‘How can I afford to stay here?’ West Dallas residents face soaring property taxes

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West Dallas homeowners are asking: How can I afford to keep living here?

Or if I can’t, how can I sell my home at a price that will take care of me and my family, rather than just line the pockets of developers hoping to prosper at my expense?

We at Dallas Free Press are exploring these questions and potential solutions. One of our editorial priorities this year is property tax relief because we know how important it is to our neighbors. It’s a topic we’ve covered for years, as we’ve watched West Dallas property values and the corresponding taxes rise exponentially.

West Dallas leaders reached out to property tax consulting firm Toler Company five years ago, asking for help. They often work alongside Wesley Rankin Community Center in the Los Altos neighborhood.

What they’ve learned, says Toby Toler, is that alleviating neighbors’ property taxes is not just about homestead exemption seminars or title workshops. The complexity of individual situations requires more than just “patting them on the head and saying good luck,” he says.

“We don’t do it that way,” Toler says. “We follow it all the way to successful conclusion.”

He recently met a 41-year-old woman in Los Altos who has “massive issues in every part of her life, including taxes. Disease has ravaged her body. Frequent dialysis. Only income is social security.” 

“Tax bill is now about $3,500, and no way can she pay,” he says.

He’s working to pull together benefits that will “take her tax bill to near zero” and “alleviate her property tax anxiety to protect her time left on earth.”

It’s a need across the neighborhood, as average property tax bills in Dallas rose 63.8% last year — the highest increase of any major U.S. city — and West Dallas sits directly in the path of development. 

Tomorrow, Vecinos Unidos hosts a property tax workshop so that neighbors can learn about tools and rights directly from Dallas Central Appraisal District staff, which appraises every parcel in Dallas and Dallas County. Additionally, West Dallas’-based Builders of Hope is working with the City to develop an anti-displacement toolkit.

For our part, we commit to keep listening, exploring solutions, and sharing resources and success stories. Read our piece on four ways to put your property taxes on a payment plan, and reach out if you are looking for property tax relief or want to share your story.