Council raises homestead exemption by 2%

The Mansfield City Council aims to assist residents with the impact of property taxes by raising the homestead exemption.

The City Council approved increasing the existing homestead exemption by 2 percent Monday night, bringing the total to 12 percent. A homestead exemption allows homeowners to save on property taxes by allowing them to exclude a portion of their home’s value from assessment.

“With rising costs, many Mansfield residents are re-examining their budgets and looking for any sort of fiscal help,” Mansfield Mayor Michael Evans said. “Increasing the homestead exemption is one way we can offer a bit of relief for our homeowners.”

Mansfield originally implemented a 10 percent homestead exemption in 2020. With a 12 percent homestead exemption, Mansfield residents will pay taxes on only 88 percent of the value of their primary residence as assessed by the Tarrant County, Johnson County or Ellis County appraisal districts.

Residents whose property is already homesteaded will see the increase automatically provided. The homestead increase does not affect properties that already receive the over-65 tax ceiling or other freeze exemptions.

About 75 percent of homestead eligible residential properties in Mansfield have already filed homestead exemption paperwork. The other 25 percent are either ineligible due to rental status or have not yet filed.

To file a homestead exemption, homeowners need to apply with the appraisal district of the county they reside.

In addition to increasing the homestead exemption, the City Council and city leadership have looked at other ways to decrease the burden on taxpayers including reducing the tax rate.

“Over the past two years we have been able to decrease the tax rate from 71 cents per $100 of valuation to $0.69 and implement a 12% homestead exemption," City Manager Joe Smolinski said. "Strong fiscal policies and a commitment to strategic growth have allowed us to accomplish this and we will continue to work toward providing additional tax relief in the years to come."

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