[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:05] All right. Good evening. I would like to call this special meeting of the Midlothian ISD Board of Trustees to order on August 31st, 2026. The time is now 6 o'clock. There's a quorum of board members present. The meeting has been duly called and notice of the meeting has been posted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act. Texas Government Code Chapter 551. At this time, we will have our invocation led by Ms. Toby. Thank you. Would you bow with me?
[0:30] Well, we just come to you so honored and grateful and thankful, God, for the many blessings that you've just piled on us.
[0:37] So grateful for the families that are in this community and the staff that we employ, Lord, they are all just incredible blessings directly from you and we are grateful.
[0:47] Lord, I just pray that the business of tonight, Lord, that we would just hold true to our convictions and our passion, Lord, continue to be kind to one another and gracious.
[0:58] and Lord open our ears, eyes, minds, and everything about us to the truth and help us to make righteous decisions or based on that.
[1:07] And we just thank you most of all for your son Jesus and just for the honor it is to get to serve Jesus naming him.
[1:57] I'm
[2:07] going to read my public comment tonight because I have a lot of information and I don't want to miss anything.
[2:13] Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight.
[2:16] I'm opposed to this tax increase you're voting on.
[2:20] I typically don't dread making a public comment, but tonight is different.
[2:25] This hurts me to have to present this information, but the public has a right to know that someone
[2:30] who is planning on raising property taxes tonight has not been paying their own.
[2:37] I will be providing each board member a copy of this information, which is publicly available.
[2:42] Gary Vineyard is delinquent on his property taxes again.
[2:47] When you look at the first document, as of today, he is late in the amount of $1,367.40 on account 151-146.
[3:00] The second document is for account 242-770, and he is late in the amount of $1,794.62.
[3:10] sense. For a total of $3,162.02. More upsetting is the fact that this is habitual behavior.
[3:21] The third document shows that year over year he was not paying that year's taxes
[3:26] in full for account 151146. This is not at the about the amount. It's about the
[3:34] principle. This is the trustee who call taxpayers greedy and stingy when the
[3:40] Vader failed. It is the height of hypocrisy. Gary Vineyard has refused to pay his
[3:46] own property tax bill for years and is now taking it upon himself to not just set
[3:52] the tax rate for everyone but to raise taxes. Either he has been refusing to live
[3:58] under the laws he sets, or he is unable to pay his property tax bill.
[4:04] If the second is the case, it is indefensible, he would raise property tax bills.
[4:13] Unable to pay his property tax, it's the second case.
[4:17] It is indefensible, he would raise property taxes when he knows how unaffordable they have become.
[4:23] I request the Gary Vineyard recuse himself from the tax rate vote and I request that all other trustees vote against another tax height for the taxpayers of MIS state.
[4:42] Thank you. All right. We are going to move forward now with our meeting. I believe Dr. Mesker has the presentation for the tax rate adoption.
[4:53] Yes,
[4:57] thank you. Good evening, Board. So tonight, yes, we are considering our tax rate adoption for the 2627 fiscal year.
[5:07] I did want to remind you that we did conduct a public hearing back in June and we published our required notice back in June.
[5:17] Because our tax rate that we're discussing tonight is less than what we published back in June and discussed back in June, we were not required to republish our notice and we were not required to hold a second public hearing.
[5:30] So we're not having a public hearing tonight, but this is just for you all to consider the tax rate adoption.
[5:35] So
[5:39] I first wanted to remind you board, I think that you're all aware of this, but it's important to note that for school districts there is an interaction with our state funding and our property taxes.
[5:51] So districts must tax at their maximum capacity to receive our full state funding.
[5:57] If we adopted a tier one tax rate that was lower than our maximum compressed rate, the state would pro rate our funding accordingly.
[6:06] They do that by proportionally lowering the basic allotment, increased property tax values
[6:14] or increased property tax revenue does not equate to overall increased revenue for the
[6:19] district because those increased values and the increased property tax revenue is included
[6:26] in the state funding formula as the local fund assignment.
[6:30] So as that local fund assignment increases, the state shared decreases.
[6:34] So that's important to remember when we're discussing school district funding and our tax rate.
[6:40] Our only mechanisms to increase revenue are through enrollment growth, through a special
[6:47] allotment demographic growth, or legislative action to increase the basic allotment, or
[6:54] through a voter approval tax rate election, which would add tier two funding to our funding.
[7:00] So tier two funding is enrichment in which the state puts in some additional funding for additional tax effort.
[7:08] So they actually reward districts for having a higher tax rate.
[7:16] I did want to provide a comparison of some average residence value information.
[7:21] So the average market value of residences in our district has actually decreased about $4,000.
