BISD TIGHTENS BELT, HISTORIC TAX EXEMPTIONS SCRUTINIZED

By Juan Montoya

The Brownsville Independent School District's finances, battered by decreasing enrollments and competition by the proliferation of charter schools, is tightening its belt, and among the tax exemptions it approves annually, those given to historic buildings are being scrutinized.

Last June, amidst bitter debate, a majority of the board approved the removal of 23 properties valued at $4.9 million from tax exemptions, a move that saved the district almost $200,000 in cash given the state's appropriation of $3 for every $1 tax dollar the BISD collects.

Some of those properties given exemptions for their historical designation included the El Jardin Hotel which sits in a state of disrepair even though it has been exempted from taxes for years and its owners apparently have not done anything to restore it to its former glory.
The property's capped value is listed at $500,000 and at a BISD 50 percent tax deduction, the district had forgiven its owners $3,162 in taxes yearly.

Other properties removed from historical exemption by the district included:

The San Roman Building (2 structures) at 1231 E. Elizabeth St. in downtown Brownsville with a taxable value of $107,795 and $168.925, both of which had 100 percent tax deduction with a tax levy they didn't pay the district of $1,363 and $2,136 respectively.

The Rio Grande Valley Gas building at 355 Elizabeth St. valued at $574,513 and which the district had forgone $3,633 in taxes through its 50 percent deduction.

The Wells Fargo property at 1534 E. Sixth Street which had been forgiven $11, 870 in school taxes through its 100 percent deduction on a property across from the Gladys Porter Zoo valued at $938,381. It now serves as a law office.

The Tijerina House, at 333 E. Adams, a dilapidated structure valued at $50,902 which the district had forgiven $643 in taxes and the structure does not appear to have had any restoration done on it despite the exemption.

The Sombrero Festival Building,a corrugated sheet metal building at 1908 E. Sixth Street used by the SombreroFest organization to plan its annual activities. It is valued at $110,177 and its historic exemption by the district saved the corporation $1,393 in taxes.


The Jackson Feed and Seed property and building at 1755 E. 7th which had a value of $128,177 and saved its owner (Oscar Garcia, husband of former UTB President Julieta Garcia) $1,621 in school taxes through its 100 percent tax deduction.

The Greyhound Terminal at 1134 E. St. Charles valued at $557,043 and which had been exempted from paying $7,067 in school taxes yearly.

The Victoria Motion Picture Theater which is now an adult day-care facility at 1244 E. 14th Street valued at $118,664 and whose owners were forgive the $1,501 in taxes through its 100 percent deduction.

Even though the district removed 23 properties from its historical exemptions it is now eyeing the rest of the properties listed in the Brownsville Heritage Plan which includes another 84 with an aggregate capped value of $14.25 million of which $6.1 million in school taxes are forgiven. None of these 84 are owned by cities or other governmental entities, but rather, by private individuals or corporations.

Given the multiplier of four which $1 in property taxes generate for the district, the BISD is looking to recover more than $24 million if it should vote to remove them from its historical tax exemption list.