Sec. 26.04. SUBMISSION OF ROLL TO GOVERNING BODY; NO-NEW-REVENUE AND VOTER-APPROVAL TAX RATES. (a) On receipt of the appraisal roll, the assessor for a taxing unit shall determine the total appraised value, the total assessed value, and the total taxable value of property taxable by the unit. He shall also determine, using information provided by the appraisal office, the appraised, assessed, and taxable value of new property.

(b) The assessor shall submit the appraisal roll for the taxing unit showing the total appraised, assessed, and taxable values of all property and the total taxable value of new property to the governing body of the taxing unit by August 1 or as soon thereafter as practicable. By August 1 or as soon thereafter as practicable, the taxing unit's collector shall certify the anticipated collection rate as calculated under Subsections (h), (h-1), and (h-2) for the current year to the governing body. If the collector certified an anticipated collection rate in the preceding year and the actual collection rate in that year exceeded the anticipated rate, the collector shall also certify the amount of debt taxes collected in excess of the anticipated amount in the preceding year.

(c) After the assessor for the taxing unit submits the appraisal roll for the taxing unit to the governing body of the taxing unit as required by Subsection (b), an officer or employee designated by the governing body shall calculate the no-new-revenue tax rate and the voter-approval tax rate for the taxing unit, where:

(1) "No-new-revenue tax rate" means a rate expressed in dollars per $100 of taxable value calculated according to the following formula:

NO-NEW-REVENUE TAX RATE = (LAST YEAR'S LEVY - LOST PROPERTY LEVY) / (CURRENT TOTAL VALUE - NEW PROPERTY VALUE)

; and

(2) "Voter-approval tax rate" means a rate expressed in dollars per $100 of taxable value calculated according to the following applicable formula:

(A) for a special taxing unit:

VOTER-APPROVAL TAX RATE = (NO-NEW-REVENUE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS RATE x 1.08) + CURRENT DEBT RATE

; or

(B) for a taxing unit other than a special taxing unit:

VOTER-APPROVAL TAX RATE = (NO-NEW-REVENUE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS RATE x 1.035) + (CURRENT DEBT RATE + UNUSED INCREMENT RATE)

(c-1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the governing body of a taxing unit other than a special taxing unit may direct the designated officer or employee to calculate the voter-approval tax rate of the taxing unit in the manner provided for a special taxing unit if any part of the taxing unit is located in an area declared a disaster area during the current tax year by the governor or by the president of the United States. The designated officer or employee shall continue calculating the voter-approval tax rate in the manner provided by this subsection until the earlier of:

(1) the second tax year in which the total taxable value of property taxable by the taxing unit as shown on the appraisal roll for the taxing unit submitted by the assessor for the taxing unit to the governing body exceeds the total taxable value of property taxable by the taxing unit on January 1 of the tax year in which the disaster occurred; or

(2) the third tax year after the tax year in which the disaster occurred.

(c-2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, if the assessor for a taxing unit receives a certified estimate of the taxable value of property in the taxing unit under Section 26.01(a-1), the officer or employee designated by the governing body of the taxing unit shall calculate the no-new-revenue tax rate and voter-approval tax rate using the certified estimate of taxable value.

(d) The no-new-revenue tax rate for a county is the sum of the no-new-revenue tax rates calculated for each type of tax the county levies and the voter-approval tax rate for a county is the sum of the voter-approval tax rates calculated for each type of tax the county levies.

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(d-1) The designated officer or employee shall use the tax rate calculation forms prescribed by the comptroller under Section 5.07 in calculating the no-new-revenue tax rate and the voter-approval tax rate.

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(d-2) The designated officer or employee may not submit the no-new-revenue tax rate and the voter-approval tax rate to the governing body of the taxing unit and the taxing unit may not adopt a tax rate until the designated officer or employee certifies on the tax rate calculation forms that the designated officer or employee has accurately calculated the tax rates and has used values that are the same as the values shown in the taxing unit's certified appraisal roll in performing the calculations.

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(d-3) As soon as practicable after the designated officer or employee calculates the no-new-revenue tax rate and the voter-approval tax rate of the taxing unit, the designated officer or employee shall submit the tax rate calculation forms used in calculating the rates to the county assessor-collector for each county in which all or part of the territory of the taxing unit is located.