[7:29] The average taxable value of those residences did increase about $2,000 when we compare those values with our proposed tax rate this year compared to the adopted tax rate from last year, which will get more into that tax rate in the next few slides, but this actually decreases the average tax bill for our residences of about $92.
[7:54] I
[7:59] wanted to provide some information about our historical tax role, so our property tax value information.
[8:07] So our certified values this year for 2627 did increase, just shy of 11%.
[8:14] So it's important to remember that this increase includes value that is new to the role.
[8:20] So that means that it was not on the role last year, but it is on the role this year.
[8:23] So that includes new homes, also new commercial buildings.
[8:27] For example, we have the lows that's new this year, that's new value to the role.
[8:32] So that 10.91% includes new value and
[8:36] the new value, according to the Ellis County Prasal District, was over $900 million.
[8:43] And that makes up about 8% of that 10.91.
[8:47] And again, as I discussed earlier, that increased value doesn't actually have an effect on our overall.
[8:53] our overall revenue because of how it interacts with our state funding in that local fund assignment.
[9:02] Okay, so to get into the actual tax rate that is proposed, first I will discuss the debt service fund.
[9:09] So this chart shows some historical information and some future information about our debt service requirements.
[9:16] So this year's column is shaded there in blue.
[9:20] our debt service requirements, including the requirements on our new bonds that we just issued this year is a little bit over $51 million, and the tax rate to support those requirements is $0.41 per $100 valuation.
[9:38] Along with our estimated hold harmless funding that we will receive from the state that is estimated to be about $3 million 82,000.
[9:47] And so that tax rate together with that state funding will allow us to meet our debt service requirements.
[9:56] The requirements on our new debt for 2026 did include a large principal payment to write off the bat,
[10:05] start off with a large principal payment in order to pay off some of those shorter term assets that were included in the bond,
[10:11] like the buses and the Chromebooks and things like that.
[10:14] But there is not a defecence this year.
[10:19] Next is our proposed MNO tax rate.
[10:22] So if you'll remember, back in 2019, the legislature enacted House Bill 3,
[10:28] which included a requirement for school districts to compress our tax rate based on property value growth.
[10:33] We have to look both at the state wide property tax or property value growth that the comptroller publishes.
[10:40] This year that was 3.6% and then we also have to look at our property value growth of the 10.91% and
[10:47] And we have to compress to whatever would provide the lower of those two tax rates.
[10:53] Our tax, our MNO proposed tax rate is 0.6169 per $100 of value.
[11:01] That is calculated by TEA.
[11:03] So once we have those certified values, we put in that information to a template, a survey template that TEA sends out.
[11:10] We put that information in and it spits out our tax rate.
[11:15] Total proposed tax rate, MNO again, 6169, INS 41 cents.
[11:22] This is a total tax rate of $1.0269, that is a 4.39% decrease in the rate from prior year's rate.
[11:33] And again, that reduction provides on average a $92 reduction in the tax bills for homeowners.
[11:42] This slide just provides a tax rate history over the last five years, and it does show that our tax rate has decreased about 32.5 cents over the last five years, again contributing to that lower tax bill.
[11:57] And then just to kind of summarize, what is proposed tonight is the adoption of a tax rate, MNO tax rate of 6169, an INS tax rate of 41 cents for the total tax rate of a dollar 0269.
[12:12] And then before I open it up for questions from the board, I did want to let you know there is specific motion language in your board template that will be required if you choose to move to adopt that tax rate because the total tax rate is higher than the no-new revenue tax rate.
[12:31] And so any time that is the case, there is required motion language for any taxing unit school districts included.
[12:43] I'm happy to answer questions.
[12:47] Questions from the board?
[13:00] Okay, so can you clarify in, you know, there's a 4% difference from what our motion states versus was actually going to be within the resolution.
[13:12] So can you just kind of plain Jane explain that to me on why, you know, kindergarten terms, remember, I'm learning.
[13:22] And then also explain in the same sentence basically it says effectively be raised by 8.65%, but then it also says, will raise taxes for maintenance and operations on $100,000 home by approximately $0.00.
[13:40] which means zero dollars is being raised on a, you know, per 100, or $100,000.
[13:48] So can you just explain those variations for me please?
[13:52] Yes, ma'am, I can.
[13:53] So the motion language, with the four point, something, something percent, I don't have that right in front of me.
[14:01] But that is a comparison of our total tax rate to the no-new revenue tax rate.
[14:07] The no-new revenue tax rate is a calculation of the tax rate that compares last year to this year the same revenue on the same property.
[14:17] So not including new value, what tax rate would allow the same tax revenue for the same property.
[14:23] What it does not include is any of that interaction with state funding that I explained before.
