Coryell County Seeks State Help Over Veterans Property Tax Losses

Coryell County officials announced on December 15, 2025 that the county is experiencing growing financial strain after a state law granting full property tax exemptions to veterans with a 100 percent disability rating led to significant revenue losses. The county judge, Roger Miller, said the change has compounded long standing limits on the tax base because about 25 percent of the county land mass is owned by the federal government and therefore not taxable.

"The primary means for us to generate revenues, within a county government, is through property taxes. In Coryell County, approximately 25% of our land mass is owned by the federal government – called Fort Cavazos," Miller said. The county reported that in 2023 more than 2,100 veterans with a 100 percent disability rating filed for the exemption, creating a nearly two million dollar reduction in property tax receipts that the county could not recover.

County leaders say the shortfall has real implications for local services and budgeting. Rising numbers of eligible veterans have increased the exemption roll in recent years, while fixed costs and service expectations have continued to grow. Officials contend the fiscal impact falls unevenly on counties that border large military installations, presenting a structural challenge for local governments that rely heavily on property taxes to fund emergency services, roads, and other core functions.

"There’s nothing in any of the bills, or anything that I am even suggesting, remotely connected to decreasing this disabled veterans tax exemption. What it is – it’s an effort to get the state to assist with our revenue losses," Miller said, describing the county request as a plea for equitable state support rather than a change to veterans benefits.

Miller urged a statewide approach to share the cost. "It needs to be shared across the state, so that counties and cities bearing a larger burden of the impact, don’t have to carry that burden alone," Miller said. The county will need either state assistance or other revenue adjustments to avoid deeper cuts to services or local tax increases for nonexempt property owners if the current trend continues.