Rockwall City Council Adopts Budget and Tax Rate

(ROCKWALL, TX – September 22, 2015) The Rockwall City Council adopted a budget and tax rate for the 2015-2016 fiscal year on Monday, September 21, 2015.  The City Council adopted a tax rate of 48.53 cents per $100 valuation, a decrease from the current rate of 49.55 that property owners pay.  The City Council approved a budget based on the effective tax rate, which is the rate that allows the City to collect the same amount of property tax as it collected last year.

“The City continues to add quality commercial and residential development that allowed the City Council to lower the tax rate again this year.  Conservative fiscal policies combined with new construction and steady growth in property values has positioned the City for continued success without placing the burden on the taxpayers.  The adopted budget addresses roadway maintenance, police and fire equipment, parks and recreation programs, and this year’s debt payment for roadway improvements and the downtown improvements approved in the 2012 bond election,” said Mayor Jim Pruitt.

Key elements of this year’s budget are:

  • Proposed FY 2015-2016 Property Tax Rate: 48.53, a decrease from 49.55 from the current year
  • $260,000 for Police Department vehicles
  • A new 911 Dispatcher for Police / Fire.  Rockwall Dispatches for the Cities of Rockwall, Heath, and Fate
  • Police Explorer Program – a mentoring program for youth and young adults interested in a career in law enforcement
  • $1.2 million for park development, trail improvements, and playground equipment
  • $1,000,000 for street maintenance and repairs and $400,000 for street maintenance equipment

The City continues to benefit by having a combination paid / volunteer fire department.  Rockwall Fire Department has 33 volunteers, 12 that are full-time paid firefighters in neighboring cities.  The budget provides the following for the Fire Department: 23 paid firefighters, including Fire Marshal’s Inspectors, $384,000 for new air packs and helmets, $688,000 for a new fire truck and equipment, $17,150 for new radio equipment for volunteer firefighters, $61,000 for field equipment, $18,000 for a consultant to evaluate a site and preliminary planning on a new central fire station to replace Fire Station #1.  A total of $3,345,300 is funded for Fire Department operations to protect the lives and property of Rockwall.

The budget funds water and wastewater system maintenance and operations for the upcoming year.  The costs associated with City utilities continue to be impacted by rising expenses the City must pay for treated water, which are related to capital improvements by the North Texas Municipal Water District in response to regulatory compliance requirements, the zebra mussel issue, and the multi-year drought. The NTMWD also operates the City’s wastewater treatment plants and those costs continue to increase as well.

The new operating budget of $31,589,800 million goes into effect on October 1, 2015.