How About that Tax Decrease?
The three incumbents brag about loving to cut taxes - but how'd that work out for you?
Brandon Story
4/2/20241 min read
Since April is the dreaded month of income taxes, I thought I’d climb on the old soap box today and talk taxes.
The incumbents (aka “the voting block”) talk about tax decreases, hitting this pretty hard as part of their “experience”….and on its face, this claim true. Elm Ridge did lower the property tax rate from .928 in 2022 to .887 in 2023. But, let’s dissect that claim a little further.
Property taxes in Texas have two components - the tax rate and the assessed value of your property. While the Elm Ridge tax rate went down slightly, assessed property values in Texas are at historical highs. This means that tax collections overall - are also at historical highs.
During a recent March Elm Ridge special meeting on the budget, their bookkeeper noted that tax collections - even after the great Elm Ridge tax decrease of 2023 - were around the same amount (in totality) as they had previously brought in.
If you look at the math - using my own property tax statements from Denton CAD - you can see we (I) am paying more in Elm Ridge taxes despite this tax rate decrease. Also, interesting to note: while school taxes are typically the highest amount on a property tax statement in Texas, for 2023, my heaviest hitter was Elm Ridge.
Friends, there is room to cut more. They tout a tax decrease because it sounds good, but unlike homeowners who are having to cutback all over, they haven't even felt it in the pocketbook yet. In Texas, we have a saying: Don't spit on me and tell me it's raining.
I pledge to you that I will seek to push this burden down lower and scrutinize spending more.