Josh Ritchey - Devine District 4

Reach out to Wes Virdell and share your opinion on SB10's restriction to tax rates that would significantly constrain municipal spending. I'll let you guess my thoughts, but you need to share yours.
https://house.texas.gov/members/4775/email

Today, the Texas House considered S.B. 10, which would lower the revenue multiplier in the voter-approval tax rate calculation, and added two critical amendments.



As amended by the Texas House, S.B. 10 would now do the following:



Lower the revenue multiplier in the voter-approval property tax rate calculation from 3.5 percent to 1 percent for all Texas cities, regardless of population; and
For cities over 75,000 population in which the public safety expenditures of the city exceed the amount of public safety expenditures from the preceding tax year, allow for a positive adjustment to the voter-approval tax rate calculation to account for the increased public safety expenditures.


It is likely that the limitation of the voter-approval tax rate adjustment for public safety expenditures to cities over 75,000 population only was an oversight by the House, and the expectation is that the adjustment will be extended to apply to all cities when the House considers the bill on third reading on Tuesday (or alternatively in a potential conference committee report on the bill).



However, all cities should be aware that if further changes are not made by the legislature, the voter-approval tax rate revenue multiplier will be reduced to 1 percent for all Texas cities, effective January 1, 2026. For many cities, this will have a significant impact on city revenue from property taxes.



The House will take one final vote before sending the bill back to the Senate for its approval. City officials with concerns about the impact of the bill are encouraged to get in contact with their state senators and state representatives immediately.

Texas House of Representatives Texas House of Representatives provides information on legislation, committees, sessions, and the Texas House

Here are the water rates and volume levels we set last fall. This was a change to provide some relief to low income.