COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – The College Station City Council approved its budget, tax rate and fee schedule for fiscal year 2025 at its meeting Thursday.

Public hearings were held on the tax rate and fee schedule, but none of the residents spoke up.

Most of these measures will take effect on October 1, the start of the city’s next fiscal year.

Tax rate

The council unanimously approved the proposed tax rate of approximately 51.3 cents per $100 of value.

“We are adopting last year’s rate, which is still well below the voters’ approval rating,” said Mayor John Nichols.

The adopted rate is higher than the “no new revenue” rate, which would have kept the city’s revenue at the same level as last year. Because of the budget growth compared to last year, city officials said the additional revenue is necessary to complete needed projects.

budget

The city budget was also approved unanimously. Minor changes to the budget were discussed, such as an additional $375,230 for parks and recreation to plant trees, as well as additional funding for the Brazos Transit District, down payment assistance, and payments related to the biocorridor.

“I would rather have 500 trees than another concrete ‘Welcome to College Station’ sign because those signs do nothing to mitigate the urban heat island effect,” said Council Member Elizabeth Cunha.

In total, the city’s adopted budget is $541,450,684. Compared to fiscal year 2024, the operations and maintenance budget increased by 2.7% and the capital budget increased by 29.2%.

Fee schedule

The council voted 6-0, with Councilman Bob Yancy abstaining, to approve the city’s fee schedule for the coming year.

Fees associated with planning and development will increase by 3.5% and water supplies will also become more expensive.

“In order to do the additional drilling we need, we need to increase water rates across the board by 10%,” said Mary Ellen Leonard, chief financial officer.

In addition, non-residents are charged 25% higher fees than residents for use of Parks and Recreation Authority facilities and services.

Feasibility study for recreation centers

Although no formal vote was taken, the City Council directed the Parks and Recreation Department to proceed to the next phase of studying a possible recreation center.

“If we’re going to do something, let’s do it right, let’s do it first-class, let’s make it something that’s suitable for all ages and all walks of life,” said Councilwoman Linda Harvell.

While this does not mean that groundbreaking will occur any time soon, phase two of the study will examine space and program options and provide rough cost estimates.

Concerns about the overall cost and capacity of current recreational facilities were also discussed.

“What your study doesn’t tell us is what the citizens of College Station want. Do they want us to spend $20, $30, $40 million on a recreation center?” Yancy asked.

The Council recognized the lack of indoor recreational facilities in the city compared to cities of similar size. Members expressed a desire for more studies on current facilities and possible expansions of existing facilities.

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