Waller County Commissioners Court plans to hold a hearing Sept. 11 at 9 a.m. at the county annex to field comments on a proposed fiscal 2014 budget and tax rate.

The county is expecting revenue this year to increase by about $846,000, officials said. Of the increase, about $497,000 comes from new tax roles in the county. That is likely attributable to companies like Weatherford, Igloo, and Goya, that have recently moved into the area, as well as some new residential building, said Precinct 4 Commissioner Stan Kitzman.

The remaining portion comes from the increased valuation of property. Commissioners estimate that there may be as much as an additional $72 million that the county will be able to tap into next fiscal year once the companies currently developing properties have brought their facilities online.

While not every county property owner's taxes may increase, depending upon the value of the property, the proposed tax rate, if approved, is slightly higher than fiscal 2013's. The proposal under consideration would raise the effective tax rate to $0.686944 from $0.662756--both are per $100 of taxable value.

Additional revenue in the fiscal 2014 budget will allow for an increase of about $600,000 for road projects countywide, said Kitzman. That makes it possible for the commission, based on the county engineer's recommendations, to consider making repairs to roads near Willow Creek Farms, and the Waller County portions of Morton Road and Clay Road, among others.

Budget and tax rate hearings:

- Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. - Waller County Annex, 775 Business 290 East, Hempstead, 77445

Vote on budget and tax rate:

- Sept. 23 at 9 a.m. - Waller County Courthouse, 836 Austin Street, Hempstead, 77445

Waller County Commissioner's Court, 836 Austin Street, Hempstead, 77445, www.co.waller.tx.us.

Contact Nick Cenegy at [email protected].