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Commissioners plan for nearly 10% increase in property tax revenue
BASTROP — Commissioners approved a 2026-27 budget Aug. 24 with a property tax rate that will generate an estimated $6.2 million more in revenue compared to last year.
Bastrop County’s overall property tax rate rose from 42 cents to 45 cents per $100 valuation, alongside a two-cent debt service rate bump up to 6 cents. Combined, the increases mean a homeowner with a $290,000 house will pay about $77 more in county taxes this year, according to officials.
Of the additional $6.24 million, $2 million will come from new property added to the tax roll.
County Tax Collector Ellen Owens told commissioners the rates were set to fund the budget they approved.
Commissioner Clara Beckett noted the county’s current tax rate remains lower than what it was in 2011, when the rate was 61 cents.
“The legislature makes statements that we’re raising the tax rate, but every single year it’s going down,” Beckett said.
The county’s maintenance and operations rate was set at 31 cents per $100 valuation. Officials said that portion of the tax rate will cover the county’s operations costs.
The road and bridge rate was set at nearly 8 cents.
Beckett said the county’s reliance on property taxes is part of a broader issue with how local governments in Texas pay for essential services.
“Until the state decides we’re not a property tax dependent state to finance things like schools, roads, police, fire and everything else, we’re going to keep paying property taxes,” she said. “It’s a fact unless the legislature changes the way we finance things.”
Commissioners also voted to formally ratify the tax increase, as required when a county adopts a budget that raises more property tax revenue than the prior year.
