Cedar Hill’s total tax rate has dropped 38 cents in the last seven years; and Cedar Hill ISD currently has the lowest revenue-per-student in the area, ranking 15 out of 15 in Dallas County.  After two previous attempts in 2018 and 2022, Cedar Hill ISD has failed to pass a VATRE. 

CHISD has proposed a tax rate of $1.1326 per $100 of taxable property value.  If the VATRE passes, a $300,000 home, with a $100,00 homestead exemption, would pay $2,265 a year in the CHISD portion of the tax bill. That is $830 less than what property owners paid in 2022 thanks to tax compression and the proposed SB2 increased homestead exemption from the state.

The total tax rate may actually drop again in 2023 if the state continues to compress the Maintenance & Operations rate. However, the Interest & Sinking tax rate may increase by half a cent if this proposition is approved by voters. 

Tax rate compression is an intentional act to lower the tax rate by the state, to reduce what taxpayers owe. In recent years, tax rate compression efforts have centered on using state funds to buy down school district M&O tax rates to reduce property tax bills.

Reducing the M&O portion of the tax rate caps earnings from local property taxes to about 2.5 percent each year. Because of this, an increase in property values does not equal a proportional increase in funds to CHISD.

Even though the CHISD tax rate is the lowest it has been in more than 7 years, tax bills are higher due to the overall property value growth, not the tax rate.

Home property values are NOT set by Cedar Hill ISD.

Home property values are set by the Dallas Central Appraisal District, and when a home value increases, so does the bill.