Uvalde County presents $51.26 million draft budget; adopts no-new-revenue and voter-approval tax rates

Uvalde County officials presented the third draft of the county's 2024–25 budget and the commissioners adopted two certified tax-rate calculations during the same meeting.

County budget officer Alice presented a draft budget totaling $51,259,226.93 across general and special funds and noted the draft includes a 5% cost-of-living adjustment and updated certified revenues. She listed key fund totals presented in the draft, and recommended setting the final draft for public hearing on August 26.

Members of the public asked how dedicated sales taxes and hotel-motel (hotel) tax revenue are allocated; staff and the judge explained that certain dedicated sales-tax proceeds — including a half-cent health service sales tax and a half-cent county sales tax — are restricted by statute or vote and cannot be reallocated without returning to voters or the legislature.

On tax-rate actions, county staff certified the no-new-revenue tax rate at 0.5387 per $100 of valuation and recommended adoption; after discussion — including acknowledgement that even a lower rate can yield more revenue if assessed values rise — the court adopted the no-new-revenue tax rate by motion and vote. The voter-approval (rollback) tax rate was certified at 0.57413 per $100 and also was adopted by the court.

Votes at a glance: the court set the budget final-draft public hearing for August 26; adopted the no-new-revenue tax rate (0.5387) and adopted the voter-approval tax rate (0.57413). Other routine motions including a line-item amendment, payment of bills, monthly reports and payroll were approved during the meeting.

What happens next: the budget will proceed to a public hearing and tax-rate notices will be posted as required by state law prior to any adoption steps required by statute.