Rising Taxes Pushing Round Rock Families Out
- Local property and school tax increases are prompting some Round Rock residents to consider relocating. - Homeowners report bills rising by hundreds to thousands annually, straining household budgets. - City leaders face pressure to review tax rates and exemptions as families weigh moving to cheaper suburbs (patch.com).
Round Rock homeowners are facing higher tax bills even as one big piece of the school tax rate has come down. City taxes rose for fiscal 2025-26, and residents told Patch the increases are large enough to make some consider leaving. (patch.com) (roundrocktexas.gov) The City of Round Rock adopted a property tax rate of 37.2 cents per $100 of valuation on Sept. 11, 2025. City budget documents say that is 2.4 cents above the no-new-revenue rate, and the owner of a median taxable-value home of $395,240 would pay about $123 a month in city taxes, or $7.88 more per month than under the lower benchmark rate. (roundrocktexas.gov) Round Rock Independent School District’s tax rate is lower than it was two years ago, but school taxes still take a large share of a homeowner’s bill because they apply to a broad tax base. The district lists its 2025 total rate at $0.8931 per $100 of valuation, unchanged from 2024 and down from $0.9190 in 2023. (roundrockisd.org) That gap between tax rate and tax bill is the pressure point for homeowners: when appraised values rise, a lower rate can still produce a bill that feels higher. Community Impact reported that Round Rock Independent School District’s average taxable home value rose from $374,555 in 2023-24 to $383,201 in 2024-25, trimming much of the benefit from the district’s lower rate. (communityimpact.com) Texas has added relief on the school-tax side, but that does not erase city, county and special-district levies. The Texas Comptroller says school districts must provide a $140,000 residence-homestead exemption, while cities and counties can offer their own local-option homestead exemptions up to 20% of appraised value. (comptroller.texas.gov) For older homeowners and some disabled residents, the rules are different. Williamson County says qualifying homeowners can freeze school taxes on a residence homestead through the over-65 or disabled-person exemption, which caps school taxes at the amount due in the year they qualify, though taxes can still fall below that ceiling. (wilcotx.gov) Round Rock’s city increase was tied to spending choices the council made in the 2025-26 budget. The city said the added revenue would fund 17 new public-safety positions and voter-approved bond projects, linking the higher rate to growth and capital costs rather than a one-time spike. (roundrocktexas.gov) Residents who think their bill is too high still have a few levers besides moving. Williamson Central Appraisal District says homeowners can apply for homestead exemptions and file valuation protests through its online services, and Round Rock directs property owners to county tax portals to see how each local agency’s proposed rate affects a specific parcel. (wcad.org) (roundrocktexas.gov) The next test for Round Rock officials is whether voters and homeowners accept higher city taxes as the price of growth. For families already stretching to cover mortgage, insurance and tax bills, Patch reported that some are now comparing Round Rock with cheaper suburbs instead. (patch.com)
