Tax offices closed Sept. 22
Hays County Tax Assessor-Collector Luanne Caraway has announced that all tax offices in Hays County will be closed on Wednesday, Sept. 22 for staff training. The offices are located in Buda, Dripping Springs, Kyle and San Marcos. The offices will reopen at 8 a.m. Sept. 23.

Commissioners Court plans final public hearing on budget
The Hays County Commissioners Court will hold a final public hearing on the proposed 2011 county budget at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28 at the courthouse, 111 E. San Antonio St. in San Marcos. The court is also expected to vote to set the budget for its 2011 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

The proposed budget is available for review in both the county clerk and auditor’s offices in San Marcos, as well as in the commissioners’ precinct offices. It is also posted online at www.co.hays.tx.us.

The commissioners court is considering a proposed tax rate of 47.39 cents per $100 in property value, an increase over the current tax rate of 46.92 cents. However, with slight property devaluations in some areas of the county, the “effective rate” — the rate at which the county will raise the same amount of revenue it did this year — is 48.3 cents, about a penny above the proposed rate for the coming year.

Under the currently proposed tax rate, the average homeowner in Hays County will realize a decrease in his or her county tax bill of about $7, County Auditor Bill Herzog said.