First Reading and Public Hearing THIS TAX RATE WILL RAISE MORE TAXES FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS THAN LAST YEAR'S TAX RATE. THE TAX RATE WILL EFFECTIVELY BE RAISED BY 13.0 PERCENT AND WILL RAISE TAXES FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS ON A $100,000 HOME BY APPROXIMATELY $40.55. In conjunction with adopting the annual budget, the City Council is required to adopt an ad valorem tax rate. Chapter 26 of the Texas Property Tax Code requires taxing units to comply with "Truth-in-Taxation" laws when setting tax rates. This includes calculating a no-new-revenue tax rate, which provides for the same amount of property tax revenues collected as in the previous tax year, excluding amounts collected from newly developed property, and a voter-approval rate, which represents the highest rate the City could adopt without calling for a public vote. The calculated FY2027 no-new-revenue tax rate is $0.321034/$100 valuation, and the voter-approval rate is $0.352480/$100 valuation. At $0.352480/$100 valuation, the proposed tax rate is higher than the no-new-revenue rate but not higher than the voter-approval rate. As required, the attached "Notice of Meeting to Vote on Tax Rate" was published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram at least seven days prior to the September 1, 2026 Council Meeting, compliant with State Law and to communicate the City Council's intended tax rate to the public. The current tax rate is $0.311931/$100 of valuation. The proposed tax rate increases the tax rate by $0.040549. The 14% residential homestead exemption remains to provide property tax relief for homeowners. This exemption reduces the taxable value of residential homesteads, lowering the overall tax burden on qualifying properties.

Bastiat Liberty & Property Rights Analysis

This motion is scored as RESTRAINS_GOVERNMENT (Impact Weight: 8.7/10). Under the Bastiat Liberty Watchdog Index, voting YES on measures that cap or reduce ad valorem tax burdens, expand taxpayer exemptions, retire debt early, enforce competitive bidding caps, or remove regulatory/zoning barriers to private property rights earns a positive Pro-Liberty score.