Sugar Land's 2020 Budget To Include Homestead Increase

SUGAR LAND, TX — Homeowners in Sugar Land are getting a bit of a break on their homestead exemption after the city council voted last week for an increase of 12 percent. City leaders said the increase will help offset the residential impact of a planned tax rate increase of approximately 1 cent, which will help fund the final phases of parks bond projects.

The city has been slowly working through the parks bond, which was approved by voters in November 2013.

The strategies are part of a larger "Sugar Land Way" strategy — a commitment to bold and thoughtful thinking designed to make life sweeter and more refined for the people and businesses that call Sugar Land home.

"The strategy allows the city to move forward with fulfilling its commitment to implement voter-approved projects within five to seven years from the election while also rebalancing the residential share of the overall tax burden — a recognition that residential revaluation has outpaced commercial value growth in recent years," said Mayor Joe Zimmerman.

The projects will be completed with no additional tax impact to Sugar Land residents because of the homestead exemption increase, Zimmerman added.

"Going into the fiscal year 2020 budget process, our priorities are to ensure that the upcoming budget reflects the priorities our residents have told us are important to them, builds trust within the community and inspires pride in our hometown," he said.

Three projects remain from the 2013 voter-approved general obligation parks bond:

• First Colony Trail: This project will fulfill the intent of creating a connected trail network within the First Colony area by building 10-foot wide trail connections from Lexington Boulevard and Austin Parkway to the Woodstream Trail with pedestrian bridges and trail heads — and reflecting community and Parks, Art, Recreation, Culture, and Streetscapes (PARCS) Board consensus on the preferred trail alignment.
• Ditch H Trail: This project will provide a north/south connection between the Imperial Connector Trail and First Colony Trail network, including a 10-foot wide trail with pedestrian bridges and trail heads.
• Final Brazos River Park Phase II Improvements: This project includes a roadway connecting Brazos River Park and Sugar Land Memorial Park. Due to the ongoing studies regarding erosion along the Brazos River, City Council has recommended that the originally planned mid-lake and boathouse be postponed until a definitive determination can be made in future years as to the sustainability of those elements.

City leaders said the city council's goal is to continue refining the scopes of the final voter-approved parks bond projects throughout the budget process to reflect all available information, including updated cost estimates and the availability of grant opportunities.

Meanwhile, officials said the city council is considering an approximate $90 million bond election for November to fund drainage projects and other priorities addressed by residents in the most recent Citizen Satisfaction Survey.

If it's approved it would represent an investment of approximately 3 cents on the tax rate or about $10 per month for the average Sugar Land homeowner to fund items such as drainage improvements, a public safety training facility, a public safety dispatch and emergency operations facility, an animal shelter expansion and road projects.