Five school districts in the San Antonio area asked voters for permission to access additional cents on their tax rate in order to boost funding to operate schools this November. Only one of them succeeded. view article

Voters in the East Central Independent School District rejected a property tax increase Tuesday that would’ve helped the fast-growing district address a budget deficit and cover basic costs. Results show that more than 55% of voters opposed the proposition, known as a voter approved tax rate election or VATRE. view article

DALLAS — Texas voters this week showed wariness toward raising property taxes — and embraced cutting them.  Voters across the state shot down bids by school districts and cities to increase funds to hire teachers and police officers, pave roads and keep schools humming. More than half of those measures failed in Tuesday’s elections, according to a Texas Tribune analysis.  The most dramatic failure came out of Austin, where voters in one of the state’s most liberal cities rejected a measure to boost tax bills to tackle homelessness, bolster public safety and close a multi-million dollar budget gap — a stunning rebuke against Austin City Hall.  At the same time, Texas voters handed homeowners and business owners significant property tax breaks by wide margins. view article

The propositions include restrictions on the creation of certain taxes, new tax exemptions, investments on water infrastructure and dementia research.  The propositions include restrictions on the creation of certain taxes, new tax exemptions, investments on water infrastructure and dementia research. view article

Below are the races on ballots in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties, along with 17 state propositions and one state senate race. view article

Voters in the Socorro Independent School District narrowly rejected a tax measure that would have increased funding for the financially troubled district, leaving district leaders scrambling to move forward without the additional revenue. The district’s voter approval tax ratification election — or VATRE – asked voters to authorize an increase to the operations portion of their tax rates beyond the state’s limit, while reducing the debt payment tax by an equal amount. State law requires that voters approve such a step. view article

Tuesday’s vote is part of a push by Texas lawmakers to rein in the state’s high property taxes.  Texas homeowners and businesses are poised for bigger tax breaks.  Voters are on track Tuesday night to approve a constitutional amendment to raise the state’s homestead exemption, meaning the amount of a home’s value that can’t be taxed to pay for public schools, from $100,000 to $140,000 — shaving hundreds of dollars off of the biggest chunk of the typical homeowner’s property tax bill. Homeowners above the age of 65 or living with disabilities looked primed to see even bigger cuts after voters signed off on a separate amendment. view article

Spring Hill ISD voters will decide this November whether to approve a new bond package and a property tax rate increase. The district says the funds would support academic programs, facility upgrades and student services. Proposition A is the voter-approval tax rate election. Spring Hill ISD is asking voters to consider a 3.2-cent tax increase per $100 of taxable property value. The increase would provide additional funding for academic programs, extracurricular activities and student support services. view article

The Liberty Hill Independent School District is asking voters to weigh in on a proposed tax rate increase on Nov. 4. If passed, the measure, which appears on the ballot as Proposition A, would generate an additional $10.7 million in tax revenue for the 2025-26 school year. view article

The 5th Circuit last year overturned its previous ruling that allowed racial groups to band together to challenge voting maps, laying the groundwork for Texas’ mid-decade redistricting. view article

Denton ISD leaders make no bones about Proposition A, the sole school district item on a beefy Nov. 4 ballot: It’s a 5-cent tax rate increase. Denton ISD Superintendent Susannah O’Bara and Deputy Superintendent Jeremy Thompson, who oversees the district’s financial operations, were just as plain about the reason for taking the tax hike to voters: The district has already “pulled the other levers” to cut their expenses over three years of deficit budgets. This school year, Denton ISD is operating with a $15 million budget deficit. view article

A majority of the proposed constitutional amendments address tax cuts for homeowners and businesses.  On Nov. 4, Texas voters will get the final say on 17 constitutional amendments — usually listed as statewide propositions at the top of the ballot — including billions of dollars in property tax cuts for homeowners and businesses.  Early voting begins Oct. 20 and runs through Oct. 31.  Earlier this year, a two-thirds majority of the state Legislature passed the joint resolutions calling for the constitutional amendment elections, along with the state’s budget for the next two years, which includes $51 billion for property tax cuts. view article

