Sec. 26.052. SIMPLIFIED TAX RATE NOTICE FOR TAXING UNITS WITH LOW TAX LEVIES. (a) This section applies only to a taxing unit for which the total tax rate proposed for the current tax year:

(1) is 50 cents or less per $100 of taxable value; and

(2) would impose taxes of $500,000 or less when applied to the current total value for the taxing unit.

(b) A taxing unit to which this section applies is exempt from the notice and publication requirements of Section 26.04(e) and is not subject to an injunction under Section 26.04(g) for failure to comply with those requirements.

(c) A taxing unit to which this section applies may provide public notice of its proposed tax rate in either of the following methods not later than the seventh day before the date on which the tax rate is adopted:

(1) mailing a notice of the proposed tax rate to each owner of taxable property in the taxing unit; or

(2) publishing notice of the proposed tax rate in the legal notices section of a newspaper having general circulation in the taxing unit.

(d) A taxing unit that provides public notice of a proposed tax rate under Subsection (c) is exempt from Sections 26.05(d) and 26.06 and is not subject to an injunction under Section 26.05(e) for failure to comply with Section 26.05(d). A taxing unit that provides public notice of a proposed tax rate under Subsection (c) may not adopt a tax rate that exceeds the rate set out in the notice unless the taxing unit provides additional public notice under Subsection (c) of the higher rate or complies with Sections 26.05(d) and 26.06, as applicable, in adopting the higher rate.

(e) Public notice provided under Subsection (c) must specify:

(1) the tax rate that the governing body proposes to adopt;

(2) the date, time, and location of the meeting of the governing body of the taxing unit at which the governing body will consider adopting the proposed tax rate; and

(3) if the proposed tax rate for the taxing unit exceeds the taxing unit's no-new-revenue tax rate calculated as provided by Section 26.04, a statement substantially identical to the following: "The proposed tax rate would increase total taxes in (name of taxing unit) by (percentage by which the proposed tax rate exceeds the no-new-revenue tax rate)."

(f) A taxing unit to which this section applies that elects to provide public notice of its proposed tax rate under Subsection (c)(2) must also provide public notice of its proposed tax rate by posting notice of the proposed tax rate, including the information prescribed by Subsection (e), prominently on the home page of the Internet website of the taxing unit.

Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 255, Sec. 1, eff. May 28, 1999.

Amended by:

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 944 (S.B. 2), Sec. 47, eff. January 1, 2020.