Politics
Webb County Voters Decide: Quarter-Cent Sales Tax Hike for Police, Drainage
The November ballot measure would raise the local sales tax by one-quarter cent to fund police overtime and drainage work, increasing annual costs for households that spend heavily on groceries and vehicle repairs.
How we reported this
The proposed Webb County sales tax referendum would increase the combined rate from 8 percent to 8.25 percent starting January 2027, directing an estimated portion of new collections to overtime pay for Laredo police officers and storm-drain repairs along the Rio Grande.
County officials placed the measure on the ballot after the 2025 budget cycle showed a $4.2 million shortfall in public-safety overtime funding, according to Webb County financial statements released in March.
Effects on Laredo households and businesses
Residents who buy vehicles or building materials in Laredo would pay an extra $25 on a $10,000 purchase, while the same tax increase would generate roughly $1.1 million annually for drainage projects in the San Augustine and El Ranchito neighborhoods where flooding closed streets three times last year.
Retailers along Loop 20 and in the downtown district would collect the higher rate on taxable sales, which county records show totaled $3.8 billion in 2025, while households below the area median income would face a larger share of the added cost relative to their spending on food and clothing.
Local advocates note that the revenue would first cover police overtime before any remainder reaches parks maintenance, leaving street-light repairs in the Los Presidentes area dependent on the same general fund that has not increased since fiscal year 2024.
Voters will decide the measure on November 3, 2026, with early voting beginning October 19 at the Webb County Elections Office on Houston Street; if approved, the tax change takes effect the first day of the new calendar year and appears on receipts at Laredo stores for the subsequent three years before any renewal vote.