Longview previews FY 2025-26 budget; manager proposes 6% pay raise plus $1,000 and a 2.3¢ tax-rate increase

City Manager Roland McPhee presented the City of Longview’s proposed fiscal 2025-26 budget at a special called council meeting July 17, recommending a 6% pay adjustment for employees plus a $1,000 salary increase and a proposed 2.3-cent increase to the property tax rate. The council approved a resolution to set a public hearing on the budget for Aug. 21 at 5:30 p.m.

McPhee framed the proposal around workforce retention and service delivery, telling the council, “we are the government that actually touches everyone in this community.” He said the revised compensation package was changed from an initial proposal of 6.5% plus $500 to 6% plus $1,000 to increase help for lower-wage employees while reducing the immediate tax impact.

The city manager explained the tax-rate change in concrete terms: using the reported average home value of $223,311, he said the proposed 2.3¢ increase would translate to about $4.28 per month, or roughly $51 per year, for the typical homeowner. McPhee and staff said the 2.3¢ figure follows additional adjustments and revenue forecasts and noted a possible separate, voter-timed business personal…