The Boerne Independent School District is one of five San Antonio-area school districts going out for a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election, or VATRE, this November. VATREs give districts access to more funding for daily operations, like salaries and student programs by allowing school districts to raise their Maintenance and Operations (M&O) tax rate by up to 12 cents. view article

The district currently has $3.096 billion in outstanding bond debt.  According to Lamar CISD, the proposed bonds would not change the current tax rate of $1.1469 per $100 of taxable valuation. view article

Most of the cities — Odessa, La Marque, Tom Bean and Whitesboro — said they are following the law and Ken Paxton’s office is jumping the gun on enforcing new state rules. view article

Four cities are in the crosshairs for potentially raising taxes illegally.   - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is ordering multiple Texas cities to halt their newly adopted property tax increases while his office investigates whether the hikes are illegal under a new state law designed to protect taxpayers.  The first city in Paxton’s sights is Whitesboro, where just this week the city council approved a 61 percent tax rate increase despite warnings that the move could violate state law.   Senate Bill 1851, passed during this year’s legislative session and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, prohibits cities that fail to meet annual audit deadlines from adopting a tax rate above the no-new-revenue rate, which generally keeps property tax bills flat. view article

School trustees unanimously voted to place the excess tax rate increase on the November ballot. view article

Austin ISD (AISD) adopted a slightly lower tax rate of $0.9252 per $100 of taxable value for the 2025-26 fiscal year, potentially leading to savings for homeowners despite increased property values. The district's board of trustees approved the rate on September 25th, and while the overall rate is lower, savings will vary by individual homeowners based on their specific property's taxable value.   view article

City council members unanimously approved a tax rate that will raise average homeowners’ property tax bills by 61 percent—an extra $498. view article

Spring Hill ISD held a meeting on Monday to answer questions from residents about a proposed property tax hike and $20 million bond package that will be on the November ballot. If approved by voters, property taxes in the district would be increased by $.0321 per $100 property valuation. The district says the change would provide an additional $304,000 per year. Spring Hill ISD School Board President John Borens says there is leeway with how that money is used. view article

Several proposed amendments in Texas’ Nov. 4 general election would provide property tax cuts for Texan homeowners if approved at the cost of billions of the state’s funding. The general election has 17 different proposed statewide amendments on the ballot. Of those, ten of them relate to providing tax cuts in various ways, including on homes, businesses, capital gains, securities, and animal feed. view article

City Council members plan to adopt a tax rate on September 29 that could increase homeowners’ tax bills by 61 percent.  Whitesboro City Council is still on track to raise residents’ property taxes by as much as 61 percent, despite questions and concerns about the legality of the tax hike and its impact on local homeowners. During a special meeting Tuesday night, Whitesboro officials said the city can legally raise residents’ property taxes this year, and they will meet later this month to finalize the rate.  Last week, city council tabled a planned vote on a proposed property tax increase due to concerns it might run afoul of a new law tying tax rates to audit compliance. view article

Tarrant County commissioners were in session on Tuesday with two notable absences: Commissioners Alisa Simmons of precinct 2 and Roderick Miles Jr of precinct 1.  It meant no quorum and no vote on a tax rate cut.  "My absence from Commissioners Court today is not a political ploy: it is a legal and necessary act of conscience. It is a step to protect Tarrant County residents and defend our fundamental values of caring for our neighbors and ensuring basic human dignity. It is the only tool available to force adoption of a more responsible tax rate," Simmons wrote in a statement.  O'Hare said together, the proposed tax rate cut and the tax rate cut for the Tarrant County Hospital District would have saved homeowners and business owners a "significant" amount of property taxes. view article

The Travis County Commissioners Court has approved a 9.12% property tax rate increase. All four county commissioners and Travis County Judge Andy Brown supported the increase, which they say is necessary after the county zeroed out its savings account responding to catastrophic flooding this summer. So far, the county has spent just over $21 million cleaning up flood debris and setting up emergency services, according to Travis County spokesperson Hector Nieto.  The tax increase is expected to generate $42 million in additional revenue. It will cost the average homeowner — someone with a home valued around $515,000 — an additional $200 a year. view article

