Dec 14,2006

How many of you out there know your taxes are too high.  Well, now we have the proof.  The Red River County Appraisal District is wanting to purchase land on the west side of town inside the loop, and build a new building.  The word is that the land is about an acre, maybe 2 and the cost is $20,000.  There is also knowledge that the Appraisal District is going to cash in some of their CD's (Investments) and fund the property and the building. 

Taxpayers,  I don't know about you but this makes me wonder.....  why would the appraisal district have investments in CD's at the bank.  Are we not paying high taxes in this county.  The appraisal district works for the taxpayers, not for themselves, and I for one don't think that they should have a bunch of investments that they can cash in.  Sure they need some money for an emergency, but just how much money does the Appraisal District have, and if they have so much they can purchase land and build a new building then we need to look at our appraised values, and taxes because they are definitely collecting more taxes than they need to collect, and it is your money and mine that they have invested, not theirs.........  HOW MANY OF YOU CAN AFFORD TO INVEST???

Sounds like the county and School District needs to lower our tax rates, because they are the ones that are paying a percentage to the appraisal district to collect the taxes, and it sounds like maybe the percentage is too high that they are paying if the Appraisal district has money to invest.  I don't know about you but I say SCREW the appraisal district and their new building.  Give their so-called slush fund back to the taxpayers and lower the percentage that we are paying them to collect the taxes.  INVESTMENTS.... that is our tax money that they have invested, and it is time someone was held accountable.  I want to know just how much money Chief Appraiser Janet Raulston has salted away.  It is a matter of open records to find out, and someone needs to ask that question, and file an open records request to get the answer. 

And.... to them buying land and moving off the square.  The square in Clarksville does not need any more vacant buildings.  The city just received a huge grant and broke ground to renovate and beatify the square, and now one of our Taxing Entities who owns a building is going to move out and leave it vacant.  If the square is in need of renovation, then the Appraisal District needs to spend a little of the money they have salted away and renovate the building they are in to compliment the new square.  We need to have the appraisal district handy for all the people, and moving it off the square is going to cause a hardship on the older taxpayers in this county by causing them to have to travel out of the way to pay their high taxes.

I hear that the commissioners court is going to have to vote about some of this, and probably the school boards that are also part of this taxing district.  The taxpayers of this county need to let the County Commissioners, and our School Board members know that we should not spend the money for a new Appraisal District Building and that we want the percentage lowered that we are paying the Appraisal District to collect those taxes!!!

EVIDENTLY WE ARE PAYING THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT TO BIG A MARGIN IF THEY HAVE MONEY (OUR TAX DOLLARS) TO SALT AWAY IN INVESTMENTS!!!!! 

JUST HOW MUCH MONEY DO THEY HAVE?  EVIDENTLY A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT.  MAYBE WE NEED TO HAVE AN ELECTION AND ABOLISH THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT, AND IN TURN LOWER OUR TAXES, IT CAN BE DONE!!!

OUR OFFICIALS ARE ALWAYS TELLING US THIS IS THE POOREST COUNTY IN TEXAS, YET THEY SEEM TO HAVE ALL OF THIS MONEY SALTED AWAY, AND THEY CONTINUE TO ACT LIKE FOOLS AND GET SUED FOR STICKING THEIR LEGAL SYSTEM WHERE IT SHOULD NOT BE!!!!!