When a natural disaster strikes your community, the last thing you expect is for your local government to use the emergency as a legal weapon to raid your wallet. For families in Kerrville already stretching every dollar to cover basic necessities, the aftermath of a flood should be a time for municipal belt tightening and community support. Instead, local politicians saw the crisis as a perfect excuse to bypass voter consent and force a substantial property tax increase onto struggling households.
On September 8, 2026, the Kerrville City Council officially adopted Ordinance 2026-20 (the FY 2027 budget) and Ordinance 2026-21, levying a property tax rate of $0.5995 per $100 of assessed valuation. This represents an aggressive 6.7% property tax increase. Under standard Texas law, exceeding the voter approval tax rate of $0.5846 would trigger a mandatory public vote, giving citizens the final say over their own money. However, the council chose to bypass voter consent entirely, exploiting a disaster tax rate loophole triggered by a local flood declaration to force the hike through without a ballot.
During the public hearing, local taxpayers did not mince words, comparing the council's actions to extortion given the financial strain facing ordinary families. But rather than offering empathy or fiscal restraint, the city's leadership responded with shocking arrogance. When one frustrated taxpayer confronted the council over their high handed tactics, Mayor Joe Herring dismissed the citizen with a flippant joke, stating, "I wish I had that much hair." This staggering display of bureaucratic indifference illustrates how disconnected local officials are from the financial realities of the people they claim to represent.