Should Texas Put Your Dollar Change at the Top of Every Property-Tax Notice?

By Real Ryan Nichols Editorial Team

Most homeowners do not open a property-tax notice looking for a rate.

They are looking for a dollar.

How much did I pay last year? How much might I pay this year? What changed?

The rate still matters. The taxable value matters. Exemptions matter. The mix of taxing units matters.

But if the number people need is buried beneath the machinery, the notice may be technically complete and practically weak.

Longview’s current proposed-rate notice gives us a timely example before a public hearing on September 17.

What Longview’s notice actually says

The City of Longview’s September 2 notice lists a proposed rate of $0.5619 per $100 of taxable value. It also lists a no-new-revenue rate of $0.5754 and a voter-approval rate of $0.6687.

Because the proposed rate is below the no-new-revenue rate, the notice says the city is not proposing to increase property taxes for the 2026 tax year.

Farther down, the same notice compares the average residence homestead. It lists an average taxable value increase from $243,095 to $246,325 and an average city tax increase from $1,365.95 to $1,384.10.

That is an $18.15 difference for the average homestead shown in the notice, even though the nominal rate is unchanged from the prior year.

The notice also shows the total levy rising from $53,655,680 to $54,452,238, a 1.48 percent increase.

Those statements are not necessarily contradictory. The no-new-revenue calculation looks at revenue from the same properties under rules set by Texas law. An individual bill also depends on that property’s taxable value and exemptions.

Still, this is exactly why ordinary people want the dollars near the top.

The strongest case for a dollar-first notice

The public hearing is not a test of whether residents can translate tax terminology.

It is a chance to understand a budget choice and respond to it.

A dollar-first notice could open with four plain numbers for the specific property:

• Last year’s taxable value
• This year’s taxable value
• Last year’s tax from this taxing unit
• Estimated tax under the proposed rate

Then it could explain the rate, the no-new-revenue calculation, exemptions, and the hearing.

That order matches how a homeowner experiences the issue. It starts with impact, then shows the formula.

The Texas Comptroller’s property-tax overview explains that a property tax has two parts: the taxable base and the rate. Showing only the rate prominently can make half the equation feel like the whole story.

Dollar-first notices may also produce better public comments. Residents can ask why their value changed, why a rate stayed level, or what a proposed budget buys. The conversation starts with a number they can recognize.

The strongest case against it

An individualized dollar estimate can look more certain than it is.

Exemptions may still change. Appraisal disputes may be unresolved. A sale, renovation, ownership change, or late correction can alter taxable value. Multiple cities, counties, schools, and special districts may appear in the same overall bill.

If the state forces one large estimate to the top, some readers may treat it as a final bill.

Standardized rate language also serves a legal purpose. It lets people compare the proposed rate with state-defined thresholds across taxing units. Moving those terms down the page could make a notice feel simpler while hiding the rules that limit local government.

There is also a practical option already available. The Longview notice links residents to Texas.gov/PropertyTaxes, where owners can reach local databases with proposed rates and hearing information.

The argument against a new mandate is straightforward: improve the existing tools and teach people how to use them. Do not create another estimate that can be misunderstood.

Ryan’s Take

Put the dollars first, but label them honestly.

The top of the notice should say “estimated under the proposed rate,” not “amount due.” It should show last year beside this year. It should name the taxable value and exemption assumptions used.

Then show every required rate and threshold directly below it.

Transparency is not making the formula disappear. Transparency is arranging the truth in the order a human being needs it.

Rate first is government language.

Dollar change first is household language.

Texas can show both.

What Longview residents can do now

The city notice lists a public hearing for September 17 at 5:30 p.m. at 300 W. Cotton Street.

Before the hearing:

1. Pull your own property record through the state directory.
2. Write down last year’s city tax and the current estimate.
3. Separate the tax rate from the taxable-value change.
4. Read the proposed budget material linked from the city notice.
5. Ask one specific question about the dollars or the service behind them.

Do not argue from a screenshot you have not read. Bring the number, the source, and the question.

For another question about what government disclosures should show up front, read Should Texas Require the Real Price Everywhere It Is Advertised?. For another Texas civic-process question, read Should Texas Make Election Day a State Holiday?.

Should Texas require every proposed property-tax notice to put your estimated dollar change at the top, or would that create more confusion than clarity?