The Williamson County Commissioners Court adopted budgets and tax rates for next fiscal year. The overall county tax rate adopted was $.459029 per $100 valuation which is a three-quarters of a cent reduction from last year’s total tax rate. The total county budget for FY 2018-2019 funds 47 new full-time employees including 18 Sheriff’s Office employees with eight law enforcement deputies, seven corrections personnel, two school resource officers for Round Rock ISD and a financial manager.  It also funds eight call takers for Emergency Communications, five employees for Road and Bridge, and four employees for the District Attorney’s Office. 

The Williamson County Commissioners Court adopted their General Fund budget for FY 2018-2019 of $212,758,329.41, an 11 percent increase over last year’s adopted budget, which includes 42 new full-time employees. The Commissioners Court also adopted the FY 2018-2019 budget for the Road & Bridge Fund of $40,812,343.84 which includes five new full-time employees. The Debt Service budget, which is repaying the debt associated with road, park and other capital improvements, was approved at $111,064,745.67. 

A two percent cost of living increase was given to all employees not on the Law Enforcement or Corrections pay charts. A two percent merit pool for employees not on the Law Enforcement or Corrections pay charts was approved. By policy, employees may receive no merit increase or as much as five percent in any given year. A four percent increase was given to elected officials with the exception of the county attorney whose salary is set consistent with the county court-at-law judges. The county court-at-law judges’ salary is dependent upon the salaries set for state district judges. 

The Commissioners Court included $7 million for the Long-Range Transportation Plan from the general fund and $5 million from the Road and Bridge fund. It also includes $12 million for capital improvement projects. 

The Commissioners Court implemented the first results of the on-going salary study mainly impacting corrections and law enforcement with $1.6 million added to the budget for those increases. In addition, all Corrections and Law Enforcement officers will receive a step increase based on the tenure pay grade step charts at a cost of $640,000. The step increase is between 2 and 2.25 percent.

Two public hearings were held on the proposed maximum tax rate of $0.466529 per $100 of valuation on August 14 and 21, 2018. The Commissioners Court reduced the General Fund tax rate by three-quarters of a cent to $.251529 per $100 valuation. Road and Bridge tax rate remains at $.04, and the Debt Service tax rate remains $.1675. This equates to an overall county tax rate of $.459029 per $100 valuation which is a three-quarters of a cent reduction from last year’s total tax rate.

Williamson County will end the fiscal year with an estimated $97.3 million in uncommitted general fund cash reserves and $21.2 million in Road and Bridge fund uncommitted cash reserves according to Williamson County First Assistant County Auditor Julie Kiley.

The county budget will be filed in the County Clerk’s Office in the Justice Center, 405 MLK, Georgetown, no later than September 28, 2018, and will be available at that office in person or can be viewed at www.wilco.org by selecting the Budget Office from the list of county departments.