Dallas County voters will decide on the Nov. 3 ballot whether to approve a property tax rate increase expected to generate about $100 million a year for local homelessness services.
Dallas County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 on Tuesday to place the measure before voters. The proposal calls for a 2.4-cent increase per $100 of assessed property valuation. According to reports from NBC 5 and KERA News, the hike would add roughly $64 to the annual tax bill on a home valued at $350,000.
If approved, the revenue would support expanded outreach, diversion programs, transitional assistance and housing services coordinated by the nonprofit Housing Forward, which works across Dallas and Collin counties. Housing Forward CEO Sarah Kahn said the funding would help serve more of the approximately 11,000 households that need help exiting homelessness each year, including short-term bridges to stability.
County Judge Clay Jenkins and Commissioners Andy Sommerman and Theresa Daniel supported sending the question to voters. Commissioners Elba Garcia and John Wiley Price opposed it, citing concerns about asking taxpayers for more money amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures. Garcia said she did not feel comfortable making the commitment at this time.
Commissioners also approved the county’s fiscal 2027 budget and a separate tax rate of 22.46 cents per $100 valuation, the first increase since 2010. State law requires the higher rate tied to the homelessness measure to go to voters. If the ballot proposition fails, the rate would revert to the approved voter-approval rate.
Housing Forward has argued that current funding, largely federal, leaves a significant gap and that dedicated local dollars are needed to move beyond managing homelessness toward reducing it. The county would enter a minimum five-year contract with the nonprofit to allocate the funds if the measure passes.
Voters will weigh the proposal alongside other issues on the November ballot.
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