I&S Tax Rate and Principal Paydown Commentary

    • According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the following districts are the ten fastest growing in the state over the last five school years. Katy ISD currently has over 94,000 students and our demographers expect the enrollment to grow to 106,000 by the year 2030.

    District

    5 Year Enrollment Increase

    Rosoce Collegiate ISD

    5,571

    Cleveland ISD

    5,993

    Forney ISD

    6,015

    Northwest ISD

    6,107

    Humble ISD

    6,367

    Frisco ISD

    8,466

    Conroe ISD

    9,203

    Lamar CISD

    10,315

    Prosper ISD

    12,850

    Katy ISD

    15,145

     

    • As one of the fastest growing districts in the State of Texas today and over the last 25+ years, Katy ISD has never had an Interest and Sinking (I&S) Tax Rate above $0.40 and has been able to successfully construct and maintain the facilities and projects necessary to educate over 94,000 students every day.
    • Calculated Interest & Sinking Tax Rate projections with and without a prospective 2023 bond election were communicated to the Katy ISD Community Bond Advisory Committee (CBAC) in March 2023.
    • As Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Katy ISD, I communicated to the Community Bond Advisory Council (CBAC) that my recommendation would be to continue to maintain the current $0.39 I&S tax rate even if the bond election were not held or did not pass so that Katy ISD could continue to pay down bond principal and interest early to save on future interest costs for Katy ISD taxpayers.
    • Since August 2017, Katy ISD has pre-paid $76,815,000 in principal which reduced interest payments by $18,586,166 for a total principal and interest reduction of $95,401,166.
    • In addition to saving Katy ISD taxpayers future interest costs, paying down principal and interest early helps the district’s bond ratings, which directly impact the interest rates on Katy ISD bond issuances. More favorable bond ratings result in additional savings for Katy ISD taxpayers.
    • The debt “burden” is not only placed on existing taxpayers but also shared with new and future Katy ISD residents. Katy ISD’s taxable values have grown as housing units and new business establishments have increased to accommodate the increased population. This growth is primarily due to people moving to Katy for the schools. Steady growth in taxable values have allowed the district to sustain bond payments at the $0.39 I&S Tax Rate.
    • The increase in homestead exemption from $40,000 to 100,000, passed in November 2023, is a good thing for taxpayers and it also impacts our ability to fund future bond authorizations without increasing the I&S Tax Rate. Maintaining a stable tax rate effectively levels taxes for current and future taxpayers, while saving taxpayers in overall debt burden.