Fort Bend County Commissioners Court approved Sept. 10 a $271 million budget for fiscal 2014 but tabled the approval of a proposed tax rate because of a publication error.

The budget includes $167,317 that was added to the proposed budget on Sept. 3 to provide for two staff positions; both were approved by a vote earlier in the meeting. The fiscal 2014 budget is about $21 million greater than last year.

A vote on the proposed $ 0.48476 tax rate was postponed because, though the county largely completed the process of setting and advertising the rate publicly according to law, one final advertisement was inadvertently omitted. The missed advertisement should have notified residents that there would be an increase in revenue this year.

"Rather than just post it, then set the tax rate," said County Judge Robert Hebert, "The county attorney has advised us that we're safer if we just go through the public hearings again. So that's what we're doing."

After the hearings are once again complete, and the appropriate notices have been published, there will be a special meeting to vote on the proposed rate.

Hebert said he doesn't expect anything about the rate to change in the interim. Nor will it impact the county's operations.

"It just adds a few days to the process," he said. "I don't think it will have any impact on our fiscal year, revenues and all."

The public hearings are set for:

- Sept. 18 – 5:30 p.m.

- Sept. 23 – 1 p.m.

The Special Meeting of Commissioner's Court (for a record vote):

- Sept. 26 – 2 p.m.

Fort Bend County Commissioners Court, seventh floor of the William B. Travis Building 301 Jackson St., Richmond 281-342-3411 www.fortbendcountytx.gov.

Contact Nick Cenegy at [email protected].