Fort Worth Passes $4.35B Budget, 5.26% Tax Rate Hike as Average Bill Falls $8

By Mike Joe

FORT WORTH, Texas. The Fort Worth property tax rate was approved by the Fort Worth City Council on Monday, Sept. 15, 2026, approved a $4.35 billion fiscal year 2026-27 budget and raised the city’s ad valorem tax rate, even as the typical homeowner’s city tax bill is still projected to edge slightly lower because residential appraisals have been stuck.

The full budget passed unanimously. The tax rate passed on a 7-4 vote. Council members Charlie Lauersdorf, Chris Jamieson, Michael D. Crain, and Macy Hill voted no. Lauersdorf and Jamieson represent northeast Fort Worth districts 4 and 10.

The new rate is $0.70565 per $100 of appraised value, a 5.26% increase. For a home valued at the city average of $232,925, the annual city tax bill is projected to fall by $8.19 to $1,643.64. City presentations tied that drop to lower estimated home values under the Tarrant Appraisal District’s reappraisal cycle, not to a cut in the rate itself.

Budget numbers and the $94 million gap

The operating budget for FY 2026-27 is $3.33 billion, up 10.81%, according to a city news release summarized by Community Impact. The fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

City Manager Jesus “Jay” Chapa told council that without the higher tax rate, staff would have needed roughly $34 million more in spending cuts. The city had been staring at about a $94 million shortfall between planned spending and expected revenue, driven in part by weaker-than-hoped tax rolls.

To close the gap, the adopted plan eliminates 114 vacant positions, freezes 31 positions for half the year, and freezes 61 more for the full year. Council also restored some services and positions that had been slated for cuts, including the Alliance PetSmart Charities Adoption Center and pay-for-performance increases in the 4% to 4.5% range scheduled for April 2027. Restoring those items cost about $4.09 million.

Salaries and benefits make up $797.6 million of the roughly $1.1 billion general fund. Mayor Mattie Parker framed the package as a hard sell that still protects core services in a city where appraisal timing muddies the usual “rate up equals bill up” story.

Why appraisals make the math feel upside down

Tarrant Appraisal District has not reappraised residential property since 2024 after a change to its reappraisal plan. Protest activity has also climbed. At an Aug. 11 work session, TAD Chief Appraiser Joe Don Bobbitt told council members about 2,000 appraisal lawsuits were filed this year and that protests could rise another 10% next year. He also said TAD expects about a 15% jump in values when appraisals resume in April 2027.

That timing is why a higher rate can still produce a slightly lower bill for the average Fort Worth homestead this budget year. It is also why next year’s reappraisal could flip the household math again. Parker said publicly that no one on the dais wants to raise taxes for sport, and that explaining stagnant appraisals alongside a rate increase is “complicated and nuanced.”

Lauersdorf said he voted no because District 4 residents he heard from opposed the increase. He also pressed staff on training costs, large contracts, and a jump in the city’s employee health fund, including higher spending tied to GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. Chapa has previously projected a multi-million-dollar shortfall in that health program covering more than 11,000 employees.

Why this matters

Property tax math is how most residents feel city hall. Fort Worth’s vote matters because it pairs a clear rate increase with an average bill that still dips a few dollars, a combination that will confuse anyone who only reads the percentage. The decision also locks in staffing freezes and restored pet-shelter and pay items before Oct. 1, when the new fiscal year starts. Households watching Texas city budgets this month can compare Fort Worth’s path with other recent tax fights, including Harris County’s roughly 7.9% rate increase and San Antonio’s FY2027 property tax debate. Housing costs more broadly remain under pressure from mortgage rates holding near 7%, while other big-city budgets are trimming transit and services, as in Miami-Dade’s budget and bus-cut talks.

How Never Late News reported this

Never Late News reviewed Community Impact’s Sept. 16, 2026 report on the Sept. 15 council meeting, including the unanimous budget vote, the 7-4 tax-rate tally, the $0.70565 rate, the average-home bill figures, the $94 million shortfall context, vacant-position cuts, and comments from Mayor Mattie Parker, Councilmember Lauersdorf, and City Manager Chapa. Primary coverage: Community Impact, Fort Worth budget and tax rate. We did not attend the meeting in person.

Corrections and reader feedback

If you spot an error in the vote tally, rate, average-home bill, or budget totals, email corrections through the Never Late News contact page. We correct factual mistakes promptly and note substantive updates in the article when needed.