Weatherford council adopts FY2025 budget, holds tax rate at no-new-revenue level

The Weatherford City Council voted to adopt the city manager's FY2025 proposed budget and to set the 2024 ad valorem tax rate at 39.842¢ per $100 valuation, a rate staff described as equal to the no-new-revenue rate. Finance staff told the council the budget covers 25 funds, 15 departments and 330 employees, with total budgeted revenues across all funds of $77,500,000 and total expenditures of $75,600,000.

Dawn Brooks, who presented the truth-in-taxation materials and the budget, said the proposed rate "is equal to the no new revenue rate. It means that it will raise the same amount of revenue for properties on the tax roll in both the current year and next fiscal year" and emphasized the rate is below the threshold that would trigger an election. A resident, Lynn Baber, asked for greater transparency on contracts and noted that "$32,700,000 is contractual, which is 43% of the entire budget," urging clearer public-facing detail on contractual spending.

Council members moved and seconded the budget and the related ratification votes: the budget motion was made by Luke Williams and seconded by Zach Smith; later the council adopted the tax ordinance to set the 39.842¢ rate. Council also separately ratified an approximately $142,000 increase in property-tax revenue reflected in the FY25 budget, which staff said is attributable to new construction and new properties. All motions passed on council vote screens as recorded in the meeting.