Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson recently laid out his thoughts on property tax reform, pushing for changes that would drop not only the property tax rate but the overall bill.
Mayor Johnson has made property tax relief one of his main priorities, listing it as one of his top three issues during his inaugural speech, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Under Johnson’s administration, the City has decreased the tax rate by the largest amount in years and increased the senior homestead exemption to $139,400.
Nevertheless, a recent survey of Dallas residents showed that 71% of respondents still indicated a need for taxes to decrease, as The Dallas Express covered at the time.
“Lowering the tax rate is not enough. I want to actually deliver actual property relief on the city portion of your tax bill by having your city tax bill lower — have you pay less money in taxes than you paid last year,” Mayor Johnson said, per CBS News.
“We have one of the higher tax rates in the region and in some ways, we’re lagging in the region,” he added. “So, I’d like to see Dallas have the lowest rate in the region and so that’s our goal.”
Further highlighting the issue, the mayor and several City Council members formally protested their own home tax appraisals, encouraging others to do likewise.
“I am serious about using every possible tool to relieve your property tax burden,” he said. “Disputing the appraised value of your home and applying for exemptions are two ways to lower your taxes while your Mayor and City Council work to lower the city property tax rate applied to your home’s appraised value.”
Additionally, he formed a special City Council committee to strategize more ways to reduce the burden of property taxes on Dallas citizens.
“I expect this committee’s work to commence immediately and urge its members to take advantage of any available opportunities to advocate fervently for the passage of this property tax relief bill, which could include providing public testimony at the Texas State Capitol,” he explained.
Still, not everyone is celebrating the City’s recent efforts to bring down property taxes.
“Bothered by the fact there wasn’t an effort to cut back property taxes until after private equity firms and corporations bought up all our housing I hope I’m wrong, but this really just seems like another tax break for the wealthy Sold as Something for the rest of us,” wrote one Twitter user.
“It’s a scam. Individual homeowners just got the shaft. Property appraisals will be even more exorbitant to devour the homestead exemption,” tweeted another.
When the Texas House and Senate finally agreed to a multi-billion dollar plan to provide property tax relief, Mayor Johnson sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott, indicating his support for the legislation.
“On behalf of the residents of Dallas, thank you for your commitment to prioritizing the concerns of Texas taxpayers and providing needed relief from the burden of escalating property taxes,” he wrote.
“The legislation complements our local efforts to alleviate Dallas residents’ property tax burdens,” he continued. “We are committed to making Dallas the major city with the lowest tax rate in the North Texas region, but additional work beyond our control is necessary to deliver meaningful property tax relief to Dallas residents.”
