In a split vote, the Aubrey City Council voted to approve a new tax rate of $0.45 per $100 valuation instead of $0.455.
Council members Randy Jones, Matt Jones and Mike Browning voted to approve the rate Mayor Chris Rich proposed.
'No matter what, my stance has always been to lower property taxes as much as possible,' Rich said. 'In 13 years, we have successfully lowered that tax rate 14.6 cents, which doesn't include whatever we decide tonight. … If we felt there was no other option to cover the needs of the city, then I would consider it, but we don't need to do a tax increase.'
He touched on the fact that because of increased home values, a decreased rate does not automatically mean taxes are lower.
'My proposed rate of 0.450 is below the nonew- revenue rate,' Rich said. 'We're talking about a difference of about $40,000, which has no detrimental impact on our budgeted surplus.'
Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Perry and council member Chuck Fikes voted against the move, citing concern for the future in light of the ever-louder rumblings in Austin about property tax reform and rules.
'As we grow and we add departments and we move— we've got a Parks Department coming on,' Fikes said. 'In the next few years, it's going to be tough to raise that back.'
In his planned comments, Rich addressed that concern.
'We're budgeting for '26, not '28 or '29,' he said. 'We have an account where extra money goes that's intended to help us with items like that, the reserves.'
Fikes again pointed to the state Legislature.
'They also spent a day and a half yesterday and today in Austin discussing property taxes,' he said. 'We don't know what's going to happen in Austin. … I think we've got to hedge our money.'
Rich disagreed. 'Unless we start budgeting multiple years at a time, we're getting out ahead of the skis,' he said.
Finance Director Mike English said while the city will not be negatively affected in the upcoming budget year, he is concerned about a possible snowball effect later on from the loss of those five-hundredths of a cent on the rate.
'We do carry reserves,' he said. 'We do run surpluses. We budget very conservatively, and we keep an eye on the activity. … Beyond that, there's a big unknown coming that would affect a lot of municipalities.'
The council also approved the budget as presented in a unanimous vote before the tax rate vote was cast.
The budget showed $127,322,253 in revenue and $125,413,583 in expenses across all of its funds.
The council also unanimously approved a resolution that reflects that the tax rate will raise 2.1% more tax revenue than the year before.
The council also accepted the voluntary annexation filed by the city for the 4.194 acres at 1900 E. Blackjack Road for a police substation location, as well as one for the two acres on which the Aubrey Fire Station No. 3 sits.
The council also approved a change order from Gracon Construction for $143,685.60 for the wastewater treatment plant project to ensure the building is large enough to fully house the pipes to prevent the need to winterize them.
Also at the meeting, the team from The Rock Counseling and Recovery of First Rock Fellowship spoke about the low-cost to free mental health services they provide to the community, including PTSD counseling for veterans and other trauma survivors, with James Grinder serving as the spokesman.
For more information, visit firstrockfellowship.org/ recovery-ministry.
The council also voted to extend an RV permit request from former Mayor Janet Meyers for a temporary recreational vehicle permit while she rebuilds her home on Amy Jo Circle.
