By Mark Myers - Your Lavaca County Judge

 

The past month brought us an extraordinary amount of rain.  Now you will never hear any rural folks complain about rain but with it come some other issues that should bring some awareness to everyone.  Mosquitos are as bad as I have ever seen in my lifetime in this area.  Besides being a nuisance, they can be a real health hazard.  There are some things that you can do to help mitigate the problem of these parasites in and around your property.  First, dump any standing water to eliminate the breeding areas they need to multiply.  If you have standing water that is too large to empty, you might try using a mosquito larvicide.  These products are generally available at your local feed and hardware stores.  Be sure and wear a good insect repellent when you are working or playing outside. 

 

On the public safety front, the Governor has finally recognized that we have a crisis on our border that needs far more attention than it has been getting over the past five months.  On June 1^st, Governor Abbott finally declared a state of disaster for several counties that have been experiencing elevated criminal activity due to human trafficking.  Lavaca county is one of those named.  What does this mean?  It means that we now will hopefully get access to some much-needed assets to help our public safety personnel combat the evil that is coming into our county daily.  It is not a cure but definitely a step in the right direction.  We must call this problem what it truly is…an invasion.  Up to this point, we as a state have been trying to solve a military problem with law enforcement assets.  That does not work.  I am hopeful that our Governor will see that military force is appropriate and will shut down the border by using our Texas National Guard and other assets. 

 

The county’s budget process has begun and we are working hard at planning for the year ahead.  I plan to make the process as open and transparent as possible.   Responsible spending of taxpayers’ monies is of paramount importance to me and all of your elected officials.  At the same time, we recognize that we must make sure that our public safety duties as your government are effectively met.  Our primary duty as your government is to maintain the safety of the public and the protection of the rights, liberty and property of those we serve.  I believe it is vitally important that the stakeholders within our public safety community are well funded and paid appropriately.  You really do get what you pay for and we must invest in those vital assets. 

 

Until next time, stay vigilant, report anything suspicious, stay safe and God bless and protect our Law Enforcement, Fire, Medical and EMS personnel.

 

 

Honorably in you service,

Mark Myers

Lavaca County Judge

Governor Abbott Issues Disaster Declaration In Response To Border Crisis In Texas

Declaration provides more resources to address influx of unlawful immigrants

AUSTIN - Governor Greg Abbott today issued a disaster declaration along Texas' southern border in response to the border crisis, providing more resources and strategies to combat the ongoing influx of unlawful immigrants. The Governor is authorizing the use of all necessary and available state and local resources to protect landowners in these counties from trespassers and the damage they cause to private property. The Governor has also directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to enforce all federal and state criminal laws, including criminal trespassing, smuggling, and human trafficking. The Governor directed the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to take all necessary steps to discontinue state licensure of any child care facility under a contract with the federal government that shelters or detains unlawful immigrants.

Additionally, the Governor directed the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement to work with Texas counties to provide appropriate guidance and request any necessary waivers in order to give counties the flexibility needed to establish adequate alternative detention facilities or otherwise add or expand capacity. The Governor also directed these agencies to streamline procedures for licensing and transfers, and to address any staffing issues that may arise in expanding capacity.

"President Biden's open-border policies have paved the way for dangerous gangs and cartels, human traffickers, and deadly drugs like fentanyl to pour into our communities," said Governor Abbott. "Meanwhile, landowners along the border are seeing their property damaged and vandalized on a daily basis while the Biden Administration does nothing to protect them. Texas continues to step up to confront the border crisis in the federal government's absence, but more must be done. By declaring a state of disaster in these counties, Texas will have more resources and strategies at our disposal to protect landowners and enforce all federal and state laws to combat criminal activities stemming from the border crisis. Working together with local law enforcement, the state will continue to take robust and meaningful action to keep our communities safe.”

Public Notice Pursuant to the Texas Election Code 42.035, the Lavaca County Commissioners Court has adopted new county election precinct boundaries to be used beginning in 2022 and to be used permanently thereafter.  The boundary changes will reduce the number of voting precincts from 19 down to 11.  These voting boundary consolidations are as follows:

Precinct 1 combines Precinct 1 and 12

Precinct 2 remains unchanged

Precinct 8 remains unchanged

Precinct 9 remains unchanged

Precinct 11 combines Precincts 32 and 11

Precinct 16 combines Precincts 16 and 17

Precinct 19 combines Precincts 19, 20 and 27

Precinct 23 remains unchanged

Precinct 29 combines Precincts 29 and 15

Precinct 30 combines Precincts 30 and 26

Precinct 31 combines Precincts 31 and 7

Map of Combined Voting Precincts from 9 to 11

NOTICE ABOUT 2020 TAX RATES

Property Tax Rates in County of Lavaca

This notice concerns the 2020 property tax rates for County of Lavaca. This notice provides information about two tax rates used in adopting the current tax year's tax rate. The no-new-revenue tax rate would impose the same amount of taxes as last year if you compare properties taxed in both years. In most cases, the voter-approval tax rate is the highest tax rate a taxing unit can adopt without holding an election. In each case, these rates are calculated by dividing the total amount of taxes by the current taxable value with adjustments as required by state law. The rates are given per $100 of property value.

This year's no-new-revenue tax rate:                                                                                             $0.6016

This year's total voter-approval tax rate:                                                                                      $0.6115

 

Unencumbered Fund Balances

 

The following estimated balances will be left in the taxing unit's accounts at the end of the fiscal year. These balances are not encumbered by corresponding debt obligation.

Type of Fund                                                                                                               Balance
General Fund (M&O)                                                                                                   11,741,397
0

Current Year Debt Service

The following amounts are for long-term debts that are secured by property taxes. These amounts will be paid from upcoming property tax revenues (or additional sales tax revenues, if applicable).

Description of Debt           Principal or Contract                      Interest to be Paid from  Other Amounts to be        Total 
Payment to be Paid from      Property Taxes Paid from Property Taxes Paid Payment
Property Taxes

 

Total required for 2020 debt service                                                                                                   0
-Amount (if any) paid from funds listed in unencumbered funds                                                          0
-Amount (if any) paid from other resources
-Excess collections last year                                                                                                                 1.267
=Total to be paid from taxes in 2020                                                                                                    -1.267
+ Amount added in anticipation that the taxing unit will collect only
100.00% of its taxes in 2020
=Total debt levy                                                                                                                               -1,267

 

This notice contains a summary of the no-new-revenue and voter-approval calculations as certified by Deborah A. Sevcik, Tax Assessor-Collector on August 03, 2020.