Budget Departments in Texas

Budget Departments Across Texas: Who Does What

Texas has no personal income tax. That single fact shapes how local governments here pay for roads, jails, parks and police. Cities, counties, school districts and special districts rely mostly on property tax and sales tax. A budget department turns those projected dollars into a spending plan. This page covers eleven budget offices in our database, from Arlington and Austin in the north and center of the state to Laredo and Edinburg near the border.

A budget department rarely works like a license office, where you walk in and leave with a document. Its job is internal and public at the same time. Staff collect spending requests from every department, forecast revenue, and draft a proposed budget. They then support elected officials through public hearings and votes. Residents usually contact these offices to get a proposed budget, understand a tax rate, or prepare to speak before a vote.

State Rules That Shape Every Local Budget in Texas

Texas local budgets follow state law, although no single state agency runs them. Chapter 102 of the Local Government Code covers municipal budgets, and Chapter 111 covers county budgets. Both require a proposed budget to be made available to the public and a hearing to be held before adoption. Home-rule cities can add steps through their own charters.

Property tax rates are governed separately by Chapter 26 of the Tax Code, often called the truth-in-taxation process. Since 2019, cities and counties generally need voter approval to adopt a rate that raises revenue from existing property by more than 3.5 percent. Special districts have a higher threshold of 8 percent. The appraisal district sets property values, but the governing body sets the rate. The budget office supplies the numbers behind that decision.

At the state level, the Legislature passes a two-year budget, the General Appropriations Act, in regular sessions held in odd-numbered years. The Legislative Budget Board and the Governor's budget staff prepare the starting recommendations, and the Comptroller of Public Accounts certifies how much revenue is available. The state fiscal year runs from September 1 through August 31. Those decisions reach local offices indirectly, through grants, mandates and aid programs.

How Texas Counties Build and Adopt Budgets

Texas has 254 counties, more than any other state, and the budget process depends partly on county size. The commissioners court, made up of the county judge and four commissioners, adopts the budget. In smaller counties the county judge usually serves as budget officer. Larger counties tend to employ a professional budget staff. Counties with 225,000 or more people are also required to have a county auditor, who is appointed by the district judges.

The four largest counties in our database show the professional model. The Harris County Budget Department is at 1310 Prairie St in Houston, phone 713-755-5116. The Dallas County office is at 411 Elm Street in Dallas, phone 214-653-6384. The Tarrant County office is at 100 East Weatherford Street in Fort Worth, phone 817-884-2640. The Travis County office is at 314 W 11th St in Austin, phone 512-854-9106.

Each of those counties has more than a million residents. Their budgets pay for sheriff operations, county courts, indigent defense, public health and roads in unincorporated areas. Smaller listings follow the same state framework on a smaller scale. Examples are the Denton County Budget Department at 401 West Hickory Street in Denton (972-434-8854) and the Galveston County Budget Department at 722 21st Street in Galveston (409-770-5392). The staff are fewer, but the legal steps are the same: a proposed budget, notice, a hearing and a vote.

City Budget Offices in Arlington, College Station, Laredo and Richmond

City budget departments work under Chapter 102 and the city's own charter. Many Texas cities begin the fiscal year on October 1, though each city picks its own date. The Arlington Budget Department is at 101 West Abram Street, phone 817-459-6144. College Station's is at 1101 South Texas Avenue, phone 979-764-6376. The Laredo City Budget Department is at 1110 Houston Street, phone 956-791-7430. The Richmond City Budget Department is at 309 South 4th Street, phone 281-238-3280.

These city offices serve different governments than the county offices above. Arlington's budget is separate from Tarrant County's, even though the city sits in that county. An Arlington homeowner pays property tax to several governments, and each one has its own budget process. College Station is a city in Brazos County, whose county seat is Bryan. A question about city streets or utilities goes to the city, while a question about county courts or the jail goes to the county.

