In September 2019, the Galveston County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to pass the FY2020 budget.

This new budget cut the tax rate by nearly 3% and Galveston County will take in $4.7 million less this year than the previous year. The total general fund budget is $144.56 million and funds 29 elected officials and 85 associated departments.

For the ninth straight year, Galveston County has cut the tax rate, totaling a 17.91% cut in taxes since 2011.

“The tax rate in Galveston County hasn’t been this low since the late 1990’s” said County Judge Mark Henry “we’ve taken in tens of millions of dollars less than if we had kept the same tax rate over the last nine years. This has been possible because of conscious efforts to make county government more efficient.”

The new budget delivers on a number of key issues while still reducing the tax burden on residents. Highlights include $1.8 million in capital improvements funded without additional debt, new funding for ambulance services in the east part of the county, $2.5 million for indigent healthcare, and an increase in self-insurance reserves for property and casualty claims. In addition, the county will maintain its Aaa bond rating from Moody’s Investors Services, Inc., once again proving the financial system in Galveston County has a strong outlook.

Darrell Apffel, County Commissioner Pct. 1 commented, “This is a big win for taxpayers in Galveston County. We’ve worked hard to provide a budget for the next year that is effective and does more with less while still meeting all the necessary needs of the county.”

You can view the Galveston County budget online by visiting the county's website at www.galvestoncountytx.gov