Weatherford council reviews FY24 $75 million budget proposal and publishes tax‑rate notices

Don Brooks, the city’s finance director, presented the proposed FY2024 budget, telling the Weatherford City Council that the plan covers 25 funds and 15 departments and is balanced across the city’s operating funds. “I’m pleased to present you with the FY ’24 proposed budget,” Brooks said as he outlined revenues and expenditures.

Brooks said total budgeted revenues across all funds are $75,000,000 with total budgeted expenditures of $74,300,000. Focusing on the general fund, he said the proposal includes $50,600,000 in revenues and $50,600,000 in expenditures; the projected fund balance at the end of FY24 is $21,000,000, equal to about 158 working days. Brooks attributed rising costs to post‑COVID supply‑chain and inflationary pressures—fuel up more than 12%, supplies up 17%, insurance premiums up more than 35% and personnel costs up more than 18%—and said the budget includes step and market adjustments for employees, $2.2 million for capital projects and targeted vehicle replacements and grant matches.

Dawn Brooks, the finance director (truth‑in‑taxation presentation), summarized the tax‑rate calculations required to start the rate‑setting process. “The 2023 no new revenue tax rate is 37.15¢ per $100 of taxable value,” she said, and the 2023 voter‑approval rate is 52.61¢ per $100. Dawn Brooks noted taxable values used in the calculations increased by roughly $1,100,000,000 (about 28.9%), which reduced the no‑new‑revenue rate; she told council the projected average residential tax liability would decrease by roughly $13.79 under the proposed 39.15¢ rate because much of the growth in taxable value falls on nonresidential property.

Councilmember Zach Smith moved to approve publication of the calculated tax‑rate notices; Mayor Pro Tem Tim Wilder seconded, and the council voted to publish the notices. The council scheduled a formal proposal of a tax rate for Aug. 22 and a public hearing and adoption for Sept. 12.

The meeting transcript did not include a recorded roll‑call vote tally for the tax‑rate publication motion; the minutes record the motion as passed. The council also discussed and scheduled a budget workshop on Aug. 14 to continue FY2024 deliberations.

Next steps: council members will review the proposed budget at the workshop and return on Aug. 22 to consider a formal tax‑rate proposal; the public hearing and adoption are set for Sept. 12.