COUNTY JUDGE SAM BISCOE ENDORSES NELDA WELLS SPEARS
Top County Official Praises Tax Collector’s Exceptional Professionalism and Compassion
(AUSTIN) — Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe today added his voice to the growing list of endorsements for Nelda Wells Spears in her re-election bid as Travis County Tax Collector.
“Travis County taxpayers have been counting on Nelda’s exceptional professionalism and compassion for years — and so have I,” Judge Biscoe said. “She makes it look easy. But having just gone through another tough budget session, I’m reminded again of how lucky we are to have her collecting the taxes and fees that help fund our vital services.”
Judge Biscoe said Ms. Spears’ record of working with taxpayers who fall behind on their obligations ultimately allows Travis County to collect nearly all taxes owed and helps neutralize calls from outside special interests to privatize the county’s delinquent tax collection operation. Travis County’s tax collection rate is 99 percent, the best in Texas.
In addition to processing more than $2 billion in taxes and fees every year, Judge Biscoe said Ms. Spears’ and her staff do an outstanding job of registering the county’s approximately 500,000 eligible voters and protecting the voter rolls.
“At a time when partisan operatives in Washington, D.C. and the State Capitol sometimes seem more interested in denying voters’ rights than in protecting them, we need exactly the kind of balance and integrity Nelda brings to her job,” Judge Biscoe said.
Judge Biscoe, who served in state government before running for Travis County Judge, said Ms. Spears’ training under State Comptroller Bob Bullock was good preparation for her current job.
“Bullock knew the best tax system is the one that gathers the most feathers with the least amount of squawking,” Judge Biscoe said.
Ms. Spears has also been endorsed in her current race by Bullock’s successor as State Comptroller, John Sharp, who said her “commitment to excellence and opportunity in Travis County proves that our community is strongest when its rich diversity is reflected in our elected leadership.”
The Travis County Tax Office manages more than 130 employees who process 1.3 million tax and fee payments each year, collect $2.4 billion in local taxes and fees, and actively register and protect the data of more than half-a-million voters. Certified by the State Board of Tax Professional Examiners, she recently received the prestigious Best Practices Award for Exceptional Delivery of Services by her peers in the Texas Association of Counties Leadership Foundation. She also received the 2007 ComputerWorld Honors Laureate for the Application of the latest technology to improve access for taxpayers and small businesses.
The Democratic primary will be held on March 4, 2008. The general election is November 4, 2008.
