A person heads inside University Park United Methodist Church to cast their ballot on Election Day on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in University Park.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Any Dallas County resident expecting to find a property tax bill in their mailbox in October like usual will have to wait a little longer.
Dallas County placed a question on the Nov. 3 ballot asking voters whether to increase taxes to pay for homelessness support services, so bills won’t be mailed until the countywide rate is decided, according to Dallas County Tax Assessor John Ames.
“I voted” stickers at the Dallas county elections training/warehouse facility in Dallas, Texas on Sept. 13, 2024.
Azul Sordo/Staff Photographer
University Park must also weigh a higher tax for public safety and technology upgrades to determine their city tax rate. Mesquite ISD voters will decide whether to raise taxes for student programs, employee pay and campus security.
Article continues below this ad
“It would be very confusing to the public if I mailed bills before the election,” Ames told The Dallas Morning News.
Ames said tax bills will still be calculated Oct. 1 using the tentative higher rates since they were adopted by the local governments pending voter approval. But residents may get unwarranted sticker shock if they pay online before the election. If any of the measures fail, taxpayers will get an automatic refund in November, Ames said.
Homeless aid
Dallas County’s tax rate will increase for the first time in 16 years no matter the outcome of its ballot measure. How much it goes up depends on voters.
The Commissioners Court last month voted 3-2 to ask voters whether to increase the fiscal year 2027 tax rate to 24.86 cents per $100 of valuation, a 15% hike from this year’s rate. The increase would generate $103 million to pay for housing, mental health and public safety efforts related to homelessness.
Article continues below this ad
If voters shoot down the measure, the tax rate will be 22.46 cents per $100 of valuation, 4% higher than this year’s rate and the largest increase possible without voter approval.
A general view of the Dallas County Commissioners Court, August 11, 2026.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
For a home worth $268,056, passing the homeless-services tax would mean a county tax bill of $667 — about $89 more than this year. If the measure fails, the bill would be about $602, or $25 more than this year.
Commissioners John Wiley Price and Elba Garcia voted against the tax increase for homeless services. They also voted against the $904 million budget, which was built around the fallback rate that would take effect if the ballot measure fails and would still be a tax increase.
County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins said the homelessness tax could not have been put on the ballot unless the base budget was adopted with the highest rate possible without voter approval.
Article continues below this ad
“We are already paying for the consequences of homelessness through emergency rooms, the jail and other costly systems,” Jenkins said in a statement to The News. “I believe voters should decide whether to invest in proven solutions that improve public safety, clean up encampments and give taxpayers a better return on what we’re already spending.”
Price and Garcia worried about the burden on people at a time when many struggle with rising costs.
“Right now, I see it, people are asking for utility assistance, people are asking for basic help,” Garcia told The News.
City and school measures
Mesquite ISD voters will decide whether to approve a tax rate of $1.1762 per $100 of valuation, which would generate an additional $16 million to fund student programs, employee pay increases and campus security.
Article continues below this ad
If the measure fails, the Mesquite ISD rate will be $1.0862 per $100 of valuation, the highest it could adopt without voter approval. It would amount to a nearly 2% decrease from this year’s rate because of school-district specific rules for calculating annual rate caps.
But in that scenario, the district will be on track for a deficit at the start of next school year, according to spokesperson Brenda Gonzalez.
CP Preparatory School student Ethan Johnson, 4, points to the final page of ‘Chimps Don’t Wear Glasses’ and questions instructor Erin Jones. Mesquite ISD is dipping deeper into early intervention by partnering with day cares to provide free pre-K for qualifying 3-year-olds. CP Preparatory School is one of seven pilot sites for the fall. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News)
Tom Fox/Staff Photographer
University Park is asking voters to decide on a tax rate of about 22 cents per $100 of taxable value to generate $1.45 million to fund four police officers, two firefighters, enhanced public safety pension benefits and technology for residential parking districts.
If it fails, the tax rate will be about 21 cents per $100 of valuation, a nearly 4% decrease from this year’s rate because of how property values and other factors impacted the cap calculation.
Article continues below this ad
Ames, the tax assessor, said it may be a small percentage of people who pay their property taxes online this year before their rates are decided and they get a bill. He said mortgage companies typically pay property taxes in December for homeowners with escrow accounts while commercial property owners typically settle up in January.
Refunds will come immediately after the election if any outcome requires them, he said.
“I don’t think anybody has on their calendar Oct. 1 to pay their taxes,” Ames said. “If they do, that’s my favorite person in the entire world.”