Sugar Land FY 2024-25 budget includes $11M in community trail projects

Sugar Land’s fiscal year 2024-25 budget includes several capital improvement projects such as Brazos River erosion prevention and trails projects.

The overview

The budget, approved at a Sept. 17 City Council meeting, includes $453.87 million in expenses for FY 2024-25, a $100.43 million increase from FY 2023-24.

Additionally, council increased its tax rate to $0.353210 per $100 property valuation, up 0.92% from FY 2023-24. The rate is above the no-new-revenue rate of $0.347218, which is the rate that would generate the same property tax revenue as the year prior, according to budget documents.

Zooming in

Additionally, the FY 2024-25 budget includes a $8.8 million pay plan to improve city staff pay, which was approved by council at a July 23 meeting. The plan implemented a step program for law enforcements, which provides increments in an employee’s salary over time rather than the traditional merit-based pay.

The budget also lays out $679.51 million in capital improvement program projects over five years with $140.34 million funded in FY 2024-25.

Projects include:

• $23.65 million to build the South of the Brazos Wastewater Treatment Plant
• $28 million for a Brazos River erosion project near Riverstone
• $11.08 million to construct Sugar Land Trail Phase 2 and Gannoway Lake Trails
• $2 million for major street rehabilitation citywide
• $950,000 for the first phase of design for an Sugar Land Regional Airport terminal ramp expansion

The FY 2024-25 budget will begin on Oct. 1, city officials said.