Page 23 - CityofKellerFY25Budget

 Total Station - 3D Scanner/Printer - $62,665 from the Keller Crime Control and Prevention District
Fund
 Pearson Pump Station Repair - $450,000 from the Water-Wastewater Fund
 Gabion Installation Trails at Bear Creek (Stream Erosion Repair) - $300,000 from the Drainage
Fund

Strategy 3.2: Strive to Ensure Keller's Taxpayers Do Not Pay More City Tax Dollars on a Year-to-Year
Basis

Since 2014, Keller has taken steps to mitigate our property owners' taxes each and every year, countering
rising valuations, and in 2016, we began increasing the homestead exemption steadily. In 2021, city
leaders worked together to adopt a budget that included the most significant tax mitigation effort in
Keller's history at the time: maintaining the tax rate below the no-new-revenue rate and increasing the
homestead exemption from 14% to 20%, the maximum allowed by the State of Texas. In 2022, with a
4.05-cent cut to the tax rate, mitigation efforts exceeded even those of 2021. Our mitigation efforts have
continued since, and this year is no different.

Not only will Keller maintain its homestead exemption at the state max 20% this year, but we will also be
dropping our tax rate from $0.31200 per $100 in valuation to $0.29112 per $100 in valuation. The adopted
rate sits below both the voter-approval tax rate of $0.347005/$100 and the no-new-revenue rate of
$0.298552/$100.

The adopted tax rate is the lowest since at least FY 1994-95, is a decrease of over 6% from FY 2023-24,
and marks the seventh consecutive year that Keller has set a tax rate at or below the no-new-revenue
rate. By reducing the tax rate and maintaining the maximum homestead exemption, the average Keller
homeowner whose property is assessed at $471,929 will pay $1,374 in city taxes this year. This is an
decrease of about $0.01 from this year's average tax bill.

Had we maintained our current tax rate this year, the average homeowner would have paid $1,472 in
taxes to the city, an increase of $98.53 or 7%.

Strategy 3.3: Protect Taxpayers' Interests

City Council recognizes the need to be proactive when planning for repairs and replacements of capital
investments and critical equipment. Aimed at cash funding future projects rather than issuing debt, the
FY 2024-25 General Fund budget will continue its annual transfers to fund the IT, Fleet/Equipment,
Fire/EMS and Facility replacement funds. This ensures that equipment will be promptly repaired or
replaced when it has reached the end of its useful life.

Public Safety continues to be the largest ongoing expenditure funded by the city, and this funding level
helps ensure the police and fire departments have what they need to continue to be recognized at the
state and national levels for their skills and services. In total, $26,325,515 — or 22.9% of the city's entire
budget — is dedicated to public safety; out of the General Fund budget, $23,759,372 (47.2%) is committed
to public safety.

On the fleet/equipment side, the Keller Crime Control and Prevention District budget includes funding for
replacement vehicles at $486,425, an automated license plate reader system at $64,800 and ticket writers
at $9,500. Also included is $215,000 to purchase body-worn and fleet camera systems. A total of 70 new

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