Rockwall council adopts 2025–26 budget, approves 0.2575 tax rate after weeks of debate
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Summary
After hours of public testimony and council debate, Rockwall City Council approved a $2025–26 city budget and a property tax rate of $0.2575 per $100 of assessed value, a 3/4-cent increase from the prior year; the final tax-rate ordinance passed 4–3.
Rockwall City Council adopted the city’s fiscal year 2025–26 budget and approved a property tax rate of $0.2575 per $100 of assessed value at its Sept. 15 meeting after extended deliberations and public testimony. The tax-rate ordinance passed on a 4–3 roll-call vote.
The new budget, approved before the tax-rate vote, was adopted by a 4–3 council vote. Council members who opposed the budget raised concerns about relying on optimistic sales-tax projections and said they preferred raising revenue now to pay for roads and public safety. Council members who supported the budget said it was a conservative plan that funds priorities including public safety, road projects and employee pay.
Why it matters: The tax-rate change is projected to increase city revenue and fund a range of priorities council members and city staff said are needed to retain employees and pay rising costs. The council’s decision followed numerous public comments from city employees and first-responder representatives urging support for raises and better staffing.
Most significant facts - The city adopted the FY 2025–26 budget and then approved a property tax rate of 0.2575 per $100 of assessed value. That rate was the final ordinance read aloud in council and approved 4–3. - The earlier motion to retain the prior-year rate of 0.24745 failed. After additional motions and discussion the council passed the higher 0.2575 rate. - Council members split 4–3 on both the budget and tax-rate decisions; the final tax vote was recorded with Councilmembers Jeffers, McCallum and Henson voting no, per the city secretary’s roll call.
Public safety testimony and staffing concerns Cameron Parker, telecommunications supervisor and spokesman for the Rockwall Police Department, urged the council to approve the tax increase before the vote, saying the department faces persistent recruiting and retention challenges. “We cannot continue to pass the buck,” Parker said, noting a decline in applicants and rising call volumes: “In the past five years, priority 1 calls ... have increased 61%.”
Detective Laurie Burkes, representing the Rockwall Police Association, likewise told council that recruitment has dropped sharply since the early 2000s and that pay must be competitive. Firefighter representatives also urged approved increases to keep staffing levels competitive.
What the budget includes and next steps City staff told council the proposed budget funds modest pay adjustments intended to improve employee retention, maintains planned capital investments (including road work and a detention project at the tech park), and keeps new headcount requests limited. The council approved the EDC and Rockwall Tech Park Association budgets with minor amendments during the same meeting.
Council discussion split on pacing and assumptions: some members said the city should raise revenue now to avoid growing deferred maintenance and to fund first-responder pay, while others said the budget relies on reasonable sales-tax growth and that increasing the rate now should be avoided unless necessary.
Ending note The city manager is authorized to implement the approved FY 2025–26 budget and the adopted tax rate. Council members who voted against the tax rate said they remain committed to supporting city employees but disagreed with the timing or size of the increase.
