Willow Park adopts 0.421646 tax rate; residents urge broader homestead exemption

The Willow Park City Council voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance setting an ad valorem tax rate not to exceed 0.421646 per $100 valuation for tax year 2025, including a debt levy of 0.225893 and a maintenance and operations levy of 0.195753, consistent with the FY 2025–2026 municipal budget.

The public hearing on the proposed rate drew several residents who urged the council to consider a larger homestead exemption. "I do believe that the city can and should at some point adopt the... the 140,000 homestead exemption and apply it to this taxing identity," said Michelle Crawl Duffy, who gave her address on the record and said she pays more than $7,500 in property taxes and lives on less than $40,000 a year. She told the council the exemption would “relieve me of hundreds of dollars of taxes.”

Bill Green sought clarification on current exemptions and was told the city has a $10,000 exemption for residents aged 65 and older. Green said the city should balance growth and the need to support longtime residents: "We need the taxes from that, but the tax bases need to be set up to where the money is used the best way, not just for what we're going to do with trying to bring in business, but to help support the people that are already here." A speaker identified as Jean warned that a much larger exemption could shift the tax burden to businesses and rental properties if total revenue is held constant.

The motion to adopt the ordinance was moved and seconded during the meeting; a roll-call vote recorded affirmative votes from the council members listed on the record and the ordinance passed. The transcript does not identify the individual who made the motion or who seconded it by name. The council chair closed the public hearing at 6:12 p.m. and later called for a roll call; each listed member answered "I," and the motion carried.

Clarifying details in the record include the proposed rate figures (0.421646 per $100 valuation; debt levy 0.225893; maintenance and operations 0.195753), the public mention of a proposed $140,000 homestead exemption (advocated by a resident), and the staff note that an exemption of $10,000 exists for residents 65 and older. The public record on the night showed differing views: residents pressed for relief for homeowners, while other speakers raised distributional and technical concerns about shifting the tax burden.

Next steps: the ordinance was adopted on its stated terms at the Sept. 24 meeting and will be reflected in the FY 2025–2026 budget and tax roll processes.