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Commissioners approve FY2026 budget guidelines amid concerns about slower property-tax growth and federal funding uncertainty
Summary
Travis County planning staff presented FY2026 budget guidance showing constrained revenue growth tied to lower projected property-tax base increases and federal/state uncertainty; the court unanimously approved the guidelines and set calendar dates for submissions and hearings.
Travis County Commissioners on Feb. 25 received the Planning and Budget Office's (PBO) FY2026 budget guidelines and unanimously approved them, while discussing slower projected property-tax growth, the voter-approval tax-rate cap and broader federal funding uncertainty.
Jessica Rio, county executive for Planning and Budget, presented guidance with input from budget director Travis Gatlin, assistant director Alex Braden and capital analyst Michelle Circa. The PBO asked departments to prepare budgets that prioritize contractual obligations and core services, to submit budget requests by April 23, and said the preliminary budget would be published in July with the adopted budget expected by Sept. 30.
Key takeaways from the presentation:
- Forecast and tax base: PBO said the county's taxable value grew to about $325 billion for tax year 2025 after strong multi-year growth but that early appraisal-district estimates point to a likely near-term decrease (PBO modeled a 6% decline for planning) followed by…
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