Abbott pitches affordability proposals in Sherman as Gainesville tax rate rises

Gov. Greg Abbott presented proposals aimed at lowering Texans’ tax, insurance and health care expenses during a Sept. 24, 2026, visit to MG’s Burger Restaurant in Sherman, according to his campaign. The visit comes as Gainesville’s published tax history records two successive increases in its municipal property-tax rate.

The campaign’s account places state Rep. Shelley Luther at the gathering with residents and local leaders. According to that account, Abbott wants households to retain more income after expenses and Texas to rank first nationally for affordability.

The campaign’s property-tax plan calls for a constitutional amendment through which voters could eliminate homeowners’ school-district property taxes. It also proposes requiring two-thirds voter approval for local property-tax increases and tightening the annual limit on homestead appraisal growth while extending that limit to all properties.

Under the same proposal, local spending growth would face a ceiling, and voter petitions could trigger rollback elections. Appraisals would occur less frequently than the minimum schedule described in the Texas comptroller’s explanation of existing law.

The municipal rates in Gainesville’s records cover city taxes alone. They exclude school taxes and levies from other taxing entities, so the increases do not describe the change in a homeowner’s combined bill.

State records also document rising insurance expenses. The Texas Department of Insurance reports that average annual homeowners premiums increased between 2020 and 2025, alongside an increase in the average amount of insured home coverage.

| Measure and source | Recorded figures or proposed change |

| --- | --- |

| Gainesville city tax history, per $100 of taxable value | 2024–25: $0.5357; 2025–26: $0.573779; 2026–27: $0.607207 |

| State insurance data: average annual homeowners premium | 2020: $1,987; 2025: $3,489 |

| State insurance data: average insured home coverage | 2020: $294,900; 2025: $432,800 |

| Campaign proposal: annual appraisal-growth cap | Reduce the homestead cap from 10% to 3% and extend it to all properties |

In its insurance announcement, Abbott’s campaign proposed a roof-strengthening program and changes to state law providing lower auto premiums for safe drivers. Its health insurance proposal would allow an employer coverage option exempt from certain state benefit mandates. The campaign’s savings estimates are projections, not measured results.

The tax proposals follow an earlier expansion of homeowner relief. The Texas Legislative Reference Library records voters’ approval of a larger school-district homestead exemption in November 2025.

For that expansion, the Legislative Budget Board’s fiscal note estimated a roughly $2.7 billion negative impact on general-revenue-related funds through August 2027. The analysis also identified potentially significant additional costs to replace school-debt revenue but said those costs could not be quantified.