Commissioner Calvert's 2018 University Health Senior Property Tax Freeze Expected to Help Homeowners

Commissioner Tommy Calvert Votes 9 Times in 7 Years to Relieve Tax Problem He Warned Was Coming

SAN ANTONIO, June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rising property appraisals and hidden taxes set by a MAGA Republican-controlled Texas Legislator are hurting seniors and working families. Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert plans to increase the senior property tax exemption he created in 2016 from $10,000 to $30,000 per homestead.

Since first being elected in 2015, Commissioner Calvert has voted 9 times to cut property taxes for Bexar County residents. He created the first University Health tax exemption program for seniors. 

ALERT:  Tuesday, June 7, Commissioners Court will vote to expand Bexar County's property tax exemption to 20 percent of the taxable value of a homestead property. County Commissioners will also vote to raise Commissioner Calvert's University Health property tax exemption for seniors to $30,000.

"These expanded tax exemptions are steps to do right by taxpayers, especially our seniors who are fighting to stay in their homes on fixed incomes," said Commissioner Calvert, who represents Precinct 4. "We also need to fill the leadership void created by state leaders who continually dismiss the financial struggles of families facing their tax hike on their largest investment—their home."

In 2018, Commissioner Calvert created and passed the initial $10,000 University Health System tax exemption for seniors after longtime southeast side resident Robert Koening approached him during a Highland Hills Neighborhood Association meeting in 2015 for a senior property tax freeze.

Martin Kushner, former Tobin Hill Community Association President, has recently expressed similar concerns and has worked with Commissioner Calvert to address this issue after seeing his University Health tax bill increase by 378% since 2007.

"Seniors, like myself, welcome the proposed increase on the senior tax exemption, but we need further relief to tackle this growing issue," said Martin. "I support Commissioner Calvert's vision for a full tax freeze for seniors and are grateful for his persistent leadership in making this issue a top priority."

In seven years on the Commissioners Court, Commissioner Calvert's tax cuts have given back more than $107 million to homeowners in savings since 2015.  

MAGA Republican legislators have increased the burden on homeowners for paying for public schools from 50 percent twenty-five years ago to 60 percent today.  This increased burden has led to record protests, a problem Calvert saw coming years ago.  The "School Funding Formula" in the Republican budget bills have been mandating considerable appraisal increases of nearly 10 to 14 percent every two years—significantly above inflation. 

"The MAGA state leadership is creating chaos in Texas. Families should not face losing their homes due to the state's inability to provide meaningful tax relief because Republicans are diverting funds to their donors in the highway lobby," Commissioner Calvert said.

Calvert has boosted Precinct 4's emergency assets to unprecedented levels despite the tax cuts.

Since taking office, Commissioner Calvert opened the Dr. Robert LM Hilliard Medical Clinic on the Eastside of San Antonio. Additionally, Commissioner Calvert pushed for University Health to purchase 41 acres in Northeast Bexar County to build a new hospital for residents who have to travel 11 to 14 miles before reaching a UH hospital or clinic.

Commissioner Calvert has also supported a new University Health hospital near Texas A&M University-San Antonio and created the newly formed Public Health Division within University Health. He voted for $10 million to help fund a new partnership between UT Health and the University of Texas at San Antonio to develop a public health school.

Commissioner Calvert was the first elected official in Bexar County to bring to the forefront the need to address long-term COVID 19 health issues. Working with University Health and PAM Specialty Hospitals, Commissioner Calvert led efforts to create a new long-term care hospital in the City of San Antonio's District 10 at Randolph Blvd. in Royal Ridge.

Commissioner Calvert recruited Methodist Healthcare Ministries to revitalize the abandoned Southeast Baptist Hospital—ensuring an eyesore did not come to the southeast side. He has delivered $1.5 million in funding for the Bexar County Clinical Skills Lab at the University of the Incarnate Word's School of Osteopathic Medicine at Brooks.

Calvert restructured Precinct 4's Emergency Services Districts to provide new fire stations in Elmendorf and the northeast on Texas Palm in Converse, Texas. Thanks to Calvert's vision, another new fire station will break ground next month on Walzem Road.

"I also want to thank my colleagues Commissioners Justin Rodriguez, Rebeca Clay-Flores and Marialyn Bernard for joining with me to expand property tax relief for Bexar County families," Commissioner Calvert said.  

About Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert
Tommy Calvert is Bexar County Commissioner for Precinct 4. He's the youngest and first African American County Commissioner in Bexar County history. Los Angeles Weekly called him San Antonio's "wunderkind," and Gardner Selby of the Austin-American Statesman said he is "one to watch." Calvert represents over 500,000 residents in Precinct 4 of the 2 million who call Bexar County home.

Media Contact:
Carlos de Leon
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SOURCE Tommy Calvert, Bexar County Commissioner, Precinct 4