Bexar County presents $2.8 billion draft budget, proposes holding tax rate at 29¢; details policing, jail and flood investments

Bexar County Commissioners Court on Aug. 12 heard a detailed presentation of the county's proposed fiscal year 2025'26 budget and the office of the tax assessor-collector's calculations of several tax-rate options, while voting to adopt a temporary restriction on outdoor burning and to retain outside counsel for an administrative matter before the Texas Supreme Court.

County Judge Sakai opened the meeting by emphasizing the county's approach to the budget and saying he remained "committed to not raising property taxes." Albert Gurdeste, the county's tax assessor-collector, and Tanya Gaethon, budget and finance director, gave the figures and budget proposals used to frame the court's decisions and upcoming work sessions.

The nut of the presentation: the county's certified taxable value for 2025 is $245.5 billion, a $5.5 billion (about 2.3%) increase from last year driven mainly by new construction. Gaethon told the court the draft all-funds budget is $2.8 billion, and the proposed general fund budget is about $1.0 billion. She recommended maintaining the current combined property tax rate at 29.0000 cents per $100 of value, a rate the finance staff said is below both the state-calculated 2025 no-new-revenue tax rate (about 30.6953 cents per $100) and the statutory voter-approval threshold tied to a 3.5% increase.

"The no-new-revenue calculation excludes new construction," County Manager David Smith said during questions, noting that keeping the rate the same would, on existing taxable values, collect roughly $9 million less than last year and thus constitute an effective tax cut on those existing values. Gaethon and Gurdeste explained that the certified value increase is concentrated in new properties and that existing values have decreased by about $1.3 billion.

How the money would be spent: Gaethon and staff outlined recommended program changes and contingencies totaling roughly $8 million in new program changes, including a slate of items aimed at public safety and court operations. Major items flagged in the presentation include:

- Sheriff and detention staffing: the budget recommends 70 new detention positions (placed in contingency pending fill-rate projections) and a $15 million overtime allowance for next year to cover FLSA and overtime needs while vacancies persist. Budget staff reported roughly 140 current vacancies in the sheriff's office and said full hiring could take until late in the next fiscal year.

- Out-of-county housing for inmates: the draft includes $4.5 million for housing inmates outside Bexar County, a line item the budget office said was estimated from year-to-date usage.

- Constables and civil courts: the draft places several deputy constable positions in contingency pending workload analysis related to Senate Bill 38 (service deadlines for civil papers); civil district court coordinator positions and one court manager position are also funded in contingency pending statewide rule changes and litigation.

- Capital and flood investments: the draft all-funds budget includes a $67.9 million capital program (excluding road and flood funds) and a proposed $21 million contribution for a "NextGen" flood-activation sensor program through the river authority. Judge Sakai said the county would fund the $21 million if needed to accelerate flood-warning infrastructure and encouraged the court to seek city, state and federal partners.

- Employee compensation and benefits: the proposal includes about $6 million to fund a 2% cost-of-living adjustment, continuation of step/anniversary increases where applicable, no premium/deductible increases for employee health plans, but modest increases in prescription copays (budget staff estimated those changes could add roughly $4.5'$5.0 million to health plan costs).

Budget staff said program-change requests from departments originally totaled about $40 million; the recommended package reduces that to approximately $8 million in new recurring requests, including 170.5 net new positions countywide and a small number of reclassifications.

Court members and department leaders discussed the long-range forecast as well as the so-called "ARPA cliff" ' positions and programs that were funded temporarily with American Rescue Plan Act dollars and may require general-fund support as federal grants phase out. "We have to make really tough decisions," Judge Sakai said, noting the county currently projects a manageable long-range forecast but will use contingencies and quarterly monitoring to keep the budget balanced.

Votes and other actions at the meeting were limited but consequential. The court adopted a 90-day outdoor-burn restriction for unincorporated areas, citing volatile weather and recent fires. The motion to adopt the order was made by Commissioner Calvert, seconded by Commissioner Clay Flores, and carried by voice vote.

The court also approved a late-file exception to add a professional-services item to the agenda and then authorized the county judge to negotiate a professional services agreement with the law firm Jackson Walker and to retain former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht (as part of that representation) for administrative work related to a pending Texas Supreme Court rulemaking on centralized docket/presiding systems. The court approved up to $250,000 for that administrative representation; County Attorney staff described the contract as limited to the administrative rulemaking process (litigation would require separate approval). The motion to authorize the contract was made by Commissioner Justin Rodriguez and seconded by Commissioner Clay Flores.

Several commissioners emphasized public-safety priorities when questioning budget staff. Commissioner Moody and others pressed for metrics showing whether proposed detention hires would reduce overtime and out-of-county housing costs; Sheriff Salazar told the court that many overtime and housing pressures reflect broader system issues, including state-level case processing and bed availability. "We're doing everything in our power," the sheriff said, while urging cooperation across the justice system.

On emergency management and public communication, the court also adopted an immediate burn ban for the county. Chris Lopez (identified in the meeting as a staff member) asked the court to adopt the restriction; Monica Ramos, the county's public information officer, said a press release and targeted outreach will follow to reach residents in unincorporated and rural areas.

What happens next: Gaethon said the tax-rate adoption and formal acceptance of the tax-rate calculations will be agendized at the court's next regular meeting (Aug. 19). The budget office listed tentative work sessions with department heads and elected officials and a required public hearing and adoption schedule on Sept. 8'9. Budget staff asked commissioners to review contingency requests and prepare for a scheduled Sept. 9 adoption vote on the tax rate and the budget.

Ending: County officials framed next steps as data-driven and iterative: staff will return with department-specific details, vacancy and hiring timelines for the sheriff, updated long-range projections and requested clarifications on the cost of implementing any statewide judicial rule changes. Judge Sakai closed by thanking staff for the presentation and reminding residents the county will continue to hold budget town halls across precincts to collect public input.