![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789532050_334_IMG_Fort_Worth_City_Hall_2_1_4AQB1TPC_L886718259.JPG\" "\\"The")
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The new Fort Worth City Hall on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.<\/p>\n
Amanda McCoy<\/p>\n
amccoy@star-telegram.com<\/p>\n
Fort Worth is raising its property tax rate and the City Council has approved its budget for 2027.<\/p>\n
The move to increase the property tax rate comes after certified property values from Tarrant Appraisal District were significantly lower than previously expected. The decrease forced the city close a $94 million budget gap.<\/a><\/p>\n Fort Worth\u2019s new property tax rate<\/p>\n The new rate, approved by the Fort Worth City Council at its meeting on Sept. 15, is 70.565 cents per $100 of valuation. That is an increase of 3.565 cents from the current rate, 67 cents.<\/p>\n The owner of a $330,000 home with a homestead exemption, under the newly adopted tax rate, would pay roughly $1,862 in city taxes.<\/p>\n The city had previously proposed a tax rate of 70.2 cents per $100 of value and a total operating budget of over $3 billion.<\/p>\n Fort Worth City Manager Jay Chapa asked city departments to propose cuts to offset the $94 million deficit that included potentially closing the Alliance PetSmart Charities adoption center in north Fort Worth. But after recommendations from the City Council, the budget adopted on Tuesday included about $4 million in restored cuts.<\/p>\n Even with those restored cuts, the approved operating budget is still $3.33 billion, an increase of about $241 million from 2026..<\/p>\n The average annual household tax bill, according to a presentation shared by the city of Fort Worth in each council district<\/a>, will be $8.49 more than the amount at 70.2 cents \u2014 which is still $8.20 less than the previous tax rate because of falling home values.<\/p>\n Budget approved \u2014 with some spats<\/p>\n The budget was unanimously approved by the City Council, but four council members \u2014 Michael Crain, Charlie Lauersdorf, Macy Hill, and Chris Jamieson \u2014 voted against the proposed tax rate.<\/p>\n \u201cFort Worth residents are already struggling with the rising cost of living, housing, groceries, and utilities,\u201d Hill said. \u201cGovernments should not add to the financial pressure unless every single option has been exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n Ahead of the vote on the tax rate, council member Mia Hall asked what would happen if the council voted to approve the budget but not the tax rate.<\/p>\n \u201cI would venture to say that I would use the term virtue signaling if you were to vote on the budget but not vote on the tax rate,\u201d council member Elizabeth Beck said. \u201cThere was no willingness to have serious discussions about major service decreases on this dias, and so I will be supporting this tax rate because I don\u2019t like to virtue signal.\u201d<\/p>\n Council member Chris Nettles agreed with Beck, and called the idea of voting for the budget but not the tax rate \u201cgaslighting.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Mattie Parker, in comments before the vote on the tax rate, commended city staff members for their work on the budget and defended the city\u2019s fiscal responsibility.<\/p>\n \u201cAffordability in this country is the topic of conversation around every kitchen table, around every city, and it should be,\u201d Parker said. \u201cInflation, the cost of living, your salaries are stagnant. All of those things we have to take into consideration, but we still have to be a top 10 city.\u201d<\/p>\n Higher fees<\/p>\n The city also approved changes to several fees, including stormwater fees, water and wastewater charges, solid waste charges and an environmental fee.<\/p>\n The typical Fort Worth resident, according to the city, will pay about $7 extra per month in fees in the coming year.<\/p>\n