Abilene council adopts revised 2026 budget and sets tax rate at $0.7506; one councilor dissents

The Abilene City Council on Aug. 11 approved final readings on the revised fiscal year 2025 budget, the proposed 2026 budget and associated tax rate and fees after a lengthy public hearing and debate about the no‑new‑revenue rate and municipal priorities.

Marjorie Knight, finance director, presented final numbers: the revised 2025 total expenditures remained at $366,014,742 with an ending fund balance of $91,875,613. For fiscal year 2026, staff recommended a revised expense budget of $371,450,844 with an ending fund balance of about $90,800,000. Knight said the appraisal district provided certified values and the state restored immunization grant funding, allowing the city to add two positions to the immunizations program.

Council members debated whether to allocate an additional $722,000 of new property tax revenue to street maintenance reserves or to reduce the tax rate to a no‑new‑revenue rate; Councilman Price argued for keeping the proposed allocations rather than lowering the rate further to avoid future funding shortfalls. After discussion, council moved the budget and related motions.

Votes recorded in the meeting: the FY2026 budget and related motions passed with a majority of councilors voting yes and Councilman Blaise Reagan recorded as the sole no vote on the motions to adopt the budgets. On the property tax rate, the council set the rate at 0.7506 per $100 of assessed value (0.5837 for maintenance & operations; 0.1669 for interest and sinking). The city reported the no‑new‑revenue rate at 0.7375 and the voter‑approval tax rate at 0.7943; the adopted rate is below the voter‑approval rate and therefore did not require an election.

Public commenters urged more transparency on budgeting and questioned how the city determines tax rates and the no‑new‑revenue calculation. Resident Tammy Fogle asked for clearer public communication about the no‑new‑revenue rate and how the city manages its budgets year to year. Another commenter, Chad Carter, raised historical concerns about fiscal practices and urged stricter adherence to budget oversight; councilors and staff answered procedural questions about certified values and timing for the certified appraisal roll.

Council motions and votes were recorded in the meeting minutes; the budget and tax items passed and staff will proceed with implementation under the adopted appropriations.