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Georgetown residents invited to give feedback on city's proposed $861M budget

By FOX 7 Austin Digital Team
Published  August 9, 2023 4:54pm CDT
Georgetown
FOX 7 Austin

GEORGETOWN, Texas - Georgetown residents can now give feedback online on the city's proposed $861 million budget for the next fiscal year.

Comments can be submitted via an online form through 5 p.m. on Aug. 20. Comments and feedback will then be provided to City Council for the Aug. 22 meeting.

Residents signed up for FlashVote can also provide feedback on the budget during a 1-minute survey Aug. 14-16, available by phone, text, or email.

You can view an interactive breakdown of the proposed budget online here.

Community members can also attend any of the public hearings through the budget adoption process.

Budget adoption timeline

  • July 11: Council budget workshops
  • Aug. 8: First presentation of the full budget; City Council sets maximum tax rate and public hearing dates
  • Aug. 20: Comments on draft budget close (see form online)
  • Aug. 22: Public hearings and first reading of both the tax rate and the budget
  • Sept. 12: Second reading and final adoption of the tax rate and budget
  • Oct. 1: New budget year begins, and new water/wastewater rates are in effect

What is the proposed budget?

The city says staff used council goals to develop a preliminary version, which the council discussed during a July 11 workshop. Staff then used council direction from the workshop to develop the proposed budget. 

Major themes covered in the budget are investments in transportation and utility infrastructure, public safety, and customer services. The city says that adequately funding these led to the proposed budget being higher than the current fiscal year’s $722 million adopted budget.

The proposed budget will keep the City's property tax rate at 37.4 cents per $100 valuation, which is below the voter-approval rate set by the state. The average tax bill however is expected to increase by $125. 

The city also states Georgetown's property tax rate is among the lowest of Austin-area cities with a population greater than 20,000 people. 

Water, wastewater rates to increase 

The city says residents and customers can expect solid waste, water and wastewater rates to increase following the 2022 rate study.

The budget includes a proposed solid waste rate increase of 4.5 percent for residential customers, or about $0.98 per month, and 9.5 percent for commercial users. 

Water and wastewater rates are projected to increase 13 percent for all customer types, or approximately $6 a month for a family using 6,000 gallons of water per month.

For more information about the annual budget process and details and documents about the proposed FY2024 budget, click here.