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McLennan County holds public hearing on proposed 2025 tax rate; adoption set for Aug. 26
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Summary
McLennan County Commissioners Court opened a public hearing Aug. 19 on the proposed 2025 tax rate, which was revised downward to 0.334805 from a previous proposal of 0.339805; the court scheduled final adoption of the budget and tax rate for Aug. 26 at 9 a.m.
The McLennan County Commissioners Court opened a public hearing on Aug. 19, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. to review the proposed 2025 property tax rate and announced that the court will consider final adoption of the budget and tax rate at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 26, in the county commissioners courtroom.
Court officials told the hearing the recommended tax rate for adoption will be 0.334805 per $100 of property value, down from an earlier proposed rate of 0.339805. The court said the rate is made up of a 0.028849 rate for interest and sinking and a 0.310956 rate for maintenance and operations; the recommended figure is one-half cent lower than the earlier proposal.
A resident who identified himself as Dennis DeGraff of Speegleville, an unincorporated area of McLennan County, spoke during public comment and focused on county revenue sources. "My primary concerns are with revenue and where the revenue is coming from," DeGraff said, asking how hotel and rental-car taxes used to finance fairgrounds work and whether surplus revenue from the venue flows back to county general fund coffers. A county staff member responded that the fair venue is operated under a separate venue budget and that those revenues are used to service the debt that built the facility; the court added that the Heart of Texas Fair operates the venue as a nonprofit and that its financial results are reported separately from the county's adopted general fund budget.
DeGraff also asked about tax abatements and tax increment financing arrangements and whether revenue returns to county coffers after abatement periods end. Court staff explained that incentive agreements typically include time limits and that, when abatements or other incentive periods expire, property is taxed at the full amount. The resident raised a specific concern about Sandy Creek Services and its valuation history, and the court noted that third-party appraisers and the Appraisal Review Board process affect assessed values and that state law governs appeals and related fees.
Court staff pointed listeners to the county auditor's website for the annual comprehensive financial report and monthly financial reports, which include venue revenues and other fund details. The public hearing record closed on Aug. 19, and commissioners announced the final budget and tax-rate adoption vote will occur at the Aug. 26 meeting.
The hearing produced no vote on the tax rate at the Aug. 19 session; the court closed the hearing and scheduled the formal adoption for Aug. 26.
