Taxes on your home increased indirectly by San Antonio City Council
Your family home is your most important asset. In recent years property values have been rising very quickly throughout Bexar County, especially in the City of San Antonio. That’s good news if you’re looking to sell your home or take out a a home equity loan. At the same time, though, your taxes have been going up very quickly! The amount of services you are receiving from the City haven’t gone up in proportion to the increase in your tax payments. Those potholes are still unfilled. Those sidewalks still haven’t been built. Emergency services are still too far away. And, if you’re on a fixed income, like a pension and Social Security, that property tax burden is eating away at your ability to stay in your home. So, the good news is that your house is more valuable than ever, but the bad news is that you may not be able to afford to live there too many more years!
As a part of its urban in-fill policy CoSA has been offering incentives to developers who will build or renovate downtown properties. In fact, the City has given away over $100 million dollars in tax incentives and fee eliminations and reductions to create the “Decade of Downtown.” This program is known as C-CHIP, and the City Council is about to renew this tax give away once again without any serious provision for affordable housing (where will downtown service workers live?), and without any tax breaks for you if you make any improvements to your own home. The basic idea here is that the City Council will take your tax dollars and give them to someone else — frequently enough to developers and speculators from out of town who have no intention of reinvesting in San Antonio.
It’s time to let the City of San Antonio know that you’re watching and that you see what’s going on. When did city staff inform us that they recommended a renewal of C-CHIP? Last week. When did the Council decide to have a public comment? Yesterday. When do they intend to pass it? Today. The Council is once again engaging in passing its agenda when they think no one is looking! Tell your Council member you know what’s happening, that you know there is an election for his or her seat this spring, and that you expect a good accounting for your tax dollars!
