Dianne Edmondson
It’s almost time for a new fiscal year to begin in Denton County, Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. And this year should be an easier year for the county and its taxpayers, as there have been many improvements in the process over the last couple of years, and we are thankful for that on behalf of our taxpayers.
For instance, we appreciate receiving the certified tax roll from the Denton Central Appraisal District in time to meet the statutory deadline this year. This was not always true in the past and, thus, delayed all taxing entities (county, cities, school districts, etc.) from setting their individual tax rates.
The new tax rolls show that Denton County has a net certified taxable value of $192,068,281,684 as of July 20, 2024, higher than the estimated $174 billion net certified taxable value in 2023.
The senior-freeze adjusted taxable value is $171,088,612,116. This includes an estimated more than 54,000 properties taking the over 65 exemptions, a tax saving measure I pushed through several years ago.
The Denton County Commissioners Court-recommended budget total for this coming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, is $416,424,762. The proposed tax rate will be $0.187869—the lowest since 1986 and lower than the current tax rate of $0.189485!
Our Commissioners Court anticipates officially adopting the FY 2024-25 budget and tax rate on Sept. 10, following the public hearing during our regular Tuesday meeting. You are welcome to attend the Court meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. at the Denton County Administrative Courthouse, One Courthouse Drive, Denton, TX 76208. Visitors are welcome to speak with a three-minute time limit. Forms to request to speak are available just outside the courtroom.
After all the Denton County taxing entities approve their tax rates, the property tax notices will then be configured and sent out by the Denton County Tax Assessor/Collector’s Office to every property owner. Years ago, Denton County worked with area entities to bring most of the property tax notices under one roof to make it easier for taxpayers, who then only receive one bill instead of separate ones from different entities (city, county, school district, etc.). Currently, the county contractually collects property taxes on behalf of more than 140 entities.
After receiving property tax funds from you, our taxpayers, the Tax Assessor/Collector’s Office then sends the allotted funds back to the entities across Denton County.
You can visit Texas.gov/propertytaxes to find a link to your local property tax database on which you can easily access information regarding your property taxes, including information regarding the amount of taxes that each entity that taxes your property will impose if the entity adopts its proposed tax rate. (Here in Robson Ranch we are nearly all in the Denton ISD, but some of our residents are actually in the Ponder Independent School District.)
Your local property tax database will be updated regularly during August and September as local elected officials propose and adopt the property tax rates that will determine how much you pay in property taxes.
As you know, three new members of the Denton Central Appraisal District Board of Directors, representing taxpayers, were elected by you recently. Angie Cox holds Place 1 and can be reached at [email protected], Lisa McEntire is in Place 2 and is available at [email protected], and Rick Guzman has Place 3 and can be emailed at [email protected].
The board chair is Roy Atwood. He can be reached at [email protected]. Other members include Charles Stafford, vice chairman, [email protected]; Ann Pomykal, secretary, [email protected]; David Terre, Place 5 member, [email protected]; Alex Buck, Place 6 member, [email protected]; and our Denton County Tax Assessor/Collector Michelle French, who holds Place 9.
We appreciate the hard work of these individuals as well as the Denton Central Appraisal District employees and our Tax Assessor/Collectors Office, all of whom are dedicated to ensuring a smoother operation for everyone.
Commissioner Dianne Edmondson is a Robson Ranch resident. You may contact her by email at [email protected] 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.