Local governments across Texas know you’re about to get a big tax cut from the state and they are preparing to take some or all of it from you.

Few have been as brazen about it as the Austin suburb of Kyle (where I live). At a recent council meeting, city officials openly discussed how the increase in the homestead exemption would soften the effect of tax hikes. “According to Leibe, the homestead exemption for Texas school districts is increasing from $40,000 to $100,000. This, theoretically, should help balance the difference if the school taxes rise,” the Hays Free Press reported.

The Pearland school district outside Houston is looking for a nine-cent tax rate increase. This comes after a decade of exploding property tax revenue (up 48%) and out-of-control spending (up 68%), though the student population has grown less than seven percent during that same time.

Cities and districts must have approved budgets before the end of the fiscal year, which means your local governments are meeting right now to figure out how they can run off with your tax cut. We recommend going to Texas.gov/propertytaxes to learn about what your new tax burden will be and whether you still have time to let your officials know how you feel about it.

The good news is not every local government entity is waiting in the bushes to steal your tax cut. There must be something in the water in North Texas. Tarrant County voted for a tax rate below the No New Revenue rate, which holds revenue constant from the previous year, and reduced its budget by $8 billion. The cities of Southlake and Keller are looking to do so, as well.

More importantly, even Dallas is looking to get serious about cutting taxes and reducing spending. Mayor Eric Johnson and Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn have teamed up to push for a major budget overhaul. The mayor requested the Dallas city manager produce a revised city budget with a lower property tax rate by the end of the month.

So cynics (myself included) be damned and hope is not lost! We’ll stay cautiously optimistic the state legislature didn’t do all that work in vain and Texans get every bit of the tax relief they deserve.