A for sale sign stands in the yard of a home in the Fairmount neighborhood of Fort Worth on Thursday, February 10, 2022. Historic neighborhoods, like Fairmount, are some of the most competitive in Tarrant County when it comes to home sales due to the limited supply and high demand.<\/p>\n
Amanda McCoy<\/p>\n
amccoy@star-telegram.com<\/p>\n
If you own a home in Tarrant County, next year\u2019s tax and utility bills are coming into focus, though the picture depends on which city you live in.<\/p>\n
Fort Worth, Arlington, Tarrant County and the JPS Hospital Network have all released proposed budgets for the 2027 fiscal year. Between them, they set the property tax rates and utility fees that hit your bank account every month. Here\u2019s a plain-English breakdown of what you can expect to pay, based on figures presented to local officials this month.<\/p>\n
Tarrant County and JPS: small savings, three years running<\/p>\n
Click to resize<\/p>\n
Tarrant County commissioners want to lower the county property tax rate for the fourth year in a row.<\/p>\n
The proposed county rate would drop to 18.6 cents per $100 of valuation, down slightly from 18.62 cents, according to the Star-Telegram<\/a>. For the owner of an average-value home, that works out to about 17 cents in savings over the full year.<\/p>\n The bigger break comes from the JPS Hospital Network, whose tax rate would fall to 15.9 cents per $100 valuation from 16.5 cents. Combined, the two lines on your bill are expected to drop by about $16.<\/p>\n Both rates come in below the no-new-revenue rate, meaning the county isn\u2019t collecting the same total tax dollars as last year from previously taxed properties.<\/p>\n Republican County Judge Tim O\u2019Hare said cutting property taxes is a top priority.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all know affordability is an issue in the country, and the No. 1 thing government can do to make things more affordable is lowering property taxes,\u201d O\u2019Hare said. \u201cWe\u2019ve done it for three years, and then we\u2019re going to do it in year four.\u201d<\/p>\n The proposed county budget also includes a 3% raise for most employees, a 4% raise for law enforcement officers, a 2.5% raise for detention officers and a 1% cost-of-living adjustment for retirees.<\/p>\n Commissioners will set the proposed rate Sept. 1 and vote on the final budget and tax rate Sept. 15.<\/p>\n Fort Worth: rate goes up, but tax bill goes down<\/p>\n If you live in Fort Worth, the math looks unusual this year: the tax rate is climbing, but the typical tax bill is shrinking.<\/p>\n City Manager Jay Chapa told the City Council on Aug. 11 that Fort Worth is facing a $76.8 million budget shortfall driven by appraisal values that came in even lower than expected, according to the Star-Telegram<\/a>. To close part of that gap, the recommended tax rate for the 2027 fiscal year is 70.2 cents per $100 of value \u2014 up 3.2 cents from the current 67-cent rate.<\/p>\n Even so, a typical Fort Worth homeowner is projected to pay $16.69 less in city property taxes because property values have fallen. The owner of a $335,000 home with a homestead exemption would pay $1,881.36 in city property taxes.<\/p>\n The relief on the tax line is offset elsewhere. Fort Worth homeowners will pay roughly $7 more per month in solid waste, environmental, stormwater and wastewater services combined.<\/p>\n The proposed budget includes an 8.5% pay increase for firefighters and a 6% pay increase for police, along with 77 new police officer hires. Some vacant city positions would be eliminated or frozen.<\/p>\n The city council is expected to vote on the budget on Sept. 15.<\/p>\n Arlington: water and garbage go up, property tax bill goes down<\/p>\n