The Travis County Commissioners Court is expected to raise property taxes to pay for damage caused by the flooding on July 5.
Commissioners have until Oct. 1 to decide on the 9.12% tax hike. If approved, the average Travis County homeowner can expect to pay $200 more than what they paid the previous year, according to the county's preliminary 2026 budget.
State and federal emergency disaster declarations issued after the flood allow the county to raise property taxes without voter approval. Typically, the county can't raise property taxes more than 3.5% without voters' OK.
The county has been drawing from its emergency reserves to pay for repairs to dozens of roads and bridges, debris removal and emergency services for people affected by the flooding. The county has already spent $7 million and has less than $2 million left, Travis County Budget Director Travis Gatlin said.
The emergency tax increase would provide the county $42 million to help with flood repairs. Some of the money could also be saved for future natural disasters.
Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea said the county needs to keep track of how much it's paying to repair damage, costs she said should be shouldered by other entities.
“We’re charging taxpayers for these costs, and they didn't cause them,” she said.
The county is applying for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, money that could take years to come through. It took several years for the county to be reimbursed for COVID-related expenses, Travis County spokesperson Hector Nieto said, and those costs were never reimbursed fully.
There's also the possibility FEMA could be eliminated entirely.
“We’re not quite sure what FEMA may look like a year or two from now ... or next month,” Gatlin said. “And we need to be prepared that this is the county’s responsibility and there may not be help elsewhere.”
The tax rate increase would be in effect for one year, then go back to normal.
“In my 24 years of being here, I’ve seen multiple wildfires, winter storms, flooding events and even a pandemic, and it like seems these are becoming more and more frequent,” Gatlin said. “I think we need to prepare for these worst-case scenarios. What if two events happen in one year? How do we prepare for that?”
The Travis County Budget Office is accepting comments from the public on the 2026 budget. You can send comments here.
