The City of Round Rock is regularly recognized for its outstanding work, including fiscal stewardship. In planning for FY 2021, the time was right to pull from our City Council‘s strategic planning and our strong track record of fiscal responsibility to create a budget that provides critical services while weathering the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
About this year’s budget
The City’s fiscal year is Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. Each spring, the City begins the annual budget process to determine the needs of the City. Budget discussions provide a starting point for the City Council’s priorities for specific programs and projects to be funded for the upcoming fiscal year. The City Council voted to approve the Adopted Budget on September 10, 2020.
FY 2021 Budget Breakdown
*Includes Water and Wastewater Utility, Hotel Occupancy Tax, Stormwater, Type B (transportation and economic development sales tax), and other special revenue funds.
The Finance Department has prepared an easy-to-read one-page overview to assist the public in understanding and assessing the $420.2 million spending plan for Fiscal Year 2021, which begins Oct. 1, 2020, and ends Sept. 30, 2021. The document covers the tax rate, other rates (water, solid waste, etc.) and funding priorities.
Strategic Plan Goals
The City’s Strategic Plan, updated annually by the City Council at its annual retreat in February, is implemented through the budget process and shapes the City’s priorities. Here are the six long-term goals:
- Financially Sound City Providing High-Value Services
- City Infrastructure: Today and for Tomorrow
- “The Sports Capital of Texas” for Tourism and Residents
- Great Community to Live
- Authentic Downtown — Exciting Community Destination
- Sustainable Neighborhoods — Old and New
Blog posts
Check out our ongoing series of blog posts about key aspects of the budget and tax rate. We’ll add new posts throughout the budget process:
- July 30: The Time is Now for Round Rock’s long-term plans to deliver results in midst of global pandemic
- Aug. 12: City Council wrestles with street maintenance funding level for FY21
- Aug. 19: Budget maintains focus on strategic priorities to keep community on track for long-term progress
- Aug. 25: Building new roads, maintaining old ones impacts tax rate proposal
- Sept. 3: Shop the Rock: Civic duty, or just the right thing to do? Yes!
- Sept. 9: Round Rock Strong: Funding infrastructure in the middle of a pandemic
Property Tax Rate
The tax rate approved by City Council Sept. 10 is 43.900 cents per $100 of valuation, which is the same as the FY 2020 City property tax rate. The rate is an increase of 1.3 cents from the no new revenue tax rate, however, which is the rate that generates the same amount of revenue as last year based on growth in property values from last year.
The increase doubled the funding for the City’s neighborhood street maintenance program and pay for the second round of funding for the City’s Driving Progress transportation program.
More information about local entities’ property tax rates, including how much you would owe each taxing entity under their proposed tax rates, can be found at williamsonpropertytaxes.org for Williamson County residents and travistaxes.com for Travis County residents.
Notice of Tax Rates
This year, the State of Texas has required cities to post a Notice of Tax Rates.
Timeline leading up to adopted FY 2021 budget
- July 21 — City Council holds annual budget workshop
- July 23 — Vote to approve Fiscal 2021 operating budget for the Round Rock Transportation and Economic Development Corporation (Type B)
- July 25 — Williamson Central Appraisal District and Travis Central Appraisal District certify tax rolls
- Aug. 11 — City Council holds packet briefing and budget work session on the proposed budget and tax rate
- Aug. 13 — Regular City Council meeting
- Council vote to publish and propose maximum tax rate, set public hearings
- Aug. 25 — City Council packet briefing and work session on the proposed budget and tax rate
- Aug. 27 — Regular City Council meeting
- Budget and tax rate public hearings — Read the Notice of Public Hearing on Tax Increase
- First reading of tax rate and budget ordinances
- Sept. 10 — Regular City Council meeting
- Final adoption of tax rate and budget ordinances