The Lubbock City Councilwill host public hearings on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to hear from the public on its proposed tax rate and budget for the upcoming year.
The pubic hearings and the first vote on the two items will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, at the Citizens Tower council chambers, 1314 Ave K.
Before heading there, here's a quick overview of what you need to know about the proposed tax rate and budget.
What is the proposed tax rate?
At a meeting on Aug. 11, the Lubbock City Council set the proposed maximum take rate at 51.3421 cents per $100 property valuation, which is effectively a 9.83 percent increase in the tax rate, according to data provided by the city.
But that is only the highest tax rate the city council could set. The council can set it at that rate or go lower.
The no-new revenue tax rate would be 47.5154 cents per $100 valuation.
The proposed fiscal year 2026-27 budget factors in approximately $288 million in general fund revenue, including nearly $100 million in property tax revenue and $108 million in sales tax revenue.
The full FY 2026-27 Proposed Budget can be found on the home page of the City of Lubbock website.
Meet and confer proposals from police, firefighters
In setting the 2026-27 budget, the council will consider meet-and-confer proposals from Lubbock police and Lubbock firefighters.
For police, the council will consider a resolution ratifying a one-year Meet and Confer Agreement negotiated between the City of Lubbock and the Lubbock Professional Police Association, in accordance with Texas Local Government Code.
According to the city, the fiscal impact from the police agreement would be:
For fire, the council will consider a resolution ratifying a six-year Meet and Confer Agreement negotiated between the City of Lubbock and the Lubbock Professional Firefighters Association, in accordance with Texas Local Government Code 142.064(a)(1).
What will the council be voting on during the meeting?
On Sept. 1, the Lubbock City Council will host a public hearing but then afterwards will vote for the first time on the budget and tax rate, according to the council's agenda.
From there, the tax rate and budget will get voted on for the second and final time at a meeting later in September. The council must adopt a fiscal year 2026-27 budget and tax rate before Oct. 1.
Adam D. Young is the Editor of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and Amarillo Globe-News in Texas. Have a news tip for him? Email him at ayoung@lubbockonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock City Council hosting public hearing, 1st vote on budget, tax rate
