Denton County announced its budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 on Tuesday, which will decrease the property tax rate and allot around $11.12 million to public safety and $5.39 million for judicial and legal divisions.
The property tax rate, according to the county, will drop from $0.187869 to $0.185938 when the budget goes into effect on October 1.
“Lowering our tax rate while dealing with the needs of a growing market and retaining our quality staff across the board has been our main priority this year,” said Denton County Judge Andy Eads. “We always look for ways to improve processes while preparing for the future.”
The $452,153,186 budget approved by Denton County Commissioners Court also:
- Sets aside $7.5 million for pay-as-you-go projects, which keeps the county from issuing debt
- Spends $4.7 million for maintenance that will get ahead of possible future problems at county facilities
- Allocates $1.83 million to Technological Services for new positions, technology, equipment and software maintenance
- Invests in the employees of the county to keep salaries competitive and increasing employee retention
According to officials, Denton County ranks second-lowest among the top 15 Texas counties with 1.88 employees per 1,000 residents. The county continues to decline in the number of employees per capita from 2014 when it had 2.29 employees to the 1.88 now.
“Being competitive in salaries across the board, including in law enforcement and our justice system, is key to maintaining quality services from our current employees and in attracting the best and the brightest in the future,” said Precinct 1 Commissioner Ryan Williams. “At the same time, we are also being innovative in developing strategies to support the expanding need for public services while keeping a low tax rate.”
The drop in county tax rate to $0.185938 gives Denton County the second-lowest tax rate and is the lowest in the county-wide rate.
County-wide rates include additional tax rates for districts like hospitals, community college and flood control and port authority, which Denton County doesn’t have.
“We are again decreasing our property tax rate this year,” said Precinct 4 Commissioner Dianne Edmondson. “Which makes the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 tax rate the lowest it has been since 1986 – a total of 39 years.”
According to officials, Denton County is growing at a rate of 90 people per day, projecting its population to be at 1,069,355.
The county is popular for its lower tax rates, which Precinct 3 Commissioner Bobbie Mitchell said is something Commissioners Court strives to maintain.
“It continues to be our mission to keep the county’s tax rate as low as possible as we know how important it is to everyone with the higher cost of living,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Bobbie J. Mitchell said. “Even though the county’s portion of the overall tax bill is only 10 percent, we strive to be mindful of the impact it has on all of you.”
