Henderson County adopts 2026 budget, sets 2025 tax rate that raises county portion slightly

Henderson County officials adopted the county's 2026 budget and set a cumulative 2025 tax rate of 0.331493 during a Commissioner's Court meeting, voting unanimously to finalize both on a motion to adopt a categorical budget and to set the rate. The action followed a public hearing on the proposed tax rate and a separate public hearing on the proposed 2026 budget; no members of the public spoke at either hearing. County Judge said the budget before the court "is the culmination of work of all the departments," and thanked Lynn McCauley of the audit office for leading the annual process. The court voted to set the cumulative tax rate at 0.331493 with a breakout of 0.274289 for the general fund, 0.017228 for road and bridge, and 0.039976 for farm-to-market and flood control. The judge explained that, for a median homestead valued at $197,963, the county portion of property tax would be approximately $641.73 for the current fiscal year and about $656.23 under the proposed 2026 budget (the judge also quoted a $625.24 figure under the no-new-revenue rate presented earlier in the hearing). Court members emphasized the budget's personnel and operational priorities: a 3% employee pay increase was built into the 2026 plan and the county's insurance increase was about 1%. The court also approved beginning the budgeted salary increases on Dec. 28, 2025. Commissioners framed the vote as preserving county services while keeping the county debt free; one commissioner noted neighboring counties carried higher rates and contrasted that with Henderson County's status as debt free. The categorical adoption allows department-level adjustments within categories without returning to court, while any changes outside those categories must come back to Commissioner's Court. The court recorded unanimous votes on both the budget adoption and rate-setting motions. Less critical details included references during discussion to a planned property purchase in "Gunborough City" for an annex and repeated reminders that the county sets only its portion of local property tax (other levies on a tax bill—schools, special districts, etc.—are collected separately).