City Council Meeting Special Session 09/10/2024 04:00 PM City Hall, 102 W. Ashley Wilson Rd, Sweeny, Texas

CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL

PLEDGES & INVOCATION

CITIZENS WISHING TO ADDRESS CITY COUNCIL

This item is available for those citizens wishing to address City Council on an issue not on the agenda.  Any item discussed cannot be voted on but could be considered for placement on the agenda of the next regularly scheduled meeting. Limited to three (3) minutes.

PUBLIC HEARINGS AND ACTION ITEMS

• 1.Public Hearing on the annual budget for the Fiscal Year 2024-2025

  This budget will raise more revenue from property taxes than last year's budget by an amount of $141,821, which is a 9.17% increase from last year's budget, and of that amount, $29,109 is tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year.

• 2.Public Hearing on proposed property tax rate for the Fiscal Year 2024-2025

  A tax rate of $0.635481 per $100 valuation has been proposed by the governing body of CITY OF SWEENY.
  
  PROPOSED TAX RATE $0.635481 per $100

  NO-NEW-REVENUE TAX RATE $0.590401 per $100

  VOTER-APPROVAL TAX RATE $0.612235 per $100

  DE MINIMIS RATE $0.782310 per $100
  
  The no-new-revenue tax rate is the tax rate for the 2024 tax year that will raise the same amount of property tax revenue for CITY OF SWEENY from the same properties in both the 2023 tax year and the 2024 tax year.

  The voter-approval rate is the highest tax rate that CITY OF SWEENY may adopt without holding an election to seek voter approval of the rate, unless the de minimis rate for CITY OF SWEENY exceeds the voter-approval rate for CITY OF SWEENY.

  The de minimis rate is the rate equal to the sum of the no-new-revenue maintenance and operations rate for CITY OF SWEENY, the rate that will raise $500,000, and the current debt rate for CITY OF SWEENY.

  The proposed tax rate is greater than the no-new-revenue tax rate. This means that CITY OF SWEENY is proposing to increase property taxes for the 2024 tax year.
  
  A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED TAX RATE WILL BE HELD ON September 10, 2024 AT 4:00PM AT Sweeny City Hall, 102 W. Ashley Wilson Road, Sweeny, Texas 77480.
  
  The proposed tax rate is greater than the voter-approval tax rate but not greater than the de minimis rate and does not exceed the rate that allows voters to petition for an election under Section 26.075, Tax Code. If CITY OF SWEENY adopts the proposed tax rate, the CITY OF SWEENY is not required to hold an election so that voters may accept or reject the proposed tax rate and the qualified voters of the CITY OF SWEENY may not petition the CITY OF SWEENY to require an election to be held to determine whether to reduce the proposed tax rate. 

  YOUR TAXES OWED UNDER ANY OF THE RATES MENTIONED ABOVE CAN BE CALCULATED AS FOLLOWS:
  Property tax amount= (tax rate) x (taxable value of your property)/100
  
  FOR the proposal: Neal Bess Jr., Reese Cook, Brian Brooks, John Rambo

  AGAINST the proposal: Caniel "Shaun" Massey

  PRESENT and not voting: Mayor Dusty Hopkins

  ABSENT: None

  Visit Texas.gov/PropertyTaxes to find a link to your local property tax database on which you can easily access information regarding your property taxes, including information about proposed tax rates and scheduled public hearings of each entity that taxes your property.

  The 86th Texas Legislature modified the manner in which the voter-approval tax rate is calculated to limit the rate of growth of property taxes in the state.

  The following table compares the taxes imposed on the average residence homestead by CITY OF SWEENY last year to the taxes proposed to be imposed on the average residence homestead by CITY OF SWEENY this year.

                                                             2023                2024            Change
  Total tax rate (per $100 of value)      $0.607158       $0.635481    increase of 0.028323 per $100, or 4.66%
  
  

  Average homestead taxable value    $151,363         $164,938     increase of 8.97% 

  Tax on average homestead               $919.01           $1,048.15    increase of 129.14, or 14.05%
  
  

  Total tax levy on all properties           $1,546,902      $1,688,723  increase of 141,821, or 9.17% 

  For assistance with tax calculations, please contact the tax assessor for CITY OF SWEENY at (979) 864-1320 or taxoffice@brazoriacountytx.gov, or visit https://www.brazoriacountytx.gov/departments/tax-office for more information.

  THIS TAX RATE WILL RAISE MORE TAXES FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS THAN LAST YEAR’S TAX RATE.
  
  

  THIS TAX RATE WILL EFECTIVELY BE RAISED BY 8.00 PERCENT AND WILL RAISE TAXES FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS ON A $100,000.00 HOME BY APPROXIMATELY $28.41.

REGULAR AGENDA

• 3.Discussion and possible action to adopt the proposed annual Budget by Ordinance for the 2024 / 2025 Fiscal Year, LGC §102.007; MUST BE A RECORD VOTE, Motion must be: To approve the Fiscal Year 2024/2025 Proposed Budget and approving the City Ordinance, 24-106, adopting the municipal budget for the 2024/2025 Fiscal Year. 

• 4.Discussion and possible action to adopt the Tax Rate and Ordinance adopting the Tax Rate for the 2024 / 2025 Fiscal Year. MUST BE A RECORD VOTE.  Motion must be: I move that the property tax rate be increased by the adoption of a tax rate of $0.635481, which is effectively an 7.64% percent increase in the tax rate, and approving Ordinance 24-107, adopting the tax rate of $0.635481 per $100 valuation for the 2024/2025 Fiscal Year. 

• 5.Discussion and possible action to First State Bank Authorized Signers

EXECUTIVE SESSION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.071, 551.072 AND 551.074

The City Council will now convene into executive session pursuant to the provision of Chapter 551 Texas Government Code, in accordance with the authority contained therein:

• 6.Deliberation of personnel matters regarding the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee, pursuant to Section 551.074 of the Texas Government Code; Interim City Manager

OPEN SESSION

The City Council will now adjourn Executive Session, reconvene into Open Session pursuant to the Provisions of Chapter 551 Texas Government Code and take action, if any, on item(s) discussed during Closed Executive Session.

• 7.Action, if any, on item discussed during Closed Executive Session pursuant to Section 551.074 of the Texas Government Code; Deliberations of personnel matters

ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST

ADJOURN REGULAR SESSION

I certify that the notice and agenda of items to be considered by the Sweeny City Council on September 10, 2024 was posted on the City Hall bulletin board on September 06, 2024, at approximately ______PM.

___________________________________ 
Kaydi Smith, City Secretary

I hereby certify that this Public Notice was removed from the City Hall bulletin board on __________________________________, 2024 at approximately ____________________.  

___________________________________ 
Kaydi Smith, City Secretary