The budget is an $890,000 increase from last year’s adopted budget, which was adopted at $393.8 million.
“This budget shows our priorities,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles said. “[It shows] what the citizen expect from us and what they expect us to do.”
The budget is broken down in $222,981,680 for the general fund, $44,862,760 for road and bridge fund and $126,845,950 million for the debt service fund.
The budget maintains the same number of full-time employees. It also includes scheduled pay raises for law enforcement, cost coverage of health insurance increases for county employees and funds to pay off $25 million in debt.
The adopted budget is about $4.4 million more than the recommended budget presented by the county’s budget office Aug. 6. FY 2020-21 begins Oct. 1.
The commissioners also voted to maintain its tax rate of $0.458719 per $100 valuation. The no-new revenue rate, previously known as the effective rate, was $0.444477 per $100 valuation.
Williamson County commissioners adopted a tax rate compliant with Senate Bill 2, which set a 3.5% tax rate trigger point that would require voter approval if taxing entities wished to collect more than 3.5% of tax revenue over the previous year.
Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector Larry Gaddes reiterated that in four of the county’s last five tax rate adoptions, the county adopted a rate lower than the now-required 3.5% tax revenue trigger point. Prior to SB2, the trigger point was 8%.
Owed taxes are determined by the total appraised value of a home based on the market and set by the Williamson Central Appraisal District. While the rate remains the same, if property values increase, so likely will owed property taxes.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said this would increase the average county homeowner’s total taxes by about $10.
More details on property taxes can be found at https://williamsonpropertytaxes.org/tax.
