Edinburg To Hold Public Hearings On Budget, Lower Tax Rate At Tonight’s Meeting
Edinburg, Texas, Sept. 19, 2023 – Edinburg residents will have an opportunity to voice their opinions on the proposed property tax rate and city budget for the coming fiscal year. The Edinburg City Council had already approved lowering the tax rate by one cent for 2023-2024.
The meeting will take place tonight, Sept. 19, at 6 pm at the City Council Chamber at Edinburg City Hall at 415 West University Dr.
The Edinburg City Charter requires public hearings on both the tax rate and the city budget.
During its Sept 6 meeting, the Edinburg City Council unanimously decided to lower the proposed tax rate from 64 cents to 63 cents per $100 valuation. This is the lowest proposed tax rate for Edinburg since 1991. If the City Council had adopted a tax rate of $0.6724 or higher, it would have had to call an election for residents to approve the proposed property tax through a citywide vote before it can be effective.
The decision was reached during budget workshops and analysis of the city’s budget needs. The workshops were held during the last few months. According to City Council members, this was done out a desire to provide relief to Edinburg residents and businesses amidst economic challenges. The proposed tax decrease aims to maintain essential services while ensuring that Edinburg remains an attractive place to live, work, and invest.
In other business, City Council members will see a presentation by the Rio Grande Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (RGVMPO) on the 2024 Unified Transportation Program (UTP). On August 16, 2023, TxDOT approved the 2024 10-year Unified Transportation Program 2024-2033. The 2024 UTP identifies investments in transportation projects totaling a new record of approximately $100 billion in infrastructure improvements over the next 10 years for the state of Texas. The RGVMPO will provide an update on the most significant projects provided funding by the 2024 UTP throughout the region.
During executive session, the City Council will consult with the City Attorney regarding amusement redemption machine Ordinance. (§551.071. In January of this year, the City Council had approved an ordinance to ban eight-liner game rooms within the city limits. Although no such businesses exist in Edinburg, the city had chosen to take proactive action on the issue after citizen complaints about the potential for such game rooms to cause problems in residential neighborhoods.
The issue of game rooms led to the closure of some game rooms located outside Hidalgo County cities where law enforcement officials had alleged that gambling was actually taking place.