Pearland city leaders on Monday adopted a budget and accompanying property tax rate of 63 cents per $100, about a half cent lower than the current rate but a penny above the rate adjusted for rising values.
At the new rate, the owner of a median homestead pays $12 less in city taxes for the year.
“It’s not going to be the same for everybody. There will be some above that and some below that,” City Manager Trent Epperson said Monday.
The coming fiscal year will also bring a utility rate increase of 5.5 percent.
During a public hearing Monday, two residents asked the council to instead adopt the calculated no-new-revenue rate of just under 62 cents. The no-new-revenue-rate, once known as the effective rate, adjusts for changing property values.
“Some people may save $12 — but there is an alternative that’s a better choice,” longtime resident Veronica Longoria told council members. “For families in Pearland, the fiscal pressure is becoming unsustainable. Our high tax rate combined with skyrocketing appraisals means our tax bills go up significantly every year because our values are going up every year.”
Voting against were council members Layni Cade and Rushi Patel.
The budget designates money from the city’s fund balance toward street and sidewalk rehabilitation.
“In the end what this budget accomplishes is one, continuing to provide an exceptional level of service, 2, absorbing the rising costs of providing those services, 3, prioritizing our personnel and 4, adding significant dollars to our streets program,” Epperson said.
