Source reporting: Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Gillespie County officials are considering a 2026 property-tax rate of $0.2873 per $100 of valuation, according to Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. The proposal is above both last year’s $0.2685 rate and the county’s $0.2770 no-new-revenue rate, which is designed to collect approximately the same amount from properties taxed in both years.
The proposed rate is 7 percent higher than the 2025 rate. Figures cited from the county’s public-hearing notice show that the total levy would rise from approximately $21.17 million to $22.95 million, an increase of about $1.78 million or 8.41 percent.
For an average homestead, taxable value is projected to decline from $541,147 to $535,098, but the county tax bill would still rise from about $1,453 to $1,537. That is an $84 increase, or approximately 5.78 percent, according to the published figures.
A separate county budget notice says the proposed fiscal 2026-27 budget would raise about $1.64 million more in property taxes than the prior budget, an increase of 6.2 percent. Of that amount, approximately $995,578 would come from newly added property. Those figures describe proposed revenue, not a final adopted tax bill for every property owner.
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility reported that all five members of the Gillespie County Commissioners Court voted to publish and consider the proposed rate. The 5-0 action did not itself adopt the rate. A public hearing on the tax proposal and budget was scheduled for September 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the county courthouse in Fredericksburg.
The advocacy organization also questioned the proposal in light of the county’s reserves. It cited the latest audit posted on the county’s website, completed in May 2024 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023. That audit showed an unassigned general-fund balance of $27.7 million, equal to about 125 percent of general-fund expenditures, and combined governmental fund balances of $42.3 million. The argument that those reserves make a higher rate unnecessary is Texans for Fiscal Responsibility’s policy position.
The public-integrity issue is whether county officials clearly explain why additional recurring tax revenue is needed, how reserves factor into that decision and which services would receive the money. Taxpayers should also be able to distinguish the proposed rate, the no-new-revenue benchmark, new-property growth and the effect on individual bills. The hearing and subsequent recorded vote provide the formal opportunity to evaluate those questions before adoption.