A property tax increase may be on the way for Sugar Land residents.
No final decision has been made. However, the Sugar Land City Council passed a resolution earlier in July asking the County's Assessor-Collector to calculate the city's voter approval tax rate at 8 percent instead of the new 3.5 percent threshold. Vance Ginn, chief economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, says in September, the city council could increase property taxes, which has some nervous.
“Families are struggling, dealing with the COVID-19 situation, whether or not schools are going to open, dealing with whether or not their job is going to be around, and really what they need is some peace of mind,” Ginn said.
Sugar Land officials say there will be a series of public workshops held by City Council prior to approving the budget in September. This will include opportunities for public input. Sugar Land has the second lowest tax rate in Texas for cities their size.
Ginn says as many local and state leaders consider their fiscal budgets, they should consider lowering, not increasing the tax rate. You can read more from the TPPF about the need for local, state, and the federal government to lower taxes here.