[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6147314,"mediaKeyId","5521450-2b284046edeefce25667c1d2f10c7670","parentId",5521450,"title","Plano city manager presents $928 million recommended budget; council to consider tax-rate options","audioSeconds",1946,"startMs",2624000,"endMs",4570000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5521450-2b284046edeefce25667c1d2f10c7670&start=2624&end=4570","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5521450-2b284046edeefce25667c1d2f10c7670/thumbnail_2624000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6147314/Plano/Collin-County/Texas/Plano-city-manager-presents-928-million-recommended-budget-council-to-consider-tax-rate-options","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6147314-7ec44b409dadf4ef80049b5f48de062b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771084532&Signature=YddhQQ68SK4CyqasbmoBMpud-~zNxkHL~iRXt2SAyh5fI2L2o49ztQ1TxN-SOc8PQ5XYe~xeqtULWio3f7eyl74fD6J9H7nuPLks3MVj5q~m79gDdq5kx6FTvtbNWlbVERSCIIp8KTSH2A4-XDTBh7RqGLeJmd6nVpjN4ycaoEqFD~E0rb-SqZDxHc-pu7MOEnrrfM7jnxThqIj~YA5ghfk2PcGppNy6RgtsLarq6s~EgRtxHk5T0KMwJtEwGIHk1eF4KCPFTKEW-SCyApJFNqE7N2k56d-6f62mBHhI0OPQvmo5yMgKEsAlhr7lCfvCfDA9Ajl2mM3gDlPGqSSBRw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-08-01T06:15:52.927Z","article","City Manager Mark presented the city manager's recommended $928,000,000 budget for fiscal 2025–26 and the proposed capital investment program, saying the plan \"funds organizational and community priorities that will keep Plano as the premier city in North Texas.\" The presentation included projected operating revenues and expenditures, proposed transfers to capital and maintenance funds, and a request that the council consider a tax-rate adjustment to keep pace with service demands and the new bond authority.

The recommendation arrives amid a multi-year financial roadmap the city accelerated last year, which produced policy changes for fund balances and cost-recovery. Karen Rhodes Whitley presented budget detail, saying, \"The budget that y'all received on Monday totals $928,000,000.\" She told the council the recommended plan uses an assumed city tax rate of 41.76¢ and that the average market value in Plano is $591,947, an increase of 2.1 percent from the prior year; the average taxable value rose about 8.1 percent.

Why it matters: the recommended budget sets the starting point for public hearings and council decisions that will determine the operating tax rate and service levels for the next fiscal year. Karen Rhodes Whitley told the council the public hearing on the budget and the capital improvement program is scheduled for Aug. 11 and that the council will adopt the budget, the CIP and set the tax rate on Sept. 8.

Key details in the recommended budget include a 3 percent across-the-board salary increase plus step increases for public safety, the net addition of two positions and $93,000 in new operations and maintenance tied to CIP projects. The city plans to use fund balances within adopted policy targets; the general fund shows about 58 days of working capital under the recommended plan and the capital improvement program totals about $319,000,000, led by streets, water and sewer, and parks projects.

On utilities and user fees, Whitley warned of contract-driven increases. The city’s wholesale water costs from the North Texas Municipal Water District are projected to rise; the budget assumes an 8 percent pass-through rate increase on both water and sewer, to be implemented Oct. 1, to cover about $12.8 million in higher wholesale charges. Solid-waste rates also include increases: she said the 95-gallon container monthly fee would rise from $24.60 to $25.60 and the 68-gallon container from $17.61 to $18.32.

Revenue-side highlights included projected combined taxes (property and sales) of about $388,000,000 and charges for services of about $333,000,000; fund balances total roughly $137,800,000 in the recommended plan. Whitley summarized exemptions and taxpayer impacts: she said the typical homeowner’s average tax bill under the presented numbers would rise about $144 annually, or roughly $12 per month, compared with last year, noting that exemptions (including a 20 percent homestead exemption and senior tax freeze) offset part of the increase for many households.

Council questions focused on legal limits and timing for tax-rate action, truth-in-taxation deadlines and voter-approval thresholds under state law. Whitley said the council will receive calculated no-new-revenue and voter-approval rates and other statutory notices before the Aug. 11 hearing. She also reminded the council that some items (for example, meet-and-confer outcomes and certain economic-development projects) were not included in the recommended budget and could require later adjustments.

Less-critical and background items: the presentation reported a planned issuance of about $98,000,000 in general obligation debt for projects from the recent bond referendum and $45,000,000 in revenue bonds issued in May for water and sewer needs. The capital maintenance policy was revised in the last year; the city plans a $15,000,000 transfer from capital maintenance into the general fund to help reach a 60‑day fund-balance target. Detailed rate models and the solid-waste and drainage rate proposals will be presented to council at upcoming work sessions in August.

