Travis County approves 2015 budget

Spending is up but tax bills are down in FY2015 in Travis County. Commissioners made final approval Tuesday of a $911 million budget on a 5-0 vote. Commissioners also voted to set the tax rate at 45.63 cents per $100 in taxable value.  That is lower than this year’s tax rate, but because of rising property values, will generate about 6 percent more revenue than in 2014. That means that the average Travis County home, valued at about $240,000, will incur a $1,095 tax bill from the county, about $5 less that what was due this year. Travis County is only one of five main taxing authorities that make up average tax bill in the Austin area. The others include the City of Austin, Austin Independent School District, Austin Community College and Central Health. Some areas also have smaller taxing districts, such as MUDs or Emergency Services Districts.