
The deadline to sign up to receive a 2025 property tax statement via electronic mail (email) is September 15th. Visit the GCTO website at www.galcotax.com and click the large red button to search for your account(s). At the account homepage, scroll to the bottom and click on Register to Receive Electronic Tax Statements. This feature is especially beneficial for anyone who recently purchased a property or refinanced. Many lenders request tax statements over the summer so property owners who either paid off a loan, refinanced or new homeowners may not receive a tax statement without taking advantage of this option.
This feature is especially important because failure to receive a statement is not a reason to be forgiven the penalty and interest attached to all accounts February 1 (this year February 2, 2026). Add to that benefit the fact that electronic statements save about fifty cents in postage and printing costs. Those cents add up to common sense government!
Truth in Taxation Notices Released
Truth-in-taxation is embodied in the Texas Constitution and requires local governments to make property owners aware of tax rate proposals and provide an opportunity to attend public hearings and voice their opinion about government spending. The process includes governments creating a budget, obtaining approval then proposal and adoption of a tax rate necessary to generate the revenue to fund the budget. Different governments have different notice and advertising requirements. School districts are limited to a two and one-half (2.5%) increase in revenue each year with an automatic election trigger. Most other governments are limited to three (3%) percent with automatic elections if exceeding this and community colleges, navigation districts, most water and drainage districts 8%, typically with petitions required to rollback proposed rates to a lower level.
The Legislative requires counties and the Texas Comptroller to publish rate calculations and notices of public hearings online as well as a five-year summary of all government rates after adoption. If you want to voice your opinion to the official government contact or elected officials, visit Texas.gov/PropertyTaxes. Speak up now!
Cheryl E. Johnson, PCC, CTOP, Galveston County Tax Assessor Collector