BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL APPROVES BUDGET, TAX RATE ON SECOND READING
The Brenham City Council formally adopted the Fiscal Year 2027 budget and property tax rate after performing second reading on Thursday.
Brenham City Council meeting, marking his promotion
to sergeant in the Brenham Police Department.
The unanimous vote by the council matched the first vote taken on September 3rd, setting the budget at $131,926,584 and the tax rate at $0.4750 per $100 valuation.
The new budget is up from the previous year’s adopted budget of $116,262,861 and is set to raise more total property taxes by $381,755, or 3.23 percent, which includes $207,787 in tax revenue from new property added to the tax roll this year.
Morong is pinned with his new badge at Thursday's
Brenham City Council meeting.
The budget calls for a 3 percent step increase for full-time public safety positions and a 2.5 percent step increase for full-time general government positions. It also accounts for the renovation of Brenham Fire Department Station No. 1 and the purchase of a new ladder truck. Other key initiatives figured in are expansion of the water plant, the addition of a groundwater well, a new elevated storage tank, upgrading water and street infrastructure, completing the first phase of the Brenham Family Park, and engineering for utility relocation related to TxDOT’s cloverleaf project.
The tax rate of $0.4750 per $100 is up from the previous rate of $0.4676 and the total no-new-revenue rate of $0.4669, but below the voter approval rate of $0.5108. It is made up of a no-new-revenue maintenance and operations (M&O) rate of $0.3330, up from the previous year’s M&O rate of $0.3256, and an unchanged interest and sinking rate of $0.1420. With the new rate, the tax on the average homestead is expected to go up $25.08, or 1.87 percent.
(courtesy City of Brenham)
Also on Thursday, the council accepted a bid from Brazos Valley L4 LLC from North Zulch, the lowest of four bids submitted, for the construction of street and drainage improvements on Lott Lane and Shepard Lane in the amount of $1,074,041. The project will include road widening and adding curb and gutter.
The city has a $1,044,500 grant from the General Land Office (GLO) to fund the majority of the project, with the remainder coming from the drainage utility fund. The timeline is 180 days, with final completion in 210 days.
Additionally, the council authorized a contract revision with the GLO pertaining to the project. A local funding resolution states that the total projected costs, including construction, engineering, environmental and grant management, are $1,279,845, with the city’s local contribution being $235,345 from the drainage utility fund.
Councilmembers also received a Public Utilities Department update and held executive session discussion regarding the appointment, employment, evaluation and duties of the new city manager. No action was scheduled to take place after executive session.
Click here to view the agenda packet for Thursday's meeting.