Trophy Club, Texas — The Town of Trophy Club adopted its fiscal year 2026 budget, approved a six‑year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and confirmed a debt financing plan during the council meeting on Sept. 8, 2025. The council also set the municipal ad valorem tax rate at $0.412864 per $100 of assessed value and separately ratified the increase in property tax revenue contained in the new budget.

The budget the council approved projects roughly $27.6 million in total revenues and $31.1 million in total expenditures for FY2026. The town’s general fund revenue is approximately $17.5 million and general fund expenditures are about $17.7 million. Council used a voter‑approval tax rate of $0.412864 (composed of $0.309764 for maintenance and operations and $0.103100 for debt service). Council members said the rate is a slight decrease from the prior year’s rate but will generate more maintenance‑and‑operations revenue because of higher assessed values.

Why it matters: the budget funds staff pay adjustments and service expansions the council prioritized. The adopted plan includes a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment for all town staff plus 2–4% merit increases where earned; step increases for public safety positions; targeted market adjustments affecting about 20 positions; an increase in fire and EMS funding (driven by higher NEFTA dues); and the addition of a police cadet position in the CCPD budget. The fiscal plan also creates new program funding in the hotel occupancy tax (HOT) fund, including a new Harvest Festival replacing Taste of Trophy Club, $220,000 for local arts and a $100,000 tourism incentive program.

The council also adopted a six‑year CIP for 2026–2031 that schedules street work (including Forest Hill Drive, Paint Rock Court, Palmetto Court and Oakmont), sidewalk enhancements on Skyline Drive and Creekside, and street lighting upgrades on Bobcat Boulevard and Parkview. The CIP lists public‑safety and infrastructure investments such as upgraded crosswalk flashers, mobile vehicle barriers, new outdoor warning sirens and acquisition of drones for public safety operations. Officials said the full CIP and project detail are posted on the town website.

Council approved a debt financing plan that projects future general obligation issuances through 2046 and assumes, beginning in 2042, shortening maturities from 15 years to 10 years to help sustain a stated debt‑rate goal of 10.5 cents.

Votes and next steps: The budget passed on a roll‑call vote, 6–0 with one member absent; the council then adopted the CIP and debt financing plan. The council also approved an ordinance fixing the tax rate at $0.412864 and took the separate statutorily required ratification vote to acknowledge the increase in total property tax revenue in the adopted budget. The ratification motion stated the FY2026 budget will raise $562,699 more in property tax revenue than last year’s budget (a 5.26% increase), and the tax revenue attributable to new property on the roll was reported as $50,004. The ordinances and budget take effect at the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, 2025.

Context and fiscal highlights: Staff presentations earlier in the evening summarized the budget assumptions, the revenue and expenditure totals, and line‑item changes. Notable adjustments in the FY2026 budget include reduced plan‑review contract costs in community development (reflecting one‑time work completed for the Byron Nelson High School stadium project) and the programmatic additions in the HOT fund described above. Officials said the budget balances ongoing service and infrastructure needs with a conservative approach to debt and long‑term fiscal stability.

The council record indicates staff will publish the ordinance and related budget documents in accordance with state notice requirements and proceed with the capital projects schedule and financing consistent with the approved plan.