Drainage District No. 1 tax rate to drop

For the fifth year in a row, the Cameron County Drainage District No. 1 tax rate will drop again, making it one of the lowest property tax rates by a taxing entity.

The drainage district's 2008-2009 fiscal year property tax rate is .031, which is down from .036 per $100 of appraised property value in 2007, said Ernesto Gamez, director of the drainage district. The reduction translates into approximately three-quarters of a cent.

A report from the Cameron County Appraisal District 2007 tax rates show the drainage district has one of the lowest tax rates in the county.

The decrease comes at a time when many other taxing entities in the county are considering raising their property taxes.

Cameron County is considering raises the property tax rate by approximately two cents. Brownsville may raise the property tax rate by nearly three cents.

The Brownsville Navigation District announced last week it would lower its tax rate by nearly 10 percent beginning Oct. 1. The BND's tax rate decrease is made possible because BND's debt payments have decreased while the property tax base has increased, according to Brownsville Herald archives.

Gamez attributes the drainage district's ability to keep taxes low to good fiscal management by the district's managers.

"You've got to learn to hold the line and maintain financial, fiscal year responsibility," Gamez said. "Taxing people over and over is not the answer. It's finding a way to make it work. Don't ask someone to keep feeding you."

The district covers territory from the Los Fresnos/Bayview Resaca de Los Cuates to the Resaca de la Guerra near Central Boulevard in Brownsville. It also covers Rancho Viejo and approximately 70 percent of the Southmost area, which was annexed last year.