Early voting for the May 7th statewide elections began Monday and continues through next Tuesday. In Hunt County, more than 600 people have cast early ballots. The Greenville Herald Banner reports about 200 people voted in person on Monday and more than 400 mail ballots have been received. Many school districts have bond proposals on the May 7 ballots. Voters in the Greenville, Sulphur Springs and Community school districts will decide on bond measures. There also two proposed amendments to the state constitution on ballots. Proposition 1 would undo a tax rate freeze for seniors and people with disabilities so that those taxpayers could take advantage of rates that were lowered in 2019. The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán has more on Prop 1.
Under current law, the year you turn 65 or you become disabled, your school taxes freeze. So, it doesn't matter if the tax rate goes up or the value of your home goes up, your tax bill won't change.
Now, in 2019, the Texas legislature passed a bill that allocated money to buy down school property taxes. So, school districts started to lower their tax rates and everyone started seeing lower tax rates except those 65 and older and people with disabilities because of that tax freeze.
So, this constitutional amendment, if it passes, it would adjust their frozen amount to the same percentage as everyone else.
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán speaking on public radio’s Texas Standard yesterday.