Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Legislation Permit Fees topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fort Worth staff: Texas bill could cut FY26 permit revenue by $1.9 million; flat health-permit fee would reduce loss to $650,000
Summary
City staff told the Fort Worth City Council during a budget work session that Senate Bill 1008 would lower health permit revenue by about $1.9 million in fiscal year 2026; Environmental Services proposes a $773 flat fee to reduce the shortfall to roughly $650,000 while retaining inspection services.
City staff told the Fort Worth City Council at a June budget work session that a recently passed Texas bill affecting regulation of food service permits would reduce the city's general-fund permit revenue by about $1.9 million in fiscal year 2026.
Christianne Simmons, a city staff member who led the legislative update, said Senate Bill 1008 limits what local governments can charge for health permits. Simmons said Environmental Services plans to recommend a flat $773 fee for those permits in an upcoming motion and contract (M&C). The change would require a 60-day notice to the state and would take effect Sept. 1, she said. Simmons said the proposed flat fee would mitigate the projected $1.9 million loss to about $650,000 in FY26.
Simmons said the change would not alter the city's inspection services. "We still plan to deliver the same service through health inspections and health permits," said Cody, an Environmental Services staff member. "We just need to review our fee schedule to be in alignment with this particular senate bill that has now [become] law and also to maintain all of those other state regulations. So we're not looking at a change in service." (Speaker names and roles as recorded in the meeting.)
Simmons also reviewed other bills the city is tracking that could affect future budgets. She said Senate Bill 1202 — relating to third-party review of development documents and inspections — may require administrative changes to the Accela permitting system but does not yet have a clear fiscal impact. Simmons said House Bill 9, which raised the business personal property exemption to $125,000 (amended from earlier proposals), would create a larger revenue loss beginning in FY27: she estimated roughly $6.25 million for the general fund and an additional $1.75 million affecting debt-service/property-tax receipts.
Simmons said staff will present a fuller discussion of fees and rates at the council's next budget work session on June 17.
The discussion at the work session focused on the projected revenue impacts and procedural steps to align the city's fee schedules with state law. No formal vote or directive on the recommended $773 flat permit fee was recorded at this session; staff said they will bring the M&C to council for action in the coming weeks.
