Cy-Fair Edition | September 2022

10YEAR PLAN

Part of the budget planning process includes updating the city’s 10-year capital improvement plan. Plans are subject to change depending on funding availability. This list is not comprehensive. SOURCE: CITY OF JERSEY VILLAGECOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

2024-25: • New roof at police department ($115K) • Green space upgrades ($100K) 2024-25

2025-26: • Australia Street project ($1.5M) • City comprehensive plan ($200K) 2025-26

2023-24

2026-27

2027-28

2028-29

2029-30

2030-31

• Solomon Street project ($2.9M) • Carol Fox Park exterior lighting ($180K)

• Ashburton Street project ($1.3M) • Colwyn Street project ($842K)

• Rio Grande Street project ($3.3M) • Clark Henry Park water fountains, lighting ($200K)

• Cornwall Street project ($1.1M) • Fire department bay door replacement ($120K) Cornwall Street project

• New City Hall ($11M) • Congo Street project ($3.4M) • Dog park upgrades ($30K)

• Parks master plan ($75K) • Clark Henry

Park concession stand ($50K)

• • St. Helier Street project ($3M) • Zilonis Court project ($53K) 2031-32

Additionally, work on the Seattle Street reconstruc- tion will continue with a $3.4 million contribution from the city. Another $600,000 is going toward the E-127 ood mitigation project to improve drainage along the south fork of White Oak Bayou in partnership with the Harris County Flood Control District. This project is in the design phase, and construction could begin in FY 2023-24, Bleess said. Tax rate Jersey Village City Council members reviewed and discussed the budget proposed by city sta for more than ve hours July 18-19. Calculations at the time were based on a tax rate increase to $0.760157 per $100 valuation. “I don’t like a situation where we’ve got to raise taxes, but at the same time, expenses are going up. All of the supplementals are recurring costs that are absolutely necessary. When you go through and you look, there’s no splurging,” Warren said July 19. Days later, the Harris Central Appraisal District pro- vided the city with certied taxable property value

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Street reconstruction, ood mitigation eorts along the south fork of White Oak Bayou, home eleva- tions, and improvements to the re station and golf course, according to the budget documents. The Jersey Village City Council unanimously approved the city’s $18.6 million general fund budget Aug. 15 ahead of the Oct. 1 start of the new scal year. Highlights include the hiring of six new full-time re- ghters/paramedics to combat an ongoing shortage, more funding for the annual Founder’s Day celebra- tion, wage increases for many part-time city employ- ees, and cost increases for energy and fuel for city vehicles due to ination. “Everyone on council is very cognizant regarding the fact that expenses are going up everywhere, and expenses are certainly going up for the city as well. We didn’t want to put the entirety of that burden on our citizens through property taxes, … which is why we pushed for the increase in the homestead exemption [approved in June] and why we’re try- ing … to keep the tax rate as low as possible,” Mayor

RISING REVENUES

Due to the increase in taxable property values in Jersey Village, the city expects to see more revenue come in for scal year 2022-23 over last year. Property tax revenue Other revenue Total

$18.65M

$17.44M $17.05M

$16.46M $16.97M

$9.75M $10.6M $10.87M $10.23M $11.16M

$6.71M $6.37M $6.56M $6.81M $7.49M

2018-19

2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23

TAX RATE TIMELINE

Jersey Village has maintained a tax rate of $0.7425 per $100 valuation or lower for several years.

estimates July 25. Since the certied estimates were about $59.8 million higher than preliminary estimates, sta then recommended keeping the current tax rate, Bleess said. Bleess said because of the state’s deadlines for cities to approve bud- gets and set tax rates, city ocials had to prepare the preliminary bud- get before the HCAD sent the certi- ed values. “It’s something that we’ve raised with our state representatives to

Bobby Warren said during the Aug. 15 City Council meeting. Prioritizing projects Between preliminary budget discussions in July and the budget approval Aug. 15, ocials recom- mended postponing sev- eral projects to maintain the same tax rate. This included a $50,000

$0.80

“EXPENSES ARE GOING UP EVERYWHERE, AND EXPENSES ARE CERTAINLY GOING UP FOR THE CITY AS WELL.” BOBBY WARREN, JERSEY VILLAGE MAYOR

Due to rising property values, the average homeowner will pay about 2.5% more in taxes to the city in scal year 2022-23 compared to the previous scal year.

$0.750

The city’s property tax rate dropped slightly in FY 2020-21.

$0.70

covered parking project at the re station, a $43,000 Christmas tree, a $150,000 sandbox renovation proj- ect at Carol Fox Park, $3.5 million in street projects, $300,000 in decorative street lighting, $30,000 in dog park improvements and the $11 million City Hall construction. California-based KHJR Real Estate Advisory Services is developing a 43-acre town center o Hwy. 290 and Jones Road, which could include a new City Hall. “We had some projects that would have been part of the [capital improvement plan] that we just don’t have the money for this year to do all of those … just given the tax rate and the priority of adding reght- ers this year,” City Manager Austin Bleess said. Several projects are still slated to move forward next scal year, however, including a $6.3 million allocation for the city’s golf course clubhouse and convention center. Bleess said City Council could move forward on the project by the end of the year.

see if we can’t get something that works better with the timelines. It’s just how we have to function right now under state law,” he said. The city’s projected property tax revenue is up nearly 10% year over year. Although the tax rate itself will not be increasing, the average Jersey Vil- lage resident will be paying about 2.5% more in city property taxes due to increased property values, according to city documents. Council approved an increased homestead exemption from 14% to 20% of the appraised value in June. A resident whose home was valued at $300,000 and had both the 14% homestead exemption and the $100,000 over-age-65 homestead exemption paid $1,173 in taxes to the city last year. This year, if that same resident’s home increased to a $330,000 valuation, the homeowner would pay $1,218 in taxes to the city in the coming year—a $45 increase. Former Mayor Andrew Mitcham spoke in favor

of the proposed tax rate increase July 19, but other residents spoke out asking the city to cut additional projects and not increase taxes. “You ended up looking at things to remove from the budget to be able to keep it at the rate that it is currently, … and you guys continue to continue wasting more and more of the taxpayers’ money on the golf course,” said Mark Maloy, Jersey Vil- lage resident and former council member, at the Aug. 15 meeting.

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CYFAIR EDITION • SEPTEMBER 2022