Denton County cuts its tax rate; Highland Village raises its

DENTON, Texas — Denton County adopted a lower property tax rate this week. Highland Village adopted a higher city rate after certified property values fell. Commissioners Court approved a $495,100,302 budget for fiscal year 2026-27 and set the county rate at $0.183394 per $100, down from $0.185938. Precinct 2 Commissioner Kevin W. Falconer said that is the lowest county rate since 1986. The budget starts Oct. 1. The county’s Sept. 22 release says the plan sets aside about $9.3 million for public safety and $5.3 million for judicial and legal work. Another $15.6 million in the permanent improvement fund is marked for a fire station at Tabor Ranch, more restoration of the Courthouse-on-the-Square, and upkeep of county buildings. Technology Services is allocated $1.9 million for old equipment, network upgrades, and security gear. The county also set aside $1.48 million to buy equipment for county roads. County Judge Andy Eads said the aim was to lower taxes, help the community grow, and keep staff. Precinct 4 Commissioner Dianne Edmondson said the road equipment is one way the county handles repairs without raising the rate. The county puts its population at 1,108,089 and says it is adding almost 90 people a day. Precinct 3 Commissioner Bobbie J. Mitchell said the county’s share of the overall tax bill is 10 percent. The release says Denton County’s new rate is second-lowest among the 15 largest Texas counties, and the lowest when countywide rates are compared. Countywide bills elsewhere can include hospital, community college, or flood-control districts. Denton County’s release says it has none of those. The county said employees per 1,000 residents fell from 2.29 in 2014 to 1.87 in 2025-26, and it cited a current figure of 1.83. Highland Village’s council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt $0.528541 per $100, the Cross Timbers Gazette reported. That is an increase of $0.027557, about 5.5 percent. The city said the new rate adds $377,615 to the general fund and about $105.74 a year to the average city tax bill. Officials tied the increase to a 2.8 percent drop in certified values. The general fund lists $25.7 million in operating spending, about 1.9 percent less than the budget adopted for the year before. Cuts include a hiring freeze the city priced at $378,625, $62,000 taken from nonprofit funding, and the end of several city events, including Concerts in the Park. The city said in July that it faced a $2.1 million gap. It is nearly built out, so new houses and stores are not expected to close that gap. A city statement said Highland Village will study how it organizes its workforce and delivers services in the coming fiscal year. “We worked really hard getting the budget down and minimizing the impact to the community,” council member Brian Fiorenza said, according to the Gazette. The county release is at dentoncounty.gov. The Highland Village vote was reported by the Cross Timbers Gazette.