Denton County property owners will pay a lower tax rate after the Commissioners Court unanimously approved a $495.1 million budget Tuesday, Sept. 22.

The new rate of $0.183394 per $100 of assessed value is the county's lowest in four decades, down from $0.185938 in the current fiscal year (FY). All five members voted in favor: County Judge Andy Eads, and Commissioners Ryan Williams, Kevin W. Falconer, Bobbie J. Mitchell and Dianne Edmondson, according to the county's adopted budget notice.

For Prosper and Celina homeowners, Denton County's share accounts for about 10 percent of the total property tax bill, according to Commissioner Mitchell.

"We are once again reducing our property tax rate this year, setting the FY 2026-2027 rate at its lowest point in 40 years … since 1986," Precinct 2 Commissioner Falconer said in a county statement.

A lower rate does not mean a smaller bill for every homeowner. A state-required notice shows the new rate will raise maintenance-and-operations taxes by 0.92 percent, adding roughly $1.32 a year on a home valued at $100,000.

Total property tax revenue countywide is projected to rise by about $10.7 million, or 3.24 percent. That increase is driven largely by $12.2 million in taxes on new construction added to the rolls, according to the county's public hearing notice.

The FY 2026-2027 spending plan earmarks $9.3 million for public safety and $5.3 million for judicial and legal operations. It also sets aside $15.6 million in a permanent improvement fund for construction of the Tabor Ranch Fire Station, continued restoration of the Courthouse-on-the-Square and preventive maintenance of county buildings.

The Tabor Ranch station sits within a new development in an unincorporated area of Denton County. The county's fire response system for unincorporated communities won a Best Practices Award from the Texas Association of Counties in August.

Other line items include $1.9 million for technology upgrades and $1.48 million for road-building and repair equipment.

County Judge Eads said the budget's priorities were lowering taxes, supporting growth and retaining staff. Denton County's population has reached roughly 1.1 million, growing by nearly 90 people a day, according to the county's latest projections. The county employs 1.83 workers per 1,000 residents, the second-lowest ratio among Texas' 15 most populous counties.

The budget takes effect Oct. 1.