The average Travis County taxpayer may pay $27 more a year to help fund the 2014 county budget, according to county staff.

Finance officers gave an update on the development of the 2014 fiscal year budget during the June 4 Travis County Commissioners Court meeting.

Leslie Browder, Travis County Planning and Budget Office executive, said she expects the county's property tax rate will drop from the current 50.01 cents per $100 of valuation to 49.46 cents per $100 in fiscal year 2014.

"Given expected increases in the average taxable value [of properties], there would be a modest annual increase in taxes of approximately $27, or $2.25 per month," Browder wrote in a May 30 letter to the court.

She added that this increase is similar to the $25 increase the average taxpayer experienced in fiscal year 2013.

The average taxable homestead value, after deducting the county's 20 percent homestead exemption and other adjustments, is expected to increase from $214,567 in fiscal year 2013 to $220,430 in fiscal year 2014, according to the most recent estimates from the Travis Central Appraisal District. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Browder said the appraisal district reported that the taxable property values in the county total $107 billion, including $2 billion worth of new construction.

Budget meetings are scheduled to take place June 6–24. The preliminary budget is expected to be submitted July 22.

Public hearings on the 2014 fiscal year budget are tentatively scheduled for Sept. 17 and 20 at 9 a.m. The court is scheduled to vote on the tax rate and budget Sept. 24.