Jeff Davis County, the West Texas home of the McDonald Observatory, has a perfect record of lowering rates across its taxing entities.
This county is one of the smallest in the state, with a population of 1,856.
The county has just three tax entities to track, so analyzing tax rates and appraisals is a quick exercise.
Over the three years observed in Texas Scorecard‘s review of property taxes around the state (2019 to 2022), Jeff Davis County taxpayers experienced significant tax rate reductions across all major taxing entities.
The county reduced its tax rate from 0.75602 in 2019 to 0.72017 in 2022—a drop of 0.03585. Despite a 12.24 percent increase in average taxable values, tax bills rose modestly by $51 over three years, reflecting a 6.92 percent hike.
Fort Davis Independent School District cut its rate from 1.060 to 0.9735. This rate reduction led to a slight decline in tax bills of $15 despite taxable values rising by 7.10 percent.
Valentine ISD lowered its rate from 0.97 to 0.8847. This reduction translated to an average tax bill decrease of $6 despite a 7.28 percent increase in taxable values.
From now until tax day in 2025, Texas Scorecard will report on counties across the state, highlighting local officials working to lighten, or at the very least not increase, property taxpayers’ burdens.
Conversely, public servants who have added to taxpayers’ already burdensome loads will also be scrutinized.
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