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Council briefs on certified appraisal rolls: $8.1M net taxable value drop could increase tax rates
Summary
City staff reported an $8.1 million drop in net taxable value for 2026 that staff said will translate to roughly a $328,000 general‑fund shortfall under current maintenance & operations rates; the council scheduled further budget work and hearings in early August to refine cuts and tax-rate options.
City staff told the White House City Council that certified appraisal rolls received this week show a net taxable value decline of about $8.1 million — from $748 million to $740 million — a change staff described as unusual and driven largely by reductions in business personal property and new state exemptions for business personal property under House Bill 9.
"We saw a reduction of $8,000,000 in net taxable value," staff said. The finance/budget presentation explained that while real residential values rose by roughly $41 million, those gains were offset by a roughly $29–40 million drop in business personal property values and $10 million in new BPP exemptions tied to state law changes. Staff estimated that the net effect is about a $328,000 general-fund impact at the current M&O rate.
Council discussed timing for budget decisions and asked staff to prioritize staffing and essential services while proposing cuts to balance the budget. Staff said it will prepare revised scenarios and present options at the Aug. 7 budget workshop and the Aug. 10 public hearing; the council could delay adoption into September if needed because staff expects tax-rate calculations from the tax assessor-collector by the end of the week.
Council members pressed staff for additional detail on the large business‑personal‑property swing and asked staff to obtain clarifications from the appraisal district. Staff said it has already asked for more information and will follow up; council members also asked for example homeowner impacts under different rate scenarios and for per-household estimates at proposed tax rates.
