Your Vote Counts: Proposition 4

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Before the largest property tax cut in Texas history can take effect, voters must approve Proposition 4 on November ballots.

Legislators approved the tax cut to increase homestead exemptions and send money to schools so property taxes can be lowered. The homestead exemption increase from $40,000 to $100,000 was approved by legislators, but voters will have the final say.

Brazos County Tax Appraiser, Kristeen Roe, says legislators plan to make up funds to schools that will lose property tax income.

“Basically, for everyone who has a homestead on their property, which means it’s their primary residence, that means that the exemption for school taxes only is going to be increased by approximately $60,000. That’s going to be different on different properties because of their taxable value,” she said. “For school district purposes, of course, it’s there to support all of the primary maintenance and operation portion of what the school has to do, what their directive is in educating the kids and providing for the teachers and paying the salaries and the bills and things of that nature and also part of their debt if they have any debt.”

Proposition 4 also includes other tax reforms with a temporary limit on appraisals for commercial, mineral and residential properties that don’t receive a homestead exemption that are worth less than $5 million.

Before voters in Brazos County head to the polls, Roe says they will be able to see exactly how approval of Proposition 4 will impact their taxes.

“We’re going to get our bills out prior to the election so there will be a paragraph on the back of the bill. And that paragraph will give an explanation of exactly how much money has been saved for that property. It will take the current value the current exemption and the old exemption and it will make a calculation and tell people what it is. Now, if for some reason it doesn’t pass, then you’ll get an additional bill for this difference down the road,” she said.

Roe said homeowners will be able to find those bills on their website by creating an account here and signing up for an e-alert. This should be done before voters head to the polls.