Homeowners in Travis County can expect tax bills for the average taxable homestead to remain the same in fiscal year 2016-17 as they did in fiscal year 2015-16 if the Travis County Commissioners Court approves the proposed rate next month. The court is scheduled to receive a presentation on the preliminary budget for FY 2016-17 on Aug. 18 and vote on the county’s budget and tax rate on Sept. 27. The tax rate used to balance the FY 2016-17 budget is 3.31 cents less than the FY 2015-16 adopted tax rate of 41.69 cents per $100 of taxable value. Even though the average taxable homestead value is expected to grow by 8.65 percent, tax bills should remain the same based on the new proposed tax rate of 38.38 cents, according to the county. “The Travis [County] Commissioners Court continues to be mindful of the ongoing affordability concerns in our community,” County Judge Sarah Eckhardt said in a statement. “We are working hard to balance the need for county services with the impact that taxes have on residents.” The FY 2016-17 preliminary budget for the county totals $976 million and is approximately 2.6 percent more than the FY 2015-16 adopted budget. Public hearings on the tax rate will take place Sept. 20 and Sept. 23 and on the budget on Sept. 27.  More details are available at www.traviscountytx.gov.