By Edmond Ortiz
Leaders of three growing cities just outside San Antonio have adopted new operational budgets as they prepare for Fiscal Year 2026, which started Oct. 1.
Officials in Boerne, Garden Ridge and New Braunfels said their respective local governments are going forward with tight budgets in response to less-than-ideal trends regarding revenue sources, inflation, changing federal and state regulations and funding patterns, and economic uncertainty.
Here’s a quick look at each city’s budget:
Boerne
City Council passed a balanced $181 million total budget on Sept. 9, including a $34.7 million general fund budget to support daily operations, a slight increase over $34.2 million in Fiscal Year 2025.
Boerne’s new budget will add several positions, including three firefighters, one police officer, an emergency management coordinator, one parks crew leader, and one permit technician.
The new budget includes money to support initiatives such as water treatment plant expansion, purchase of new police department cameras, tasers and software, acquisition of a library bookmobile, and ongoing designs for a second fire station.
Boerne’s leaders also backed a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for city employees. Council voted not to change the property tax rate of 47.1 cents per $100 valuation.
New Braunfels
City Council voted on Sept. 8 to adopt a general fund budget containing $113.4 million in expenditures and $110.4 million in projected revenue.
Major moves in New Braunfels’ FY 26 budget include a reclassification of an existing position to serve as transit manager to oversee the roll out of the city’s Rio on-demand transit program.
The new budget also contains money to: equip eight signalized street intersections with backup power systems; set up Digital Discovery Zones at the main and West Side city libraries; improve downtown and West End streetscapes; enhance public safety at community events; launch a community tool-lending shed; and craft a historic display for the San Antonio Street bridge at the Comal River.
Additionally, the budget supports: police vehicle replacements; the remounting of one ambulance; a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for city employees; flood-warning system enhancements; a school zone connectivity alert system; three new part-time reserve officer positions to bolster security at public facilities and events; and the start of a pilot program with two civilian police service assistants who will address low-risk duties.
New Braunfels is maintaining its property tax rate at 40.8 cents per $100 valuation. With slightly higher taxable values, the city expects that the total annual tax bill on the average local homestead will rise 2 cents.
Garden Ridge
City Council voted on Sept. 3 to approve a $5.13 million general fund budget, which will support adding one police officer position and one code enforcement officer position, the purchase of a police patrol car, 7% salary increases for public works staffers, improvements at the Paul Davis Park trail, upgrading the city’s ground storage water tank, and connecting the town to the Vista Ridge water pipeline.
City officials project $4.27 million in general fund revenue. Council adopted a property tax rate of 24.6 cents per $100 valuation, a drop from 25.5 cents. Local leaders said the tax rate cut will cause a 17-cent decrease on the annual total tax bill on the average Garden Ridge homestead.
