[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6146445,"mediaKeyId","5527286-480f8f76e2284bf5a22e03b2ce99bf2e","parentId",5527286,"title","Kerr County judge files second-edition proposed budget; wage increase options tied to FEMA numbers","audioSeconds",2012,"startMs",1703000,"endMs",3715000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5527286-480f8f76e2284bf5a22e03b2ce99bf2e&start=1703&end=3715","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5527286-480f8f76e2284bf5a22e03b2ce99bf2e/thumbnail_1703000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6146445/Kerr-County/Texas/Kerr-County-judge-files-second-edition-proposed-budget-wage-increase-options-tied-to-FEMA-numbers","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6146445-52fe9b4d937d59f0c4e1b86cdf7a0a6e/orig.mp4?Expires=1774950961&Signature=bi-kReXoPJ1vi3nrzcNAhQfc2yYB3CNhSAMmMpRc9BuUb9mnloqQ~1pxO2QTGn7e8L9wJoonCCByksf-fP1MbMKFicOsGTdS217IRrQGmWt2ByJSWrt4s-z9c3qChtRaT1DAVfgT~F5JgVM3iS1POhr~nTRVvpnf6dSWj5N~~psv44gOf8sRa0rISMYnq5PSaPBDdcmowmoZFMd1H7pUBmkn~Uyds4jTtYQubEhYoYZ7pd-zubki~feRqJad0QbAqTkiFIYMcslbovYAu8zjyfh2xQ~MLsv2hIlK3F9E-gaWjcRkIoFZ4c2Xcm2iVaON2Tw-KHikCZbsGj4Q~VSI0Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kerr County, Texas","date","2025-08-04T12:42:23Z","article","Kerr County's County Judge presented a second-edition proposed budget Monday, saying he would file the document on Aug. 8 and continue budget work at a scheduled workshop on Aug. 13 and a public hearing and vote on Aug. 25.

The judge said the second edition \"is what I proposed to file on Friday as a proposed budget.\" He emphasized that the version he circulated kept the county tax rate the same as last year and included disaster-related estimates.

Why this matters: the proposed budget includes a $10,000,000 placeholder for FEMA-related capital projects and repairs; the judge said estimates of damaged county roads already \"exceed 7 and a half to $8,000,000\" and that the $10,000,000 amount could be reduced after FEMA determinations. He said including the $10,000,000 placeholder, the county's projected expenditures were about $71,000,000 and would create roughly a $12,500,000 deficit under that scenario, reducing the fund balance toward about 20% from roughly 32%.

Budget details discussed at the meeting included a $2,000,000 estimate for uncollectible property taxes, another $2,000,000 to cover a 25% local match on an assumed $10,000,000 of FEMA capital projects, and a $500,000 insurance estimate. The judge said commissioners had identified about $1,400,000 of road-and-bridge capital projects to defer; Road and Bridge equipment financing of roughly $2,300,000 was included to spread payments over time.

On staffing and wages: the judge said his proposed budget included multiple requested positions and pay adjustments but had not included certain sheriff requests he opposed earlier. He said the proposed budget \"included requested new hires\" such as an adoption/shelter coordinator, kennel technician, court administrator increase, payroll specialist, and other positions previously discussed. For pay adjustments, the proposed-filed budget contained a 2.5% wage adjustment. HR Director Sylvia Zapata presented alternate scenarios, including a 2% option, and commissioners discussed 2.5%, 2% and smaller adjustments such as 1.5% as fallback calculations.

The judge and staff repeatedly said additional FEMA information could materially change the budget math. Commissioner Jones (liaison to Road & Bridge) told the court that a FEMA meeting later in the day would refine the county's obligations and could reduce the $10,000,000 placeholder by an estimated $6,000,000. The judge instructed staff to prepare more detailed breakdowns of the FEMA estimate so commissioners could identify additional savings.

Process and next steps: the judge said the second-edition document would be filed on Friday to meet statutory publication deadlines, but that the court could revise the budget after that filing if needed. He scheduled a workshop on Aug. 13 for final tweaks and set a public hearing and vote for Aug. 25. The court recessed to reconvene the following morning to continue wage-adjustment discussion; if necessary, a special session could be posted for Friday morning.

