At Monday’s board meeting, Texarkana College trustees voted to adopt a tax rate of $0.123081 for the 2019-20 budget year. This is an increase of $0.004966 over the current year’s rate of $0.118115 per $100 of assessed property value.
Smith said that even though the tax rate is a slight increase, TC will still have one of the lowest tax rates of all fifty community colleges in the state.
“No one likes taxes, including me; however, increased reliance on support from local taxpayers is the state’s expectation for publicly-funded community colleges,” said Smith. “Over the past three decades, Texas community college funding from the state has declined, increasing the burden on local taxpayers. TC has raised student tuition rates to also help offset the decrease from the state, but we remain committed to student success and staying affordable to our students by keeping our tuition rates right at the state average.”
The tax rate will generate approximately $300,000 in tax revenue for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
The Board also approved an official partnership with Texas Veterans Commission Claims Representation and Counseling division to provide on-campus accommodations to TVC to provide aid in accessing benefits to any eligible veteran who served in the United States armed forces. Dependents or survivors of eligible veterans may also receive assistance in obtaining access to the federal and state benefits to which they are entitled. TC President Dr. Jason Smith said the partnership to provide a dedicated campus space for this service is a great benefit for area veterans.
“The Texas Veterans Commission contacted Texarkana College to see if we would be willing to partner with them to open an office on our campus to assist veterans with claims representation and counseling,” Smith said. “We identified an available office space in the Truman Arnold Student Center where we could accommodate a Veterans Claims Counselor.”
Smith said TC will provide private, handicapped-accessible office space for one full-time TVC claims counselor, along with sufficient parking for visiting veterans and guests.
“Our organizations have been working together for several months to identify the respective responsibilities of each organization,” said Smith. “Together, we have drafted a Memorandum of Understanding detailing shared goals to promote quality, ease of access, and coordination of care to local veterans by providing on-site claims representation and counseling services. The site will accommodate veterans of Texarkana and surrounding cities.”
Smith said the anticipated date for opening the claims center is Fall 2019.
