The next Lubbock County budget is either helping people keep their homes by not increasing the tax rate or forcing people to lose their homes because they’ll lose their county jobs after budget cuts. It depends on who’s making the claim.
Monday’s first vote on the budget featured:
- A failed attempt to set property taxes $2.63 per year higher than the “no-new-revenue” rate.
- A 3-2 vote in favor of the no new revenue rate.
- More verbal sparring between County Judge Curtis Parrish and Jason Corley, Precinct 2 commissioner; between Parrish and Cary Shaw, Precinct 3 commissioner; and Corley and a county employee, who hoped Corley is not reelected.
“If we start laying off people in this county, they are going to lose their homes.”
curtis parrish, county judge
Parrish’s proposal fails to get support
Parrish made a motion to keep the tax rate the same from this year into next – 33.4702 cents per hundred, but the motion died for lack of a second.
Shaw said he was out in the community last week.
“We’re talking – not the ones that have money to spare – we’re talking about the people that are suffering. Not a single one of them told me to raise their taxes. Every single one I talked to said, ‘We’ve done all we can.’”
It’s not so much the county’s property tax but all the various taxing entities combined, Shaw said.
Parrish was not moved by that argument.
“I challenge whoever is being taxed out of their homes by the Lubbock County taxes to come here. Give me their names! Tell me who they are,” Parrish said.
He sent an email last week to department directors to trim their proposed budgets by 10 percent. There was serious discussion of a hiring freeze in the same meeting (which was delayed until September). And Parrish told LubbockLights.com last week a proposed pay raise for employees might go to the chopping block.
“No, I’ve had no such suggestion. That is you who is fear mongering.”
commissioner jason corley (to judge parrish)
“If we start laying off people in this county, they are going to lose their homes. Single parents who depend on this county, single parents who depend on our insurance, they will lose their home,” Parrish added.
“You can tell them personally why you believe that $2.63 is too much to ask,” Parrish said.
Directing his comments to Corley, Parrish said, “Go ahead and get fired. Go ahead and leave Lubbock County employment. This is what you’re advocating.”
Corley retorted, “No, I’ve had no such suggestion. That is you who is fear mongering.”
Corley was on the record last week with LubbockLights.com saying he thought pay cuts were not necessary. He doubled down during the Monday meeting.
“We went to the budget meetings. That’s not about to happen. Go ahead, continue. I’m just ready to vote when you are,” Corley said.
Parrish responded, “It is about to happen. … You seem to be the only one who doesn’t know. This will hurt Lubbock County.”
Corley, Shaw and Jordan Rackler, Precinct 4, voted in favor of the no-new-revenue rate. Parrish and Commissioner Michael Dalby, Precinct 1, voted against it.
Rackler echoed Shaw’s earlier point, saying, “I got an overwhelming amount of support over the weekend to not increase the tax rate and try to hold strong to the NNR.”
“Motion carries 3-2. Very sad day for Lubbock County,” Parrish said in the meeting.
After the meeting, Corley issued a written statement, saying, “The lower tax rate will not affect the level of service Lubbock County provides for its taxpayers.”
By the numbers:
- 2024/25 average tax bill from Lubbock County on a single-family homestead: $734.52
- 2025/26 average tax bill from Lubbock County on a single-family homestead: $731.89
- The proposed decrease, on average, is $2.63
Source: Notice of meeting to vote on tax rate
- 2024/25 average taxable value of a single-family homestead: $219,455
- 2025/26 average taxable value of a single-family homestead: $223,528
- That’s roughly a 1.86 percent increase in taxable value.
- 2024/25 adopted tax rate $0.334702 per $100 of taxable value
- 2025/26 proposed tax rate $0.327425 per $100 of taxable value
- The proposed rate for 2025/26 is the no-new-revenue rate. It’s a decrease of $0.007277 per $100, which works out to 2.2 percent less.
Clarification: We accurately quoted both Judge Curtis Parrish and the county’s Notice of Meeting on Tax rate (Form 50-882) as saying there would be a $2.63 yearly increase by keeping the same tax rate year-over-year. Commissioner Cary Shaw explained why the number should be $13.63. Click here for an update.
Fixing, not fighting
Parrish asked commissioners to put off the vote on the tax rate until September 8, but his motion was voted down.
Dalby asked for time to speak and explain why he changed his mind. Dalby originally supported the no-new-revenue-rate. Now he opposes it. This is his first round of budget negotiations, having taken office in January.
“I searched deep inside. To make the decision to run for county commissioner – to serve was easy. I’m built to serve, starting with my days in the United States Marine Corps,” Dalby said. He also mentioned serving with Lubbock Fire Rescue.
“The core service I speak of is public safety. … I have lived it, and I have bled for it,” Dalby said.
“The NNR does not allow our county to maintain the proper level of funding required to support public safety. Passing this rate is falling short of the support we owe our community and our first responders, like volunteer fire departments and the sheriff’s department,” he said.
He also mentioned the jail, roads, facility repairs and the elections office.
“If the majority of the commissioners today vote for the no new revenue rate, I will work hard as hard as I can within the budget given to serve the very best that I can with an attitude of fixing not fighting,” Dalby said.
County employee challenge commissioners
One employee spoke during public comments and urged the court to set taxes high enough to avoid budget cuts.
After Dalby spoke, Corley said, “Since we’re going to play games today, raise your hand if you are a county employee.”
“I’m proud to be a county employee,” one interjected from the audience off-camera from the official county livestream.
Corley responded, “Just need your hand. … Who’s doing your jobs at this moment?”
When the employee began to respond, Corley added, “It’s rhetorical. I don’t need the answer. … The voter supports a lower tax rate. That’s what we’re going to do.”
But she kept going – saying voters approved a higher tax rate (for disparity pay in the sheriff’s office) in 2019.
“They agreed to that increased level and you don’t have the ability to change what a voter says,” she said.
Corley said, “The voter also had a 2019 appraisal rate as well too. But those appraisals have gone up. So, the appraisal goes up. The no new revenue rate takes into account for that and brings down the tax rate.”
“Nobody cares about Lubbock County except the people in this room that work hard every day and punch that clock and do the job. And I’m sad that you don’t respect that,” she responded.
Corley pointed out employee turnover dropped from 14 percent to 10 percent since 2019.
And when she began to speak again, Corley rebuked her, saying, “I’m not done yet. I was quiet for you to speak. You can afford me the same courtesy, ma’am.”
When he made his point, she responded, “I’m just very disappointed in you as an elected official and I hope all the voters are watching and make decisions when people come up to vote. This county deserves better. These employees deserve better all across the board.”
