Williamson County Commissioners Court approves property tax increase and budget
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TEXAS (KXAN) — The Williamson County Commissioners Court has approved a tax increase for residents as part of the 2025–2026 budget.
There are three major parts within the budget:
- General Fund Budget: covers core functions of the county, like administration and public safety
- Road & Bridge Fund: supports transportation infrastructure
- Debt Service Fund: helps pay off county loans and bonds for past projects like building and infrastructure
The commissioners on Wednesday voted to approve a total $702,428,992 budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Here’s a breakdown of how funds were allocated across different areas of the budget:
- General Fund Budget: $401,202,232
- Road & Bridge Fund: $78,523,221
- Debt Service Fund: $222,704,539
To help fund the 2025–2026 budget, the Commissioners Court approved a tax rate of $0.413776 per $100 of property valuation — matching the voter-approval rate. This rate represents the highest amount the court can adopt without triggering a public election.
The approved rate for the 2025–2026 fiscal year represents a 3.44426% increase over the current rate of $0.399999 per $100 of assessed property value. According to Williamson County, this rate will increase annual property taxes on the average homestead residence by approximately $122.
Within the budget, many of the priorities were related to infrastructure and transportation, public safety, capital projects, all in the context of the rapid population growth in Williamson County.
During public hearing in commissioners court on Wednesday, some residents living in Williamson County voiced their concerns over the increased rate.
Many of us are making tough choices to stay afloat — rising taxes right now feel like the community asking the community to shoulder more than we can actually bear or handle,” said Janine Chapa, who serves as Precinct Chair for Precinct 371 in Williamson County.
The commissioners did understand such frustrations, but emphasized that it was necessary to raise the rate to keep up with the fast growth in Williamson County.
“The only reason I’m supporting this is because I’m a true believer of pay as you go,” said Valerie Covey, Williamson County Commissioner for Precinct Three. “We hear from every department that they need more, and we’re trying to be as restrained as possible in not adding too much — but how do you do that.”
“We should all be frustrated,” said Williamson County Judge Steven Snell. “No one likes their taxes increase. We know that we wouldn’t do it unless we felt it was critical to the needs of the county. And going forward into next year’s budget, [we’ll] look for any way possible to save money so we’re not over.”
