TEXAS, USA — Homeowners dealing with skyrocketing property tax bills could get some relief if voters pass two constitutional amendments on May 7.
Editor's note: The above video is from a related story over property taxes.
But be warned, the wording on the ballot can be confusing.
This is what you’ll see on your ballot under proposition 1:
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the reduction of the amount of a limitation on the total amount of ad valorem taxes that may be imposed for general elementary and secondary public school purposes on the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled to reflect any statutory reduction from the preceding tax year in the maximum compressed rate of the maintenance and operations taxes imposed for those purposes on the homestead.”
This proposition, if passed, would reduce the amount of taxes elderly and disabled homeowners pay to support public education starting next year. This is on the ballot after the legislature passed a property tax reduction in 2019 that didn’t apply to those two groups because their rates were frozen.
This is what you’ll see under proposition 2 on your ballot:
"The constitutional amendment increasing the amount of the residence homestead exemption from ad valorem taxation for public school purposes from $25,000 to $40,000."
This measure impacts homestead exemptions in school districts. If passed, it would increase the amount homeowners can subtract from the value of their home from $25,000 to $40,000. Lawmakers say this will save homeowners an average of $175 a year.
Voting “yes” on propositions 1 and 2 is a vote for lowering the amount of tax dollars that go to public schools from property taxes. Lawmakers say the state will reimburse school districts for the lost revenue, so if the measures pass, schools will not lose funding.