The six-member council agreed Tuesday to a tax rate of 34 cents per $100 of value, about 2 cents more than this year’s rate and about 3 cents more than the rate set by the state without taking into account new revenue.

Because the average taxable home value in Bellmead increased from $126,656 to $139,348 this year, the average homeowner can expect a property tax bill of about $478 (up from $409 last year, or $69).

Bellmead staff proposed a tax rate increase at the July meeting, but Assistant City Manager Karen Evans was still waiting on the McLennan County Appraisal District’s calculations for her presentation. The district certified the tax rolls in late July, and taxpayers can get an estimate of their tax bill at mclennan.countytaxrates.com/tax.

The no-new revenue rate is the rate calculated to produce the equivalent of the previous year’s revenue, taking into account changes in assessments. Bellmead’s proposed tax rate is about 3 cents below the de minimis rate, the highest rate required to win voter approval before the election.

The tax rate is expected to generate over $2 million in revenue, supporting the fiscal year 2025 general fund budget of approximately $9.4 million, an increase of approximately $800,000 over the previous year’s general fund budget.

The City Council will vote on officially adopting the new tax rate and budget following a public hearing on September 10.

City Manager Yost Zakhary said he understands that residents are frustrated with the increase in their bills, but much of the revenue generated will go toward road repair projects, with work beginning as early as 2026.

The Bellmead City Council has spent the last two months discussing the 2024-25 fiscal year budget with Zakhary and Evans, but on Tuesday there was a unified effort to set that tax rate and begin building the road improvement fund.