Leander sets property tax rate, approves budget
The tax rate was unanimously approved and set at 41.7282 cents per every $100 of property valuation. The tax rate is about 1.5 cents lower than the previous tax rate, but homeowners will be paying more because property values have gone up.
LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) -- The City of Leander approved its property tax rate and next year's budget.
The tax rate was unanimously approved and set at 41.7282 cents per every $100 of property valuation. The tax rate is about 1.5 cents lower than the previous tax rate, but homeowners will be paying more because property values have gone up.
The city is growing fast. In 2010, there were about 26,000 people living in Leander, but that number today is closer to 90,000, according to Leander city manager Rick Beverlin.
What's in the budget?
Half of the general fund is dedicated to public safety. There is $125,000 allotted in the budget for a public safety efficiency study that will be conducted by a third-party company. The study will look at both the fire and police departments to make sure they are operating the best they can. That includes the way shifts are scheduled and the use of technology.
Beverlin said it is important to make sure those departments are running properly as they will likely grow as the city gets bigger.
"The time to do it would be now, before you continue to add more full time employees, and maybe you could have savings on some things in the mean time," Beverlin explained.
The city budgeted more than $89 million for water and wastewater improvement projects. That includes funding for a deep water intake project on Lake Travis that will provide more water access to Leander and other neighboring cities.