BY SAM SCHAFFER & GRACIE WARHURST
Williamson County commissioners approved a $702.4 million budget and supporting tax rate of $0.413776 per $100 valuation for fiscal year WilCo approves $702M budget and tax hike
This is an increase of approximately $122 per year from FY 2024-25. What happened The final budget includes two changes from the last budget workshop. At the Sept. 3 meeting, commissioners unani- mously approved removing money allocated for a county vehicle that was already delivered this year, coming out to around $87,000. Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey also proposed adding $17.9 million to the general fund for the Capital Improvement Plan and the Long- Range Transportation Plan. Because the adopted tax rate would raise more funds than needed for the originally proposed budget, this amount is the difference. The amount is in addition to the previously allocated $20 million for the CIP, and $17 million for the LRTP. The addition passed 4-1, with Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long opposed. “The theory behind [the additional funding] is paying for it now with cash versus financing over the future, costing the taxpayers even more
Williamson County’s budget can be divided into three categories: The general fund: $401.2M The debt service fund: $222.7M The road and bridge fund: $78.5M $702.4M
SOURCE: WILLIAMSON COUNTY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
money,” County Judge Steven Snell said. What they’re saying The FY 2025-26 budget is about $67 million more than the previous year’s budget. Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles said the cost of materials is going up, which contributes to the additional funding needed in the budget. “We’re talking about deputies and construc- tion material,” Boles said. “It’s core services.”
2025-26 at a Sept. 3 meeting. What residents should know
The newly approved tax rate is the highest rate commissioners can adopt without calling for an election. It is a 3.4% increase over FY 2024-25’s rate. Using the new tax rate, a resident’s estimated county property tax bill for the upcoming fiscal year comes out to $1,556, based on the median property value of $358,542, according to county documents.
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