GLENN HEIGHTS — The Glenn Heights City Council is scheduled Tuesday to consider adoption of its fiscal year 2026-27 budget, a spending plan that raises the city’s property tax rate while adding funding for public safety, employee compensation, street maintenance and equipment.
Property tax revenue is projected at approximately $10.1 million in the coming fiscal year.
Property tax bills expected to increase
The city has proposed a property tax rate of $0.590821 per $100 of taxable value, up from the current rate of $0.562795.
The proposed rate is also above the city’s no-new-revenue rate of $0.569032, the calculated rate that would generally produce approximately the same amount of property tax revenue from properties taxed in both years.
For a median-valued homestead, the city estimates its portion of the annual property tax bill will increase by about $90.
In Ellis County, the estimated city tax bill would increase from $1,814 to $1,904.33. In Dallas County, it would increase from $1,800.94 to $1,890.63.
Public safety, court staffing among additions
During budget discussions Aug. 25, council reached consensus on several supplemental spending requests.
Those include $33,251 for an additional dispatcher beginning in April and $45,659 for an additional court clerk beginning in January. The budget also includes $67,000 for the Prepared 911 system, $63,235 for Granicus recording software and $131,000 for right-of-way mowing.
The Police Department said additional dispatch staffing is needed because having a single dispatcher handling police and fire communications during a 12-hour shift creates a public safety risk and a single point of failure.
The Municipal Court reported a 15% increase in citation filings and warrant caseloads during the past 12 months, with existing staff at maximum capacity.
City employees would receive a 3% compensation package under the budget. The proposal follows a compensation and classification study benchmarking Glenn Heights against 14 other cities.
The budget also includes $13,740 for a 6% increase in City Manager Clifford Blackwell’s base pay.
Reserves fund streets, vehicles and equipment
The proposed budget also sets aside General Fund reserves for a series of one-time expenses.
Those include $250,000 for concrete repairs, $283,849 for three police vehicles, $149,500 for a Public Works backhoe, $110,500 for a jet trailer and $106,000 for an excavator.
The plan also includes an F-350 with a crane, two Public Works F-150s, a police CID vehicle, a code vehicle and new AEDs.
In addition, the budget includes a $2.785 million transfer for the city’s animal shelter project.
Combined with the one-time purchases, the city is planning roughly $4 million in expenditures outside its recurring General Fund operating budget.
The General Fund balance is projected to decline from approximately $12.6 million to $8.6 million by the end of the fiscal year. The remaining balance would still represent approximately 190 days of operating reserves, according to the budget.
Water and sewer expenses outpace revenue
The city’s utility finances also show a significant difference between projected revenue and expenses in the coming year.
The Water and Sewer Fund is budgeted for approximately $10.75 million in revenue and $13.64 million in expenses, a difference of about $2.89 million.
Contractual services make up approximately $11.07 million of the fund’s expenses.
The Municipal Drainage Fund is projected to collect approximately $469,000 while spending about $506,000.
The figures come as Glenn Heights continues planning major water, wastewater, drainage and transportation projects to accommodate continued development.
City staff first presented the proposed budget July 31. Council held a budget workshop Aug. 8 and continued discussing the property tax rate, supplemental requests and one-time spending during subsequent meetings.
City staff recommends approval of the budget Tuesday.
The city’s new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
