Rosenberg council sets Sept. 2 as final vote date after FY2026 budget hearing

Rosenberg — The Rosenberg City Council on Tuesday completed a state-required public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget and set Sept. 2 as the date for the council—inal vote. Louis Garza, a city staff member, opened the hearing with a citation to state law: "Texas local government code section 102 dot 0 0 6 requires the city to hold a public hearing on the proposed budget, and all interested persons shall be given the opportunity to be heard for or against any item or the amount of any item contained in the proposed budget."

The hearing reviewed changes council members had requested following budget workshops on Aug. 5 and Aug. 11. City staff displayed two primary adjustments: a reduction in projected property tax revenue of $1,476,950, which the council directed be offset by using the general fund balance, and an unanticipated increase in health insurance costs that raised the insurance fund renewal from an estimated 15% to a final 20.7% increase, an added cost of $238,000. Garza summarized those changes for the record and noted the hearing had been published in the Fort Bend Herald on Aug. 14 and Aug. 21 and posted to city channels.

Council discussion included a brief statement about constituent concern over using one-time fund balance for recurring costs. One councilmember said constituents had expressed that the approach "is not sustainable to take from the general fund for things that are recurring expenses and they have concerns about the fiscal health of the city." The transcript does not identify individual residents speaking during the hearing; no members of the public testified at the hearing.

Councilmember Hector moved to set the date for the final vote, saying, "I'll make a motion to, accept a budget versus, to vote on September 2." Councilmember Steve seconded the motion. The mayor called for a voice vote; council members voted in favor and the mayor announced the motion passed unanimously.

The public hearing had been opened at approximately 6:40 p.m. and closed before the council took action to set the adoption date. No formal changes to line items beyond the two adjustments presented by staff were made at the meeting; the council ction was to schedule the final adoption vote and to close the hearing. The council later moved to adjourn the special meeting.

The record shows the council complied with the state notice requirement for the hearing and set Sept. 2 as the next step for formal adoption. At the Sept. 2 meeting the council is expected to take the final vote on the FY2026 budget as required by law.