The Issue
Property Taxes & Government Spending
Property Appraisals Surge!
No Strategic Plan to Contain Government Costs
Americans are saddled with rising prices…
The Problem
The Biden Administration has saddled Americans with rising prices – inflation that has cut deeply into the pocketbook of every citizen. In addition, we saw our Smith County property appraisals surge!
Smith County taxpayers needed a break, and the Commissioners Court could have delivered one. Instead, the Commissioners Court’s budget delivered an 18.7% tax rate increase over the No New Revenue Rate,* raising 20% more revenue from our property taxes.
* The No New Revenue Rate (reporting mandated by state law) is the tax rate that would bring in the SAME property tax revenue as the prior year.
Taxpaying citizens cannot give themselves a raise every year to make up for cost-of-living increases and rising inflation. We cut spending, prioritize “needs” over “wants,” and work hard to find the very best prices for what we buy.
The Problem continues to grow with NO SOLUTION IN SIGHT! The Smith County Commissioners Court has no written, strategic, time-lined plan to directly assess and contain costs in any area of county government. Taxpayers are upholding their end – they pay their taxes. Our elected officials who have the fiduciary responsibility to make sure taxpayers are getting maximum value from their tax dollars need to do more to prove they put Smith County taxpayers first!
Chart from the Smith County budget – page 48
The 2024 budget approved by the Smith County Commissioners Court in September 2023 will raise more revenue from property taxes than last year’s budget by $14.6 million, which is a 20.01% increase from last year’s budget!
This 20.01% increase is in addition to the $2.6 million in property tax revenue coming from new properties added to the tax roll in 2023.
The Solution
I will work to use your tax dollars wisely, effectively, and efficiently, ensuring the highest quality for the best price. I will be a problem-solver, not just a ribbon-cutter!
How? We will review all contracts, run a cost-benefit analysis on all requested projects, review purchasing policies and procedures to ensure best value, request a fiscal note for every Commissioners Court agenda item to determine both the short-term and long-term costs to the taxpayers (no more blank checks). We will make the Smith County Roadmap Business Plan more than a posted document. We will put it into practice to remove expensive, time-consuming logjams that make government slow and bureaucratic. I will work with every elected official and every department head to find out what makes their job harder than it needs to be. I will not support spending that goes beyond the core responsibilities of county government. Doing so grows government!
In addition, I will work with the Smith County Commissioners Court to explore an independent efficiency audit of Smith County government operations. Historically, governments struggle to evaluate their own spending objectively. It’s difficult to grade your own work! As a result, budgets and programs often grow larger than necessary.
An independent efficiency audit (far different from the required audit by a CPA firm) will cooperatively investigate our county government operations and fiscal administration and help us to identify sound opportunities to eliminate waste and prevent fraud or abuse. NOW is the time to see where improvements can be made that benefit our taxpayers!
Christina Drewry
Working on solutions for Smith County!
Employee Retention
The Problem: In certain areas of Smith County government, we have high turnover rates that escalate costs. The Smith County Commissioners Court has no plan to reward hardworking employees when their ideas result in high quality services at a lower cost.
Election Integrity
Elections are the bedrock of our Constitutional Republic. Our country was founded on the “Consent of the Governed.” To give that consent, the people must depend on election integrity through ballot security!
Transparency & Accountability in Government
The Problem: Confidence in government institutions continues to plummet. Do you really know HOW and WHY your tax dollars are being spent at any level of government?
Always putting YOU first!
Contact Christina
Campaign Address
Christina Drewry Campaign
5380 Old Bullard Road
Suite 600-147
Tyler, TX 75703