[00:00:02] GOOD EVENING. THE MEETING IS NOW CONVENED. THE TIME IS 5:02 P.M.. [Call to Order] I'D LIKE TO ASK EVERYONE TO SILENCE ALL CELL PHONES. A QUORUM OF THE BOARD IS PRESENT IN THE BOARD AUDITORIUM. OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO HEAR FROM SPEAKERS ON THE AGENDA ITEMS. PUBLIC COMMENT DURING SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO THOSE PERSONS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK PRIOR TO THE MEETING TIME. PER CURRENT PROTOCOL, VERBAL AND OTHER DISRUPTIONS BY PERSONS DURING SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE AS THEY INHIBIT THE BOARD'S ABILITY TO CONDUCT BUSINESS AND THE PUBLIC'S ABILITY TO OBSERVE THOSE PROCESSES. PERSONS WHO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH BEHAVIOR WILL BE GIVEN ONE WARNING, AND IF THE BEHAVIOR IS REPEATED, THEY WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE MEETING. WE HAVE TWO REGISTERED SPEAKERS TODAY WHO WILL BE LIMITED TO TWO MINUTES EACH PER BOARD POLICY. WE ASK THAT YOU STAY ON TOPIC AND REFRAIN FROM NAMING INDIVIDUALS, ESPECIALLY STUDENTS, AS THEIR IDENTITY IS PROTECTED UNDER LAW. BUT YOU MAY HAVE. YOU MAY NAME YOUR OWN CHILD. I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE RESPECT OUR PROCEDURES AND AND THE OTHER SPEAKERS AND YOUR COMMENTS PROMPTLY WHEN YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED AND THE TIMER RINGS. DO WE HAVE SPEAKERS? OKAY. THEY SIGNED UP. WE DON'T HAVE ANY. ALL RIGHT. THIS CONCLUDES OUR SPEAKER COMMENTS. [Public Hearing Regarding the Tax Rate] WE'LL NOW CONDUCT OUR PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING THE TAX RATE. SUPERINTENDENT MILES. MAY WE INVITE DOCTOR JIM TERRY, OUR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, FINANCE AND OPERATIONS OFFICER, TO THE MICROPHONE TO SHARE THE TAX INFORMATION? YES, SIR. THANK YOU. DOCTOR TERRY. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. BOARD MEMBERS, CHAIRMAN, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ADOPT A NEW TAX RATE, INCLUDING DISASTER PENNIES AT THIS HEARING. WELL. JUST A SWITCH. YES. TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. I DON'T KNOW. YEAH, JUST TELL ME NEXT SLIDE. I'LL ADVANCE IT FOR YOU. OKAY, SO THE NEXT SLIDE. IN JUNE, WE PASSED THE BUDGET. AND THAT BUDGET HAD A GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURE OF 2.1. THERE WE GO. NOW IT'S UP. PERFECT. $2.1 BILLION WITH THE USE OF $15 MILLION OF FUND BALANCE. THE DISASTER PENNY RATE OF 0.8783, WHICH IS BROKEN DOWN INTO A MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION. WHAT WE USE TO OPERATE THE DISTRICT IS 0.7116. AND THE INTEREST AND SINKING FUND, WHICH IS WHAT WE USE TO PAY THE DEBT SERVICE, IS 0.1667 AND THAT MAKES UP THE RATE. THE IMPORTANT THING IS UNDER THE TAX CODE, WHICH IS HOUSE BILL 30, THE M& [INAUDIBLE] TAX RATE WILL ONLY INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR BY ONE PENNY. WHEN IT ALLOWS US. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THE WHAT ALLOWS US TO DO THAT IS THAT HURRICANE BERYL BECAME A DISASTER FOR HARRIS COUNTY WAS DECLARED A DISASTER ZONE. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OF HOUSE BILL 30, WHICH ALLOWS US TO RAISE THE TAX RATE USING DISASTER PENNIES, WHICH WILL BE A 2.94 PENNIES. NEXT SLIDE. YOU CAN SEE IN THIS SLIDE THAT OUR ASSESSED VALUE FOR THIS YEAR HAS GONE DOWN $19 BILLION. NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS AN EIGHT LITTLE OVER AN 8% DECREASE IN THE NET TAXABLE VALUE. NEXT SLIDE. AND YOU CAN SEE OF THE 12 SCHOOL DISTRICTS WE ARE THE WELL THERE ARE 12 SCHOOL DISTRICTS. WE ARE THE LOWEST TAXING SCHOOL DISTRICT IN AND AROUND HARRIS COUNTY. EVEN WITH THE DISASTER PENNY GO TO THE NEXT ONE. THIS IS JUST A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF