Von Ormy, Texas is once again a property tax-free city.
City commissioners voted 2-1 to eliminate property taxes during their September 10 meeting, returning Von Ormy’s municipal tax rate to zero for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
At the same time, commissioners adopted a record-high budget that will pay off all city debt and expand basic services.
Mayor Art Martinez de Vara proposed the zero-tax budget. Commissioner Sammy Martinez moved to cut the property tax rate from $0.12 to $0.00.
“In this time of rising inflation and economic hardship, we owe it to our residents to provide meaningful property tax relief,” said Martinez de Vara in a press statement. “Every dollar we tax comes directly out of our residents’ household budgets.”
Von Ormy incorporated in 2008 and first abolished its municipal property tax in 2014.
As the city’s first mayor, Martinez de Vara had promised to eventually eliminate residents’ property tax burden.
For the next 10 years, Von Ormy relied on sales taxes and fees to fund the city’s operations.
In 2023, city residents fought off an effort to reimpose a property tax, showing up to a public hearing in overwhelming numbers to oppose the plan.
But in 2024, Von Ormy officials adopted a property tax for the first time in a decade.
Martinez de Vara was re-elected mayor in 2025, and this year Von Ormy restored its property tax-free status.
According to the mayor, Von Ormy’s zero-tax budget is the largest since the city’s incorporation and will pay off all city debt while directing most spending to basic services.
About 30 percent of the budget will fund public works, primarily road repairs; another 30 percent will fund law enforcement; and 30 percent will fund city administration and operations. A city sewer project and other essential infrastructure are also funded.
At the September 10 meeting, commissioners also approved hiring five more police officers.
“The new budget reflects a fiscal approach centered on eliminating debt, avoiding new debt, operating efficiently and directing City resources toward essential services,” stated Martinez de Vara. “Von Ormy will enter the new fiscal year with a zero municipal property tax rate, no City debt, increased police staffing, major road funding and continued investment in sewer infrastructure.”
Von Ormy is a Type C general-law municipality in southwest Bexar County with about 1,300 residents governed by a three-member board of commissioners.
