Freestone County keeps tax rate unchanged while officials finalize updated budget

Freestone County officials reviewed an updated draft budget and said the tax rate in the current proposal will remain unchanged. Chair (S1) said the budget pages have already been published in the newspaper and that, at this point in time, the county was not raising taxes.

The meeting focused on balancing rising operating costs — including training, travel and insurance — against the goal of minimizing property-tax increases for residents. Officials noted prior contingency transfers and one-time adjustments from last year that reduced available surplus and will affect how much new spending can be accommodated. The clerk and staff outlined the front-page layout required to show current fiscal-year amounts, projected new revenue and the proposed rate. The county will finalize numbers and publish required notices in the local paper before any salary notifications are sent.