Balch Springs adopts $30 million fiscal 2026 budget, keeps tax rate; council restores several frontline positions

The Balch Springs City Council adopted the fiscal year 2025-26 budget and formally approved a tax rate of 0.794629 per $100 valuation on Sept. 8, 2025, after a public hearing and debate over personnel and service priorities.

City Manager Fenner presented revised figures showing the general fund deficit had been reduced from roughly $2.6 million in the initial draft to a much smaller shortfall after staff cuts and adjustments. "The initial budget that we went over at the budget workshop, we were 2,600,000.0 over, so we had to reduce a lot of things," a staff member said during the presentation.

Why it matters: the council kept the city's effective tax rate unchanged while approving a budget that restores code enforcement, animal control and inspector positions that staff had earlier proposed to remove. Councilmembers said the changes reflected a priority on essential services while keeping the city's tax levy steady.

Council debate focused on personnel and how to cover ongoing costs. Council members repeatedly raised the trade-offs between adding an assistant city manager and hiring more field staff. City Manager Fenner said adding the restored positions would increase the use of fund balance but said the city had available reserves: "We would be utilizing the fund balance," Fenner said during discussion.

After discussion, a motion to approve the budget as amended'removing the proposed assistant city manager position and adding back code enforcement officer 1, animal control officer 1, an inspector (health/safety) and keeping mechanic 1'passed. The roll call recorded by the clerk was: Councilmember Hill: yes; Mayor Pro Tem Tim Garcia: yes; Councilmember Gabriel: (tentative no during discussion); Councilmember Patino: yes; Councilmember Miles: yes; Councilmember Salat: yes. The motion carried.

On the tax rate, staff said the rate would remain the same as 2024 and that the city's debt issuance was incorporated into the calculation. The council adopted the ordinance setting the tax rate at 0.794629 per $100 valuation and then separately adopted the accompanying motion that characterizes the action as effectively a 7.81% increase over the no-new-revenue tax rate. The motion language stated the rate consists of 0.763429 for maintenance and operations and 0.0312 for interest and sinking (debt service). The vote to adopt the tax rate was unanimous among members present.

Budget highlights reported by staff: - Projected general fund revenues for FY2026: approximately $30,000,000 with roughly $26,000,000 in operating revenues. - The city issued $13,000,000 in debt in the current fiscal year for capital projects planned in 2026. - Utility funds projected revenues of $18.7 million and proposed expenses of $19.2 million (capital outlay $3.3 million). - Special revenue funds (grants/capital/streets) and EDC (Type A/Type B) balances and planned expenditures were summarized in the presentation.

Councilmembers asked for and were promised updated electronic copies of the final budget materials that had been revised after a workshop earlier in the week.

Votes at a glance (formal actions reported during the meeting): - Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget: Approved (motion to remove assistant city manager and restore code enforcement/animal control/inspector/mechanic). Vote: Hill yes; Garcia yes; Gabriel (recorded as tentative no during discussion); Patino yes; Miles yes; Salat yes. - Adoption of tax rate 0.794629 per $100 valuation: Approved (motion adopted and then ratified). Vote: Hill yes; Garcia yes; Gabriel yes; Patino yes; Miles yes; Salat yes. - Consent agenda (minutes and multiple park/field upgrades): Approved unanimously. - Appointment of Deanna Hammond to the Economic Development (EDC) Type A Board as an alternate: Approved (Councilmember Gabriel recorded a respectful no; others yes). - Supplemental: see separate articles for planning and code enforcement actions below.

The council set a backup meeting for Sept. 15 in case additional budget action was required, but with the vote on Sept. 8 the city will proceed under the adopted FY2026 budget.

Ending: Councilmembers asked staff to send detailed line-item updates and comp/benefit totals for the restored positions and to continue work on longer-term revenue strategies and a staffing succession plan.