Parker County Commissioners Court spent nearly three hours Tuesday, Aug. 25, working through a long list of budget decisions for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, opening the session with a public hearing on the proposed budget before moving into detailed votes on salaries, capital equipment, library funding, and county facilities.
The proposed Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget includes new property tax revenue by about $3,086,126, or 3.7%, over last year's budget. That net increase reflects about a $4.07 million increase for General Fund Maintenance and Operations, a $381,715 increase for Road and Bridge, offset by a $1.366 million decrease in debt service.
Of that new revenue, $2,823,841 — or about 92% — comes from new property added to the tax roll this year, not from a higher rate applied to existing property. County officials noted the tax rate used in the proposed budget is the same as the No-New-Revenue rate of 0.28471930, meaning the increase is driven almost entirely by growth rather than a rate hike.
Two Weatherford residents spoke during the public hearing. Richard Heiser praised the court's budgeting process but urged commissioners to take a harder look at salary-setting practices and consider using outside/grant funding to push the tax rate even lower. Richard Sims, echoing similar concerns, questioned the size of recent raises tied to "market forces" for law enforcement and expressed hope — while acknowledging it was likely too late — the court would reconsider some salary decisions. The hearing closed after no one else came forward to speak.
Two formal budget sessions remain before the scheduled Sept. 28 adoption vote: a cleanup session Sept. 1, and the Sept. 22 meeting, which will double as the public hearing on the proposed tax rate. Commissioners agreed most remaining salary and position decisions need to be resolved by the Sept. 1 meeting, with an additional session the week of Sept. 8 or 15 possible if needed.
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