Williamson County Commissioners Court has approved a $712.9 million budget for fiscal year 2026-2027, a spending plan that pours new money into law enforcement and roads while still trimming the average homeowner's tax bill. The total budget, formally set at $712,876,615, covers October 2026 through September 2027 and prioritizes public safety and road improvements as the county continues its rapid growth.
The approved figure marks a $10.45 million increase over the FY 2025-2026 total adopted budget of $702.4 million, according to Williamson County. As reported by KEYE, the budget includes the general fund, road and bridge fund, and debt service fund, with the general fund alone totaling $405,648,214. County Judge Steve Snell said the plan reflects priorities identified through a communitywide survey, and he noted the budget lowers taxes for the average homestead through what's known as the no-new-revenue tax rate.
A Tax Rate Increase That Actually Cuts Bills
The Commissioners Court set the total county tax rate for tax year 2026 at $0.421547 per $100 valuation, up from $0.413776 the year before. That may look like a tax hike, but under Texas truth-in-taxation law, the new figure equals the state-calculated no-new-revenue rate, which is designed to generate the same total property tax revenue from existing properties as the prior year, per the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
Because that rate fluctuates with overall property appraisal values, the county's own taxpayer impact calculations show the average homestead's annual county tax bill will actually decrease by roughly $28, a drop of about 1.49%. On a median-valued home appraised at $415,001 in 2025, the county estimates the tax bill falls from $1,717 under last year's rate to $1,671 under the newly adopted one. That stands in contrast to FY 2025-2026, when the then-new rate of $0.413776 drove an average annual increase of about $122 for median homestead owners, the county's figures show. Those dollar comparisons are now required in public notices under House Bill 1522, a 2025 state law mandating standardized Taxpayer Impact Statements ahead of budget votes.
Homeowners also still benefit from the county's standard 5% homestead exemption, with a minimum of $5,000, plus a $125,000 exemption for residents 65 and older or living with a disability, according to the county. Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long said the budget addresses growth-driven service demands while lowering taxes, and Precinct 1 Commissioner Terry Cook said the county funded its needs while pursuing lower property taxes.
Nearly Half of New Hires Go to Public Safety
The budget adds 47.5 new full-time general fund positions overall, and nearly half of those new hires are dedicated to public safety. The sheriff's office will add 9 new employees, EMS will add 7, juvenile services will add 5, the county attorney's office will add 5, district courts will add 2, and IT public safety will add 1 new employee. The road and bridge fund separately adds 7 new full-time employees.
Law enforcement and civilian staff will also see pay adjustments. Williamson County approved a 2% cost-of-living increase across civilian employee and law enforcement and corrections pay charts, along with a 3% merit increase for civilian employees. Law enforcement employees will receive step increases on their pay charts, a cost of $1.05 million, continuing a pattern that dates back to a $5 million upward adjustment to the law enforcement pay chart in February 2023 and $887,000 in step increases the following fiscal year. Elected officials' salaries were also adjusted based on a salary study.
Public safety equipment funding includes $4.71 million for law enforcement and corrections radio replacements, $1.5 million for body-worn and in-car cameras, and $385,000 for taser replacements. The general fund budget also carries over $400,000 for body-worn cameras from the prior fiscal year, along with $6.67 million for ambulances not yet received and $639,000 for a chiller.
Debt Paydown and Road Spending
The debt service fund, budgeted at $232,288,039, includes $10 million earmarked for debt defeasance to pay down county debt ahead of schedule. Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said debt defeasance saves millions of tax dollars while reducing county property taxes on the average home. The strategy follows $20 million set aside for the same purpose in FY 2025-2026 and $30 million in FY 2022-2023, part of a multi-year approach that has helped the county save more than $95 million in interest payments through early bond defeasance and refinancing since 2004.
The road and bridge fund totals $75 million and includes $12.74 million for capital improvements and $10 million for the long-range transportation plan; the general fund separately includes $7 million for that same transportation plan and $16.9 million for capital improvements overall. Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles said the budget funds transportation needs across the county. Specific capital improvement projects will be determined at the Commissioners Court's meeting on September 15.
The spending plan lands against the backdrop of Williamson County's continued status as one of the nation's fastest-growing counties, having added 23,814 residents between 2024 and 2025 to reach a total population of 752,827, ranking ninth among all U.S. counties for annual population growth, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That growth follows a similar pattern to last year, when Hoodline reported on the $702 million budget approval that set the prior year's tax rate and staffing levels, and county department heads have continued to request more new positions than the budget office ultimately recommends for full approval.
