Rockwall County's property tax rate will rise to $0.2620 per $100 of taxable value for fiscal year 2027, below the $0.2800 rate commissioners originally proposed.

The Commissioners Court voted 5-0 on Thursday, Sept. 3, to approve the reduced rate. County Judge Frank New, who had voted against the earlier $0.2800 proposal, joined all four commissioners in supporting the lower figure. The county announced Tuesday, Sept. 8, that the adopted budget has been filed with the County Clerk's office.

The adopted rate still represents an increase over the current $0.2510 rate. But it is a significant pullback from the $0.2800 rate that commissioners set in August, which would have meant a 12% jump in the tax rate and a 14% increase in the county's total tax levy, according to the county's notice of public hearing on the tax rate.

As we reported Sept. 3, the proposed $0.2800 rate drew opposition from County Judge Frank New, who voted against it at the Aug. 13 special meeting. Commissioners Dana Macalik, Lorne Liechty and John Stacy voted for the $0.2800 rate at that meeting, while Commissioner Bobby Gallana's vote was not recorded in the available minutes.

Commissioners held six special budget sessions from Aug. 13 through Sept. 3 to rework the spending plan. The court voted 5-0 on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to reduce the legal services line item from $655,000 to $500,000 and to accept a reduction in jail command staff that saved $112,933.

The court also approved a 2.4% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to the county's employee step plan on a 4-1 vote on Wednesday, Aug. 26. New again voted against.

At the county's current $0.2510 rate, the owner of a median-valued home worth $424,460 pays $1,065 a year in county property taxes, according to the county's taxpayer impact statement. The proposed $0.2800 rate would have pushed that bill to $1,188.

County Auditor Lisa Constant Wylie told commissioners at the Sept. 3 meeting that the budget document, including all revisions, "will have everything in it" once posted to the county website.

The adopted budget covers the 2026-2027 fiscal year and is available as of Sept. 8 on the county's financial transparency page.