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Conduct a public hearing on the Proposed Fiscal Year 2025-26 Operating and Capital Improvement Program Budget in accordance with Article IV of the City Charter; and take appropriate action.
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Conduct a public hearing on the Proposed Fiscal Year 2025-26 Operating and Capital Improvement Program Budget in accordance with Article IV of the City Charter; and take appropriate action.
Body
REQUESTOR:
City Management
BACKGROUND:
A public hearing is being held to consider the proposed Fiscal Year 2025-26 Operating and Capital Improvement Program Budget. The proposed budget was filed with the City Secretary on July 31, 2025, and copies were made available for public review at City Hall and on the City's website.
The City Council conducted a budget roundtable discussion on August 12, 2025, to discuss and provide guidance related to the budget. The budget and tax rate were also discussed during a Town Hall meeting held on August 26, 2025. The City Council will hold another meeting on September 16, 2025, to conduct a public hearing on the tax rate, vote to adopt the budget, ratify the property tax revenue increase reflected in the budget, and vote to adopt the tax rate. All meetings will be held beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the City of Farmers Branch, City Hall Council Chambers, located at 13000 William Dodson Parkway, Farmers Branch, Texas.
Subsequent to public budget deliberation meetings, the current proposed budget was based on maintaining the current tax rate of $0.5435. However, for Truth-in-Taxation purposes, the City Council approved a motion to consider a maximum tax rate of $0.631795 to allow flexibility, time to deliberate, and the voices of residents to be heard.
Senate Bill No. 656 requires the budget cover page to have specific wording, font size, and calculations for gross property tax revenue in the budget adoption process. Also, per Senate Bill No. 656, the City must state the following due to passing a motion to consider a maximum tax rate of $0.631795, which is more than the tax rate used to support the proposed budget: "This budget will raise more revenue from property taxes than last year's budget by an amount of $10,460,097, which is a 22.11% increase from last year's budget. The property tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year is $365,642."
However, if the tax rate of $0.5435 that was used in preparing the budget is adopted, it will result in a property tax levy that will raise more revenue from property taxes than last year's budget by an amount of $2,387,191, which is a 5.05% increase from last year's budget. The property tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll, if the tax rate of $0.5435 is maintained, is $314,542.
More information regarding the proposed budget and tax rate can be found on the City's website here: https://www.farmersbranchtx.gov/524/Budget
DISCUSSION:
The procedure for the September 2 City Council meeting will be as follows:
1. The Mayor will open the public hearing.
2. Comments will be heard from citizens.
3. The hearing will be closed. The City Council will take action to schedule a vote to adopt the budget and ratify the tax revenue increase reflected in the budget during a meeting to be held on September 16, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the City of Farmers Branch, City Hall Council Chambers, located at 13000 William Dodson Parkway, Farmers Branch. (Note: Ratification is required due to the proposal to consider a maximum tax rate of $0.631795, which does not reflect the rate used to prepare the budget.)
4. City Council discussion will follow.
DISTRICT:
Citywide
POSSIBLE COUNCIL ACTION:
1. I move to open the public hearing, take comments, and close the public hearing.
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. Presentation