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Dan Flynn and Bryan Slaton
New voting dates updated
Legislative Update
Editor’s note: Legislative updates are provided to Hopkins County constituents to recap and examine how their elected representatives voted and what they found important.
CARES ACT
A bipartisan coalition of senators, including Gov. Greg Abbott, sent a letter to the federal government asking for inclusion of rural Texas counties under consideration of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or CARES Act.
“Of this $5.06 billion [awarded to the State of Texas], the U.S. Department of Treasury has directly sent over $3.2 billion to the 6 cities and 12 counties in Texas with a population greater than 500,000,” wrote East Texas State Senator Bob Hall (R-Edgewood). “The remaining $1.85 billion will be available to other cities and counties throughout the state.”
As Texas comprises 254 counties, 242 counties will be left to split $1.85 billion, Hall states. This accounts for approximately $55 per person in each of those counties, according to Hall.
According to the bipartisan coalition, the Texas Division of Emergency Management will administer the funds and will partner with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension to provide individual assistance to cities and counties. The group believes larger cities will work with smaller counties to complete projects that cross jurisdictional lines, they stated.
VOTING
Instead of May 26, the primary runoff election will now be held July 14, 2020, according to the Secretary of State.
For those in Hopkins County, this will mainly affect the election between Dan Flynn (R-Canton) and Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City).
On May 1, all county judges and county election officials received guidance from the office of the attorney general election fraud unit stating their belief that “an individual’s fear of contracting COVID-19 is not, by itself, sufficient to meet the definition of disability for purposes of eligibility to receive a ballot by mail” under the Texas Election Code.
“If the voter has a sickness or physical condition that prevents the voter from appearing at the polling place on election day,” the attorney general Ken Paxton stated, they may request a mail-in ballot.
The last day to request a mail-in ballot is July 2, according to Hopkins County election clerk Tracy Smith.
The last day to change an address for voting is June 15, Smith said.
Early voting runs June 29 through July 10, according to a May 11 decision from Gov. Greg Abbott.
Those who encourage others to “apply for a ballot by mail for reasons not authorized by the Election Code, including fear of contracting COVID-19 without an accompanying qualifying disability,” could be subject to criminal prosecution, according to Paxton, depending upon each individual case.
PROPERTY TAX FREEZE
Flynn has advocated for a property tax freeze, while Hall has not, amid the COVID-19 shutdown.
“My office is receiving many calls each day as the appraisals arrive in the mail and the stories are heart-wrenching,” Flynn wrote in a letter to Abbott on May 5. “Our constituents cannot afford to pay these tax increases, some of which are certainly massive and could be easily characterized as out of control.”
Flynn called to halt property taxes at a 2019 level and halt both 2018 and 2019 interest and penalty payments, his letter stated.
“A savings of $200 per month to people legitimately trying to pay their taxes may not sound like much to you… I know it could be the difference in feeding their family or not,” Flynn wrote to the governor.
Hall, however, called on local officials to confront property taxes, not the Governor.
“I have a great deal of concern about some of the liberties we have given up to get where we are now,” Hall said in a social media live video to his followers on April 29. Hall stated his “major concern going forward… is that property taxes are a double whammy on what we can afford.”
“Your tax bill is determined by your elected officials,” Hall stated. “There’s out of control growth of property taxes in many parts of the state… and folks need some control.”
"Unfortunately many property owners have been led to believe that freezing property taxes at 2019 levels would result in lower taxes for 2020. Nothing could be farther from the truth," Hall stated in a May 12 Facebook post. "It is disappointing that some state elected officials who have been promoting this concept either do not understand how property taxes are determined or are simply issuing statements to give the appearance of 'working for their constituents.' Yesterday I was pleased to hear Governor Abbott correctly confirmed that freezing property appraisals at 2019 levels was a bad idea and he would not support it."
Hall stated he plans to further discuss property tax rates with local officials and his constituents.
Property tax valuation depends on where Hopkins County is included. If Hopkins is grouped in with Dallas and Tarrant counties, the values stand at approximately $4928 per acre, according to the Texas A&M University Real Estate Center.
If included with Delta, Upshur and Marion counties, this value is closer to $3201, data suggests. If calculated individually, the value seems to reflect $4500 per acre, according to land use data calculations.
Hopkins County currently holds property tax of $2.49 per $100 valuation for 2020, according to the Sulphur Springs Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation. On a $100,000 home, this means a yearly payment of $2490.
*An earlier version of this story stated Hall's position incorrectly. It has been updated to reflect changes.