“We want to maximize innovation in strategic planning in all of our efforts—to be better than before,” said Scott Butler, Sugar Land’s director of budget and strategy.
The budget focused on community priorities identified in a recent resident survey, including infrastructure, drainage, sidewalks, safety and events.
“The focus on this year’s budget is on continued leadership in conservative, resilient and responsible stewardship—balancing continued uncertainty regarding the economy with guarded optimism about recovery,” according to city documents.
The city’s FY 2021-22 tax rate was also approved at the September meeting, with a 1.68% raise from fiscal year 2020-21. That increase will facilitate the implementation of the 2019 voter-approved general obligation bonds, which will enable nearly $30 million in projects in FY 2021-22. According to city documents, the taxes for maintenance and operations on a $100,000 home will increase by about $5.80.
“This is what [City Council] prepares for all year long,” Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman said.
The proposed tax rate is $0.346500, below the voter approval tax rate of $0.355394. Of the proposed tax rate, $0.208851 will go toward maintenance and operations with $0.137649 going toward debt service. City Council also approved the 2022-2026 Capital Improvement Program at the meeting, which allocates more than $22 million to drainage in 2022 alone.
