by Nicole Bradford
Pearland councilmembers on Monday gave final approval to the city’s budget and tax rate.
The new rate is 63.5 cents per $100 valuation is 2 cents lower than the current tax rate — but above the calculated no-new-revenue rate, which is adjusted for changing property values.
Monday’s final votes on the budget and tax rate passed 6-1, with Councilman Rushi Patel voting against it.
The 2024-25 fiscal year begins on October 1st. First readings of the budget and tax rate were approved on September 9th.
Also on Monday, the Council awarded a $3 million sidewalk rehabilitation and repair contract that included some of the $15.2 million in sidewalk repair funding from a 2023 bond package.
Bond funds designated for sidewalks will be distributed over five years.
“We’ll work this by the different zones we’ve established utilizing our sidewalk dashboard and prioritization policy,” City Manager Trent Epperson said. “With that infusion of additional dollars from the (capital improvement funding) we’re really going to make a lot of progress.”
The contract will also fill in gaps in the city’s sidewalk network, he said.
“That’s what we went to the voters for,” Mayor Kevin Cole said regarding the bond funds. “Hopefully it does the trick and gets us there. I can’t wait to see improvements in our sidewalks.”
