Title
Consider adopting Ordinance No. 4016 accepting the Tax Year 2026 Certification of Appraisal Roll in accordance with Section 26.04(b) of the State Property Tax Code and to levy and adopt the tax rate for Fiscal Year 2026-27 (Tax Year 2026) in accordance with Section 26.05(b); and take appropriate action.
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REQUESTOR:
Finance Department
BACKGROUND:
Property owners have the right to be informed about increases in their appraised value and to receive notification of the estimated taxes that may result from the new value. This is accomplished by following Truth-in-Taxation requirements to ensure the public is informed of any increases. Truth-in-Taxation is a concept embodied in the Texas Constitution, and the Tax Code requires local taxing units to inform taxpayers of tax rate proposals.
DISCUSSION:
Proposed Ordinance No. 4016 accepts the Tax Year 2026 Certification of Appraisal Roll prepared by the Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD), which sets forth the estimated taxable value, after qualified exemptions, for residential and commercial real property and business personal property in the City of Farmers Branch at $10,568,059,953 (ten billion, five hundred sixty-eight million, fifty-nine thousand, nine hundred fifty-three dollars). This amount includes new construction, but excludes properties still under protest.
A certified roll is crucial for providing the City with a level of certainty regarding the appraised values on which to base its property tax setting decisions and, therefore, its budgeted property tax revenues. On July 31, 2026, City Administration submitted the Proposed Fiscal Year 2026-27 Operating & Capital Improvement Program Budget to the City Council based on the Tax Year 2026 Certification of Appraisal and no change to the current tax rate of $0.5435 per $100. If this rate is adopted, it is essentially a tax rate reduction of $0.065012 from the calculated rate the City is allowed to approve without calling for an election.
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