[14:28] So it doesn't account for that in any way at all.
[14:32] So, but as a taxing unit, since the proposed tax rate is above the no-new revenue tax rate,
[14:38] we do have to have that required motion language, even though we're a school district,
[14:43] and there's interaction with the state funding that is required by law.
[14:47] The language on the resolution is also required by law, but it's looking at just the M&O portion of the tax rate.
[14:56] and it's comparing our proposals.
[15:00] This MNO tax rate to what is called the rate to maintain MNO revenue. And so the rate to maintain MNO revenue is a look at the rate that would provide the same level of operating revenue per student that we received in the prior year. So what it does is it takes the information that is calculated in our state funding template, and it takes the information we put in and backs into a tax rate that we then have to compare to the MCR,
[15:29] that TEA told us, and if it's higher, we have to put that language in the resolution it's required by law.
[15:36] The third part of your question is that it would not, it would raise taxes on $100,000 home in the amount of $0,
[15:44] is because the homestead exemption provided by the state is $140,000.
[15:50] So a home valued at $100,000 doesn't pay any school tax, so that's why it's zero.
[15:57] So
[16:09] the reason that it says the taxes are going up by 8%, even though we're at 4% over the no-new revenue rate is because our state funding went down?
[16:23] Well, our state funding goes down because the values went up, but yes.
[16:29] Yes.
[16:30] Right, that's the difference is we're having to tax more to have the same dollars per student as we spent last year, because the state funding isn't at the same level, proportionate as last year.
[16:48] That's correct.
[16:49] Okay,
[16:55] any other questions, comments from board members,
[17:05] and there's no other questions or comments while I'll entertain that motion.
[17:08] I move that the property tax could I just say something before you make the motion in
[17:14] a lot of the information that we received tonight I'd like to make a motion that any
[17:19] MISD trustee who is to link when in their taxes within the last 12 months that we move
[17:27] that they are required to recuse themselves from voting on this tax rate especially since
[17:33] it's a tax increase. So I'd make that as a motion, Mr. President.
[17:43] Can I say that we better confer with our legal before we make any kind of motion like that?
[17:48] I don't.
[17:51] If the motion doesn't get a second, then it does.
[17:59] It's not receiving a second, that motion.
[18:01] What I'm hearing is because it died a lack of a second.
[18:04] There's not a concern about us raising taxes and allowing Amideastee trustee who's the
[18:10] the link with on the property taxes. That's not a concern with anybody on this
[18:14] dius up here. We're just good to go ahead and allow that vote. And if that's the way it is, that's fine.
[18:22] I move that the property tax rate be increased by the adoption of a total tax rate of 1.0269, which is effectively a
[18:30] 4.61 percent increase in the total tax rate when compared to the no-new revenue tax rate.
[18:36] I want to say something before we get a second. I can't support this new tax rate
[18:42] because it will raise the amount of property that most property owners will be forced
[18:46] to pay. I don't recall hearing, but perhaps my fellow trustees campaigned on the promise
[18:52] that they would raise property taxes. I never did that. And I want to the contrary, I promise
[18:59] that I would vote against higher taxes, and I will do that, and I will keep my promise
[19:03] tonight. It's not just my opinion that we're raising that the proposed tax height is a tax
[19:10] tax increase from MISD's own website, as it was just quoted, it's an 8.65 percent increase.
[19:17] It says, and I quote, this tax rate will raise more taxes for maintenance and operation
[19:24] than last year's tax rate.
[19:25] The tax rate will effectively be raised by 8.65 percent.
[19:31] This proposed tax rate is so high that it almost triggers a voter-approved election, but
[19:37] My colleagues know how elections go when voters get to approve or deny their proposed tax heights.
[19:45] Let me be clear what a yes vote means.
[19:49] A yes vote is to raise property taxes.
[19:53] By voting yes, you're voting to not serve the public, but rather to steal more from the public.
[20:01] We can have strong schools without increasing taxes.
[20:03] A yes vote will hurt renters by increasing rental rates, business owners large and small
[20:09] by increasing the cost that they're doing business here in middleofian.
[20:13] It will hurt consumers by forcing them to pay increased prices, job seekers, by making
[20:18] it harder for entrepreneurs to expand homeowners, by making it harder for them to keep their
[20:23] houses young people, by pushing home ownership further out of reach, seniors on fixed incomes,
[20:30] taking more of their disposable income away, and the very teachers that we gave a pay increase to.
[20:37] We're going to increase their living cost and reduce the purchasing power of the very pay increase that we gave them.
[20:42] So for those reasons, I want to urge my fellow trustees to vote for our shared constituents and vote no on this property tax site.
