Pflugerville City Council approved its budget and tax rate for the upcoming fiscal year at its Sept. 8 meeting.
What you need to know
Council approved an ordinance setting the property tax rate at $0.5436 per $100 valuation to support the city's $481.4 million budget. The tax rate is up from last year's rate of $0.535 per $100 valuation. The vote was 5-2, with council members Melody Ryan and David Rogers voting no.
Both Ryan and Rogers advocated for the no-new-revenue rate of $0.5407 to prevent compounding tax rate increases in future years.
Because the average taxable homestead value fell from $378,234 to $362,231, a resident’s annual estimated city tax bill is expected to decline from about $2,024 to $1,969, a $55 decrease.
Additionally, as part of the fee schedule approved alongside the budget, council adopted new water and wastewater utility rates. About 75% of utility customers should see lower water and wastewater bills under the new rate structure, council member Jonathan Coffman said.
“I want to thank this council for establishing goals and policies and expectations on the way we serve our citizens,” Mayor Doug Weiss said. “I want to thank you for making the hard decisions that we have to make to make this happen."
Dig deeper
The budget is largely focused on infrastructure, with more than $200 million going toward utility and other capital projects. It also funds the new Monarch recreation center, transportation improvements, parks projects, public safety and day-to-day operations.
The Monarch has its own enterprise fund under the new budget with $6.1 million in expenses and $5.3 million in anticipated revenue, including $2.1 million from Pflugerville Community Development Corporation 4B funding. The city's goal is for the Monarch to become self-funded within five years.
