Making hard decisions is part of the job description for national and local leaders, and some of the toughest decisions made lately have been made by Hill Country leaders facing flood disasters since July 4th -- but Kerr County commissioners face a new dilemma.

The damage to areas of Kerr County has been so extensive that some commissioners are concerned that they could run out of money trying to rebuild, once cleanup from the floods is well underway, and they could take advantage of emergency powers as "political subdivisions are allowed to utilize a disaster tax to increase taxes from one year to the next by as much as eight percent."

That's according to attorney James Quintero at Texas Public Policy Foundation, noting that special emergency disaster declarations give local entities like counties the ability to raise taxes on an urgent, temporary basis by as much as 8% without having to put the tax increase up for a public vote.

Normally the top tax rate would be something like 3%. More would require the okay of the voting public.

"But Kerr County officials are in a very difficult position. On the one hand they're contending with unimaginable human tragedy. And they're in the process of rebuilding. On the other hand there is a temptation to worsen this tragedy by the imposition of a maximum tax increase," Quintero says.

"That would be a very bad policy choice to make."

Kerr County officials have only started looking into the possibility of raising taxes for a while to get the county going again, but Mr. Quintero says county leaders should wait to see what the Texas Legislature offers Hill Country residents in the way of assistance.

Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the legislature to add relief and solutions to the agenda already planned for a special session of the state legislature that begins this Monday.

"State lawmakers will be primed to deliver much-needed aid to Kerr County. We're all very optimistic that state lawmakers will move forward and lend a helping hand where it's absolutely needed," he adds.

There may be no need for a tax increase after all.

Jimmy Barrett

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