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Rowlett council postpones FY2025 budget adoption, schedules vote for Sept. 18
Summary
After a presentation on revised revenue projections and program changes, Rowlett council voted unanimously Sept. 17 to postpone adoption of the city’s FY2025 budget and set a final vote for 6 p.m. Sept. 18; the proposed tax rate and a 5.9¢ I&S debt increase tied to voter-approved bonds remain in the package.
Rowlett City Council on Sept. 17 heard a detailed presentation on the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget and ad valorem tax rate and then voted unanimously to postpone formal adoption to a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Sept. 18.
Finance staff told the council that the proposed General Fund budget had been revised to reflect lower projected sales-tax and interest-earning revenues and higher operating costs, and that the capital-improvement program included roughly $74 million in carry-forward allocations and $42 million in new project funding for FY2025. The presentation said the city is proposing no change to the maintenance-and-operations (M&O) tax rate and a 5.9¢ increase to the interest-and-sinking (I&S) debt rate tied to voter-approved bond propositions from the May bond election. The staff presenter said the combined proposed rate is 0.769691 dollars per $100 of taxable value and, if adopted, would take effect Oct. 1.
The staff presentation also noted several budget priorities reflected in the proposal: employee pay adjustments and retention measures (including nine new positions and absorption of 18.9 positions from expiring grants), additional spending for police equipment and software, a new Juneteenth holiday, and a temporary pause on issuing new water‑and‑sewer bonds for FY2025 to limit rate increases. The draft projected an average residential water and sewer bill increase of about 2.9–3.67% per month to pass through higher wholesale costs from the North Texas Municipal Water District and the city of Garland.
Councilmember Bridal moved to postpone the vote on adoption to Sept. 18 at 6 p.m., seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Winget; the motion carried unanimously. Finance staff said a more detailed budget packet has been provided to council and that the adoption vote scheduled Sept. 18 will include the required formal actions on the budget and tax rate.
The public hearing on the budget was opened and closed during the Sept. 17 meeting; the council declined additional comment before postponing the adoption vote. The council will reconvene Sept. 18 at Rowlett City Hall chambers for final action.