(e) By August 7 or as soon thereafter as practicable, the designated officer or employee shall submit the rates to the governing body. The designated officer or employee shall post prominently on the home page of the taxing unit's Internet website in the form prescribed by the comptroller:

(1) the no-new-revenue tax rate, the voter-approval tax rate, and an explanation of how they were calculated;

(2) the estimated amount of interest and sinking fund balances and the estimated amount of maintenance and operation or general fund balances remaining at the end of the current fiscal year that are not encumbered with or by corresponding existing debt obligation; and

(3) a schedule of the taxing unit's debt obligations showing:

(A) the amount of principal and interest that will be paid to service the taxing unit's debts in the next year from property tax revenue, including payments of lawfully incurred contractual obligations providing security for the payment of the principal of and interest on bonds and other evidences of indebtedness issued on behalf of the taxing unit by another political subdivision and, if the taxing unit is created under Section 52, Article III, or Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, payments on debts that the taxing unit anticipates to incur in the next calendar year;

(B) the amount by which taxes imposed for debt are to be increased because of the taxing unit's anticipated collection rate; and

(C) the total of the amounts listed in Paragraphs (A)-(B), less any amount collected in excess of the previous year's anticipated collections certified as provided in Subsection (b).

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(e-1) The notice requirements imposed by Subsections (e)(1)-(6) do not apply to a school district.

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(e-1) The tax rate certification requirements imposed by Subsection (d-2) and the notice requirements imposed by Subsections (e)(1)-(3) do not apply to a school district.

(e-2) By August 7 or as soon thereafter as practicable, the chief appraiser of each appraisal district shall deliver by regular mail or e-mail to each owner of property located in the appraisal district a notice that the estimated amount of taxes to be imposed on the owner's property by each taxing unit in which the property is located may be found in the property tax database maintained by the appraisal district under Section 26.17. The notice must include:

(1) a statement directing the property owner to an Internet website from which the owner may access information related to the actions taken or proposed to be taken by each taxing unit in which the property is located that may affect the taxes imposed on the owner's property;

(2) a statement that the property owner may request from the county assessor-collector for the county in which the property is located or, if the county assessor-collector does not assess taxes for the county, the person who assesses taxes for the county under Section 6.24(b), contact information for the assessor for each taxing unit in which the property is located, who must provide the information described by this subsection to the owner on request; and

(3) the name, address, and telephone number of the county assessor-collector for the county in which the property is located or, if the county assessor-collector does not assess taxes for the county, the person who assesses taxes for the county under Section 6.24(b).

(e-3) The statement described by Subsection (e-2)(1) must include a heading that is in bold, capital letters in type larger than that used in the other provisions of the notice.

(e-4) The comptroller:

(1) with the advice of the property tax administration advisory board, shall adopt rules prescribing the form of the notice required by Subsection (e-2); and

(2) may adopt rules regarding the format and delivery of the notice.

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(e-5) The governing body of a taxing unit shall include as an appendix to the taxing unit's budget for a fiscal year the tax rate calculation forms used by the designated officer or employee of the taxing unit to calculate the no-new-revenue tax rate and the voter-approval tax rate of the taxing unit for the tax year in which the fiscal year begins.

(f) If as a result of consolidation of taxing units a taxing unit includes territory that was in two or more taxing units in the preceding year, the amount of taxes imposed in each in the preceding year is combined for purposes of calculating the no-new-revenue and voter-approval tax rates under this section.

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(g) A person who owns taxable property is entitled to an injunction prohibiting the taxing unit in which the property is taxable from adopting a tax rate if the assessor or designated officer or employee of the unit, as applicable, has not complied with the computation or publication requirements of this section and the failure to comply was not in good faith.

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(g) A person who owns taxable property is entitled to an injunction prohibiting the taxing unit in which the property is taxable from adopting a tax rate if the assessor or designated officer or employee of the taxing unit, the chief appraiser of the applicable appraisal district, or the taxing unit, as applicable, has not complied with the computation, publication, or posting requirements of this section or Section 26.16, 26.17, or 26.18. It is a defense in an action for an injunction under this subsection that the failure to comply was in good faith.

(h) For purposes of this section, the anticipated collection rate of a taxing unit is the percentage relationship that the total amount of estimated tax collections for the current year bears to the total amount of taxes imposed for the current year. The total amount of estimated tax collections for the current year is the sum of the collector's estimate of:

(1) the total amount of property taxes imposed in the current year that will be collected before July 1 of the following year, including any penalties and interest on those taxes that will be collected during that period; and

(2) the total amount of delinquent property taxes imposed in previous years that will be collected on or after July 1 of the current year and before July 1 of the following year, including any penalties and interest on those taxes that will be collected during that period.

