Leander City Council is considering a tax rate of 59.9 cents per $100 of property valuation for fiscal year 2016-17, which is 3.392 cents less than the current rate. Council members approved a motion to consider the proposed rate during a meeting Aug. 4. The proposed rate includes 38.56 cents for maintenance and operations and 21.34 cents for debt, Leander Finance Director Robert Powers said. The current tax rate is 63.292 cents per $100 of valuation. Leander Mayor Chris Fielder said a growing population and a growing number of taxable properties in the city allows council to consider a lower rate. “This is one of the largest tax rate decreases that not only will you see in the region, but it’s the largest that you’ve seen in the city of Leander in over 10 years,” Fielder said. “This puts us back to the tax rate that we were at in 2005.” Council members did not discuss whether appraised property values in Leander had increased. According to the Williamson and Travis central appraisal districts, average residential property values have risen in Leander from 2015 to 2016. Council scheduled two public hearings at Pat Bryson Municipal Hall on the proposed tax rate. After the hearings, Powers said, the city charter requires two readings of the proposed rate. The first reading is schedule during the Sept. 15 council meeting, and a final vote on the proposed rate will likely occur after the second reading Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. The next fiscal year begins Oct. 1.