The bill amends the Education Code and Tax Code to improve the notice requirements for property tax-related information that taxing units and appraisal districts must provide. Key provisions include a mandate for school districts to mail notices of budget and proposed tax rate meetings to each property owner, with an option to publish in local newspapers if no suitable publication is available. Additionally, a new subsection requires the inclusion of specific information regarding population growth and inflation rates in these notices, along with a statement detailing potential property tax revenue based on these factors.

Moreover, the bill outlines the obligations of taxing units to provide comprehensive information in their notices, such as comparisons of proposed budgets with previous years, total appraised and taxable values, and the impact of tax rates on average residences. It also establishes definitions for terms like "adjusted tax collections," "inflation rate," and "population growth rate" to ensure clarity in tax-related communications. The bill modifies notice requirements for public hearings on property tax rates, allowing for publication in local newspapers and requiring notices to be mailed to property owners at least ten days prior to the hearing. These changes will take effect for ad valorem tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, with the overall goal of enhancing transparency and providing clearer information to taxpayers regarding property tax changes.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Education Code 44.004, Education Code 44.0041, Tax Code 26.061, Tax Code 26.062, Tax Code 26.17, Water Code 49.236 (Water Code 49, Tax Code 26, Education Code 44)