PHOTO #1: A Chain Electric Company crew member installs an LED street light on Navarro Street on July 6 as part of Phase One of the City’s citywide lighting project. Phase Two is part of the proposed budget for fiscal year 2023.
PHOTO #2: The proposed capital improvement budget for fiscal year 2023 includes utility reconstruction in part of the Tanglewood subdivision.
PHOTO #3: This conceptual rendering from the downtown master plan shows a possible design for an expanded DeLeon Plaza. The plaza expansion project is part of the proposed budget for fiscal year 2023.
The City Council voted to propose a lower property tax for next fiscal year at their Aug. 2 meeting.
The City is recommending a property tax rate of $0.5582 per $100 of valuation, a decrease of $0.030 from last year’s tax rate. Because of growth in the City’s tax base, including new development, the City will see an increase of $1.37 million in total property tax revenue if the proposed rate is adopted.
“The increase in values of new and existing properties gives us an opportunity to lower the tax rate without compromising the services we provide,” said City Manager Jesús A. Garza. “The additional revenue will provide us an opportunity to continue investing in our greatest asset—our employees—and fixing our streets.”
The new rate, if approved, will mark the third year in a row that the City has either decreased the property tax rate or kept it the same.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, Garza presented the proposed budget to the council. The City is proposing a budget of $183 million, including $45.74 million for road repairs and other capital improvement projects.
Projects in the proposed budget include:
Residents can review the proposed budget at www.victoriatx.gov/budget.
The budget and tax rate will be voted on at future meetings before they can go into effect:
- Aug. 30: Public hearing and vote on the budget and tax rate
- Sept. 6: Public hearing and final vote on the budget and tax rate
- Oct. 1: New budget and tax rate go into effect
City Council meetings are hosted at 5 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of every month at 105 W. Juan Linn St. Meetings are broadcast live on channels 15 and 115 and online at www.victoriatx.gov/tv15.