordinance needs to be approved by July 1 so it can affect the property taxes in the coming year. The residential homestead exemption will allow a homeowner claiming the exemption to shave $10,000 from the appraised value of his or her house. She said the advantage is that with the recent increases in property values, the measure can benefit any person who owns a house and claims the exemption.
“If you have a 40-year-old that has a home, this exemption of $10,000 would apply to their homestead as a homestead exemption, and it would lower their market value by $10,000. So basically, everybody would save $70.70,” Barrett said.
Barrett said city staff wanted to offer the exemption in lieu of a reduction in the city’s property tax rate.
“We want to do this in lieu of the two-cent reduction (in the property tax rate) because this $10,000 exemption provides more of a savings to your lower marketed value properties than it does to your higher-value properties, and it’s a way for us to provide a savings,” Barrett told the council.
She said the measure will cost the city “a little over $500,000, but we felt that it was necessary, something we could do, and now is the time to do it.”
Val Verde County Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Jackie Casanova said the appraisal district currently has about 6,500 homesteads in the city of Del Rio, and about 2,800 who claim the 65 and over exemption.
She said homeowners can get both the residential homestead exemption and the 65 and over exemption, but both must be claimed through the appraisal district.
Casanova said homeowners who have already claimed a homestead exemption and a 65 and over exemption do not have to reapply, adding the new benefits will automatically be applied to their properties.
Arreola said he loves the idea because it will help decrease the amount homeowners have to pay and give them some relief.
Cutline: Val Verde County Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Jackie Casanova discusses the benefits of a tax exemption for local homeowners ages 65 and older and a homestead exemption for homeowners of all ages during the most recent meeting of the city council.
