ROBINSON, Texas (KXXV) — Robinson Mayor Greg May is encouraging residents to examine their upcoming property tax bills to better understand how their money is allocated across different local entities.
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"I'm telling you, no one wants to even think about taxes, but when you read this and you understand it, you know that it takes a lot for a city of 12 -13 thousand people to operate," May said.
The city recently implemented a 6-cent tax rate increase, bringing the total to around 51 cents per $100 in valuation. However, May emphasizes that the city receives only a portion of residents' total property tax payments.
According to the city's breakdown, nearly half of property taxes, 49.95%, go to Robinson's schools, while the city itself receives 28.89%. McLennan County gets 15.17% and McLennan Community College receives 5.98%. Together, these make up a total tax rate of $1.923356.
"It's important to know where they go because the perception from everyone is only that we pay so much taxes, our taxes are so high, but they really don't have a good idea of where they go and how they are spent," May said.
The mayor explained that the city's rate increase will fund specific improvements, including a new ladder truck and road repairs.
"Let's face it, when people anywhere in Central Texas talk about Robinson, roads are all you hear, all those roads in Robinson...finally, we have a plan that allows us to solve a majority of our road issues," May said.
For the average Robinson home valued at around $364,000, residents will pay nearly $1,900 to the city and $6,500 in total property taxes.
May believes the biggest misconception is that Robinson has high tax rates compared to neighboring communities.
"Out of all the surrounding communities, there are only two communities that pay a lower city tax rate than we have here in Robinson and that's kind of what I wanted to make sure that everybody knew," May said.
Property taxes serve as Robinson's primary revenue source at 45.2%, followed by water charges, 25.2%, wastewater charges, 11.1%, and charges for services or sanitation, 6.9%.
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