Presidio
Funding for Presidio is set to get more complicated, as 149 businesses are set to fall off the tax roll. A change passed by the Texas House of Representatives last year is set to take effect in 2026, costing the city at least $2.6 million in tax revenue. Cynthia Ramirez, the chief appraiser, warned the City Council at their regular meeting on April 13 of the upcoming adjustment.
House Bill 9 was passed in 2025, allowing businesses to write off $125,000 of their tangible personal value, including furniture and equipment. This is a significant increase from the previous level of $2,500. The law was praised by Gov. Greg Abbott as a boost to small businesses. Businesses will be notified within the next few weeks of their tax assessment, and the loss of revenue to the city is expected to grow.
The decline in revenue comes as the city faces ongoing budget pressures, as the council has been addressing much-needed upgrades to the city infrastructure.
Improvement progress has been slow. The city has received several grants to update water infrastructure and to revitalize downtown. An engineering plan for downtown will be presented at the April 27 council meeting. Councilmember Cristian Montoya exchanged tense words with City Administrator Pablo Rodriguez over the slow progress of road improvements in town.
The council is seeking citizens to fill the two open seats. Letters of interest should be submitted to the council by May 1. There are also open seats on the local civic boards including planning, tourism and the Presidio Municipal Development District. Anyone interested in the seat must be a U.S. citizen, and have lived in Presidio for at least six months.