The city of Humble approved a 4.5% higher FY 2020-21 budget operating expenditure than last year. The operating expenditure is $118.64 million, while the FY 2019-20 operating budget was $113.53 million, per the budget.
There was one change made between the budget proposed Aug. 13 and the budget approved Sept. 10. On Sept. 1, City Council approved an additional $35,000 expense be added to the budget to demolish the Humble Senior Activity Center this year. The Old Humble Museum at 219 E. Main St., Humble, is also on the FY 2020-21 budget for a $100,000 demolition.
Additionally, the city also adjusted its proposed FY 2020-21 property tax rate from the rate proposed in August. The city originally proposed a property tax rate of $0.260855 per $100 valuation.
The city is now proposing a slightly lower FY 2020-21 property tax rate of $0.258693 per $100 valuation—a 1.07% increase over the FY 2019-20 tax rate of $0.255944, and a 9.57% increase over the no-new-revenue tax rate, formerly known as the effective tax rate.
The no-new-revenue tax rate is rate at which taxes would need to be set for the city to receive the same amount of property tax revenue as last year.
Humble Chief Financial Officer Aimee Phillips said the proposed property tax rate decreased because the city received the certified tax rolls from the Harris County Appraisal District, whereas the original rate was set on the estimates.
Phillips said the new proposed rate will account for a property tax bill increase of $21 per month for a Humble homeowner with an average homestead taxable value of $94,487.
Texas Senate Bill 2 reduced the maximum allowable no-new-revenue rate increase before going to voters for approval to 4% this year. However, cities like Humble with fewer than 30,000 residents are permitted to have no more than $500,000 of new taxable revenue, Phillips said.
Council will hold a public hearing and vote on the proposed tax rate at the Sept. 24 meeting.
