Weatherford
Council adopts the FY27 budget at $120.8 million and holds the tax rate at $0.392246, per the draft Sept. 8 minutes
Both ordinances passed 5-0 on Sept. 8, along with an $8,280,000 design-build contract for Fire Station 5, according to the draft minutes the council votes to approve tonight.
The Weatherford City Council adopted the city's fiscal year 2027 budget and tax rate at its Sept. 8, 2026 meeting, according to the draft minutes attached to tonight's agenda as item 5.a, approval of the minutes. Ordinance O2026-33, adopting the City Manager's Proposed Budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2026 and ending Sept. 30, 2027, passed 5-0 on the motion of Matt Ticzkus, second by Luke Williams. Budget Manager Ashley Esquivel presented the budget as 26 funds and 17 departments providing for 333 employees, excluding the electric and water utilities, a $120.8 million citywide budget that maintains more than 120 days of operating reserves, and a General Fund balanced with $61.4 million in revenues and $61.3 million in expenditures, a surplus of approximately $65,000, per the draft minutes.
Ordinance O2026-34, adopting the ad valorem tax rate of $0.392246 per $100 of valuation for the 2026 tax year, passed 5-0 after Zack Smith moved and Matt Ticzkus seconded. Director of Finance Linzy Blain told the council the rate was below the No-New-Revenue rate, would not increase property taxes and was below the maximum rate that would trigger an election, per the draft minutes. The rate, as posted for the hearing, includes $0.295646 per $100 for operations and maintenance and $0.0966 per $100 for interest and sinking (debt service). At the public hearing on the rate, opened at 6:15 p.m. and closed at 6:17 p.m., one resident spoke.
The council also voted 5-0, on the motion of Luke Williams, second by Rod White, to authorize the City Manager to execute a Design Build Contract with Grossman Design Build for Phase II construction services for Fire Station 5 improvements, in an amount not to exceed $8,280,000. Assistant City Manager Dawn Brooks reviewed a total contract duration of 375 days, with construction beginning Sept. 28, 2026, if authorized, and final completion scheduled for Oct. 8, 2027, per the draft minutes.
Basis: the draft minutes of the Sept. 8 meeting, attached to the Sept. 22 agenda, and the Aug. 25 minutes for the proposed rate. The Ledger did not review the full text of the two ordinances or the adopted budget document. The minutes are a draft until the council approves them; the approved minutes will be linked here when the city posts them, and the tax estimator carries the adopted rate.
Sources: City of Weatherford: draft minutes of the Sept. 8, 2026 council meeting, attached to the Sept. 22, 2026 agenda (Granicus); City of Weatherford: City Council agenda, Sept. 22, 2026 (Granicus)