Judge Doyal Outlines Homestead Exemption and Budget Principles

Conroe, TX -- Judge Doyal is proposing a homestead exemption and outlining conservative principles for the county budget.

"For over a month now, I have been looking at our county revenue projections with Tax Assessor Collector Tammy McRae, with an eye toward adding a homestead exemption, a debt service tax rate reduction, and broader exemptions for seniors and the disabled," Doyal said.

This month, Doyal and Commissioner Mike Meador, along with our county auditor and other departments, will begin work on the Fiscal Year 2018 budget.

Doyal said he has outlined a statement of principles to guide the budget process to ensure the county continue efforts to fund county services while also minimizing the impact on county taxpayers.

"Even though we represent just 16 percent of the average homeowners overall property tax bill, we nonetheless are committed to doing all we can to provide appropriate property tax relief, as we have done over the past decade by cutting the county tax rate five times," Doyal added.

Here are the principles which will guide the budget process:

Conservative Budget Management

Set a goal to not grow county government more than the growth of county population and the inflation rate – a standard accepted as fiscally conservative by most pro-taxpayer organizations

Property Tax Relief

We will continue to provide property tax relief, either in the form of:

• Tax cuts, and/or broader exemptions for seniors and the disabled.
• Additional homestead exemptions for homeowners. We have analyzed the impact on our budget and believe we should take steps to offer a homestead exemption, starting with 5 percent this year, and looking toward future increases. A 20 percent homestead exemption in one year, as has been suggested by Commissioner James Noack, is irresponsible, and would cripple law enforcement and other vital services we must continue to fund to keep up with our rapid growth.

No Elected Official Raises

In keeping with the previous recommendation by our Elected Official Salary Review Committee, Doyal proposes a hold on elected official salary increases or COLAs this year.

Funding Core Services and Responsible Government

Montgomery County will ensure funding of county services and make certain they are prepared to meet the challenges of a growing county. Those vital services include:

• Law enforcement
• Mobility (including maintenance of county roadways and new road projects)
• Conservative debt management

These are the principles that will guide Montgomery County through the budget process.

"It makes good sense for our great county, respects our taxpayers, and will ensure Montgomery County can continue to lead by example," Doyal said.

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