Pflugerville Approves Budget, Increases Property Tax Rate

The Pflugerville City Council set a property tax rate of $.5405, an increase over last year’s rate, and approved a 2015-2016 fiscal year budget of $114,309,432.

The tax rate of $.5405 is an increase of $.0069 from the fiscal year 2014-2015 tax rate of $.5336. State law controls how much the city can increase taxes each year based on the rollback rate, officials said.

“The City Council has worked to lower the tax rate more than 10.5 cents per $100 over the last 11 consecutive years, and we are proud to have offered savings to our residents,” Mayor Jeff Coleman said in a press release. “Last year when the voters approved $53 million in bonds to improve parks and roads, we told them it would likely increase their property tax rate by two-cents. Tonight’s vote has shown that even with conservative budgeting there was a need for additional revenue, and therefore a property tax rate increase was appropriate.”

The Pflugerville resident with the average home value of $187,672 at the new rate of $.5405 will pay $1014.36 to the city. At the former tax rate of $.5336 a resident with the average home value of $187,672 would have paid $1001.42 for the city’s portion of property taxes. The new tax rate adds an additional $12.94 to the average homeowner.

The budget includes funding for several new positions including a utility systems worker, water treatment plant operators, a marketing specialist, 911 operator/call taker, dispatcher, kennel technicians, part-time animal control officers, police officers and a part-time victim services assistant.

The sales tax was budgeted at 25% of total general fund revenue,up from 24%.

Here are a few other budget highlights, according to city officials:

Technology advancements include software purchases, computer replacements, installation of routers and switches and a computer system firewall.

The city will expand parks services with an on-call incentive and expand library services with a collection budget increase to purchase more books, e-resources, magazines and materials.

Streets and maintenance will increase maintenance mowing services and funding for street crack sealing to repair roads.

To improve utility services, an inflow and infiltration study, a flood plain and berms study, a Water Treatment Plant assessment and Public Works field crew building design will be completed.

Parking lot repairs, the purchase of a backhoe and a heavy duty axle trailer support public works functions.

The budget invests in Pflugerville’s water and utility needs with water treatment plant chlorine generation equipment and an upgrade to the SCADA water plant operation software. Funding is allocated for an annual valve and hydrant maintenance program, to repair three manholes and upgrade four lift station controls to the SCADA system.

The budget includes $25.6 million in Utility Capital Improvement Projects that include system redundancy upgrades with improvements to the Pflugerville Parkway Transmission Main extension and Pfennig Lane Transmission Main upgrade and system improvements to the former North Travis County Municipal Utility District #5 area. Phase 1 of the Sorento and Carmel wastewater interceptors are in design phase along with a lift station and a force main for that service area.

The budget includes $28 million in Capital Improvements Projects (CIP). Roadway CIPs include Pecan Street East of SH 130, Weiss Lane, Rowe Lane, Pflugerville Parkway, Heatherwilde widening, Heatherwilde Subdivision, Pfennig Lane, Sun Light Near Way rebuild and Pfluger Farm Lane.

Parks CIP projects include trail development, the sport complex, park development, Lake Pflugerville improvements and Pfennig sports field parking and restrooms.

[PHOTO: Wikipedia]