Williamson County approves $702 million budget and a 41.3776¢ tax rate after hours of debate

Williamson County Commissioners Court voted 4–1 on Sept. 3 to adopt a $702,042,992 total budget for fiscal 2025–26 and to set the county's total property tax rate at 0.413776 per $100 of assessed value.

The vote followed a public hearing in which residents urged the court to consider alternatives to raising property taxes and questioned the budget's per-capita increase. Precinct chair Janine Chapa told the court, “I urge you to consider the impact these increases will have on everyday residents and citizens, especially those working families, seniors like myself,” and asked commissioners to “please oppose these tax rates and think about the citizens of this county.” Resident Rick Klutowski raised budget-per-capita figures, saying the county's proposed budget would raise spending per resident from about $8.73 last year to about $9.16 this year.

Why it matters: Commissioners said they were balancing rapid population growth, major one-time projects and the cost of maintaining basic services. Court discussion centered on funding for long-range transportation, the capital improvement program (CIP), debt service tied to prior bond issues and operational needs such as public safety and replacement IT systems.

Most important actions and votes

- The court approved the 2025–26 general fund budget (final general fund line: $383,263,539) and, counting CIP and long-range…