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Fulshear committee proposes phased police pay raises and a crime‑control district funded by reallocated EDC sales tax
Summary
A committee presented a multi‑year plan to raise police pay toward the 75th percentile of peer agencies and recommended funding the increases by moving a portion of existing economic‑development sales tax into a new Crime Control and Prevention District to be decided by voters in May.
A city committee on Jan. 20 recommended a three‑year, phased plan of salary increases and staffing additions for the Fulshear Police Department and proposed funding it by reallocating part of existing economic‑development sales tax into a newly created Crime Control and Prevention District (CCPD).
The committee representative presented compensation benchmarking against peer agencies and proposed incremental percentile targets — moving to the 55th percentile in the first year, 60th the second year and targeting the 75th percentile over three years — while also adding staff and operational support. The committee estimated an initial FY2027 departmental cost increase of roughly $1.7 million, additional costs in FY2028 of about $1.5 million above that, and another increase to reach the 75th percentile in subsequent years.
To avoid an immediate property‑tax increase, the committee recommended reallocating a portion of existing city sales‑tax allocations: reduce EDCA’s 0.05¢ allocation and establish a 0.25¢ CCPD allocation (or split smaller reductions across EDCA A and B) and place the change before voters at the May election. The committee emphasized that the recommendation is reallocation of existing sales tax streams, not a new tax, and that any CCPD would require a ballot election and creation of a temporary board if council proceeds.
Brian White, president of the EDCA board, told council EDCA would provide details of outstanding project commitments and warned that moving funds away from EDC projects could delay some commercial infrastructure projects. "If you take these funds away and direct them elsewhere, we won't have those funds and you will either have to develop commercial areas with different funds or raise revenue in other ways," White said.
Council members asked for a detailed list of EDCA obligations and a projection of how much revenue would be available for CCPD after existing commitments; they also discussed governance questions about the CCPD’s board and whether dissolution of an EDC would require charter changes. Staff said the committee will supply outstanding EDC commitments and suggested a joint EDC/council briefing before the Feb. 3 special meeting recommended by staff.
Next steps: Council did not vote on funding at the Jan. 20 meeting but was asked to consider the committee recommendation and to review the EDCA commitments and legal/governance implications in advance of a Feb. 3 special meeting; if council elects to place the CCPD on the May ballot, an election and temporary board appointments would follow.
