This year, a Park Cities home that closes in November or early December will prorate property taxes from a bill that no homeowner in Dallas County has received yet. Dallas County Tax Assessor John Ames is holding 2026 bills until after the Nov. 3 election. On that ballot, countywide voters decide a homelessness-services tax rate and University Park voters decide the city's Proposition A, according to The Dallas Morning News.

The two measures carry different weight. At the closing table, the city proposition that has drawn the most attention in University Park moves the number less than the county question does. Both outcomes stay unknown until the polls close.

Bills were calculated on Oct. 1 and are still sitting in the tax office

Ames told The Dallas Morning News that 2026 bills would still be calculated on Oct. 1 using the tentative higher rates. Each local government adopted those rates pending voter approval. If any measure fails, taxpayers get an automatic refund in November. "It would be very confusing to the public if I mailed bills before the election," Ames told The News.

Most owners with a mortgage won't feel the delay. In the same article, Ames said mortgage companies typically pay property taxes for escrowed homeowners in December. A sale is different. A title company preparing a fall closing has to put a 2026 tax figure on the settlement statement, and two of the rates behind that figure have no final value until Nov. 3.

What Paragraph 13 does with a number nobody has

The standard Texas resale contract already covers this case. Paragraph 13 of the Texas Real Estate Commission's One to Four Family Residential Contract, form 20-19, went into effect July 1, 2026, and reads:

"Taxes for the current year, interest, rents, and regular periodic maintenance fees, assessments, and dues (including prepaid items) will be prorated through the Closing Date. The tax proration may be calculated taking into consideration any change in exemptions that will affect the current year's taxes. If taxes for the current year vary from the amount prorated at closing, the parties shall adjust the prorations when tax statements for the current year are available. If taxes are not paid at or prior to closing, Buyer shall pay taxes for the current year."

The form provides for a later adjustment if current-year taxes differ from the amount prorated at closing. How that applies to a particular sale is a question for the title company and the parties' own advisors.

This fall, the timing adds a wrinkle. The bills now waiting to be mailed were calculated at the higher tentative rates, and if either measure fails, the final figures will come in below those rates.

Four possible combined rates for a University Park home

A typical University Park home pays five taxing units. Three of them have adopted 2026 rates that are not tied to either Nov. 3 measure. The Dallas County Tax Office's Truth in Taxation table lists the 2026 adopted rates as $0.212000 per $100 of value for the Dallas County Hospital District, also known as Parkland, and $0.106575 for Dallas College. Highland Park ISD adopted $0.812800 on Aug. 18, 2026.

The other two depend on Nov. 3. Dallas County adopted $0.248650 subject to voters. If its measure fails, the rate falls back to $0.224650. University Park's Proposition A would set the city rate at $0.220055. If it fails, the city adopts a fallback rate of $0.210390.

Combined, the 2026 nominal rate for a University Park home falls into one of four results, before any exemptions:

The highest and lowest results are a little more than three cents apart per $100 of value. The bills now waiting to be mailed were calculated at the top row.

The county question moves the number more than the city's

University Park's own estimate puts Proposition A at $193 a year on a median taxable residence of $1,836,884, with annual city tax going from $3,848 to $4,041. In rate terms, the measure is worth about $10.52 per $100,000 of taxable value.

The Dallas County measure is a gap of $0.024 per $100, or $24 per $100,000 of taxable value. That makes it more than twice the size of the city's on each dollar of taxable value. The Commissioners Court voted 3-2 to put it on the ballot. The News reported that the higher rate would be a 15% increase over this year's and would raise $103 million for housing, mental health and public safety efforts related to homelessness. The county rate rises even if the measure fails. The fallback is 4% above this year's rate and is the largest increase the county can adopt without voter approval. The News also reported that the county's tax rate will rise for the first time in 16 years no matter how the vote goes.

The county measure reaches Highland Park as well, because it is on the ballot countywide. The Town of Highland Park's 2026 rate is $0.192042 on the Dallas County Tax Office's Truth in Taxation table, and the town posted its adoption notice on Sept. 4, 2026. A Highland Park closing in November carries the same county uncertainty as a University Park closing.

Why a ballot labeled a tax increase can still leave the rate lower than last year

Proposition A's ballot text begins with the words "THIS IS A TAX INCREASE." The same text notes that University Park's rate last year was $0.218565. At $0.220055, the proposed rate is about two-thirds of one percent above that. If the measure fails, the fallback rate of $0.210390 is nearly 4% below last year's. The Dallas Morning News attributed that drop to how property values and other factors affected the cap calculation.

The label comes from how Texas measures an increase. Under Senate Bill 2, passed in 2019, a city can raise property tax revenue by no more than 3.5% a year without voter approval. The earlier limit was 8%. When values rise, the rate that stays under the cap falls. A rate that barely moves still raises more revenue than the cap allows, and state law then requires an election. Because the cap applies to revenue, the label describes what the city would collect. A rate close to last year's still counts as an increase.

The city's FAQ also points to an effect that lasts beyond this year. If voters approve the measure, it raises the base used to calculate how much University Park's revenue can grow under Senate Bill 2 in later years. The city says it is calling the election now partly because the Governor's priorities for the next legislative session include lowering the 3.5% cap.

State law requires the extra revenue to go before voters as one proposition, so it cannot be split item by item. The city lists what it would fund:

• Four additional police officers, $601,560
• Two additional firefighters, $263,400
• A pension adjustment for fire personnel, $300,286
• Residential parking district technology, $294,230

The parking item breaks down into an enforcement vehicle and equipment for $46,230, two license plate recognition systems for $150,000, and a resident permit portal for $98,000. The city says the plate readers are not part of the Flock camera system. It says they use technology it has used since 2009, they check only whether a vehicle may park in a residential parking district, and plate images are not stored.

Residents can find all of this, along with the city's own FAQ, on University Park's tax rate election page.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will 2026 Dallas County tax bills arrive? Ames has said bills will go out after the countywide rate is decided on Nov. 3, and that any refunds owed will be issued immediately after the election.

Does the higher rate apply to University Park homeowners 65 and older? Yes. If Proposition A passes, the $0.220055 rate applies to all property owners. The city says qualifying homeowners 65 or older receive a $785,000 homestead exemption for 2026, and that amount is subtracted from the home's value before the city rate is applied.

Where and when can University Park residents vote? Early voting runs through Friday, Oct. 30, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The city lists University Park UMC at 4024 Caruth Blvd. as the closest early voting center. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and voters may use any Dallas County vote center. Details are on the Dallas County Elections Department site.

Can I pay my 2026 taxes now? Online payment before the election is possible, but Ames told The News that early online payers may see the tentative higher rates on their accounts.

This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm how these rates and contract terms apply to your property with your title company, tax professional or attorney.

If you have a Park Cities closing on the calendar for November or December, it helps to know before you get to the closing table how the tax figure on your settlement statement was set and how it will be reconciled. Katherine Roberts walks clients through every line of the closing statement, including prorations, and keeps track of each item until the final statements arrive. Request an appointment to review your timeline.