Jersey Village Council adopts $72.6 million budget, approves tax rate and calls Nov. 4 bond election

The Jersey Village City Council adopted a $72.6 million budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2025, and ending Sept. 30, 2026, approved a total property tax rate of $0.814625 per $100 of taxable value and voted to place three bond propositions on the Nov. 4, 2025 ballot.

The budget total presented by city staff was $72,600,000 including interfund transfers; excluding interfund transfers, total expenditures were reported as $69,070,000 and budgeted revenues as $45,589,000, leaving a planned drawdown of fund balance of $23,480,000 largely to pay for capital projects and bond-funded work. City Manager Austin Blais and finance staff told council the drawdown is mainly for capital expenditures tied to bonds sold earlier in July and for scheduled equipment purchases, including a tower truck expected in fiscal 2026.

Why it matters: the votes move major capital planning choices and tax decisions to final steps. The tax-rate action will increase the city's tax burden as reflected in the FY2026 budget; the bond election will give voters the opportunity to approve borrowing for a new civic campus, water and sewer projects, and a pool project.

Key details and council discussion - Budget and reconciliation: Jennifer Brown (city finance staff) presented a reconciliation showing changes since the July filing, including revenue adjustments tied to certified values and the recommended tax rate, salary adjustments for merit increases, and capital carryovers from district budgets. Staff said some expenses were shifted out of the general fund into district budgets following the FY2024 audit. - Tax and revenue ratification: Council separately ratified the revenue increase embedded in the budget. Staff said the ratified revenue increase equals $1,051,685, a 9.73% rise over the prior year. - Tax rate: Council adopted the debt-service component of the rate (0.158137 per $100) and the maintenance-and-operations component (0.656488 per $100), producing a combined total of 0.814625 per $100 of taxable value. City staff read the statutorily required language before a record vote on the ordinance that adopted the tax rate. - Bond call: Council voted to call a Nov. 4, 2025 bond election consisting of three propositions: Proposition A (civic campus and related facilities) not to exceed $21,620,000; Proposition B (water/sewer projects) not to exceed $20,000,000; and Proposition C (pool) not to exceed $6,500,000. Council debated lowering Proposition A but ultimately voted to submit the propositions as written. - Property sale ratified: Council ratified a purchase-and-sale agreement for two parcels on Jones Road totaling 14.71 acres for just over $3.8 million and confirmed one remaining tract (about 4.7 acres) remains listed with a broker. - Budget amendment: Council approved a separate amendment that removes roughly $4,012,172 of expenses (and corresponding revenues) from the general fund that had been double-counted between the city and the districts, captures a CCPD transfer of $42,791 for building security upgrades, adjusts GO bond principal payment budgeting (+$57,860), and recognizes $8,155,000 in bond proceeds and $130,000 in issuance costs related to the 2025 GO bonds. - Staffing/efficiency study: Council discussed directing staff to issue an RFQ for a third-party review of budgetary and staffing efficiency. Councilmember Hughes moved the item but the motion did not receive a second; members debated scope, cost, and whether staff should lead such a review. No formal direction to proceed was approved.

Votes at a glance (formal items recorded during the meeting) - Resolution 2025-50 (acknowledging receipt of tax-rate calculations and certified values): motion approved (motion and second recorded in meeting minutes). - Ordinance adopting FY2025–26 budget (ordinance 2025-25 as presented in the packet): approved; final recorded vote noted as 4 in favor, 1 opposed. - Ratification of revenue increase embedded in budget (C3): approved (record vote taken; motion carried). - Debt-service tax rate (component): adopted (voice vote; motion carried). - Maintenance & operations tax rate (component): adopted (voice vote; motion carried). - Ordinance adopting total tax rate of $0.814625 per $100 (record vote required by statute): approved (record vote taken; motion carried). - Resolution 2025-53 ratifying execution of a real estate sales contract (Jones Road parcels, ~14.71 acres, reported sale ~$3.8M): approved (motion/second; vote carried). - Ordinance amending FY2024–25 municipal budget to correct district accounting and add bond issuance recognition (ordinance 2025-24): approved. - Ordinance calling bond election for Nov. 4, 2025 (ordinance 2025-27): approved as presented, placing three propositions on the ballot (amounts listed above). - Other voted items recorded elsewhere on the agenda (audit engagement, financial policies, purchasing policies, consultant agreements, water rates) are listed in the meeting minutes and are summarized in separate items published from this meeting.

What the council did not do - The motion by Councilmember Hughes to direct staff to immediately issue an RFQ for a broad workplace-efficiency/staffing review did not receive a second during the budget discussion and thus did not proceed as a formal action; the council discussed a narrower, tightly scoped budget review as an alternative.

Next steps and timing - If voters approve the bond propositions on Nov. 4, 2025, staff said bond proceeds will fund the projects in subsequent fiscal years and designs now underway; if the propositions fail, council and staff said they will revisit options and funding. The tax-rate ordinance and budget become effective per state law timing for adopted budgets and tax rates.

Ending note: Council members and staff emphasized outreach and public education ahead of the Nov. 4 ballot and asked residents to review the voter information that will accompany the bond propositions.