Denton County commissioners will vote Tuesday, August 4, to certify the 2026 property tax appraisal roll and set the no-new-revenue and voter-approval tax rates, a step that directly affects tax bills for property owners in Prosper, Celina, and across the county.
The same meeting includes nearly $9.5 million in engineering contracts for two road projects in Commissioner Precinct 4, represented by Dianne Edmondson.
The Commissioners Court convenes at 9 a.m. in the Third Floor Courtroom of the Administrative Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Drive, Denton. County Judge Andy Eads presides.
Tax rate certification
Three agenda items address the 2026 tax year: certification of debt taxes collected in excess of the anticipated amount, submission of the appraisal roll from the Tax Assessor/Collector, and approval of the no-new-revenue and voter-approval rates.
Under Texas law, the no-new-revenue rate is the rate that would generate the same revenue as the prior year on existing properties. The voter-approval rate is the highest rate the county can adopt without triggering a ratification election. The specific 2026 figures have not been published; commissioners will set them at the meeting.
For context, the court lowered the county tax rate in September 2025 from 18.79 cents to 18.59 cents per $100 of taxable value for FY 2025-2026. That was the lowest rate since 1986, according to county budget documents. But average home values in Denton County rose about 3.68 percent year over year, according to NT Daily, meaning a lower rate does not always translate to a lower bill.
"We are again decreasing our property tax rate this year, making the FY 2025-2026 tax rate the lowest it has been since 1986, a total of 39 years," Edmondson said in September 2025, when the court adopted that budget.
Road engineering contracts
The bigger-dollar items are two engineering agreements with Westwood Professional Services, formerly Pacheco Koch Consulting Engineers.
Jackson Road (US 380 to Masch Branch Road): A supplemental agreement would add $1,125,450 to an existing contract, raising the total from $2,148,120 to $3,273,570. This is the second supplement to the original deal. Funding comes from countywide unincorporated roadway improvement funds transferred to the Precinct 4 Jackson Road line item.
FM 407 (Bill Cook Road to Florance Road): A new professional services agreement at $6,240,497. Separately, commissioners will vote to terminate an interlocal agreement with the City of Justin for a different FM 407 segment, from Florance Road to the western Justin city limits. That interlocal deal was approved March 17, 2026.
Both corridors are in northern Denton County. The county's population was projected at more than 1,068,000 residents as of September 2025, adding nearly 90 people daily.
Other business
The agenda also includes a public hearing on The Meadows Commercial Replat in Precinct 4, budget transfers totaling $90,000 for facilities utilities, emergency management vehicles, and Sheriff's Office kitchen repairs, and interlocal dispatch agreements covering multiple area agencies.
What's next
Tuesday's tax certification is an early step. The court's next budget milestones are August 18 at 10 a.m. for the recommended budget presentation and public meeting, August 19 for a budget workshop, and September 22 at 10 a.m. for the public hearing on the proposed tax rate and budget adoption.
Residents who want to speak on items not on the agenda can fill out a witness form at apps.dentoncounty.gov/publiccommentform or call (940) 349-2830. Speakers are limited to three minutes. The full agenda is posted at dentoncounty.gov/agenda.
