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Bastrop County Commissioners Court amended and reapproved its proposed 2025-26 budget last week, voting on the changes immediately after initially passing a third draft with modest changes to rates.
The county’s debt tax rate decreased slightly f rom $0.04464 to $0.04371 per $100 valuation, but the overall property tax rate rose from $0.40275 to $0.42870 per $100. The jump means a homeowner with a $250,000 house would pay about $65 more in county taxes this year, or $5.41 more per month, according to County Judge Gregory Klaus.
“It’s not going to change tax rates, it’s going to change some internal budgeting numbers,” Klaus said during the Aug. 25 meeting.
According to county officials, the new rate will generate $5,053,259 more than last year’s budget, an 8% increase in revenue. Of that, $1,660,255 comes from new properties added to the county’s tax rolls.
In other business, commissioners approved the purchase of new cellphones for the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Maurice Cook said the change will replace the current stipend program for deputies, with payments going directly to the provider to cover phones for about 50 patrol deputies.
“Now this may be a blessing in disguise. I’m coming here to ask you for something that doesn’t cost you any money. In fact, it saves you money,” Cook told the court.
Cook said the phones can be used for ticket writing and include a Wi-Fi hotspot, eliminating the need for the county to purchase additional ticket- writing devices.
“It has a number of features and it’s a win-win for the county because it’s a reduction in cost. We just need to change the billing process,” Cook said.
More details about the budget and court agenda are available at bastropco.civicweb.net.
