Collin County homeowners, including those in Allen, will pay about $63 more a year in county taxes after the Commissioners Court approved its first property tax rate increase in more than three decades.

Commissioners voted 4-1 on Sept. 14 to set a combined rate of $0.151414 per $100 of assessed value for fiscal year 2027. That is up 1.39% from the current $0.149343, as first reported by Wylie News. For a median-value homestead of $517,911, the increase translates to $62.88 more per year, raising the estimated county tax bill from $682.10 to $744.98.

County Judge Chris Hill cast the lone "no" vote on both the tax rate and the $633.8 million budget.

"After 33 years of not raising the tax rate, this will be the first year to actually raise the tax rate," Hill said at the Sept. 14 meeting.

Before the vote, Hill made two failed motions. The first asked each department to cut its budget by 2.76% to avoid a rate increase. The second proposed lowering the county's employee compensation target from the 75th percentile of comparison counties to the 50th percentile.

Both failed.

Commissioner Susan Fletcher, Precinct 1, pushed back on the cuts. She questioned how departments could absorb further reductions after previous rounds of trimming, Community Impact reported.

Commissioner Darrell Hale, Precinct 3, said he supported the budget to keep pace with growth. He said the county owes residents excellent services and needs to hire staff to maintain that standard.

The budget adds 76.5 full-time positions, bringing the county's workforce to 2,247. New hires include six deputy sheriff patrol officers, a deputy assigned to the GHOST unit, a narcotics sergeant and two felony prosecutors in the District Attorney's Office.

Not every homeowner will see a higher bill. Director of Budget Mónika Arris said individual tax changes depend on each property's value. The county's average home value fell from $603,190 in 2025 to $588,119 in 2026, and at that average value, estimated county taxes would actually drop $9.81 under the new rate.

Overall revenue in the budget is projected to rise 8.1% from the current fiscal year, while expenditures of $619.5 million represent a 3.4% increase. Property taxes account for $410.9 million of total revenue.

The new rate still falls below the voter-approval rate of $0.152822 per $100.

Collin County voters face another fiscal decision on Nov. 3, when an $817.5 million bond election goes before them. The four propositions cover court and detention facilities, road improvements, parks and elections infrastructure. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 5.