What’s next: staff will provide the statutory tax-rate calculations and more detailed information at the Aug. 11 public hearing and the Aug. 14 budget work session, then return to council for adoption of the budget, CIP and tax rate on Sept. 8.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Plano - City Council Meeting | 07-30-25","oneSentenceSummary","City Manager Mark presented the city manager's recommended $928,000,000 budget for fiscal 2025–26 and the proposed capital investment program.","taxTitle","Plano, Collin County, Texas","taxId",2776,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6147309,"Council reviews stream-bank stabilization study; staff asked to return with easement, funding and participation options",2344,4902000,7246000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5521450-2b284046edeefce25667c1d2f10c7670&start=4902&end=7246","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5521450-2b284046edeefce25667c1d2f10c7670/thumbnail_4902000.jpg","/articles/6147309/Plano/Collin-County/Texas/Council-reviews-stream-bank-stabilization-study-staff-asked-to-return-with-easement-funding-and-participation-options","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6147309-57128556624c271c0a4c747bba0c07d2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771084532&Signature=OoQm3nbTYiYbjgkYvA8WvAUGmNaHe2iFbzD34gEeIRlUBUVEIu-eavSdMjXqarwrl2OgQoUJH5fbKGuHH9D~zloacKLLugNECopOiE1S9LmSPVIEoeOaGKd4cg7SV3PV0UWVzxdVyiLe4tc7g~SlO9KMCGXY-kHzrgZl7DnxDcZ3qggZ6a4jKdJiiZ6yfljPOATGhCycUAaw6npvEaedd7H9xifjoGfNMcYx~7LRPiXOoPovEAu7R-rffu8WUcBZ~uDhHaw1PcRGT6WSUJ9UZxHvbAM7tS0wOGBU6vU5A0DKS-c3hihWp2qr6Mos~BOaUIhEFiageYEeHVs1yzl0QQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Caleb Thornhill, director of engineering, told the Plano City Council the city studied 127 miles of stream channels and identified more than 3,000 locations that show erosion or bank-stability issues, and that about 70 percent of those locations are on city-owned land. He said the consultant’s scoring system ranges from 0 (worst) to 100 (no action needed), and that roughly 42 locations fell into the critical category (scores 0–20).

Thornhill said his office estimated the cost to address the critical locations at about $10,000,000; of that amount, the estimate for city-owned sites is roughly $6,750,000, with private and HOA-owned portions of the critical total estimated at about $3,450,000 and $150,000, respectively. He gave an example of a large gabion wall project that cost about $1,600,000 at a single site, and said that many projects would be bundled—several problematic spots could be designed and constructed as a single project to reduce per-site costs.

Council discussion focused on ownership, acquisition rights, participation by homeowners and HOAs, scheduling and interim maintenance. Thornhill said the city is working with legal on acquisition language and proposed that, if the city works on private property, property owners would be asked to dedicate easement rights to the city (rather than sell fee title). He said property owners would be responsible for resolving any encroachments—fences, landscaping or pools—that intersect the needed stabilization work.

Council members pressed for options on cost-sharing. Thornhill showed models used by neighboring cities—flat-fee programs, percentage split (for example, 50/50 residential), and tiered shares for commercial properties—and said the city could evaluate a flat participation fee such as $5,000–$7,500 per property or a percentage of the improvement cost. Councilman Rick said he favored a higher flat contribution from homeowners and suggested considering $10,000 as a participation level.

On timing, Thornhill said the city’s plan would be to address the current critical locations within three years by grouping multiple spots into design and construction projects and running several projects concurrently. He also proposed a five-year re-evaluation cycle to update priorities and inventories.

What council asked staff to return with: the council requested easement templates and legal options if property owners decline to grant rights, a range of homeowner/HOA participation models including flat-fee and percentage approaches with cost examples, reassessment thresholds (for example, where to draw the line between maintenance and capital intervention), and a proposed annual maintenance budget to address lower‑scored (noncritical) sites.

Thornhill and staff said they will bring those options back for council consideration at upcoming budget work sessions and will provide breakdowns for the 10 specifically identified private properties in the critical category. Council did not approve a specific funding commitment or new program at the meeting; members said they wanted both acquisition/legal options and concrete cost-sharing figures before deciding on private-property participation.","Engineering staff presented a study of stream-bank erosion across Plano, identifying more than 3,000 locations with about 42 rated as critical. The estimated cost to address critical sites is about $10 million; council asked staff to return with easement templates, cost-sharing options and maintenance proposals.","actionData","errors"]

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Plano city manager presents $928 million recommended budget; council to consider tax-rate options

Council reviews stream-bank stabilization study; staff asked to return with easement, funding and participation options