Humble city officials approved a budget for fiscal year 2026-27 that included 4.5%-6% raises for most employees, with some employees receiving raises as high as 11%.
The details
Humble City Council members unanimously approved the city’s budget for FY 2026-27 during the council’s Sept. 10 meeting.
Humble Mayor Norman Funderburk said the city’s general fund is projected to contain roughly $43.6 million in expenditures based on roughly $44.5 million in new revenue.
“The fiscal year 2026-27 budget demonstrates the continued strength of the city’s strong financial position, balances growing demands for services against available resources, and allows us to continue attracting and retaining the very best public servants to execute our mission,” Funderburk said.
Funderburk added the budget was created with a total estimated beginning balance, including projected revenue, of roughly $131.3 million. He said the city will have a general fund reserve balance of roughly $22.9 million heading into the fiscal year.
“There are very few cities or municipalities that have a reserve that’s equal to ours,” Funderburk said. “That speaks to the stewardship and the conservative approach that council and the staff have taken.”
A closer look
In a Sept. 10 letter included in agenda documents, City Manager Jason Stuebe said the new employee raises will cost the city roughly $1.8 million.
“The administration desired to make every possible effort to focus attention on the city’s greatest asset—our people,” Stuebe said.
Stuebe said all full-time employees would receive a 3% cost-of-living increase to their salaries in the FY 2026-27 budget. Additionally, he said most employees will be eligible to receive up to an additional 3% salary bump based on their performance.
“All employees, unless otherwise topped out, should see between a 4.5%-6% increase in their annual salaries, depending upon their performance evaluations,” Stuebe said.
Stuebe said sworn officers, dispatchers, crime scene investigators, jailers, firefighters and paramedics, as well as water and wastewater operations personnel should see an 8%-11% increase.
The specifics
Funderburk noted additional highlights in the proposed budget include around $12.7 million in road and drainage improvements, including road widening projects on South Houston Avenue, Meek Road, Manning Road and in the J&L Ranchland Subdivision.
Additionally, Funderburk said the budget includes roughly $1.6 million in public safety investments for the city’s police, fire rescue and fire marshal departments, including new vehicles, drones, radios and equipment.
Funderburk added the budget includes roughly $7.7 million in water and wastewater improvements, including several waterline extension projects, generators at various facilities, and the repair and replacement of various existing systems.
The budget also includes roughly $2.7 million in numerous facility improvements across all departments, including the build-out of a new vehicle maintenance shop on Wilson Road, necessary foundation and plumbing repairs at Fire Station 1, and parks facility upgrades, Funderburk said.
Also of note
Funderburk noted the budget is based on a proposed tax rate of $0.245682 per $100 valuation, down roughly 4.8% from last year’s rate of $0.258171 per $100 valuation.
“Humble's ad valorem tax rate remains one of the lowest in Harris County,” Funderburk said. “Our taxes are so low that our ad valorem tax revenue contributed an amount that is less than 20% of our general fund.”
Budget documents show the average taxable value of homes within the city rose from $127,084 in FY 2025-26 to $129,620 in FY 2026-27.
According to budget documents, average tax bills for individuals living within the city’s boundaries are estimated to decrease by roughly 3%, dropping from $328.09 to $318.45. However, individual tax bills may vary depending on home values.
