For Bexar County homeowners, one of the most closely watched numbers in the county’s proposed 2026-27 budget may also be one of the easiest to understand: the property tax rate would stay where it is.

County leaders are proposing to maintain Bexar County’s overall property tax rate at $0.299999 per $100 of taxable value, even as the county works through a 1.3% decline in taxable property values and prepares for the end of several programs supported by federal pandemic-era funding. The proposed rate is below the county’s calculated no-new-revenue rate of $0.309043 per $100.

That does not mean every homeowner’s individual tax bill will fall. Property taxes depend on each property’s taxable value and exemptions. But county estimates show that the average taxable homestead value would decline from $269,944 in 2025 to $266,923 in 2026, resulting in an estimated Bexar County tax bill of about $800.77, down from $809.83 last year.

That combination — an unchanged rate, declining taxable values and continued funding for major county services — is at the center of a proposed $2.615 billion countywide budget that Commissioners Court is scheduled to consider Tuesday, Sept. 15.

What Bexar County’s Proposed 2026-27 Budget Would Fund

The proposal covers everything from the Sheriff’s Office and courts to parks, roads, flood-control projects, libraries, health programs and county facilities.

Across all funds, the proposed budget totals $2,615,811,785. It includes approximately $904.9 million in operating expenditures, $565.4 million for roads, flood projects and capital needs, $181.1 million for debt, $37.1 million in contingencies and hundreds of millions of dollars carried forward for previously approved capital projects and reserves.

Public safety remains one of the largest pieces of the county’s General Fund. The proposed budget allocates about $292.5 million in General Fund spending to public safety, including the Sheriff’s Office, adult detention operations, constables, juvenile services, the Medical Examiner’s Office, emergency management and the Fire Marshal.

For residents, those numbers translate into services encountered every day — deputies responding to calls, courts processing cases, detention operations, emergency planning and county law enforcement in communities outside incorporated cities.

County Faces a Different Financial Picture

The budget arrives during what County Manager David Smith described as a more difficult financial environment than Bexar County has experienced in recent years.

Final appraisal figures showed a 1.3% decrease in taxable property values, driven largely by reductions in existing property values following successful appraisal protests and new exemptions. County financial projections had previously warned that declining property tax revenue and ongoing expenses could create a General Fund shortfall of roughly $145 million by fiscal year 2028-29 if conditions continued.

Rather than raise the overall tax rate, the proposed budget relies partly on reserves built during previous years.

Bexar County maintains a policy requiring reserves equal to at least 10% of operating expenses and, in practice, targets about 15% in the General Fund. County officials say those reserves allow the county to absorb revenue declines gradually rather than immediately turning to broad hiring freezes, service reductions or large-scale position cuts.

That financial cushion is especially important as Bexar County continues to grow, particularly in unincorporated communities where the county is responsible for roads, drainage, law enforcement and other services that can become more expensive as new subdivisions are built.

No Across-the-Board Cost-of-Living Raise Proposed for County Employees

One of the most noticeable changes for Bexar County’s workforce is what is not included.

The proposed budget does not recommend a cost-of-living pay increase for county employees in the coming fiscal year, including employees covered by the county’s collective bargaining agreement.

Scheduled step increases would still be funded for employees who are part of step-pay plans, including certain court coordinators, deputy constables, deputy fire marshals, District Attorney investigators and members of the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of Bexar County.

The proposal comes after county employees received cumulative pay increases of more than 20% between the COVID-19 pandemic and the current fiscal year, according to the county’s budget message.

Public Safety, Courts and Domestic Violence Programs Face Key Decisions

Another major question in the 2026-27 budget involves programs that have relied on American Rescue Plan Act funding, commonly known as ARPA.

Those federal dollars expire at the end of December 2026, requiring Commissioners Court to decide which programs should continue with local funding.

The proposed budget continues county funding for the Specialized Multidisciplinary Alternate Response Team, or SMART, a behavioral-health response program that began as a pilot in 2020 and later expanded using federal funds. Continued funding would allow the program to operate around the clock.

Other programs have funding placed in contingencies pending further review.

Those include the Safety Team Active Response, or STAR, Program, certain Preventative Health Department positions and two misdemeanor domestic violence impact courts originally funded to help reduce case backlogs.

