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Mulberry holds public hearing on 2026 budget and tax rate; next hearing set for Sept. 9
Summary
A city staff presenter told the council the general fund revenue projection for fiscal 2026 is $10,470,000; proposed changes include a $500,000 increase in property-tax revenue and a $123,800 sales-tax increase. The council kept the public hearing open and scheduled a second hearing on Sept. 9.
Speaker 1, the city presenter at the Aug. meeting, opened a combined public hearing on the proposed fiscal 2026 budget and the tax rate and said the presentation would cover both items.
Speaker 1 said the city’s general fund revenue projection for the coming year is $10,470,000. He told the council the city’s revenue mix skews more toward sales tax than many Texas cities.
"Our sales tax will, increase by a 123,800," Speaker 1 said, and he reported property-tax revenue would increase by $500,000 under the proposed budget. He also summarized proposed personnel and compensation changes: a 2% cost-of-living adjustment across most departments (about $104,000), a 3% merit pool (about $78,000) and an additional 5% police pay adjustment for recruitment competition (about $78,000). Speaker 1 listed three proposed staffing additions with base salaries near $45,000 plus benefits.
On expenditures, Speaker 1 said public safety, capital projects and a nondepartmental category (which includes IT contracts and a sizable refund) are the largest lines, with public safety approaching one-third of the general fund.
On the tax rate, Speaker 1 said the council planned to use the state-allowed de minimis rate. "That will yield a tax rate increase of 0.029991 for $100 of assessed valuation," he said, and noted the figures shown include homestead exemptions and may look different in truth-in-taxation paperwork.
Speaker 1 framed the schedule for final action: the council will hear the same information again at a public hearing on Sept. 9 and may adopt the budget later that evening or by Oct. 1 to begin fiscal year 2026. He described the continuing annual cycle of adoption, audit and next-year preparation.
The council called for public comment during the hearing; no members of the public addressed the council and the public-hearing items were formally closed at about 6:39–6:40 p.m.
What happens next: the council will revisit the budget and tax-rate items at the Sept. 9 public hearing and may vote to adopt the budget at a later meeting or by Oct. 1.
