Southern Denton County residents are now able to find current and historical information on local government bonds, voter-approved tax rate elections and projects in one database.<\/p>\n
The initiative, announced by Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock on Dec. 15, aims to provide the public with an online tool to see what tax-related projects are going on locally and statewide.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis database empowers taxpayers with timely, accessible information on bonds, tax rate elections and project spending,\u201d said Hancock. \u201cIt reflects our commitment to transparency and informed decision-making across Texas communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
House Bill 103, passed by the 89th Texas Legislature, provided a guide for the database. It aimed to give Texans clearer insights into how local bond issuances and tax rates impact property taxes.<\/p>\n
The bill gave the Comptroller\u2019s office the responsibility of working with the Texas Bond Review Board to develop and maintain the system.<\/p>\n
According to the Comptroller\u2019s office, consolidating this information in one publicly accessible place empowered taxpayers to better evaluate proposals and engage more in local fiscal decision-making.<\/p>\n
Information will come from city and town governments, county governments, school districts, utility districts and fresh water districts.<\/p>\n
Local taxing units must report required data to the Comptroller.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, at the turn of the New Year, local units submitted historical information covering tax years 2015 through 2025.<\/p>\n
For future bonds and voter-approved tax rates from May or November elections, the information must be reported by Aug. 7 following the election.<\/p>\n
Flower Mound Deputy Mayor Pro-Tem Adam Schiestel said the Town \u201chas an excellent credit rating and leverages debt appropriately without excess,\u201d so he sees the database as a positive for residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven as an elected official it can be difficult to find a single source of truth when attempting to assess the total debt the town is carrying across all funds,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, this should be a useful tool.\u201d<\/p>\n
Northlake Town Manager Drew Corn said the Town will have no problem providing the information to the Comptroller.<\/p>\n
He added that Northlake has been providing debt issuances and project information online in the Town\u2019s budget, audit and new capital project tracker<\/a>.<\/p>\n Highland Village City Manager Paul Stevens agreed the database should help resident and complement the information the City provides on its website.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will certainly provide good information,\u201d he said. \u201cWe strive to keep our own website up to date with our bond projects, but this will make it easy for people to find information about bonds.\u201d<\/p>\n The information needed to be reported includes, but isn\u2019t limited to, what is listed in\u00a0Government Code, Section 403.702<\/a>:<\/p>\n ballot language for bonds;
\nprojected tax rates for debt service;
\nlists of funded projects and an accounting of the use of bond proceeds;
\ntax rate changes resulting from issued bonds;
\nelection results for bond or tax rate elections;
\nproposed or approved maintenance tax rates for school districts; and
\nballot language for school district maintenance taxes.<\/p>\n