Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget And Tax Rate topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
McLennan County court sets proposed FY2026 tax rate at $0.339805, schedules public hearings
Summary
McLennan County Commissioners Court on July 29 proposed a fiscal year 2026 tax rate of $0.339805 (0.310956 M&O; 0.028849 I&S), set public hearings and filed a proposed budget while leaving room to lower the rate before final adoption.
McLennan County Commissioners Court voted July 29 to propose a 2025 tax rate of $0.339805 — made up of $0.310956 for maintenance and operations and $0.028849 for interest and sinking — and scheduled public hearings on the tax rate and the proposed FY2026 budget. The court set the public hearing on the tax rate for Aug. 19 at 5:30 p.m. and the budget hearing and adoption for Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. in the county courtroom.
The proposed rate was approved in a recorded vote, 3–2: Commissioner Smith, Judge Fulton and Commissioner Perry voted aye; Commissioner Wilson and Commissioner Jones voted nay. The court’s action allows commissioners to lower the tax rate between the proposal and final adoption but not to raise it.
Why it matters: County officials said the rate and the proposed budget reflect updated revenue estimates, certified property values and a package of personnel and program choices commissioners weighed during a weeks-long budget process. County staff noted certified values came in lower than the team had earlier estimated, which reduced projected ad valorem revenue by roughly $2.4 million compared with the prior projection; staff also reported updated revenue and expenditure projections that tightened the fiscal picture.
Court staff and department heads walked commissioners through scenarios for maintaining the county’s fund-balance policy while covering planned operating costs and several high-priority personnel and program items. Commissioners discussed a range of options — including a 1.5-cent increase, a 2-cent increase and keeping the rate unchanged — before agreeing on the proposed $0.339805 rate as the working number to publish.
During the discussion, staff noted a planning assumption that the county could end FY2026 modestly under budget (a 3 percent underspend was shown in planning scenarios). Officials said that assumption would improve the county’s ending fund balance and make it easier to absorb some new items included in the proposed budget; they warned it is an assumption, not a guarantee.
The court also directed staff to continue working with department heads and elected officials to try to reduce the proposed rate before final adoption on Aug. 26. Pending items in the budget discussion included the county’s projected health-plan shortfall and several priority personnel additions that commissioners asked staff to hold or prioritize for final decisions.
What happened next: The court ordered that the proposed FY2026 budget be filed for public inspection and set the formal public comment dates required by state law; the public hearing on the tax rate will be Aug. 19 at 5:30 p.m., and adoption is scheduled for Aug. 26 at 9 a.m.
The court’s vote on the proposed rate was the only recorded roll-call vote taken specifically on the tax rate during the session.
