The city of West Lake Hills approved its final fiscal year 2025-26 budget, following a special city council meeting held Sept. 16.

The overview

City Council approved an ad valorem tax rate of $0.176783 per $100 of assessed valuation for all taxable property Sept. 16.

The rate is slightly lower than FY 2024-25, when the city’s tax rate was set at $0.1786, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.

Additionally, council approved the municipal budget for FY 2025-26, funding municipal projects and authorizing expenditures.

The tax on the average residence with the rate approved totals $3,828.72, with the average taxable residence being $2.17 million, according to city documents. This marks a $227 increase in taxes paid from 2024.

The details

The city’s FY 2025-26 budget shows revenues for the city at $10.12 million, with expenditures totaling $10.1 million, leaving a budget surplus of $16,393.

Revenue from taxes makes up 78% of the city’s revenue, and interest and miscellaneous revenue totals 9% of revenues.

Of general fund maintenance and operation expenditures for the city, 39% will go to police—a 6 point decrease from the FY 2024-25 budget, which gave 45% to police.

This year, expenses were higher for facilities maintenance and operations. Expenditures were listed at $38,750 in FY 2024-25 for this department and increased to $275,250 in FY 2025-26.

Additionally, public works, which is responsible for ensuring quality of streets and drainage, saw departmental expenses rise from $1.18 million in FY 2024-25 to $1.73 million in FY 2025-26.

What’s next?

In November, residents of West Lake Hills will be asked to vote on authorization of a sales tax collection of $0.005 to be put toward street maintenance projects.