Property taxes have seemed out of control for many Texas homeowners in recent years — especially in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where home values have dramatically increased. Governor Greg Abbott recently made progress on achieving one of his goals: As reported by the Dallas Morning News, the Texas Legislature approved bill that would limit increases in property taxes during a recent special session.

The bill failed when it was first brought up during the regular session. However, Gov. Abbott called for a special session to revisit the issue. According to the Dallas Morning News, the property tax bill was the most important of the 20 items on Abbott’s agenda.

"No government should be able to tax people out of their homes. We must remember: Homeowners are not renting their land from the city," Abbott wrote in a recent Houston Chronicle op-ed.

The bill passed with a vote of 98-43, but it must still pass the House.

Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, was the author of the bill, and he says it is not intended to offer tax relief to property owners. Bonnen said the tax savings from the bill would be minimal. The bill would affect about 20 cities in the state of Texas, including Dallas, where the tax increase exceeded the standard of 6 percent. The average Dallas homeowner would save about $9 per year.

However, although nearly everyone agrees that property taxes take a big chunk out of owners’ pocketbooks, not everyone agrees that this particular bill is the right measure. 

A more conservative representative, Matt Shaheen of Plano, proposed an amendment that would offer a lower rollback rate of 4 percent. Shaheen’s bill would also allow voters to have an earlier say in preventing future tax increases. 

Other local entities have stated that reducing the tax rate would have an adverse effect on funding for crucial public safety services.