Crowley ISD is set to have a slightly lower property tax rate for the 2024-25 school year.
Trustees cut a fraction of a penny off the district’s tax rate, but some homeowners likely will see a slightly higher Crowley ISD tax bill because of higher appraisals. The Sept. 12 vote was 5-0, with trustees Nedra Robinson and June Davis absent.
The new property tax rate is $1.2552 per $100 of valuation, a decrease of .23 cents from what Crowley ISD levied during the 2023-24 school year.
Two rates form the overall tax: maintenance-and-operations rate and debt service rate.
The district lowered its maintenance-and-operations rate .23 cents to 75.52 cents. The debt service rate remained steady at 50 cents.
How does the new tax rate affect my school taxes?
Under the new tax rate, the average taxpayer in Crowley ISD can expect to pay slightly more to the school district during the 2024-25 academic year.
The average home in Crowley ISD has an appraised value of $325,842, according to the Tarrant Appraisal District. However, only $213,987 of the value is used for taxes. Exemptions, such as the $100,000 homestead exemption that rolled out in 2023, are included in that figure.
The average property tax bill to Crowley ISD would be $2,685.96 — $107.61 more than what the average homeowner paid in 2023.
During the 2023-24 school year, the average home in Crowley ISD had an appraised value of $334,968 and only $205,038 was used for taxes. That homeowner paid $2,578.35 in property taxes to Crowley ISD.
School board President Daryl Davis was concerned about trustees lowering the tax rate after the Tarrant Appraisal District approved a new reappraisal plan.
Leon Fisher, Crowley ISD’s chief financial officer, said the school board had no choice but to reduce the tax rate.
School districts have little leeway with their maintenance-and-operations rate. The Texas Education Agency tells districts the maximum rate they can levy. Districts have more freedom with the debt service rate.
Fisher teed up what he believes will happen in the future once the appraisal district’s new policies are in full effect and residential values are frozen in 2025.
“What we know is that the TAD decision, in now freezing those values for a certain number of years, may have an adverse effect on the district’s taxes going forward,” the CFO said.
Jacob Sanchez is a senior education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
