Published: August 20, 2008 04:08 pm            

Kyle sets maximum tax rate for 2008-09 fiscal year

Kyle — For the first time in 11 years, residents of Kyle will likely be paying higher property taxes in the coming fiscal year.

At their regular meeting on Aug. 19, the Kyle City Council set a maximum tax rate for the proposed 2008-09 Annual Budget at $.3731 per $100 of valuation as proposed by City Manager Tom Mattis. It means an increase of $.1024 over the 2008 tax rate of $.2707 and will result in an increase of approximately $12.47/month for the owner of a median priced home of $134,000.

“The city of Kyle has been, and continues, to grow at a very rapid rate,” Mattis said. “This tax rate funds not only many of the improvements we’ve already made to Kyle’s streets, water systems, services, and public facilities, but also funds future improvements that will add to our public safety, quality of life and economic development.”

Some of the projects funded by the increased tax rate include Kyle Parkway (FM1626), Downtown Kyle Streetscape, Kyle City Hall, Kyle Municipal Pool, City of Kyle Fire Station No. 2, Original Town Sewer Upgrades, Kohler’s Crossing Reconstruction, FM150 Realignment, IH-35 Road Improvements, Seton Hospital/Kyle Parkway Phase 2, Parkland Acquisition, Kyle Crossing (Dry Hole Rd.), Economic Development Projects and Original Town Road Improvements.

Also included in the new budget is the addition of five new patrol officers and one police sergeant, along with additional personnel for Parks & Recreation, Public Works and the Kyle Library. The new positions will bring the total staffing for the city up to an all time high of 156.5 full-time equivalent positions.

“As our city has grown over the past decade, our staffing has not grown at a pace to meet the additional demand for services,” Mattis said. “The city has done an exceptional job in recent years providing increased services while maintaining low costs; but the time has come where our revenue stream must be stabilized to enable us to continue to provide service levels that our citizens deserve and expect.”

The budget also includes a 4 percent cost of living adjustment for all city staff and associated market adjustments for staff currently under a defined compensation level based on pay for similar positions in other cities in the central Texas area.

“It is very important that the city retain the highly qualified staff we have been able to recruit to serve the people of Kyle,” he continued. “It is our goal to provide fair and competitive compensation for all city employees; and the cost to replace these valuable employees would be far greater than bringing their wages up to the appropriate levels.”

Although the proposed tax rate increase may seem significant to some, the rate is considerably lower than the rate of other cities in the region. The average tax rate of cities of similar size in the Central Texas area is $.4735 per $100 of valuation. The range of these cities is $.3700 (Georgetown) to $.6240 (Pflugerville). San Marcos’ is $.4700.

The Kyle City Council will hold a series of budget workshops and public hearings beginning on Thursday, Aug. 28, at 6:30 pm at the Kyle City Hall.

Complete information on the city of Kyle budget and the schedule for workshops and public hearings is available online at www.cityofkyle.com . Copies of the proposed budget are also available at the Kyle City Hall, Police Department and Library.

        

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