Commissioner Dianne Edmondson
We in Robson Ranch are fortunate that most of our community’s residents are over 65, thus qualifying for the specific property tax breaks enacted for them. Several years ago, I championed and the county passed a senior tax freeze, as the school districts had already been required to do. And thanks to a Robson Ranch resident, the late Don Duff, enough signatures were gathered to force the City of Denton to put a senior tax freeze on its ballot, which passed. It’s important to note that these freezes are the actual dollar amounts of your property tax bill, not just the tax rate. The county also passed a first-time-ever homestead exemption to help reduce property taxes.
Further significant property tax help was enacted last year by the legislature, which raised seniors’ homestead exemption to $110,000. Governor Abbott quickly signed it into law—$18 billion—for the largest tax cut in the state’s history.
Your property tax statement includes taxes owed to cities, school districts, and the county, as well as several special districts. Of those taxes, based on the average home value of $492,290 in Denton County per the Denton Central Appraisal District, school districts receive the largest portion at around 61 percent, with most cities averaging 29 percent. The county portion is only 10 percent of the total property tax bill you pay.
Property tax statements for Denton County property owners are expected to reach mailboxes by the second week in December this year, according to the Denton County Tax Assessor/Collector’s office. The delay was caused by two districts (Northwest ISD and Argyle ISD) who asked voters on Nov. 5 to approve their requested tax increases, and until the results of those elections (which both failed) were known, the Central Appraisal District would not have accurate numbers for the property tax notices in those districts.
Denton County property owners can pay before receiving the official property tax statements by going online to find estimated property taxes due this year. Individuals then can pay online or in person. You can go to the main tax assessor/collector page to pay online, or visit one of the Denton County locations nearest you. A nice feature is that wait times are available on the page for each location.
To find your estimated property taxes due for this year, go to www.dentoncounty.gov. Click on “Your County” and scroll to Tax Assessor/Collector under Departments R-Z. On the main Tax Assessor/Collector page, look on the left-hand side for Proposed Property Tax Bill. Click on that link. At the bottom of the page, go to “You may access the Denton site directly using the following link: denton.truthintaxation.com/property-search.” (Or you can copy this address into your search bar.)
On the Truth in Taxation page, enter the full name your property is listed under. Click Search, and you should see your property listed. Click on the Property ID, and it will take you to a page listing what taxes are owed.
If you have questions, call the Central Appraisal District at 940-349-3800 or the Tax Assessor/Collector office at 940-349-3500.
Contact Commissioner Dianne Edmondson by email at [email protected] or phone her at 972-434-3960. You also can stop by her office in the Southwest Courthouse, 6200 Canyon Falls Drive, Suite 900, in Flower Mound.