Dallas County voters will decide November 3 whether to approve a higher property tax rate that county officials estimate would generate an additional $102.9 million. The stated purposes of the additional revenue are programs to reduce homelessness, resolve encampments, expand access to mental-health treatment, support self-sufficiency, and provide stable housing.
The proposed increase would raise the county’s tax rate to $0.248650 per $100 of taxable property value, exceeding the voter-approval rate by 2.4 cents.
County officials and Housing Forward have outlined plans to expand services, including a goal of helping approximately 4,500 additional households exit homelessness annually. However, the county’s August 11 election order does not establish individual spending allocations, approve provider contracts, or specify numerical performance requirements.
The proposal comes as Dallas County considers a larger financial commitment to homelessness programs, with voters responsible for deciding whether to authorize the higher tax rate.
What Dallas County Taxpayers Would Pay
The county’s proposed rate of $0.248650 per $100 of taxable value exceeds its voter-approval rate of $0.224650 and last year’s adopted rate of $0.215500.
For a property with a county taxable value of $300,000, the proposed rate would produce a county tax bill of $745.95.
That represents $72 more annually than the voter-approval rate and $99.45 more than last year’s rate, assuming the property’s taxable value remains unchanged.
Dallas County’s election fact sheet projects approximately $1.58 billion in total revenue under the higher tax rate, including $102.9 million tied to the tax-rate election. Separately, commissioners adopted a $1,588,983,013 all-funds budget for fiscal year 2027 on August 11.
The $102.9 million figure represents projected additional revenue under the proposed tax structure, not a list of approved payments to individual contractors or service providers.
If voters reject Proposition A, the county’s rate would revert to $0.224650 per $100 of taxable value rather than the lower rate from 2025.
Housing Forward Outlines Its Proposed Results
Housing Forward and the All Neighbors Coalition have presented a countywide plan to expand homelessness assistance.
Their proposal includes helping approximately 4,500 additional households escape homelessness annually through diversion services, transitional assistance, supportive housing, and other interventions.
An August 11 presentation by Housing Forward and the All Neighbors Coalition sets a goal of resolving homelessness within an average of 65 days. It also proposes tracking permanent exits from homelessness, returns to homelessness, and reductions in jail and hospital use.
Housing Forward reports that more than 25,000 people have exited homelessness through the regional response system since 2021.
The county anticipates that proposed programs could begin January 1, 2027, if voters approve the measure.
What The Election Order Actually Requires
Dallas County Commissioners Court approved the election order August 11 in a 3-2 vote.
County Judge Clay Jenkins and Commissioners Theresa Daniel and Andrew Sommerman supported the measure. Commissioners John Wiley Price and Elba Garcia opposed it.
Court Order 2026-0879 identifies several purposes for the additional tax revenue: “measurably reduce homelessness and resolve encampments to improve neighborhood vibrancy, support homeless people to achieve self-sufficiency, increase access to mental health treatment and support programs that provide stable housing….”
However, the order itself does not allocate specific dollar amounts among those purposes.
It also does not incorporate the proposed 4,500-household annual target or 65-day average into the ballot measure as numerical requirements.
County officials would still need to address contracting, spending allocations, implementation, and performance oversight through applicable processes.
Supporters And Opponents Differ Over Tax Increase
Supporters point to reported reductions in street homelessness and argue that additional funding would expand services beyond downtown Dallas.
The Dallas Regional Chamber supports Proposition A. In an August 11 presentation to county commissioners, Housing Forward and the All Neighbors Coalition reported a 25% reduction in street homelessness since 2021, based on their assessment of the regional response system.
The proposal has also drawn differing assessments reported on by The Dallas Express.
In an October 9 opinion column, Republican nominee for Dallas County Commissioner, District 2, Barry Wernick argued for stronger fiscal oversight before increasing taxes.
In an October 15 column, downtown homelessness tracker Mark Nunneley, who serves as chairman of the City of Dallas Citizen Homelessness Commission, representing the mayor-appointed District 15 seat, supported the proposal, citing changes in downtown street counts and the potential to expand services.
Property Tax Reform Remains A Separate Question
The Dallas County vote comes as Texas lawmakers consider additional property tax relief, including proposals to increase the general school district homestead exemption to $200,000.
Those proposals would affect school property taxes rather than directly reducing the Dallas County tax rate.
As previously examined by The Dallas Express, homeowners could receive savings from future state legislation while facing higher taxes from separate local taxing authorities.
For Dallas County voters, Proposition A presents a more immediate decision.
Approval would authorize the higher county rate for the 2026 tax year. Subsequent county decisions would determine how officials distribute the additional revenue, structure contracts, and measure whether the programs achieve their stated goals.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
Provided by Dallas Express