THE SAME INFORMATION. NEXT SLIDE. THESE ARE THE NUMBERS. IF YOU LOOK TO THE FAR RIGHT YOU'LL SEE THE CHANGES. SO THE AVERAGE HOME VALUE WENT UP $21,967. BUT OFFSETTING THAT [00:05:05] IS THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, WHICH WAS APPROVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF 40 AN ADDITIONAL $40,000. THIS TAKES THE AVERAGE TAXABLE VALUE AFTER OTHER EXEMPTIONS, DOWN TO $21,481. YOU CAN SEE THE TAX RATE, AS I SAID BEFORE, INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR BY A PENNY. AND WITH THIS HAS DONE IS IT ALLOWS THE HOMEOWNER'S TAX BILL TO DECREASE BY $161. GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION. NEXT SLIDE. YOU CAN SEE THAT THE CURRENT BILL WOULD HAVE BEEN $2,378. NEXT YOU CAN SEE THAT GIVEN NO CHANGE IN THE TAX RATE, THAT HOMEOWNERS WOULD HAVE SAVED $235 A MONTH. BUT WITH A DISASTER, PENNY, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE $74 OF THAT. AND YOU CAN SEE THE TAX BILL THEN IS $2,217. AND IN THE NEXT YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE TAKE THE $0.74. AND YOU CAN SEE IN THIS NEXT FRAME IS THAT THE SAVINGS TO THE TAXPAYERS, $161 A YEAR. AND THE NEXT SLIDE, LOOK AT THE BOTTOM LINE ESSENTIALLY IS THE SAME THING IN NUMBERS AND SHOWS YOU THAT THE AMOUNT LAST YEAR OF $198 WAS CHANGED TO $185, SAVING $13 A MONTH. AND IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS, I WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM. QUESTIONS. QUESTIONS. OKAY. MAKES SENSE TO ME? THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE HAVE A LOT OF EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH BERYL. THE LEGISLATURE ALLOWED SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO TRY TO COVER THE COSTS THROUGH THIS MECHANISM. AND WE'RE, UTILIZING IT TO TO CREATE THE DOLLARS OR TO GET THE REVENUE THAT WE CAN USE TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE AND FIX OUR SCHOOLS AND HANDLE MAINTENANCE ISSUES THAT ARE LONG COMING. OKAY, GREAT. SO WITH THAT, NO QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? AND THERE'S A MOTION. LET'S. SURE. HI, ANGIE. WHAT'S THAT? WE ARE JOINED BY BOARD MEMBER LEMOND FLOWERS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING. OKAY, SO IS THERE A MOTION? WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. PLEASE VOTE. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I THINK WE WENT THROUGH THE QUESTIONS. THE MOTION PASSES WITH ONE ABSTENTION. OKAY, WE HAVE ANOTHER MOTION, I BELIEVE. WE HAVE A MOTION. LET'S SEE. OKAY. WE HAVE SOME. LAUREN GORE HAS MADE THE MOTION. DO WE HAVE A SECOND, PLEASE? ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A SECOND FROM BOARD MEMBER FLOWERS. ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. WE NEED TO READ THE MOTION. OKAY. WOULD YOU READ THE MOTION? DO WE NEED TO READ THE FIRST ONE? THE MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION IS FINE, BUT THIS ONE. OKAY, GO AHEAD AND READ THIS ONE. OKAY. PRESIDENT CAMPO, I MOVE THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE COMBINED AD VALOREM TAX RATE OF 0.8783 CENTS PER EACH $100 VALUATION FOR THE HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR THE 2025 TAX YEAR, WHICH IS WHICH IS EFFECTIVELY AN 8.2% INCREASE IN THE TAX RATE AND INCLUDES THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS RATE OF 0.7116 CENTS AND AN INTEREST IN SINKING RATE OF 0.1667 CENTS. OKAY, SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. PLEASE VOTE. THANK YOU. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION PASSES. OKAY. WITH [00:10:03] NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO DISCUSS, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 5:12 P.M.. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.