Schertz staff recommends a 2026 city property-tax rate of $0.5175 per $100, above the current $0.5118 rate but below the $0.5296 no-new-revenue rate discussed in August.
For the median-valued Schertz homestead in the city’s example, the city tax estimate falls from $1,698.33 in 2025 to $1,693.37 in 2026—a $4.96 annual drop, about 41 cents a month—because the example’s taxable value is $4,613 lower.
The city memorandum estimates that the recommendation would collect $529,021 more in total property taxes than last year, a 1.9% increase, including $1,175,814 attributed to new property added to the roll.
How Schertz Reached the Recommendation
The Aug. 25 draft minutes record staff’s position that the current rate would not fund four new dispatchers without cuts elsewhere, followed by direction to return with a middle option.
The recommendation puts $0.3494 per $100 into maintenance and operations and leaves the debt portion at $0.1681.
In the taxpayer-impact statement, the lower taxable value more than offsets the higher proposed rate.
The Sept. 15 posting supplies the next decision date after Comal.News’ earlier coverage of the delayed budget and tax-rate action. The recommendation remains a proposal unless council adopts it.
The Sept. 15 Decision
Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing and consider Ordinance 26-T-027 at 6 p.m. Sept. 15 in the Hal Baldwin Municipal Complex Council Chambers, 1400 Schertz Parkway, Building 4.
The agenda instructs residents who want to speak to complete the speaker register before the meeting and limits presentations to three minutes.
The council’s decision will settle the rate; the recorded vote and adopted ordinance will show whether members accepted the recommendation or chose a lower figure. Readers can inspect the complete council packet for the budget history, proposed ordinance and taxpayer illustration.