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Council shown four FY27 budget scenarios; a $1B change in appraisals could force cuts
Summary
Staff presented four FY27 scenarios — including maintaining the rate, a 1¢ reduction, and variants accounting for a possible $1B drop in preliminary appraisals — and showed that lower taxable values could create deficits requiring program cuts.
City staff presented four FY27 budget scenarios that demonstrate how sensitive the budget is to certified taxable values and to any change in the property‑tax rate.
Staffers showed a baseline (flat tax rate, preliminary taxable values) that produces an estimated $167 million budget and funds restoration of frozen positions, compensation adjustments and deferred‑maintenance funding. They then showed a scenario with a 1¢ tax‑rate reduction and a scenario that combines a 1¢ reduction with an assumed $1 billion decline in taxable value; the latter produces a multi‑million‑dollar deficit and would require cuts to deferred maintenance and other council priorities.
“...we would need to find $1,700,000 in cuts somewhere within that current budget in order to balance,” a staff presenter said when walking through the scenario that assumed a $1B decrease. Staff emphasized that the timing of certified appraisals (due July 25) makes July the natural point to recast a proposed budget with finalized values.
Council members asked for additional data to prioritize which frozen positions to restore and which operational gaps must be filled first; staff said they will return with a prioritized list and updated numbers based on certified values.
