Town Hall meetings to discuss moving tax collections

Milam County will host three Town Hall meetings to discuss current happenings at the possible move of the ad valorem tax collections from the County Tax Assessor-Collectors Office to the County Appraisal District over the coming week.

The meeting dates are: March 25 - Rockdale - Workforce Solutions Conference Room, at the Milam County One-Stop Center; March 27 - Cameron - Bea’s Kitchen, Milam County Annex; and March 28 - Thorndale - Milam County Precinct 4 Annex. All meeting are at 6:30 p.m.

Commissioners discussed moving tax collections to the Milam Appraisal District during last week’s meeting.

According to Milam County Judge Bill Whitmire, about a month ago it was brought up that other counties collect ad valorem taxes differently than we currently do here in Milam County. 

Of the 254 counties in Texas, roughly 100 collect their taxes through the Tax Assessor-Collector’s (TAC) office as we currently do here in Milam County, about 100 collect them through the County Appraisal District (CAD) office, and the remaining do it in various forms where some of the larger counties allow for the individual taxing entities to collect their own taxes. 

Milam County Chief Appraiser J. Ryan Nichols spoke to commissioners about moving collections during the meeting.

Nichols said moving three employees from the tax office to his office will ultimately save the county about $178,000.

Nichols said the salaries and benefits for those three employees as well as the contract for tax software with Spindlemedia and mailing costs will move to the Appraisal District. That will save the county about $120,500 for the second half of 2024.

Nichols said if commissioners approve the move it will take place by July 1, 2024.

He said moving collections to his office will put all tax related things under his office.

Moving the collections will not eliminate the need for the Tax Assessor/Collectors Office. They will still do vehicle registration and all other tasks they do.

Commissioners tabled the item on Monday until the April 10 meeting to let citizens have the chance to give input through Town Hall meetings.

Whitmire said it has never been discussed to abolish the Tax Assessor-Collector’s office, nor was there ever a mention of merging the Tax Assessor-Collector’s office with the County Appraisal District. There is no legal mechanism to do either of those things.