For Hays County residents, the county budget can feel like a collection of spreadsheets until the numbers are connected to the things people use every day: roads, emergency response, courts, parks, public health, law enforcement and community services.

That connection is especially important in the proposed Hays County Fiscal Year 2027 budget, which is now moving through the final stages of the county’s budget process.

The Commissioners Court proposal calls for approximately $650.5 million in expenditures across all county funds. More than half of those proposed expenditures are in construction funds that enter the year with substantial accumulated fund balances, while operating funds account for approximately $261.1 million in proposed expenditures. The General Fund alone carries about $194.35 million in proposed spending.

Just as important for homeowners is the proposed Hays County property tax rate of $0.4125 per $100 of taxable value, or 41.25 cents.

That rate is higher than the county’s calculated no-new-revenue tax rate of $0.3714, but remains below the voter-approval tax rate of $0.4926. The county estimates the proposed rate would produce approximately $209.4 million in assessed property taxes, including property covered by tax incentive programs.

What Hays County’s proposed tax rate means for homeowners

The difference between the proposed tax rate and the no-new-revenue rate is about 4.11 cents per $100 of taxable value.

Put another way, the proposed county rate equals $412.50 for every $100,000 of taxable property value before considering exemptions, freezes or other individual circumstances.

A home with $300,000 in taxable value, for example, would generate about $1,237.50 in county property tax at the proposed rate. That illustration is not a prediction of anyone’s actual tax bill; changes in appraised values, exemptions and tax ceilings can materially change what an individual homeowner pays.

The no-new-revenue rate is designed to approximate the rate that would generate roughly the same property-tax revenue from properties taxed in both years, excluding new construction and certain other adjustments. That makes the gap between the no-new-revenue rate and the proposed rate one of the more important figures for residents following the Hays County tax rate discussion.

A $650.5 million budget, but not all of it is day-to-day spending

The county’s headline total requires some context.

Hays County projects approximately $319.65 million in FY 2027 revenue across all funds, alongside an estimated beginning fund balance of nearly $483.9 million. Proposed expenditures total approximately $650.5 million, leaving projected ending balances of about $153 million.

A significant part of that difference comes from construction accounts.

The county’s construction funds begin the year with approximately $366.4 million and carry roughly $334.4 million in proposed expenditures, compared with about $9.8 million in estimated FY 2027 revenue. Those accounts include road bonds, facility financing, park bonds, the Civil Courts Building fund, habitat conservation money and other previously established project funds.

The General Fund, which supports much of the county’s routine government operations, is projected to begin FY 2027 with about $73.1 million, receive approximately $196.3 million in revenue and spend about $194.3 million. After net transfers out, the projected ending General Fund balance is roughly $69.8 million.

For Road and Bridge, the proposal anticipates approximately $25.65 million in revenue and $28.98 million in expenditures, with an estimated ending balance of about $5.77 million.

Roads, parks, facilities and emergency needs appear throughout the plan

For residents wondering where some of the county’s capital spending would go, the proposal stretches across several visible community needs.

The Commissioners Court proposal includes approximately $1.6 million in General Fund capital equipment and projects, compared with about $1.43 million in the county administration’s recommended plan. Proposed Road and Bridge capital equipment totals roughly $686,000.

Among the capital items are three proposed Chevrolet Silverado pickups for Road and Bridge operations, a pneumatic roller, loader and tractor, as well as equipment for law enforcement and county departments. The proposal also includes a $40,300 jail door upgrade and replacement project.

Park funding is also substantial in dedicated bond accounts. The proposal identifies $900,000 for the Hays County Sportsplex through the 2021 park bond fund and $11.05 million associated with Sentinel Peak Park through the 2022 park bond program.

Those projects illustrate why the countywide expenditure total is much larger than annual General Fund operations: voters and commissioners have previously committed money to multiyear road, park and facility programs that continue to move through construction.

County plans to use reserves for several one-time costs

Hays County is also proposing to use reserves rather than recurring revenue for several expenses.

The plan calls for about $3.27 million from General Fund reserves and another $3.33 million from Road and Bridge reserves, or approximately $6.6 million combined.

General Fund reserve uses include about $2.5 million for park improvement projects, $229,908 for jail air-conditioning work, $201,218 for an information technology server refresh, $155,000 for a county water study and $75,000 for low-water crossing replacement or repairs.

The Road and Bridge reserve proposal is concentrated on approximately $3.33 million in right-of-way purchases.

That distinction matters because using reserves for one-time projects avoids building those costs permanently into the county’s annual operating base, while also reducing money available in accumulated fund balances.

Staffing proposal includes $7.85 million market benchmark

Personnel is another substantial part of the FY 2027 discussion.

The Commissioners Court personnel proposal totals approximately $8.43 million in FY 2027 personnel-request costs across the listed funds, compared with about $4.7 million in the Budget Office recommendation.

The proposal includes a $7.85 million countywide market-benchmark line along with department-specific staffing and compensation changes.

The underlying personnel documents also show requests connected to health services, animal welfare, emergency communications, the Sheriff’s Office and numerous other county departments.

As Hays County continues to grow, staffing remains one of the recurring budget questions facing commissioners: how quickly should county government expand its workforce as population, caseloads, emergency calls and demand for public services increase?

Libraries, food assistance and other community services remain in the budget

The proposed budget also reaches beyond roads and public safety.

Hays County’s social-services funding includes support for local libraries and nonprofit organizations that serve families, seniors, children, crime victims and residents facing food insecurity.

Proposed library funding includes $35,000 for the Buda Public Library, $36,000 for Dripping Springs, $35,000 for Kyle, $85,000 for San Marcos and $35,000 for Wimberley.

The proposal also includes $80,000 for the Hays County Area Food Bank, up from a $55,000 adopted budget for 2026, and $85,000 for the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center. Other proposed recipients include senior-service organizations, youth programs, CASA of Central Texas, the Hays County Child Protective Board and Capital IDEA.

These smaller line items can be easy to overlook in a budget measured in hundreds of millions of dollars, but they represent some of the county spending residents encounter most directly through local assistance programs.

What happens next for the Hays County FY 2027 budget

Hays County is now approaching the final scheduled decisions on its FY 2027 budget and property tax rate.

According to the county’s amended budget calendar, Commissioners Court is scheduled to hold a 1 p.m. public hearing on the FY 2027 budget on Sept. 15. Commissioners are also scheduled that day to set elected officials’ salaries, make any final budget changes, adopt the budget and set the county property tax rate and levy.

The calendar calls for the final approved budget to be filed with the County Clerk and County Auditor by Sept. 30.

That means the figures currently published by Hays County remain proposed until Commissioners Court takes final action.

For residents, the most consequential figures to watch are likely to remain the 41.25-cent property tax rate, the roughly $194.3 million General Fund spending plan, county staffing costs, road and park investments and the use of reserves.

Together, those decisions will help shape not only what Hays County government costs in FY 2027, but how the county tries to keep pace with the demands of a growing community.

My Neighborhood News will continue following the Hays County FY 2027 budget and property tax process as commissioners move toward final adoption.

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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