[20:52] I have something else to say then in light of that because that was not a clarifying question or anything else it has to do with the motion.
[20:58] So I'm going to give a little die-trop.
[21:00] And that is this.
[21:01] I had four kids.
[21:02] When I had the first two, budget was great.
[21:06] But when I added two, I didn't go to my husband and say,
[21:09] you can't make any more money this year because that's
[21:13] what we're telling the school.
[21:14] You're getting this influx of children.
[21:16] You're getting an influx of new students.
[21:18] But we don't want to take any more money.
[21:21] We don't want to take any more money.
[21:22] We're not allowed to.
[21:23] The state compresses it.
[21:24] And even though we do have increased values, which is great, it used to be a great thing
[21:30] for growing communities you had increased revenue to maintain the level, the excellence
[21:34] that you were providing in your community.
[21:37] But the state has changed that.
[21:39] Our state just happens to be the, I believe the seventh or eighth biggest economy in the world.
[21:45] The world.
[21:46] I'm not talking about in the US, I'm talking about the world.
[21:49] now we should be ranked number one in education funding we're not because I'm not
[21:57] going to call them any names but they are enjoying the money and they're
[22:00] enjoying the power so when we raise new money they keep it they say you've got
[22:05] more money so we're going to send you less we have more children to educate so to
[22:12] say that we need to educate those extra additional children what we're doing is
[22:17] We're saying to the least of these, you don't matter.
[22:20] To the least of these.
[22:23] Now, Mr. Harrison, you found it okay to talk about our colleague, Gary Vineyard,
[22:27] which I am appalled at.
[22:30] I mean, my voice is shaking because I'm so angry about it.
[22:33] I'm appalled.
[22:34] Number one, so I'm just going to say this.
[22:38] You chose not to educate your children in the public realm, which is a great privilege and honor.
[22:44] And I'm happy you had that because I did the same.
[22:46] I did the same thing until my kids were in third or fourth grade.
[22:50] They built a school right behind my house and I said I'm going to be a part of this.
[22:53] If the public education system is such a problem, I'm going to go involve myself.
[22:57] I'm not going to go and get on the board and tear it down.
[23:00] I'm not going to do that.
[23:02] But here's what I want to say.
[23:05] We all have our own die trials but that's not the business that we're here to conduct.
[23:09] It's not.
[23:10] And you're right.
[23:11] The community trusts us to do what's best for our community.
[23:15] and not for the ones that can afford private school.
[23:17] We have to educate every single kid.
[23:19] The state will give us money a certain allotment
[23:21] and then we get those kids in
[23:23] and we don't know if they're special ed.
[23:25] We don't know if they're homeless.
[23:26] We don't know what we're gonna have to educate
[23:27] but we gotta educate them.
[23:29] And if we leave money on the table
[23:31] and then we run out of money,
[23:32] guess what, the same taxpayers are gonna say,
[23:34] why didn't you do your job?
[23:36] And a lot of it is because we don't even know.
[23:38] We don't have a crystal ball.
[23:40] And you know, I prayed really hard
[23:42] Because you and I both we we respect each other you made it real clear
[23:45] We don't always agree and we don't but I still love you as a human being it
[23:49] I do and I prayed hard a lot of people were like oh my gosh
[23:52] Do y'all know what you're gonna have and we really didn't but I prayed hard because I
[23:58] New a lot of people that knew loved and respected you and I was really hopeful that the fact that you had a son in the state
[24:04] Legislature was gonna actually help us
[24:06] It was gonna help us and I said you know mid-Lothian's gonna be a shining star because now we have a direct access to our
[24:11] representative and his dad is going to learn the truth about how this works and he's going
[24:16] to let him know all the things that we need to fix.
[24:20] And so my die tribe is this is I'm heartbroken because you can't see the force for the
[24:25] trees.
[24:26] We've laid it out and laid it out and laid it out and I think I'm beginning to think is it
[24:30] because you just don't care to know the truth or does it just not matter.
[24:35] And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it a die tribe, Mr. President, but I'm tired of
[24:39] having to listen to one side of the story up here, and then look at the chaos that's
[24:43] being created online in our community.
[24:45] This is exactly what we should not be doing as humans is tearing each other down.
[24:49] We should be working together collaboratively as a board, and then after that we move on
[24:55] and we take care of our business, and our business is not whether or not Mr. Vineyard paid
[24:58] us taxes.
[25:00] Second.
[25:03] We have a motion in a second.
[25:06] All those in favor?
[25:19] Okay, sorry. Again, we have a motion and a second. All those in favor?
[25:28] Opposed? Motion passes 6-1. Thank you. The meeting is adjourned.