But nonetheless, the council deserves some credit for the half-cent cut in the property tax rate; it’s better than a half-cent increase. More importantly, the utility rate hikes can be reduced by 10% for residents age 65 or older.
That discount will apply to the first 1,000 gallons of water that seniors use each month, which is about what an individual or small family would use in a month. Residents will receive information about that option in their utility bill. Seniors who are interested in that discount can then call the city to have a form mailed to them to receive it.
That’s a nice benefit for Beaumont seniors, one that few other cities offer. Many senior citizens have fixed incomes, from Social Security or their retirement. Basically, their income doesn’t go up — but of course various expenses in their lives do. A small benefit like this can mean a lot to them. It will come in handy next year, when wastewater service rates increase by 5 percent and garbage rates go up by $1 per month.
In Beaumont, the costs for utilities are covered by the revenues that residents and businesses pay for these services. There is no subsidy from the general fund. That’s a good operating system, but it can lead to fairly high utility bills.
Overall, the Beaumont City Council does a pretty good job of managing city finances. The property tax rate dropped slightly this year — again, after some significant increases in previous years. The utility rate hike is unfortunate, but it’s also nice not to have to tap into the general fund to pay for those services.
The council needs to keep these costs to residents in mind because that has a big impact on a city’s population. Residents and businesses are inclined to remain in Beaumont if they perceive those expenses to be affordable. In turn, new residents and businesses are more inclined to move into a city like that.
Beaumont’s population has remained stubbornly flat for several decades — not really decreasing but not increasing much either. In contrast, almost every other large city in Texas has seen substantial growth. A lot of factors go into something like that, and clearly the natural disasters we have suffered in recent years don’t help.
But hurricanes or floods aren’t something we can control. The City Council can decide what the tax rate will be and how much residents will pay for basic services. Council members must make sure that city government is run as efficiently as possible to keep those costs low. They can do it in big ways and small ways, but the effort must be ongoing.
