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Council receives budget primer outlining fund structure, calendar and tax-rate process
Summary
City staff presented a budget primer covering fund types, the five-year forecast, calendar of workshops/public hearings and the truth-in-taxation calculations; council set August dates for tax- and budget-related actions.
Jessica Amerindez, a city budget presenter, gave a detailed primer on the city’s budget process on June 24, describing funds, statutory hearing requirements and the schedule through adoption. "We are here tonight... to provide you a little bit more information to give you that foundational knowledge for the upcoming workshops for the budget season," Amerindez said.
Amerindez explained Coppell’s fund structure—general, debt service, special revenue, capital projects and permanent funds—and noted that public safety accounts for about 43% of the general fund while public works accounts for roughly 15% and culture and recreation about 18%. She said property tax and sales tax made up about 82% of fiscal-year 2025 general-fund revenues.
She walked council through the multi-step budget calendar: internal preparation and five-year forecasting, department submissions, budget workshops (the next workshops were scheduled for July and July dates were noted), public hearings and formal adoption. Amerindez reiterated legal requirements under state law and the city charter for public hearings and adoption and described the truth-in-taxation process, including the no-new-revenue rate and the voter-approval tax rate calculations.
Key dates given in the presentation: the council is scheduled to vote on the maximum tax rate to consider in August and the staff indicated a proposed adoption of budget and tax rate is planned for August 26 (public hearings and adoption steps will follow statutory notice requirements). Amerindez directed council to the city website for detailed supporting documents, including the five-year forecast, the annual operating budget and the tax-rate calculations.
Councilmembers indicated they were largely "questioned out" after recent workshops but asked staff to continue providing comparative data and to surface any items requiring policy direction. No budget ordinance or tax rate was adopted that night; staff will continue the workshop process and return with budget drafts and the formal tax-rate ordinance schedule.
Next steps: staff will continue budget workshops, update the five-year forecast and publish required truth-in-taxation notices and the tax-rate calculations ahead of August public hearings.
