Residents urge Comal County commissioners to seek tax relief during FY2027 hearing

Several residents spoke at the Sept. 17 Comal County public hearing on the proposed FY2027 budget to urge tax relief and greater transparency.

Tracy Byrne, who identified herself as a precinct chair and Veramendi resident, told commissioners she and her neighbors were seeking tax relief rather than increases and urged the court to adopt the no-new-revenue rate. Byrne also urged the county to post meeting recordings promptly, saying the county's recordings were more than a month delayed and that timely access would help the public review tax and budget proposals.

Bob Moore, a Veramendi resident who said he previously served on a city council, also opposed the tax rate and questioned some budget items and processes; he described an unhappy experience appealing his appraisal and urged commissioners to consider whether every item requested in department budgets is necessary. Commissioners responded in the formal budget discussion by explaining the use of special revenues and reserves, the statutory exemptions that affect revenue calculations and the line-by-line review that led to the adopted budget.

Those speakers and commissioners agreed the county must balance service needs and employee retention against taxpayer concerns; no change to the adopted budget or rate was made following the comments.