84R586 SMH-D By: Bettencourt S.B. No. 766 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to the calculation of certain ad valorem tax rates of a taxing unit. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Sections 26.04(c), (e), and (e-1), Tax Code, are amended to read as follows: (c) An officer or employee designated by the governing body shall calculate the effective tax rate and the rollback tax rate for the unit, where: (1) "Effective tax rate" means a rate expressed in dollars per $100 of taxable value calculated according to the following formula: EFFECTIVE TAX RATE = LAST YEAR'S LEVY / (CURRENT TOTAL VALUE - NEW PROPERTY VALUE) [(LAST YEAR'S LEVY - LOST PROPERTY LEVY) / (CURRENT TOTAL VALUE - NEW PROPERTY VALUE)] ; and (2) "Rollback tax rate" means a rate expressed in dollars per $100 of taxable value calculated according to: (A) the following formula for a taxing unit other than a school district: ROLLBACK TAX RATE = EFFECTIVE TAX RATE x 1.08 [(EFFECTIVE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS RATE x 1.08) + CURRENT DEBT RATE] ; or (B) Section 26.08 for a school district. (e) By August 7 or as soon thereafter as practicable, the designated officer or employee shall submit the rates to the governing body. The designated officer or employee [He] shall deliver by mail to each property owner in the unit or publish in a newspaper in the form prescribed by the comptroller: (1) the effective tax rate, the rollback tax rate, and an explanation of how they were calculated; (2) the estimated amount of interest and sinking fund balances and the estimated amount of maintenance and operation or general fund balances remaining at the end of the current fiscal year that are not encumbered with or by corresponding existing debt obligation; (3) a schedule of the unit's debt obligations showing: (A) the amount of principal and interest that will be paid to service the unit's debts in the next year from property tax revenue, including payments of lawfully incurred contractual obligations providing security for the payment of the principal of and interest on bonds and other evidences of indebtedness issued on behalf of the unit by another political subdivision and, if the unit is created under Section 52, Article III, or Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, payments on debts that the unit anticipates to incur in the next calendar year; (B) the amount by which taxes imposed for debt are to be increased because of the unit's anticipated collection rate; and (C) the total of the amounts listed in Paragraphs (A)-(B), less any amount collected in excess of the previous year's anticipated collections certified as provided in Subsection (b); (4) the amount of additional sales and use tax revenue anticipated in calculations under Section 26.041; and (5) a statement that the adoption of a tax rate equal to the effective tax rate would result in an increase or decrease, as applicable, in the amount of taxes imposed by the unit as compared to last year's levy, and the amount of the increase or decrease[; [(6) in the year that a taxing unit calculates an adjustment under Subsection (i) or (j), a schedule that includes the following elements: [(A) the name of the unit discontinuing the department, function, or activity; [(B) the amount of property tax revenue spent by the unit listed under Paragraph (A) to operate the discontinued department, function, or activity in the 12 months preceding the month in which the calculations required by this chapter are made; and [(C) the name of the unit that operates a distinct department, function, or activity in all or a majority of the territory of a taxing unit that has discontinued operating the distinct department, function, or activity; and [(7) in the year following the year in which a taxing unit raised its rollback rate as required by Subsection (j), a schedule that includes the following elements: [(A) the amount of property tax revenue spent by the unit to operate the department, function, or activity for which the taxing unit raised the rollback rate as required by Subsection (j) for the 12 months preceding the month in which the calculations required by this chapter are made; and [(B) the amount published by the unit in the preceding tax year under Subdivision (6)(B)]. (e-1) The notice requirements imposed by Subsection (e) [Subsections (e)(1)-(6)] do not apply to a school district. SECTION 2. Sections 26.041(a), (b), and (c), Tax Code, are amended to read as follows: (a) In the first year in which an additional sales and use tax is required to be collected, the effective tax rate and rollback tax rate for the unit are calculated according to the following formulas: EFFECTIVE TAX RATE = [LAST YEAR'S LEVY / (CURRENT TOTAL VALUE - NEW PROPERTY VALUE)] - SALES TAX GAIN RATE [(LAST YEAR'S LEVY - LOST PROPERTY LEVY) / (CURRENT TOTAL VALUE - NEW PROPERTY VALUE) - SALES TAX GAIN RATE] and ROLLBACK TAX RATE = (EFFECTIVE TAX RATE x 1.08) - SALES TAX GAIN RATE [(EFFECTIVE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS RATE x 1.08) + CURRENT DEBT RATE - SALES TAX GAIN RATE] where "sales tax gain rate" means a number expressed in dollars per $100 of taxable value, calculated by dividing the revenue that will be generated by the additional sales and use tax in the following year as calculated under Subsection (d) [of this section] by the current total value. (b) Except as provided by Subsections (a) and (c) [of this section], in a year in which a taxing unit imposes an additional sales and use tax the rollback tax rate for the unit is calculated according to the following formula, regardless of whether the unit levied a property tax in the preceding year: ROLLBACK TAX RATE = [(LAST YEAR'S EXPENSE x 1.08) / (CURRENT TOTAL VALUE - NEW PROPERTY VALUE)] - SALES TAX REVENUE RATE [[(LAST YEAR'S MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS EXPENSE x 1.08) / (TOTAL CURRENT VALUE - NEW PROPERTY VALUE)] + (CURRENT DEBT RATE - SALES TAX REVENUE RATE)] where "last year's [maintenance and operations] expense" means the amount spent [for maintenance and operations] from property tax and additional sales and use tax revenues in the preceding year, and "sales tax revenue rate" means a number expressed in dollars per $100 of taxable value, calculated by dividing the revenue that will be generated by the additional sales and use tax in the current year as calculated under Subsection (d) [of this section] by the current total value. (c) In a year in which a taxing unit that has been imposing an additional sales and use tax ceases to impose an additional sales and use tax the effective tax rate and rollback tax rate for the unit are calculated according to the following formulas: EFFECTIVE TAX RATE = [LAST YEAR'S LEVY / (CURRENT TOTAL VALUE - NEW PROPERTY VALUE)] + SALES TAX LOSS RATE [[(LAST YEAR'S LEVY - LOST PROPERTY LEVY) / (CURRENT TOTAL VALUE - NEW PROPERTY VALUE)] + SALES TAX LOSS RATE] and ROLLBACK TAX RATE = (LAST YEAR'S EXPENSE x 1.08) / (CURRENT TOTAL VALUE - NEW PROPERTY VALUE) [[(LAST YEAR'S MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS EXPENSE x 1.08) / (TOTAL CURRENT VALUE - NEW PROPERTY VALUE)] + CURRENT DEBT RATE] where "sales tax loss rate" means a number expressed in dollars per $100 of taxable value, calculated by dividing the amount of sales and use tax revenue generated in the last four quarters for which the information is available by the current total value and "last year's [maintenance and operations] expense" means the amount spent [for maintenance and operations] from property tax and additional sales and use tax revenues in the preceding year. SECTION 3. Sections 26.044(a), (b), and (c), Tax Code, are amended to read as follows: (a) The first time that a county adopts a tax rate after September 1, 1991, in which the state criminal justice mandate applies to the county, the effective maintenance and operation rate and effective tax rate for the county are [is] increased by the rate calculated according to the following formula: (State Criminal Justice Mandate) / (Current Total Value - New Property Value) (b) In the second and subsequent years that a county adopts a tax rate, if the amount spent by the county for the state criminal justice mandate increased over the previous year, the effective maintenance and operation rate and effective tax rate for the county are [is] increased by the rate calculated according to the following formula: (This Year's State Criminal Justice Mandate - Previous Year's State Criminal Justice Mandate) / (Current Total Value - New Property Value) (c) The county shall include a notice of the increase in the effective maintenance and operation rate and effective tax rate provided by this section, including a description and amount of the state criminal justice mandate, in the information published under Section 26.04(e) and Section 26.06(b) [of this code]. SECTION 4. Sections 26.0441(a), (b), and (c), Tax Code, are amended to read as follows: (a) In