Hays County Commissioners Court Proposes County Budget $59 Million Under Current Budget; Lowers Tax Rate

The effective tax rate is the tax rate that would generate the same amount of revenue in the current tax year as was generated by a taxing unit’s adopted tax rate in the preceding tax year from property…

Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX – The Hays County Commissioners Court will hold a public hearing on the proposed County budget on September 18 at 1 p.m. at the Hays County Courthouse, 111 E. San Antonio St., San Marcos. The hearing will also be live streamed and archived at www.co.hays.tx.us.

The Court’s proposed budget of $312.7 million is a decrease of more than $59 million from the current 2018 fiscal year budget and allowed Court members to set a tax rate of 43.37 cents per $100 valuation, which is the effective tax rate. The current tax rate is 44.50 per $100 valuation.

Your specific taxes owed under the above rate can be calculated using this formula:

Property tax amount = (rate) x (taxable value of your property) divided by 100.

The effective tax rate is the tax rate that would generate the same amount of revenue in the current tax year as was generated by a taxing unit’s adopted tax rate in the preceding tax year from property that is taxable in both the current tax year and the preceding tax year.

The tax rate applies only to Hays County government; other taxing entities within the county such as cities, school districts, and special districts set their own tax rates.

During the hearing, the Court will set salaries and allowances for elected officials, adopt the FY 2019 budget and set the tax rate and levy taxes. The proposed budget does not include raises for elected officials, although some may see increases due to longevity pay.

The budget also includes a three percent merit pool for employees as well as funding to implement a market analysis for Law Enforcement positions per the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Funding was also included for personnel associated with the new District Court and County Court at Law #3.

For detailed information about the complexities of tax rate calculations required by law, visit www.co.hays.tx.us and choose the Truth in Taxation icon.

For additional questions about your personal tax situation, contact Luanne Caraway, Hays County Tax Assessor-Collector Luanne Caraway at luanne@co.hays.tx.us, 512-393-5545 or from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos, TX  78666.

County documents pertaining to the current and proposed budgets and tax rates are available at www.co.hays.tx.us by choosing the Financial Transparency link.