City Council Approves Fiscal Year 26 Budget With Increased Tax Revenue and Water Rates

The DeSoto City Council meeting on September 2, 2025, focused on the proposed budget for fiscal year 2026, highlighting key financial figures and upcoming plans. The council discussed the tax rate necessary to fund debt obligations and maintain proposed operating services, which will remain unchanged at 0.684934 per $100 of taxable valuation from the previous year.

The budget for fiscal year 2026 is projected to raise $5,093,723 more in tax revenue than the previous year, marking a 10.17% increase. This includes $778,901 expected from new properties added to the tax roll. The council also announced that the budget adoption will take place on September 16, 2025, at 7:00 PM, alongside the adoption of the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

The CIP includes projects funded by the most recent bond sale, which occurred in fiscal year 2025. Notably, there will be no bond sale in fiscal year 2026, with the next sale planned for fiscal year 2027 to support new projects. Additionally, the council approved a 9% increase in water base and volume rates, raising the base rate from $11.60 to $12.64 and the volume rate from $4.03 to $4.37.

These discussions set the stage for the upcoming budget adoption and reflect the city's ongoing financial planning and infrastructure development efforts.