Commissioners adopt tax increase for 2025

By Anthony Collins

LPR Editor                            

   Caldwell County Commissioners adopted the 2025 property tax rate following a public hearing in which no residents came forward to speak. The adopted rate of $.4391 per $100 of property valuation is expected to generate an additional $505,519 in revenue, representing a 2.14 percent increase from last year.

     County officials said the revenue will support general government operations, law enforcement, road and bridge maintenance, and debt obligations. The modest increase comes under the limits set by the Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act of 2019, which caps counties at a 3.5 percent annual property tax increase without triggering a voter-approval election. Prior to the reform, taxing entities could raise property taxes by up to 8 percent without an election.

     Commissioners noted that Caldwell County’s portion of overall ad valorem taxes, which also include levies from school districts and municipalities, amounts to about 16 percent of a property owner’s total bill. Commissioners also finalized the county’s 2025-2026 budget earlier this month on September 9.

     In other business, commissioners voted to keep the current burn ban in place and approved the sale of fireworks for the upcoming Diwali holiday from October 13-22, excluding items with sticks or fins. The court also adopted an updated set of Proposed Rules of Procedure, Conduct and Decorum for Commissioners Court meetings, clarifying guidelines while maintaining citizens’ rights to speak on matters regardless of whether they appear on the agenda.

    Commissioners approved a request to resolicit bids for unit road materials, issued a proclamation recognizing October 2025 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and approved a contract with Brandon Gray for maintenance of the courthouse clock tower.

Additionally, the court designated the second and fourth Thursdays of each month for regular meetings of the Caldwell County Commissioners Court starting in October. Adjustments were made for the holiday season, with meetings to be held on Tuesdays during the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas.