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Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector Albert Uresti said Thursday property tax bills are being sent out this month under the assumption that property tax relief will be approved by Texas voters on Nov. 7.
"Over 95% of all the property tax statement bills for Bexar County have already been mailed out," Uresti told Texas Public Radio. "The amounts on your bills are assuming passage of the property tax changes by voters," he said.
Even though Texans still have to vote on constitutional amendments that include property tax relief next month, Uresti said it's important for those property tax bills to go out in a timely manner.
"Because we have the only ten-month payment plan in Texas for senior citizens, disabled citizens, disabled veterans, it was critical that we send out our statements in October to give these groups an opportunity to enroll in time," he said.
Proposition 4 boosts the homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000. Uresti said those savings would be significant for school property taxpayers across the county.
For example, the owner of a median-priced $341,000 home in the Northside Independent School District, the largest in the county, could see savings of more than $2,000.
He said most taxpayers should see school property tax relief of at least $1,000. The state is also forcing property taxes down by boosting direct funding to school districts by billions of dollars, which Uresti said the districts must use to bring about relief.
To take advantage of the property tax savings, county residents need to claim the homestead property tax exemptions they are entitled to. Residents can go to bcad.org to check the status of their homestead exemptions. Uresti said once a resident claims one exemption, any others they are entitled to are automatically applied.
