Collin County homeowners will face a higher county property tax rate after commissioners approved the first rate increase in 33 years.
The Collin County Commissioners Court voted 4-1 on Monday to approve the fiscal 2027 budget and tax rate for the fiscal year beginning October 1. The new tax rate is about $0.151 per $100 of assessed value, up from about $0.149 under the previous rate.
Collin County Judge Chris Hill cast the only vote against the budget and tax rate.
Tax Rate Increase Will Add Revenue
The higher rate is expected to generate about $16.3 million in additional property tax revenue for the county, according to county budget documents. The increase comes as property values have also risen. The median home value used in the fiscal 2027 budget is $517,911, compared with $480,773 in the previous fiscal year.
For a median-value home with a homestead exemption, county budget figures show estimated county property taxes increasing from $682.10 under the previous budget to $744.98 under the new rate. That represents an increase of $62.88.
The county tax is only one portion of a homeowner’s overall property tax bill. Cities, school districts, and other local taxing entities establish their own tax rates.
County Judge Opposed Tax Increase
Hill has opposed the county’s budget and tax rate in recent years and again argued that the county should reduce spending rather than increase the tax rate.
He proposed requiring county departments to cut their budgets by 2.67% and forgoing employee raises. His proposal failed, and he made similar motions at two previous Commissioners Court meetings.
Hill said taxpayers who do not receive comparable salary increases are effectively paying for raises given to county employees.
Commissioners Susan Fletcher and Darrell Hale defended the employee raises, saying they are necessary to recruit and retain workers and keep salaries competitive with the market.
Fletcher said county departments already operate with lean budgets and are routinely asked to limit spending to what they need.
Growth Limits Room For Cuts
Hale has said Collin County’s rapid population growth has made additional cuts difficult.
“I can’t support that, given how tight we already run,” Hale said at an August 31 Commissioners Court meeting when Hill proposed the 2.67% reduction. “And we were digging for every single dollar that we possibly could, even this budget cycle.”
A Texas Public Policy Foundation study cited in the budget discussion found that Collin County government spending grew more slowly than population and inflation combined between 2015 and 2025.
The county has continued to experience substantial population growth during that period.
New Rate Takes Effect on October 1
The approved property tax rate will take effect October 1 with the start of the county’s new fiscal year.
Although the county had kept its tax rate unchanged for more than three decades, homeowners saw their tax bills rise as property values increased.
The newly approved rate will add another increase for county property taxes, with the effect varying depending on a property’s taxable value and exemptions.
The 4-1 vote formally adopts both the fiscal 2027 budget and the new county tax rate.
Provided by Dallas Express
