Texas Senate Bill 2 Property Tax Cap
Funding for schools and counties in Texas is a hot topic these days. Since state lawmakers of the Texas Legislature announced a bill, SB2, that will cap property tax growth at 2.5%, school districts and counties are worried. In recent years, school funding has shifted from the state to the local level. Property taxes make up more than 50% of school funding in many cases. With the proposed bills, a loss of school funding and county funding is anticipated. Counties and school districts must consider new solutions to budget pitfalls.
Utility Bill Audits Result in Additional Funding for Schools & Counties
One way to raise funding for your county or school district is by conducting a utility bill audit. Organizations often overlook the details on utility bills. We pay them each month without a second thought. We have no way of knowing if we are being charged correctly due to the complexity of the bills. For utility companies, ignorance = increased profits. As long as customers are kept in the dark about the details, there is room for error. Whether utility bill overcharges are intentional or not is up to you to decide. However, our results speak for themselves.
TriStem Utility Bill Audit Results (Electric, Water, Gas & Telecom)
| Client | Refunds Recovered | Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|
| Chapel Hill ISD | $1,129 | $197 |
| Dallas ISD | $129,414 | $16,760 |
| DeSoto ISD | $32,134 | $5,634 |
| Donna ISD | $6,920 | $3,323 |
| Hidalgo ISD | $2,460.69 | 3,600 |
| La Joya ISD | $218,316 | 19,000 |
| Los Fresnos CISD | $128,145 | $130,000 |
| Midway ISD | $6,908 | $8,545 |
| Union Grove ISD | $1,759 | $30,642 |
| United ISD | $31,691 | $12,607 |
| Harris County, TX | $74,548 | $38,258 |
| Angelina County, TX | $35,187 | $7,362 |
| Falls County, TX | $20,309 | $5,077 |
| Jefferson County, TX | $200,000 | $17,000 |
| Edwards County, TX | $14,812 | $3,703 |
| Lubbock County, TX | $42,133 | $8,203 |
| Victoria County, TX | $30,634 | $4,820 |
Schools and Counties need to be more careful with their spending if funding is cut. K-12 schools in the United States spend more than $6 billion on energy use, or more than they spend on textbooks and computers combined. This alarming fact shows the importance of knowing whether or not you are being billed correctly on your utility bills. We routinely find overcharges during the utility bill audits we conduct for schools and counties. In the past 10 years, there has been no instance where we did not find overcharges or savings opportunities on school and county bills. Our utility bill audits are contingent fee based. If we do not find errors resulting in refunds and savings, you pay us nothing. Our only fee is a percentage of the refunds and savings obtained as a result of the audit.
So, don’t leave money in your drawers! Contact TriStem to conduct a utility bill audit today!
(800) 234-7937
