Arlington homeowners may see increase in monthly tax bill
The City of Arlington is proposing a $12.28 increase to the average homeowner’s monthly bill for property taxes and fees beginning Oct. 1.
The increase aims at buffering for state law changes and closing the $20 million shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year.
The Arlington’s proposed $750.7 million budget includes spending cuts and adjustment to fees. The proposed property tax rate of 63.88 cents per $100 of assessed value would mean about a $59 annual increase in property taxes for an average homeowner.
Between water, storm water and garbage fees, Arlington residents will see another increase of $7.38 on their monthly bill, depending on what services they use. In total, the average homeowner would be paying $147.39 more per year in such taxes if they utilize those three city services.
Part of the increase is due to property tax laws changing at the state level, which creates more opportunity for tax exemptions.
The City of Arlington also has to make up for the increase in revenue lost due to property taxes being protested.
If approved, the new tax rate takes effect in October.
Arlington City Manager Trey Yelverton told the city council that although the budget team typically considers five- and 10-year trends when forming the budget, that cannot be the case this year.
“The trends are completely broken because of various systemic modifications that are occurring at multiple levels of government,” Yelverton said on Aug. 5.
An example of that is with the residential tax protest chart.
Since fiscal year 2022, revenue loss from residential tax protests has consistently risen from the usual 0.5%, nearing a projected 4% this year.
He said that although the economy is not as strong, it is “still a very decent economy.” The city is having to make up for resources being evaporated in this year’s budget.
In addition to a tax increase, the city is planning to reduce and restructure areas of the organization that are less of a priority.
The city has eliminated 42 vacant positions already and is restructuring 22 positions, primarily associated with the esports facility. Those 22 positions will potentially be eliminated in the next fiscal year.
Yelverton said he hopes this restructuring will give those employees 14 months of notice rather than the required 30 days.
Arlington residents have an opportunity to speak to the council and city staff about the tax increase through a public hearing on Aug. 21. The first public hearing was held on Aug. 14.
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 7:25 PM.