Governor Greg Abbott with Commissioner Dianne Edmondson
Dianne Edmondson
It was truly exciting to have Texas Governor Greg Abbott at the Ranch on June 16. Dozens of our residents attended, and many more came who wanted to be in the Legacy Room for the Bill Signing, but space was limited! I was honored that the Governor’s office had contacted me for logistical help in arranging for his visit. Thanks to all who so enthusiastically welcomed the Governor!
Like the Governor, I have been wanting to cut property taxes for some time. Five years ago, on June 30, 2020, the Denton County Commissioners Court for the first time approved a homestead residence exemption. It wasn’t much—up to one percent or $5,000, whichever is greater, to all homesteaded homeowners of the county. Then in 2019, Denton County approved a tax limitation for properties receiving an over 65 exemption of $55,000 or $15,000 for disabled person exemption. Homesteaded homeowners are eligible for one or the other. Both measures applied to the county’s tax, which is only about 10 percent of your property tax bill, and I passionately advocated for the court to bring this tax relief to our residents.
Though small steps, they were heading in the right direction—lowering your property taxes. However, the really big tax relief came on June 16 as the Governor signed three bills here at Robson Ranch.
These laws increase the homestead exemption for every homesteaded homeowner to $140,000 and provide state aid to school districts to help offset that lost revenue. One bill additionally increased to $200,000 the homestead exemption for the majority of seniors and disabled homeowners, definitely lowering their property taxes. But there are many new Texans—maybe even some longtime Texans—who don’t really understand what this huge homestead exemption will mean for their property tax bill.
Here’s a quick illustration: Let’s say your homestead is appraised at $400,000; with no exemptions, you will pay taxes on the full appraised amount, probably in the thousands of dollars. But under the new law, that $400,000 appraisal will be drastically cut! You will only pay taxes on the appraised amount over $140,000—likely hundreds of dollars less (SB Bill 4). And if you are a senior (over 65), your exemption has been raised to $200,000, so you will save thousands of tax dollars (SB 23). This is especially impactful on your school district taxes, which are normally about 75 percent of your tax bill.
HB 9, the third bill, will help many small business owners by raising to $125,000 the limit on personal property exemption for small business owners
However, to take effect, these bills must be approved by the voters in the November Constitutional Election so that these tax breaks will become part of the Texas Constitution and cannot be legislatively undone in the future.
It’s really encouraging to see legislation directly impacting so many lives here in Denton County. Please thank Governor Abbott and our legislators by voting Yes on the upcoming Nov. 4, 2025, Election.
Contact Commissioner Dianne Edmondson by email at Dianne.Edmondson@dentoncounty.gov or phone her at 972-434-3960. You can also stop by her office in the Southwest Courthouse, 6200 Canyon Falls Drive, Suite 900, in Flower Mound.