This is down from the current $0.04436 per $100 valuation rate, which, in addition to sales tax revenue, funds emergency services provided by the Cy-Fair Fire Department. According to previous Community Impact reporting, commissioners have not voted to increase the property tax rate since 2019.
Officials at the meeting said the rate approved was lower than what Citygate Associates, a third-party consulting firm, recommended in a 2023 strategic plan for the department. The plan includes adding eight new fire stations within the next decade to accommodate population growth.
Commissioners Kevin Stertzel and Rob Paiva voted against this rate in favor of an even lower tax rate of $0.037697 per $100 valuation. This rate would have cut the department’s annual budget by about $3 million and saved the owner of a home valued at $350,000 about $8 per year.
“I’m all for saving the taxpayer money by whatever means necessary,” Stertzel said.
“Payroll currently is sitting at about $61 million, and it will be at $101 million in five years with these stations built out, so I think every bit counts here,” MacKinnon said. “And I'm not saying a further tax cut ... is not appreciated by our homeowners, but I do believe that instead of saving $3 per $100,000 [valuation], it would be best used to make sure that we can make that payroll.”
What they’re saying
Officials with the Cy-Fair Professional Firefighters Association said the approved tax rate was a win for both taxpayers and the fire department.
“It cannot be said enough about how we are leading the way in running a fiscally conservative fire and EMS service with the lowest tax rate of all ESDs in the county. We also have a responsibility, when discussing tax rates, to not only plan for the upcoming year but use strategic planning to plan for the future as well,” CPFA President Chris Fillmore said at the meeting.