The County Courts-at-Law have asked that the domestic violence courts continue through the 2027 Texas legislative session while officials seek authorization for two permanent county courts.

For residents following Bexar County public safety, mental health and domestic violence services, those decisions could be among the most consequential parts of the final budget discussion.

New Office Would Handle Civil Legal Affairs

The proposed budget would also reorganize how Bexar County handles civil legal work.

A new Office of Civil Legal Affairs would report directly to Commissioners Court and take over functions currently handled by the Civil Section of the Criminal District Attorney’s Office.

The proposal would transfer 26 positions from the District Attorney’s Office into the new department, including attorneys, paralegals and support staff. The proposed Office of Civil Legal Affairs is budgeted at approximately $3.28 million.

County officials say the change would place civil legal services more directly under Commissioners Court oversight.

Roads and Flood Control Remain a Longer-Term Challenge

The budget contains comparatively few new capital projects, reflecting the county’s decision to pause the issuance of new certificates of obligation while existing debt is paid down.

About $18.6 million in new capital improvements is proposed, focused primarily on security, public safety and equipment needed to maintain county services. Three new road projects totaling approximately $2 million would be funded by redirecting money from projects that can be delayed or are no longer considered viable.

The larger issue, however, may be what comes after this budget.

County officials warn that continued growth in unincorporated Bexar County will create increasing demand for road maintenance, new or expanded thoroughfares and flood-control infrastructure.

The budget message says those needs could eventually require a new 10-year capital program that could become the largest in Bexar County history.

No funding plan has been proposed yet, but county staff is recommending that Commissioners Court begin planning now so that future road and flood-control needs can be incorporated into next year’s budget discussions.

For residents in fast-growing areas outside San Antonio and other incorporated cities, that could become one of the most important Bexar County budget issues in the years ahead.

Parks, BiblioTech and Animal Services Also See Changes

Several highly visible community services would receive additional funding under the proposal.

BiblioTech is proposed to receive approximately $6.03 million, up from an estimated $5.34 million in the current fiscal year. The budget anticipates the opening of BiblioTech Lerma in January 2027 and includes funding for equipment such as a 3D printer and laser-cutting machine.

County Parks would receive about $5.05 million, including staffing and equipment connected with the opening of Macdona County Park. Three new positions are proposed to help maintain the park and its recreational facilities.

The Bexar Animal Center budget would rise to approximately $998,421, with the county projecting 1,300 animals entering the facility and 850 adoptions or live transfers during the fiscal year. Animal Control separately expects as many as 15,000 reports or calls during the year.

Those figures provide another window into how a county budget reaches beyond taxes and accounting and into services residents may use directly.

What the Proposed Tax Rate Means for Homeowners

Bexar County’s proposed tax rate is unchanged from last year at $0.299999 per $100 valuation.

The county’s official tax notice lists the no-new-revenue rate at $0.309043 and the voter-approval rate at $0.386728. Because the proposed rate is below both thresholds, Bexar County is not required to hold an election to adopt it.

The total county tax levy across all properties is projected to decline from approximately $641.1 million to $623.5 million, a decrease of about $17.6 million, or 2.75%.

For an individual homeowner, however, the actual bill will depend on that property’s taxable value after exemptions and appraisal changes.

Residents Can Speak Before the Sept. 15 Vote

Bexar County Commissioners Court will hold its public hearing on the FY 2026-27 Proposed Budget at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, in the Double-Height Courtroom on the second floor of the Bexar County Courthouse, 100 Dolorosa Street, Suite 2.01, in downtown San Antonio.

A vote on adopting the budget is scheduled to immediately follow the hearing.

Commissioners Court is also scheduled to vote on the proposed property tax rate at the same time and location. Residents may attend the meeting to express support or opposition to the proposed tax rate or contact county representatives in advance.

If adopted, the new Bexar County fiscal year begins Oct. 1, 2026.

For residents, the Sept. 15 vote will settle more than a tax rate. It will establish how Bexar County plans to fund law enforcement, courts, roads, parks, libraries, health programs and other services for the next year while beginning a larger conversation about how a rapidly growing county pays for the infrastructure it will need next.

My Neighborhood News will continue following the Bexar County budget process and the decisions that could affect local taxpayers and communities across the county.

By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 

Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.

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