BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL PROPOSES NEW TAX RATE; ADOPTION SET FOR SEPT. 4
(center) was honored at Thursday's Brenham City
Council meeting for 40 years of service with the City
of Brenham, including since 1992 with the city's gas
department. Pictured with Bostain are (from left)
Brenham City Councilmember Albert Wright,
daughter Victoria Bostain, wife Luci Bostain, son
Austen Bostain, Brenham City Councilmember
Adonna Saunders, and Lowell Ogle, who formerly
served as the City of Brenham's Assistant City
Manager of Public Utilities.
The Brenham City Council unanimously agreed today (Thursday) on a proposal for a new property tax rate.
The proposal of $0.4676 per $100 valuation is higher than the city’s existing rate of $0.4584 per $100. However, it is lower than the calculated no-new-revenue rate of $0.4691 and the voter-approval rate of $0.4802.
Manager Carolyn Miller, speaks to the council on
Thursday during his final meeting serving as
Brenham's interim police chief. Gott will step aside
for new police chief Gary Boshears, who will join the
city on August 18th.
Making up the proposed rate is $0.3256 for maintenance and operations (M&O), increasing by $0.0092 from the present adopted rate, and $0.1420 for interest and sinking (I&S), unchanged from the current rate.
Chief Financial Officer Julie Flagg said the city’s certified values for the new tax year are $2,679,549,983, a 4.24 percent increase from 2024’s valuations. The average homestead taxable value went up from $272,061 to $286,168, and the tax on the average homestead is expected to increase by 7.3 percent, from $1,247 to $1,338.
With the new rate, the total tax levy on all properties would go up by $616,127, or 5.41 percent. Of that amount, $191,678 would come from new properties, which have a combined taxable value of $40,991,914.
The city is set to formally adopt the tax rate at the council’s meetings on September 4th and 18th. Since the rate is below the no-new-revenue rate, no public hearing is needed before adoption.
(courtesy City of Brenham)
Also at today’s meeting, the council:
- Held executive session discussion about the possible purchase, exchange or acquisition of real property for electric department improvements and facilities. Following executive session, the council voted unanimously to authorize the city manager to negotiate, approve and execute a contract for the purchase of real property for electric department improvements and facilities.
- Ratified the acceptance of a $100,050 donation from American Fidelity Insurance Company. The Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library received the donation as the beneficiary of the life insurance policy provided by Pierre Roberts Jr. (KWHI will have more in a follow-up story).
- Approved an advertising agreement with AJR Media Group for tourism and marketing in the amount of $56,894, a decrease of $296 from the past year.
- Approved a digital advertising agreement with Madden Media for tourism and marketing in the amount of $99,840, an increase of $120 from the previous year.
- Renewed with the Texas Municipal Leage Intergovernmental Risk Pool for the city’s insurance coverage for the 2025-26 Fiscal Year. Human Resources and Risk Management Director Susan Nienstedt said the overall budget impact for all lines of coverage is $787,488, an increase of $124,982, with a 2 percent early payment discount if paid by October 31st.
- Repealed an ordinance for the non-excusive franchise granted to Waste Solutions USA, LLC to operate a roll-off container service for residents, businesses and industries inside Brenham city limits. City Secretary Jeana Bellinger said the company requested the franchise agreement be revoked, as it has not provided any roll-off dumpster service in Brenham since obtaining the franchise in April 2024.
- Took no action on an agreement with CR Systems, Inc. for roof renovations at The Barnhill Center.
Click here to view the agenda packet for Thursday's meeting.