Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB766 Latest Draft

Bill / Introduced Version Filed 02/25/2015

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                            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.