Metro, Coastal and Border Differences in Texas

Texas is large, and local budgets reflect local economies. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, rapid growth drives spending on roads, water lines and public safety. Houston and Galveston face a different pressure. Coastal and Gulf-facing counties plan for storm recovery, drainage and flood control, which makes reserve funds an important budget topic. Galveston County residents who want to follow that spending should watch the commissioners court agenda each summer.

Along the Mexican border, the issues shift again. In Webb County, where the City of Laredo is the county seat, international trade and border infrastructure shape both city and county planning. In Hidalgo County in the Rio Grande Valley, population growth puts pressure on streets, drainage and public safety. The Hidalgo County Budget Department is at 2818 S Business Highway 281 in Edinburg, phone 956-292-7025. Edinburg is the county seat.

Rural Texas looks different again. Most of the state's 254 counties have no dedicated budget department in our database. In those counties the county judge, the county auditor or the county clerk usually handles the budget file. The commissioners court meeting is where the public takes part. If your county is not listed, call the county judge's office and ask who prepares the budget. Staff there can usually tell you when the proposed budget will be filed and when the hearing is set.

Working With a Texas Budget Office: Practical Steps

Residents get the most from these offices by preparing before they call or visit. These steps work in most Texas cities and counties:

• Identify the right government first. City, county, school district and special district budgets are adopted separately.
• Look for the proposed budget on the government's official website. It is usually posted before the hearing. Search the exact name of the city or county.
• Call the listed phone number before you visit. Ask about office hours, parking and whether documents are available digitally.
• For records not posted online, send a written request under the Texas Public Information Act, Chapter 552 of the Government Code.
• Attend the public hearing, and ask the city secretary or county clerk how to sign up to speak.

Timing matters. Appraisal districts certify property values to taxing units by July 25. For governments on an October 1 fiscal year, proposed budgets and tax rates typically surface in July and August, and adoption follows in September. If you wait until the vote, your options for changing the outcome are limited.

Budget staff can explain figures, line items and revenue assumptions, but they cannot change appropriations. Only the city council, commissioners court or other elected body can do that. Send policy requests to your elected officials and send questions about the numbers to the budget office. Using each channel for its purpose gets faster answers from both.

The state budget department in Texas is responsible for coordinating the governor's executive budget proposal, managing the state's fiscal year appropriations process, monitoring agency spending, and reporting on the state's financial condition to the legislature and the public.

Budget Departments locations are available in 11 cities across Texas. They are spread across 10 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Galveston, Fort Worth, Austin, where larger municipal governments maintain dedicated budget offices to manage complex multi-department expenditure plans and capital improvement programs.

Residents of Texas interested in participating in the budget process can attend public budget hearings, review draft budget documents posted online, and submit written comments to their local government budget office during the public comment period before budget adoption.

Nonprofit organizations, contractors, and grant recipients working with Texas government programs should contact the relevant budget department for information about current fiscal year appropriations, spending freeze notifications, and any mid-year budget adjustments that may affect funding levels for ongoing programs or contracts.

Browse Budget Departments by county across Texas to find the nearest location.

Reading a Local Budget in Texas: What the Eleven Listed Offices Handle

Our eleven Texas listings split into seven county offices and four city offices. The county offices are in Austin, Dallas, Denton, Edinburg, Fort Worth, Galveston and Houston. The city offices are in Arlington, College Station, Laredo and Richmond. Richmond is the seat of Fort Bend County, but the City of Richmond's budget is a separate document from the county's. The same is true of Laredo and Webb County.

When you open a Texas local budget, look for a few standard sections. The general fund pays for everyday operations such as police, courts and administration. Enterprise funds cover services that charge fees, such as water and sewer. Texas tax rates also split into two parts. The maintenance and operations rate pays for day-to-day costs. The interest and sinking rate pays off voter-approved debt. Seeing which part is rising tells you whether a tax increase is for current spending or for past borrowing.

Have your property address or account number ready when you call. Budget staff can answer general questions quickly, but they cannot discuss appraisals. Those questions go to your appraisal district. Tax bills come from the tax assessor-collector.