Bexar County adopts FY25–26 operating and capital budget, keeps tax rate flat

Bexar County Commissioners Court adopted the county’s FY2025–26 operating and capital budget and approved the 2025 property tax rate during its Sept. 9 meeting, the court said. The court approved a countywide budget totaling about $2.8 billion and set the 2025 tax rate at 0.299999 per $100 valuation.

The court’s budget document shows an ending general fund balance of about $225.7 million. The budget maintains the existing tax rate; because of rising property values the court said average taxpayers will not see an increase in tax owed for existing property values. The court also approved a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for county employees that was added after discussion and a number of work sessions.

The budget package includes continued investment in public safety and courts — including additional law-enforcement and detention positions — and a multimillion-dollar commitment to a next-generation flood-warning system in partnership with regional agencies. County staff reported no change in the overall top-line spending level from the prior year and stressed the county is relying on fund balance to bridge gaps the court said will need attention in future fiscal years.

During the hearing, budget staff summarized the changes adopted at the most recent work sessions and the change memo dated Sept. 8. That memo was incorporated into the final budget before the court’s vote. The court took public comment during a time‑certain hearing; members of the public raised concerns about safety at community events, child and family services, and nonprofit funding.

Why it matters: County officials said the budget preserves core services while reserving funds for disaster response and elections, and provides incremental pay increases to retain county staff. County leaders also warned the structure relies on existing fund balance and recommended further long‑term decisions to avoid future deficits.

Votes and procedure: Commissioner Rodriguez moved to adopt the FY25–26 operating and capital budget including the Sept. 8 change memo; Commissioner Clay Flores seconded. The motion carried on a voice vote. The court then adopted the 2025 tax rate of 0.299999 per $100 valuation in separate votes: the overall tax rate motion, the debt-service component, and the maintenance-and-operations component were each adopted after separate motions and voice votes; no opposing votes or abstentions were recorded on the audio for those motions.

Context and next steps: The court noted the county will continue to track the approaching “ARPA cliff” (expiring federal recovery dollars) and other structural pressures that could reduce fund balance in coming years. County staff said implementation details, such as the employee COLA and position contingencies, will be managed by the county manager and budget office as departments hire and execute contracts.

Provenance: The budget hearing and adoption are recorded in the Commissioners Court transcript beginning with the public hearing and presentation at 5122.1196 and concluding with the vote at 6114.945. The change memo incorporated into the adopted budget is referenced by budget staff and appears in the transcript at multiple points during the block beginning 5186.865.