The Fort Worth City Council is considering changes to its property tax exemption for seniors and persons with disabilities.

The specifics are not known, but if passed this would be the first change to the exemption in nearly 30 years.

Any changes have to be passed before July 1 in order to be applied to residents’ 2024 tax bill, according to a city press release.

Representatives for the city couldn’t offer any more specifics than the council meeting agenda item and the press release.

Right now, persons with disabilities and those aged 65 and older get $40,000 knocked off the appraised value of their homes for taxing purposes. That’s in addition to the 20% reduction for those with homestead exemptions.

The idea for a change to the 65 plus and disabled property tax exemptions was presented to the City Council May 16. Fort Worth is above the county average of $29,204 when it comes to exemptions for persons with disabilities, but slightly under the average of $40,895 when it comes to exemptions for those 65 and older, according to a city council presentation.

The council was presented with an option to raise the 65 and older exemption from $40,000 to $45,000.

The average savings would be $36, according to the presentation. This would also mean $1.6 million less revenue coming to the city in the form of property taxes.

Tarrant County’s commissioners court recently approved a 10% property tax break for residents with a homestead exemption, along with a 10% break on taxes collected by the county hospital district.

Those changes are expected to shave $67 off the county and hospital district tax bill for residents with a home appraised at $300,000.

A resident with a home appraised at $300,000 will save around $67 on their tax bill with a 10% exemption. They will save an additional $67 with a 10% exemption in the hospital district.

The council will vote on the possible change at its 10 a.m. meeting on June 27.

This story was originally published June 23, 2023, 12:31 PM.