Ending: No final vote on the wage adjustment occurred on Aug. 4. The county judge filed the second-edition proposed budget as the default filing if the court did not reach agreement before the statutory deadline.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Kerr County Commissioners' Court Agenda, August 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At a special Aug. 4 meeting, the County Judge outlined a second-edition proposed FY2025'926 budget to be filed by Aug. 8 that holds the tax rate at last year's level while accounting for disaster costs. Commissioners discussed wage-adjustment options (2.5%, 2%, 1.5%) and deferred road projects pending FEMA updates.","taxTitle","taxId",54243,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6146450,"Kerr County assessor outlines 2025 tax-rate formulas; residents urge cuts after disaster",1268,321000,1589000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5527286-480f8f76e2284bf5a22e03b2ce99bf2e&start=321&end=1589","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5527286-480f8f76e2284bf5a22e03b2ce99bf2e/thumbnail_321000.jpg","/articles/6146450/Kerr-County/Texas/Kerr-County-assessor-outlines-2025-tax-rate-formulas-residents-urge-cuts-after-disaster","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6146450-7e13544e3f1c6a3aa11a7e52b3d56e95/orig.mp4?Expires=1774950961&Signature=BxFX-P0wgSwSEA-~MEEOD69qzUK971sQk7QPmJTZQErcvi0qgDxH2TR-DFXSM~WMwNU2904JW4R4eN0-cnEgTPf-BiGw2HweBEyI4Bui41MrOSkFB9fdsB~x~mPLpEnJyLs0IQwOeFt3KI7sTp3It5AcSYlQWWUgzoOr-vdP4BgcGKBDFQ4oi0AmE9tLQN1cmc1nPgu4Zdzjiw-MSS1Saqn3i-gE9mfv4R8FQQD0v09B14AqoqnlMPDlbr2Ae6YX4rtlu7uYD-yuaWaUyEvRO9HAiD6eBBJ8--c5g2rjqyiYEYpijMP5wKiJHK4tm2HlMsNwyX2DxA7ldDLgodcF~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kerr County Court met in a special session Monday, Aug. 4, and heard a presentation from Tax Assessor-Collector Bob Reeves on the 2025 property-tax calculations used to produce the county's no-new-revenue and voter-approval benchmark rates.

Reeves told the court, \"The no new revenue rate, as I said, I'm 99.9% certain, is 0.4024.\" He explained the \"no new revenue\" figure compares the same properties across two years and adjusts for market appreciation and changes such as newly granted agricultural valuation. On possible ceilings, Reeves gave the voter-approval rate as \"0.4867 per $100\" if the court uses the 3.5% factor, and 0.4601 under an emergency calculation.

The technical definitions mattered to residents at the meeting. Terry Hall of Liberty in Action said elected officials should lower tax rates rather than consider an 8% disaster rate, telling the court, \"We really we really need you to lower the rates.\" Another commenter, Jacob Wellness of Jeffrey Scott Road, urged the court to consider business impacts: \"whatever y'all end on, remember, if you raise rates on business, it means the price of it literally everything we buy locally goes up.\"

Why this matters: Reeves said the county's no-new-revenue calculation affects only county taxes, not independent taxing entities such as school districts or municipalities. He noted that some exemptions and freezes apply countywide (for example, certain homestead freezes for residents over 65), but other entities'rates remain separate.

Reeves provided numerical examples to show effects on taxpayers. He said the no-new-revenue scenario would raise the average homeowner's county tax by about $74, calculated on an average home value he placed at roughly $303,160. He added that \"for every 1¢ that you adopt a rate above the no new revenue rate, it's about a $39 increase in your taxes.\" Reeves also noted a roughly \"nickel\" of banked increments (foregone revenue from prior years) that the county may use under state law; he warned that some of those banked increments will roll off next year and could reduce available margin in future cycles.

Public commenters pressed the court over timing and perceived fairness in a disaster year. Hall said judges in other counties had expressed reluctance to impose large disaster surcharges and asked Kerr County to adopt that approach. The County Judge responded that the court had not decided to adopt an emergency 8% increase and that Reeves was asked to prepare numbers for full information.

What happened next: Item 1.1 closed after audience comment and follow-up questions; the court moved on to other agenda items. Reeves said he intended to proofread and then file the calculations with the court. No tax-rate ordinance or final vote on a tax rate occurred at the meeting.

Ending: The court kept the tax discussion in a fact-finding phase and did not adopt a final tax rate on Aug. 4. Commissioners and staff said they would return with more calculations at upcoming budget workshops and hearings.","At a special Kerr County Court meeting Aug. 4, Tax Assessor-Collector Bob Reeves explained the county's 2025 property-tax calculations and presented no-new-revenue and voter-approval benchmark rates. Residents urged the court to lower rates and reject an earlier-discussed emergency 8% increase.","actionData","errors"]

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Kerr County judge files second-edition proposed budget; wage increase options tied to FEMA numbers

Kerr County assessor outlines 2025 tax-rate formulas; residents urge cuts after disaster