Overview
- Bexar County commissioners voted Tuesday to adopt a $2.6 billion FY2027 budget that holds the property-tax rate steady, uses $68 million from reserves, trims recommended cuts to 42 positions, preserves funding for 49 ARPA-funded roles, and announced County Manager David Smith will retire Dec. 31.
- Tarrant County’s commissioners approved an $834 million FY2027 budget and set the county property tax rate at 18.6 cents per $100 valuation in a 3-2 vote that marked a fourth straight year of rate reductions.
- Fort Worth’s City Council approved a $3.33 billion budget and raised the city tax rate to $0.70565 per $100 valuation, restoring some programs and mid-year pay-for-performance increases while increasing resident usage fees by about $7 per month.
- Officials across the jurisdictions point to the ending of ARPA pandemic-relief funding, falling property appraisals and rising costs as the root causes of the shortfalls and say using one-time reserves or restored programs will not eliminate recurring budget gaps.
- Budget votes were often closely split and political, and local leaders warn the choices to draw reserves or raise taxes now will likely force deeper cuts or voter decisions on permanent revenue changes in coming years.