Collin County commissioners are expected to raise property taxes for the first time in over 30 years in a few weeks — something that may be long overdue.
The county is scheduled to vote on its budget and tax rate for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1 on Sep. 14. The proposed tax rate is about $0.151 per $100 of a home’s value, a slight increase from the current rate of about $0.149 per $100 of a home’s value. If passed, it would be the county’s first property tax rate increase in 33 years.
The county kept the same property tax rate for the past few years, but property tax bills still increased due to an increase in home values.
The tax increase is a necessary evil, Commissioner Darrell Hale said at Monday’s meeting.
“I hate taxes just about as bad as everyone,” Hale said. “Everyone out here hates taxes. Government's one of those things that is a somewhat necessary thing. It’s how we have our courts. It’s how we have our public safety.”
Collin County, Hale said, already runs a tight budget.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation found in a new study of local government spending that Collin County’s spending was behind population and inflation growth rates from 2015-2025. Collin County is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
County services need to keep up with population growth, said Commissioner Susan Fletcher.
“It is very difficult to meet the demands that are out there and take care of our citizens,” Fletcher said. “Our citizens pay taxes. They expect the services. Nobody wants to go to the tax office and wait for three or four hours. And if we don't keep up with the growth, we're going to have that problem.”
Chris Hill, the Collin County judge, said the study from the Texas Public Policy Foundation used selective data and that the county budget grows faster than the rate of inflation and population growth combined from 2013-2025.
Hale responded that doesn’t account for the increase in operating costs.
Hill suggested asking each department to cut their budgets by 2.76% to keep the county from raising taxes. He has voted against the proposed budget and tax rate for the past several years, citing the impact on taxpayers. He also recommended lowering the range for employee salaries from the 75th percentile to the 50th percentile, something Fletcher and Hale they were against because of recruitment and retention.
Raising property taxes, Hill said, could also hurt the county’s chances of a successful bond election next year.
“I think we would do ourselves a favor by not increasing taxes the same year we're asking citizens to increase their own taxes,” he said.
Commissioners Duncan Webb and Cheryl Williams, who are both retiring at the end of their terms, were not present at Monday’s meeting. Hill said he hopes the new commissioners will help rein in spending.
All of the current Collin County commissioners, including Hill, are Republican.
“Hopefully, our new incoming county commissioners will be more conservative than the current court,” Hill said.
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