The $452.2 million fiscal year 2025-26 budget includes funding for new employees, including around eight additional positions for the county auditor’s office, according to county documents. Denton County Budget Officer Alejandro Moreno said the adopted budget is $35.7 million more than the fiscal year 2024-25 budget—an 8.58% increase.
“We did a good job balancing the tax rate and also taking care of the necessities that we’re having to deal with at our local level,” County Judge Andy Eads said. “As the federal government contracts grants, we’ve had to be nimble and adjust things.”
The overview
Within the adopted budget, there is a decrease to the FY 2025-26 tax rate, bringing it to the lowest since 1986, officials said in a news release. The adopted tax rate for FY 2025-26 is $0.185938 per $100 of assessed value, which is a reduction from $0.185938 per $100 of assessed value for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
There are two components to the county’s tax rate:
- The maintenance and operations rate, which helps cover general county expenses, is set at $0.142947 per $100 of assessed value.
- The interest and sinking rate, which is used to help repay debt, is set at $0.042991 per $100 of assessed value.
Despite a decrease to the overall tax rate, property tax bills are expected to increase because of growth to appraised home values in the county.
According to county documents, the average taxable value of properties in Denton County is $510,263, a 3.68% year-over-year increase. Based on the average value, the county’s portion of a tax bill would total $949 in FY 2025-26, a $24 increase from FY 2024-25.
Diving deeper
The FY 2025-26 budget allocates nearly $272.88 million for its general fund, which helps cover public safety, general administration and other county expenses, per county documents. The budget also includes the addition of 40.625 full-time equivalent positions, which includes a mix of full- and part-time employees.
“Being competitive in salaries across the board, including in law enforcement and our justice system, is key to maintaining quality services from our current employees and in attracting the best and brightest for the future,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Ryan Williams said in the news release.
Other fund budgets include $92.94 million for the county’s special revenue funds and more than $86.33 million for the debt service fund.
From the over $35 million in budget additions, allocations include:
- $11.12 million for additional detention officers and personnel, an increase in costs for jail food, medical and pharmaceutical supplies, and a new fire station
- Nearly $7.55 million for pay-as-you-go projects to avoid issuing debt
- Over $5.39 million for the judicial and legal divisions
The adopted budget is set to take effect Oct. 1.
