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Bexar County sets proposed FY2025–26 tax rate, schedules Sept. 9 public hearings
Summary
The Commissioners Court placed a proposed tax rate on the Sept. 9 agenda and approved publishing required notices. County staff said maintaining the current rate largely freezes taxes for existing property owners while revenue increases would come mainly from new construction.
Bexar County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Aug. 19 to place a proposed property tax rate for fiscal year 2025–26 on the court agenda for Sept. 9 and to publish the required public‑hearing notices. The motion, moved by Commissioner Reed Rodriguez and seconded by Commissioner Clay Flores, asked the court to place a proposed tax rate described in the motion as 0.299999 and to publish hearings in the San Antonio Express‑News and La Prensa. The court approved the motion and set Sept. 9 as the date for public hearings on the proposed rate and the budget.
The county budget and finance director, Tanya Gaetan, told the court the published figure is the maximum rate the court may set; after publishing, the court may set a lower rate but cannot adopt a higher one. Gaetan explained staff’s recommendation to publish the proposed rate so the county can move forward with the public‑notice and hearing process. She also summarized long‑term context: the court has reduced or held the tax rate since 1994, when it was about 38¢ per $100 of valuation, and that the current tax initiatives (senior tax freeze, homestead exemption) are saving property owners hundreds of millions of dollars cumulatively.
County staff and commissioners discussed how the proposed rate affects revenues. The county manager and the tax assessor noted that, because property values changed, maintaining the current rate means taxes on properties that paid last year would effectively decline and the only meaningful revenue growth would come from new construction entering the tax roll. Commissioners asked staff to confirm the precise revenue effects for the motion the court approved; staff said they would provide those numbers.
The court’s action authorizes publication of the statutorily required notices and sets the public hearings on Sept. 9, 2025. Citizens and stakeholders who want to comment on the proposed tax rate or the draft FY2025–26 budget will have that date to speak during the court’s hearings.
