Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Tax Rate topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Marion County commissioners adopt proposed 2025 tax rate and set public hearings
Summary
At a special Aug. 6 meeting, the Marion County Commissioners Court voted to adopt a proposed 2025 tax rate (total 0.5358775) for publication, set public hearings and approved the Nov. 4, 2025 election order; staff presented revenue scenarios showing how cents-per-$100 changes affect the county deficit.
Marion County’s Commissioners Court on Aug. 6 voted to adopt a proposed tax rate for 2025 and scheduled the required public hearings after staff outlined revenue scenarios and the county’s remaining deficit.
County Judge (presiding) proposed the rates recommended for publication: a general fund rate of 0.4544015 and a road-and-bridge rate of 0.814760, for a combined proposed rate of 0.5358775. "I make a motion that the tax rate for the general fund be 0.4544015 and the road and bridge be 0.814760 for a total amount of 0.5358775," the County Judge said; the motion was seconded and the court voted, "Motion carries." The transcript does not include a roll-call tally.
Why it matters: county staff told commissioners that keeping last year’s tax rate would generate about $156,469 and reduce the projected deficit to roughly $117,531. Staff also presented several "what-if" scenarios: a one-cent increase per $100 of valuation was estimated to raise about $88,400; a two-and-a-half-cent increase could bring roughly $220,000 and nearly eliminate the projected shortfall. Staff noted the county has "banked" small increments (the unused increment rate) for up to three years under current law.
Staff presentation and discussion: county staff described the no-new-revenue rate, the voter-approval rate and the de minimis rate and explained how recent legislative adjustments have narrowed the gap between the no-new-revenue and voter-approval rates. A presenter identified as Shana ran scenarios showing the revenue impacts of different penny/cent changes and explained that the no-new-revenue rate would yield a result similar to the prior year due to rising property values.
Commissioner concerns and pay items: commissioners asked about personnel and pay items during the budget workshop portion, including whether to keep maintainer/operator hourly pay at $21; one commissioner said they had not used previously allocated dollars and supported maintaining the $21 hourly rate.
Hearings and timeline: the court scheduled the required hearings for Aug. 25 — an archive/public hearing at 9:00 a.m., the budget public hearing and adoption at 9:15 a.m., and the tax-rate public hearing and adoption at 9:30 a.m. Notices for the hearings will be published as required.
Election order: the court also approved the order of election for the Nov. 4, 2025 general election, authorizing the county judge to sign the order. Staff warned that final early-voting dates and times may depend on forthcoming guidance from the Texas Secretary of State and the governor’s actions on any ballot amendments; the county must adopt the order by Aug. 18 per the timeline discussed.
Next steps: the proposed tax rate will be published and the public hearings on Aug. 25 will allow residents to comment before the court considers adoption. The county judge is authorized to sign the election order for November.
