Travis County leaders are gearing up for a major round of borrowing after the Commissioners Court voted on March 3, 2026 to move forward with issuing $138.88 million in certificates of obligation for fiscal year 2025-26 and to put $12 million toward a new Precinct 2 building. County staff plan to bring the certificates to market in May 2026 and estimate the move would add about $13 a year to the tax bill for a typical taxable homestead.
Commissioners sign off and timeline
The court’s vote, detailed in its packet and backup files, lays out a debt schedule that splits the proposed certificates into $65.31 million issued over five years and $73.56 million issued over 20 years. The same materials show the county expects to sell and close on the bonds in May and to push roughly $118.7 million in previously planned road and public improvement bond issuances from FY 2025-26 into FY 2026-27 and FY 2027-28 so staff can catch up on active projects, according to Travis County.
Where the money would go
The single biggest chunk of the new borrowing, $61.09 million, is earmarked for road construction and drainage work. Another $19.8 million is set aside for new and replacement vehicles and fleet electrification infrastructure. Other planned allocations include $12 million for high-modulus asphalt and alternate paving, $10 million for roadway recycling, $10 million for substandard-road repairs, and smaller amounts for sidewalks, traffic signals, and park projects, as reported by Community Impact.
Precinct 2 purchase details
The $12 million Precinct 2 item breaks down to an $11.5 million building purchase and $500,000 for design work. The county plans to apply $2.38 million in interest earnings from prior certificate balances toward the deal and estimates it will need about $8 million more in FY 2026-27 for renovations. Officials have identified a building in northwest Travis County to serve as the new Precinct 2 home base, while current offices remain at 10409 Burnet Road, according to Travis County.
Debt impact and county rationale
County officials emphasized that certificates of obligation allow them to finance eligible projects without going to the voters and argued that buying the Precinct 2 building and paying it off over 20 years would yield “significant savings” over time, according to the county’s budget team. Their analysis estimates that the FY 2025-26 certificate issuance would add roughly $13 to the annual tax bill for a homeowner with an average taxable homestead value of $515,212, according to Community Impact.
What’s next
County staff expect to take the certificates to market in May and will return to the Commissioners Court with final sale parameters and bond pricing for approval. Residents who want to track the borrowing and the projects it will fund can follow upcoming agendas and court materials as the sale date gets closer.