the first tax year in which a taxing unit adopts a tax rate after January 1, 2000, and in which the enhanced minimum eligibility standards for indigent health care established under Section 61.006, Health and Safety Code, apply to the taxing unit, the effective maintenance and operations rate and effective tax rate for the taxing unit are [is] increased by the rate computed according to the following formula: Amount of Increase = Enhanced Indigent Health Care Expenditures / (Current Total Value - New Property Value) (b) In each subsequent tax year, if the taxing unit's enhanced indigent health care expenses exceed the amount of those expenses for the preceding year, the effective maintenance and operations rate and effective tax rate for the taxing unit are [is] increased by the rate computed according to the following formula: Amount of Increase = (Current Tax Year's Enhanced Indigent Health Care Expenditures - Preceding Tax Year's Indigent Health Care Expenditures) / (Current Total Value - New Property Value) (c) The taxing unit shall include a notice of the increase in its effective maintenance and operations rate and effective tax rate provided by this section, including a brief description and the amount of the enhanced indigent health care expenditures, in the information published under Section 26.04(e) and, if applicable, Section 26.06(b). SECTION 5. Section 26.08(n), Tax Code, is amended to read as follows: (n) For purposes of this section, the rollback tax rate of a school district [whose maintenance and operations tax rate for the 2005 tax year was $1.50 or less per $100 of taxable value] is equal to the amount computed by multiplying the effective tax rate of the district by 1.04[: [(1) for the 2006 tax year, the sum of the rate that is equal to 88.67 percent of the maintenance and operations tax rate adopted by the district for the 2005 tax year, the rate of $0.04 per $100 of taxable value, and the district's current debt rate; and [(2) for the 2007 and subsequent tax years, the lesser of the following: [(A) the sum of the following: [(i) the rate per $100 of taxable value that is equal to the product of the state compression percentage, as determined under Section 42.2516, Education Code, for the current year and $1.50; [(ii) the rate of $0.04 per $100 of taxable value; [(iii) the rate that is equal to the sum of the differences for the 2006 and each subsequent tax year between the adopted tax rate of the district for that year if the rate was approved at an election under this section and the rollback tax rate of the district for that year; and [(iv) the district's current debt rate; or [(B) the sum of the following: [(i) the effective maintenance and operations tax rate of the district as computed under Subsection (i) or (k), as applicable; [(ii) the rate per $100 of taxable value that is equal to the product of the state compression percentage, as determined under Section 42.2516, Education Code, for the current year and $0.06; and [(iii) the district's current debt rate]. SECTION 6. Section 42.2522(e), Education Code, is amended to read as follows: (e) The commissioner shall notify school districts as soon as practicable as to the availability of funds under this section. [For purposes of computing a rollback tax rate under Section 26.08, Tax Code, a district shall adjust the district's tax rate limit to reflect assistance received under this section.] SECTION 7. Section 45.261(e), Education Code, is amended to read as follows: (e) Any part of a school district's tax rate attributable to producing revenue for purposes of Subsection (c)(1) is considered part of the district's[: [(1) current debt rate for purposes of computing a rollback tax rate under Section 26.08, Tax Code; and [(2)] interest and sinking fund tax rate. SECTION 8. (a) The following provisions are repealed: (1) Section 281.107(j), Health and Safety Code; (2) Section 26.01(d), Tax Code; (3) Sections 26.012(3), (4), (5), (10), and (15), Tax Code; (4) Section 26.03, Tax Code; (5) Sections 26.04(i) and (j), Tax Code; (6) Sections 26.08(e), (g), (h), (i), (i-1), (j), (o), and (p), Tax Code; and (7) Section 222.1071(l), Transportation Code. (b) Section 57.29, Chapter 4 (S.B. 1), Acts of the 82nd Legislature, 1st Called Session, 2011, which amended Subsection (i), Section 26.08, Tax Code, is repealed. SECTION 9. This Act applies to the ad valorem tax rate of a taxing unit beginning with the 2016 tax year. SECTION 10. This Act takes effect January 1, 2016.