Coppell finance staff gives council a budget primer; key dates set for workshops and tax‑rate actions
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Summary
City staff gave an overview of Coppell’s fund structure, budget process, property‑tax rules and key calendar dates for the FY26 budget; staff signaled public hearings and an August adoption schedule.
Jessica Amerindez presented a budget primer to the Coppell City Council on June 24, outlining fund structure, the budget cycle and the property tax process ahead of the FY26 budget workshops.
Amerindez told the council that public safety accounts for roughly 43% of the general fund, public works about 15%, culture and recreation about 18% and community development about 5%. “Property tax and sales tax together made up about 82% of the fiscal year 25 general fund revenues,” she said.
She explained fund accounting and the city’s fund types — general fund, debt service funds, special revenue funds (including the Crime Control and Prevention District and CRDC), capital projects and permanent funds — and described proprietary funds (water/sewer enterprise and internal service funds). The presentation emphasized the legal and charter requirements for preparing and adopting a balanced municipal budget and holding public hearings. Amerindez said the city manager must present a balanced budget and Council must hold public hearings on the budget and tax rate under Local Government Code Chapter 102 and the city charter.
Amerindez reviewed the calendar: additional budget workshops in July, a filing deadline and public hearings in August and a planned adoption schedule for the budget and tax rate on Aug. 26. She also summarized the “truth in taxation” process and explained the distinction between the no‑new‑revenue rate and the voter‑approval tax rate, noting the city’s current rate of 0.458632 per $100 valuation.
Council asked few follow‑up questions after a lengthy public workshop the night before; Amerindez provided links to the city’s budget pages and said the full rate calculations are posted in the budget documents. The presentation closed with instructions for residents on where to find the annual operating budget, five‑year forecast, budget briefs and the comprehensive annual financial report.
No action was taken; workshops and hearings remain scheduled as discussed.
