The Kleberg County Chief Appraiser has proposed a budget for 2011 of over $1 million and an increase in pay for the chief appraiser of $10,000 and a staff increase of $30,000 with an overall increase from last year’s budget of $100,000.

With the economy in the state it is today and with many companies and local governments reducing staff and or cutting salaries, these budget and pay increases are totally out of line and uncalled for.

Many of the counties surrounding Kleberg County do much more with much less, and it is time for the Kleberg County Appraisal District to find new and inventive ways to reduce its budget and to save money for the hard working taxpayers of this county.

A taxing entity should be a means for which a government sets and collects a tax for the benefit of its citizens, but the appraisal district of this county has become a detriment to its citizens with its out of control spending and the over valuing of its citizens’ property.

By doing so it reduces the elderly and low income people’s monies needed to live day to day, reduces the amounts of new families and businesses moving into the county and reduces the amount of monies invested in existing homes and businesses in the county, which further slows our economy.

Recently, many county residents attended a Kleberg County Commissioners Court meeting and expressed their concerns about an elected county official being allowed to also serve on the appraisal board as a voting member.

These citizens felt that this was a conflict of interest, and although not illegal, not proper.

The county commissioners listened to the public and voted to remove this county official from the appraisal board.

However this practice still continues on the appraisal board. One of its members is a city commissioner and another is a school board member.

Both of these appraisal members are serving on two taxing commissions or boards at the same time. And, as stated earlier, this practice in not illegal, but it seriously raises the question of conflict of interest.

With the out of control spending of the chief appraiser and the conflicts of some of the appraisal board members, we ask you to please call or write to your appraisal board members to express your concerns.

Please contact Filiberto Garcia, Chairman; Daniel Morales, Secretary; Allen Mittag, Vice Chairman; Al Garcia, and Juan Garza.
Concerned Taxpayers
of Kleberg County,
Fred Bell