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Rowlett council postpones FY2026 budget and tax‑rate vote to Sept. 17
Summary
After a budget presentation, the Rowlett City Council voted unanimously to postpone adoption of the proposed FY2026 budget and the ad valorem tax‑rate vote until a special session on Sept. 17, 2025; the proposed tax rate remains 80.7891¢ per $100 taxable value.
The Rowlett City Council on Sept. 16 postponed its final vote on the proposed FY2026 budget and the related ad valorem tax‑rate decision until a special meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m.
Finance Director Wendy Badgett outlined the city’s revised fiscal framework for FY2026, saying combined expenses were revised to $262,000,000 and the capital improvement program totals roughly $183,000,000 in carry‑forward and new allocations. Badgett described the proposed overall tax rate of 80.7891¢ per $100 of taxable value, split into a 53.8841¢ operations-and‑maintenance component and a 26.905¢ interest-and‑sinking component tied to voter‑approved debt.
Shoop moved the formal postponement. "I move that the city council of the city of Rowlett postpone the vote on adoption of the fiscal year 2026 budget to Wednesday, 09/17/2025 at 06:00PM and the council chambers located at 4000 Main Street, Rowlett, Texas," he said; the motion carried 7–0.
Councilmember Jonathan Reeves, who said he will support the budget tomorrow, framed the proposed tax increase in practical terms: "The increase in tax that is proposed tomorrow night is about 3.8¢ per $100 of property valuation. So for every $100,000 of your property value, that's an increase of $38.20 a year." Reeves added the average median home price in Rowlett is about $330,000, putting the annual increase at roughly $126.
Council members also discussed revenue impacts from local exemptions. Councilmember Alisa Bowers noted combined exemptions for seniors, disabled veterans and others reduce the city’s revenue by an estimated 11.34¢ on the tax rate—about $1.2 million—and urged attention to protecting those benefits.
The council convened and closed the required public hearings on both the budget and the tax rate without public speakers at those hearing times. Staff announced the tax-rate vote will be held during the Sept. 17 meeting at the Rowlett council chambers, and the public was invited to attend.
What’s next: Council will reconvene Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. to take the votes on the FY2026 budget and the ad valorem tax rate.
