(0:01 - 2:53)
Okay, my watch says that it is 546, so we will call the meeting to order. We have a quorum, all regents are present, so we will hereby call the public hearing open for public comment on proposed fiscal year 2023-2024 tax levy to order. Do we have anyone signed up to address the board? We do, Mr. Chairman. 

We have two persons. First person is Byron Schaumbach. Mr. Chairman, Madam President, Regents, first of all, I just want to thank everyone for your hard work and your service. 

I know this is a volunteer position, you're not doing it for the money, you're not doing it for the glory. In fact, most of what you do goes unrecognized, I'm sure. And there's long nights away from your family, your friends, your loved ones, and things you'd rather be doing. 

I know that what you have before you tonight, I read the notice and I think it's pretty clear, it says what you're looking at tonight is a tax increase. And what I'm looking at with, if I remember correctly from a few weeks ago when the budget was mentioned, is that there's a six million dollar budget surplus, operating budget surplus. And to be at the no new revenue rate, it would take roughly 1 million dollars. 

I believe in what's called voluntarism, which means that not only do you advocate for small, limited, appropriate government, but you also participate. A few weeks ago, a young gentleman gave a great story about how he was helped by the Lee College Foundation. And I believe tonight you can adopt a no new revenue rate with no tax increase on the public. 

And if you do so, whatever the difference on my personal property that would have be saved, I'm going to at least double that and donate it to the Lee College Foundation next week. So I hope that you can consider not implementing a tax increase tonight. I believe you can, after the hearing you'll have a vote, and on that vote I believe that you can make a motion to amend it to no new revenue rate or anything else that you like. 

If you do want to continue with the tax increase, I would say just make good statements on why you really need it and what it's going to be spent on. You know, tell the people, this is why I need to take more money from you, this is why I need more taxes, and we're going to do something good with it. Thank you very much.

(2:54 - 5:47)
Thank you. Next is Don Coffey. Well, I didn't bring anything written, so we're all in trouble. 

I came to tell you thank you for cutting my taxes. You increased my Homestead exemption, I mean my over 65 exemption to $120,000 plus 20%. So my taxes are going down, no matter what y'all do, but my taxes are already going down a bunch. 

Now, if y'all lower a penny today, you're going to save me $5.29 next year. Now, I just ate a Whataburger today, and that's exactly how much a Whataburger costs. So I'll be like Byron, if y'all don't cut me $5.29, I'll give you $5.29, okay? Just not cut my taxes, okay? Because really, we know that you're cutting taxes. 

Now, Byron likes to talk about the fact that you're only going down a penny is still a tax increase. Well, you know, you can talk about half full and half empty, but that's not accurate. This entity, Lee College, has done more for senior citizens as far as you have the highest senior citizen exemption of the three entities, meaning Baytown and Goose Creek and Lee College. 

You have frozen 65 and over taxes, since I was on the board, because I made the motion. The state freezes the school taxes, but it's voluntary for Lee College to freeze the taxes. So my taxes are frozen, but they're going to go down. 

It's a one-way street. You can't raise my taxes, but you've already lowered them. This one penny is something that the college needs. 

Byron was right. You do need to be clear as to why you need the money. There's like $300 million, 300 million reasons why you need that penny. 

I think that as fiduciaries of this institution, that it's incumbent upon you to plan for the future and to undo what has been done in the past. And what has been done in the past, and I was a part of it, was to defer maintenance. And that's why we've got $300 million potentially needed to bring us back up to where we need to be. 

There's a bond election next month, and it's got a $285 million replacement cost for Sterling, because guess what? It wasn't properly maintained. And so, you know, this penny, while it may seem necessary or the right thing to do, it's really not for our institution. And I would urge you, as Mr. Schoenbeck said, you can change the motion.

(5:47 - 6:33)
I would urge you not to reduce that penny and to keep it and to put it in deferred maintenance towards that deferred maintenance. Because eventually, you're going to have to do it. It's either pay me now or pay me a lot more later. 

Thank you. No, we can't adjourn. We wait until 6 o'clock.

(6:36 - 6:49)
I thought we just couldn't start the other meeting until 6. We can adjourn this meeting if no one else is speaking. We just can't start the other meeting before 6. Okay, and the deadline to speak has passed. Somebody might come in.

(6:49 - 6:59)
No, but he said the deadline to speak has already passed. Okay. Okay, so the tax hearing is now adjourned.

(6:59 - 7:02)
We will not start the regular board meeting until 6 o'clock.