(h-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (h), if the anticipated collection rate of a taxing unit as calculated under that subsection is lower than the lowest actual collection rate of the taxing unit for any of the preceding three years, the anticipated collection rate of the taxing unit for purposes of this section is equal to the lowest actual collection rate of the taxing unit for any of the preceding three years.

(h-2) The anticipated collection rate of a taxing unit for purposes of this section is the rate calculated under Subsection (h) as modified by Subsection (h-1), if applicable, regardless of whether that rate exceeds 100 percent.

(i) This subsection applies to a taxing unit that has agreed by written contract to transfer a distinct department, function, or activity to another taxing unit and discontinues operating that distinct department, function, or activity if the operation of that department, function, or activity in all or a majority of the territory of the taxing unit is continued by another existing taxing unit or by a new taxing unit. The voter-approval tax rate of a taxing unit to which this subsection applies in the first tax year in which a budget is adopted that does not allocate revenue to the discontinued department, function, or activity is calculated as otherwise provided by this section, except that last year's levy used to calculate the no-new-revenue maintenance and operations rate of the taxing unit is reduced by the amount of maintenance and operations tax revenue spent by the taxing unit to operate the department, function, or activity for the 12 months preceding the month in which the calculations required by this chapter are made and in which the taxing unit operated the discontinued department, function, or activity. If the taxing unit did not operate that department, function, or activity for the full 12 months preceding the month in which the calculations required by this chapter are made, the taxing unit shall reduce last year's levy used for calculating the no-new-revenue maintenance and operations rate of the taxing unit by the amount of the revenue spent in the last full fiscal year in which the taxing unit operated the discontinued department, function, or activity.

(j) This subsection applies to a taxing unit that had agreed by written contract to accept the transfer of a distinct department, function, or activity from another taxing unit and operates a distinct department, function, or activity if the operation of a substantially similar department, function, or activity in all or a majority of the territory of the taxing unit has been discontinued by another taxing unit, including a dissolved taxing unit. The voter-approval tax rate of a taxing unit to which this subsection applies in the first tax year after the other taxing unit discontinued the substantially similar department, function, or activity in which a budget is adopted that allocates revenue to the department, function, or activity is calculated as otherwise provided by this section, except that last year's levy used to calculate the no-new-revenue maintenance and operations rate of the taxing unit is increased by the amount of maintenance and operations tax revenue spent by the taxing unit that discontinued operating the substantially similar department, function, or activity to operate that department, function, or activity for the 12 months preceding the month in which the calculations required by this chapter are made and in which the taxing unit operated the discontinued department, function, or activity. If the taxing unit did not operate the discontinued department, function, or activity for the full 12 months preceding the month in which the calculations required by this chapter are made, the taxing unit may increase last year's levy used to calculate the no-new-revenue maintenance and operations rate by an amount not to exceed the amount of property tax revenue spent by the discontinuing taxing unit to operate the discontinued department, function, or activity in the last full fiscal year in which the discontinuing taxing unit operated the department, function, or activity.

Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 2277, ch. 841, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1982. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., 1st C.S., p. 163, ch. 13, Sec. 116, eff. Jan. 1, 1982; Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 2165, ch. 400, Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 1983; Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 5376, ch. 987, Sec. 3, eff. June 19, 1983; Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 5402, ch. 1001, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1984; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 657, Sec. 1, 2, eff. June 14, 1985; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., 1st C.S., ch. 1, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1985; Acts 1986, 69th Leg., 3rd C.S., ch. 10, art. 1, Sec. 36, eff. Jan. 1, 1987; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 699, Sec. 1, eff. June 19, 1987; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 849, Sec. 2, eff. Aug. 31, 1987; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 947, Sec. 3, eff. Jan. 1, 1988; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 988, Sec. 1, eff. June 18, 1987; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 14, Sec. 284 (18), eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., 2nd C.S., ch. 6, Sec. 45, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 81, Sec. 2, eff. May 4, 1993; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 611, Sec. 1, 2, eff. Aug. 30, 1993; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 29.01, 29.03, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1070, Sec. 54, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 398, Sec. 2, eff. Aug. 30, 1999; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1358, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 2000; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1561, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 30, 1999.

Amended by:

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 465 (S.B. 1), Sec. 4, eff. June 15, 2015.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 944 (S.B. 2), Sec. 35, eff. January 1, 2020.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 944 (S.B. 2), Sec. 36, eff. January 1, 2020.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 944 (S.B. 2), Sec. 36, eff. January 1, 2021.