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Comal County opens public hearing on proposed $181 million 2026 budget; residents press for road details
Summary
Commissioners opened a public hearing on the proposed 2026 Comal County budget (about $181 million) and recommended tax rate of $0.305015 per $100; no action taken pending republication of salary notices. Residents questioned the share of roads funding for construction versus maintenance and expressed concern about a tax-rate increase.
Comal County's Commissioners Court opened a public hearing Aug. 21 on the proposed fiscal-year 2026 budget, which staff presented as just over $181,000,000. County staff highlighted major fund totals: the general fund is approximately $124,000,000 and the Road & Bridge fund about $21,000,000. The staff-recommended tax rate to fund the proposed budget was shown as $0.305015 per $100 valuation; the tax assessor's no-new-revenue rate was 0.256 and the voter-approval rate 0.382515 (as presented on the court projector).
Because the court earlier amended proposed constable salaries and must republish legally required notices, the commissioners did not take final action on the budget at the Aug. 21 meeting; they opened the hearing to public comment and scheduled further hearings after notice is republished.
Public commenters raised transportation and tax concerns. A resident who identified himself as Mr. White asked whether the $5,175,000 listed for roads and bridges represented construction or maintenance, noting his countywide road analysis and worries about flooding on Smithson Valley Road. The transcript records that county staff said they could provide a breakdown later. Another resident, Bob Moore of the Veramendi subdivision, said neighbors were alarmed by the proposed tax increase and urged commissioners to "sharpen a pencil."
County staff also explained the county's indigent-healthcare obligation: state law requires setting aside 8% of the general-fund operating budget for indigent healthcare, but staff said their strategy that year draws down a large existing indigent-healthcare fund balance rather than adding the full 8% to the operating budget.
What happens next: The court will republish the revised salary notice in the New Braunfels Herald and hold additional public hearings, including Sept. 4, 2025. Staff committed to provide more detailed breakdowns of road-program spending upon request.
