Tax rate

Though Williamson County commissioners are expected to lower the county’s property tax rate for fiscal year 2015-16, county homeowners will likely see an increase on their property tax bills to pay for a $267 million budget that includes salary increases and additional personnel due to rising property values. The commissioners pushed to adopt a tax rate lower than the current rate of $0.486529. The average home value in Williamson County increased nearly $23,000, or more than 11 percent, from the previous fiscal year.

County services and improvements

Commissioners Court approved the county budget Sept. 1. It includes a $158.7 million general fund, which funds capital projects, personnel costs, and basic operations and maintenance, as well as a $27.4 million road and bridge fund and an $81.1 million debt services fund. Commissioners told County Budget Officer Ashlie Koenig in the spring the top priorities would be information and technology needs, infrastructure and facility maintenance, and paying down debt, she said. “I felt like we brought in a very conservative budget to the court so that they would have some room to go back and allocate [funds] toward paying down debt,” Koenig said.