Parker council directs staff to add firefighters, police officers and equipment in preliminary FY2025-26 budget

Parker City Council members on the council’s budget workshop session directed staff to build several staffing and equipment additions into the city’s preliminary FY2025‑26 budget and approved a proposed tax rate and public hearing date.

City finance staff told the council that the Collin County appraisal district’s certified totals came in roughly $18 million higher than early estimates, generating about $55,000 in additional revenue and raising an available general‑fund surplus to $876,940. With that update, council members discussed two supplemental staffing packages and several equipment requests and gave staff direction on which items to include in the budget presented for public hearing.

The council’s direction included funding three full‑time firefighters (the workshop’s “option 1”), adding two patrol officers for the police department, purchasing a heavier trailer for the city’s skid steer and adding one entry‑level maintenance worker in public works. Finance staff told the council that the supplemental packages had two cost scenarios: an option that would total roughly $1.3 million and a reduced option at about $787,000; staff said the council’s preferred combination of items would fit within the current surplus when accounted for alongside other transfers.

“Currently, we’re at two,” Fire Chief Miller said of minimum daily staffing, describing the benefit of the proposed overtime‑reducing three full‑time hires. “Option 1 gives us ... the ability to complete our 2‑in, 2‑out rule,” Miller said, referring to the staffing standard that requires at least two firefighters inside and two outside during interior firefighting.

Police staffing was the subject of extended discussion. Councilors expressed concern about response capacity when officers are on vacation or training and weighed a staged hiring plan. Staff presented cost estimates: adding two officers was shown at about $235,402; adding three or more would increase the budget impact. Several council members said they preferred a phased approach but supported funding two patrol officers now to improve minimum daily coverage.

Finance staff also outlined options for where to allocate remaining surplus dollars, including transfers to capital projects such as streets, technology, facilities and drainage.

On the tax rate, a motion to adopt ordinance number 2025‑A54 to set a proposed tax rate of 0.310439 for FY2025‑26 and to schedule a public hearing was approved by the council. The motion calls for a public hearing and final vote on the budget and tax rate on Sept. 9, 2025, at 7 p.m. at Parker City Hall. Staff noted the proposed rate is below the de minimis rate calculated for small Texas cities; staff also provided the city’s no‑new‑revenue rate as 0.299267.

The council’s action at the workshop was direction to staff to return a line‑item budget and proposed ordinance reflecting the chosen supplementals and the proposed tax rate at the public hearing; staff said a budget adjustment and more detailed timing (for example, hiring dates and half‑year budgeting) would be provided when they return the proposed budget for adoption.

The council did not record a roll‑call vote listing individual yes/no tallies for the staffing directions in the workshop; the tax‑rate ordinance motion was moved and approved during the meeting. The council asked staff to prepare the formal budget documents and to bring back the information required for the Sept. 9 public hearing and record vote.

Quotes in this article are drawn from council discussion and staff presentation during the budget workshop.