Celina City Council voted Sept. 9 to lower the city’s property tax rate, continuing a four-year trend, while adopting a $382 million budget to support the community’s rapid growth.  The new property tax rate of $0.576401 per $100 valuation is just over 3% lower than the current rate of $0.598168 per $100 valuation.  What you need to know  Despite the lower tax rate, the average Celina homestead owner will see an increase of about $124 from last year on their city property tax bill due to increasing property values, according to city documents.Celina officials have continuously lowered the city’s property tax rate since fiscal year 2020-21 as the city continues to experience rapid growth. view article

Harris County officials voted to raise property taxes, even while sparring over whether a budget deficit exists. view article

Council members tabled votes on the tax rate and budget after State Rep. Shelley Luther questioned the city’s compliance with a new state law.   Whitesboro’s elected city officials tabled consideration of a controversial property tax increase over concerns it might not be legal due to a new state law that limits tax rates if municipalities fail to comply with audit requirements.  Council members were prepared to vote Tuesday night on a tax rate that is 51 percent higher than last year’s rate and would cost average Whitesboro homeowners an extra $498 in city property taxes—a 61 percent increase.  A standing-room-only crowd of Whitesboro residents showed up to speak against the increase, which they said would have a devastating impact on home and business owners. view article

Arlington ISD officially lowered its tax rate by around a cent per $100 after a delay due to new property tax laws Sept. 4. The new tax rate of $1.0929 per $100 of property valuation, which was adopted with a unanimous vote, represents a consistent drop in the rate over the past few years. view article

A new report from Zonda Education shows high home prices in Round Rock are threatening future enrollment in that district. The study shows home sales within the district dropped by half over the past three years. High prices and interest rates make it tough for young families to buy homes there, and it's impacting the school district because the amount of state funding is determined by enrollment numbers. view article

The city’s proposed tax rate would increase average homeowners’ property tax bills by 61 percent.  For a second year in a row, elected officials in the small North Texas city of Whitesboro are proposing a big property tax increase, which could raise residents’ tax bills by more than 60 percent without a public vote.  On Tuesday night, Whitesboro City Council members will consider adopting a property tax rate for 2025 that would hike the average homeowner’s city taxes by $498—a 61 percent increase.  The proposed increase, which would also raise 61 percent more total tax revenue, is below the city’s calculated voter-approval rate. view article

Recent weeks have been full of budget workshops, public hearings and local governments setting their tax rates to fund their 2025-26 fiscal budgets. Those included Lubbock area school districts like Lubbock ISD, Frenship ISD, and Lubbock-Cooper ISD, where their tax rates help with maintenance and operations of public schools and with debt service. view article

The Copperas Cove ISD Board of Trustees has approved the district's budget for the upcoming school year and approved the tax rate for the upcoming fiscal year. CCISD said residents will see a lower tax rate for the seventh year in a row. The Board reportedly approved the tax rate at a special meeting on Thursday, Aug. 28, for the fiscal year that began on Monday, Sept. 1. view article

Three commissioners voted to save taxpayers money. County employees complained because it could cut their raises.  Three Lubbock County commissioners have stopped a county property tax increase, but not everyone is happy about it.  During a meeting this week, the five-member Lubbock County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 to approve the no-new-revenue property tax rate for 2025, which will be used to budget the county’s spending for the upcoming year.   Some county employees fear that without a property tax increase, they may not receive raises.   view article

Houston's home ballpark is at the center of a lawsuit filed by Houston Astros LLC late last week, which challenges a pain all-too-familiar to residents of the Lone Star State: property taxes. The Astros aim to avoid paying any form of property taxes on Daikin Park, claiming Texas tax code exempts "large-scale sports venues" from taxation. Friday's lawsuit added that Harris County "has no authority beyond what is conferred by the Texas Constitution or statute." view article

A newly formed political action committee is pushing for voter approval of a tax measure aimed at boosting Rockwall ISD funding. The Vote Yes for Rockwall ISD PAC emerged shortly after the school board authorized a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election on Aug. 18. Four days later, more than 150 residents gathered at a kickoff event hosted at the home of Dr. Mary Courtin. Parents, students, educators and business leaders attended, signaling early interest in the proposal. view article