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Freestone County records proposed 0.3333 tax rate to meet filing deadlines
Summary
County staff presented 2026 tax-rate calculations and commissioners recorded a proposed rate (spoken in the meeting as 0.3333) to allow timely filing; staff warned that adopting a rate above the voter-approval threshold would require a November ratification election.
Freestone County finance staff presented the county's preliminary tax-rate calculations and the commissioners recorded a proposed rate for public notice and later adoption. County staff told the court, "You have an unknown revenue tax rate for 2026 of 0.31 or excuse me, 0.301625," and said the voter-approval tax rate was "0.336066," explaining that "by state law, you can adopt a rate up to the voter approval tax rate, without the voters having to approve it." The commissioners noted the filing deadline to have a proposed rate recorded is Aug. 19 and agreed to record a proposed rate at today's meeting to preserve options.
The Chair framed the decision in budget terms, saying keeping the rate at today's level would still generate additional revenue: "Is still an additional collection of $1,796,087." Staff cautioned that routinely taking the full new-revenue allowance can reduce future growth because the voter-approval calculation incorporates a 3.5% year-over-year factor; any adoption above the voter-approval rate would require the proposed rate to be placed on the November ballot for ratification. A motion to record the proposed figures was made and seconded and the court proceeded with the required procedural vote to file the proposed rate and related notices ahead of the Aug. 19 adoption hearing.
