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Council Approves FY2022 Budget,
Further Lowering Tax Rate
The MCTX City Council voted unanimously to adopt the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget at their Regular Sept. 20 Meeting on Monday night. The FY2022 budget of $157,545,108 includes a lower tax rate of $0.578035, which is two cents less than last year’s rate of $0.598035.
“Due to an increase in property values, this year’s budget allows us to provide residents with a reduction in the tax rate for the second year in a row, while also maintaining the services residents have come to expect from an award-winning city such as ours,” said Interim City Manager Bill Atkinson. “We continue to fulfill the City’s strategic plan goals to create a great place to live, maintain a financially sound city, grow business investments in Missouri City, develop a high-performing city team and have quality development through buildout.”
Fiscal Year 2022 begins on Oct. 1, 2021 and runs through Sept. 30, 2022. Highlights from the new budget include funding for the following initiatives:
- the hiring of 17 new full-time staff, most within the Fire Department to staff Fire Station 6, scheduled to open next Spring at the intersection of Lake Olympia Parkway and Vicksburg Boulevard
- implementation of the new Civil Service system approved by voters in November 2020. This will include changes to the pay structure, as well as a 2.5 percent salary increase for non-civil service staff, and paying down retirement liabilities to the Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS)
- Public Works’ Pavement Management Maintenance Program for streets and sidewalks, building repairs and heavy equipment purchases
- Service and maintenance agreements to support Information Technology
- Kitty Hollow Dam Rehabilitation, drainage improvement efforts and a flood alert system
- Facilities construction, including the Park Maintenance Facility and renovations to Fire Stations 3 and 4
- Transportation improvements, including Park 8Ninety reimbursement
- Utilities construction, including Mustang Bayou Waste Water Treatment Plant and the Regional Surface Water Treatment Plant
- Economic development and beautification of the Texas Parkway/Cartwright Road Corridor
The new tax rate of $0.578035 is less than the 2020 Tax Year average of $0.582 for counterpart cities such as Baytown ($0.795), Pearland ($0.720), La Porte ($0.710) and Richmond ($0.688). The value of 1 cent in the tax rate – assuming a 98 percent collection rate, excluding TIRZ – is $729,921.
The budget does not incorporate debt that could result from the passage of the proposed Nov. 2 bond referendum. Such debt would be included in the calculation of the proposed tax rate in future years upon debt issuance.
For more details and to review the budget, visit the City Website. |
