Grapevine-Colleyville ISD trustees on Sept. 29 adopted a 2025 property tax rate and authorized district staff to solicit voluntary donations tied to the tax‑rate reduction that the board said would return money to taxpayers while giving residents a way to donate savings back to the district’s operating fund.

The board approved a combined tax rate of 0.8686 per $100 of assessed value; the motion language used the state’s “no‑new‑revenue” calculation and described the rate adoption as “effectively a 0.72% increase” in the measure used for the required legal notice. Trustee AJ moved the motion; Trustee Kathy seconded. The board voted 7–0 to adopt the rate.

Nut graf: District officials said the legal language required by state law can make the technical change sound like a tax increase even while the district is lowering certain elements of its rate and returning money on the debt-service side to taxpayers. The board also authorized a district donation program to accept voluntary contributions that would be placed into the district’s maintenance-and-operations (general) fund; those donations are not subject to school‑finance recapture.

What trustees said and what it means: David Johnson, the district’s chief financial officer, explained the complicated components of school tax effort: a state‑prescribed “tier 1” figure controlled by formula and a local “tier 2” (enrichment or “golden pennies”) that the board can propose. Johnson said the board’s recent voter‑approved tax ratification (VATR) increases for tier 2 remain intact, but the state‑mandated tier‑1 adjustments can make the legal notice and no‑new‑revenue language confusing.

Johnson requested board authorization to provide a QR‑linked insert with tax bills that allows taxpayers to donate the portion of their bill that resulted from the debt‑service reduction. Asked whether such donations would be subject to recapture, Johnson said, “No. They are not subject to recapture and they would go into the general operating fund.” (The request and authorization are intended to allow donations to be accepted without further board action when an online vendor and page are in place.)

Communications and rollout: District communications staff said the donation link and explanatory materials will be included with the tax bills sent to roughly 51,000 accounts and on the district’s website; staff also proposed an FAQ and a live web page to answer questions on how the rate works, what each tax component funds and how donations are used. Trustees suggested promotional ideas such as public recognition and matching campaigns by local businesses; staff said they would coordinate the landing page, receipts and vendor processing details.

Ending: The tax rate adoption and the donation authorization concluded without dissent. Trustees said they will continue outreach to explain the rate structure and the voluntary donation option to taxpayers.