Welcome to this week’s Richardson Review, where we take a look at the decisions made at this week’s Council meeting and how they impact you! Every meeting starts with hearing from the public, and Richardson definitely showed up on Sep. 14th. Between written and spoken comments, 19 people expressed their opinions on the tax rate, Place 3 appointment, Flock cameras, Amazon drones, and more.

And this was an important meeting for input. Council first held a public hearing on maintaining the current city property tax rate of .54218 per $100 for the next fiscal year. The current proposed FY 2027 city budget supports a 5.5% pay increase for public safety personnel and increased support for the city’s self-funded employee health insurance plan. These helps ensure that Richardson continues to be attractive to the highest quality city employees in an extremely competitive region.

This isn’t easy to accomplish in 2026. Costs continue to increase for the City of Richardson and the many geopolitical factors at play right now make this a very tough budget year to predict. There are also concerns that the state legislature could continue to restrict how a city can achieve revenue growth each year.

To ensure a balanced budget, Council has had some tough decisions to consider. One of those decisions has been to reduce the annual Wildflower Festival from 3 days to 2 days. This savings, in addition to support from DART’s 6-year General Mobility Program and the elimination of several positions that have been frozen since the COVID-19 Pandemic, ensures that the FY 27 budget is a balanced budget with no shortfall.

This budget also includes increases in water and sewer charges, drainage fees, and solid waste fees. The estimated annual impact of these increases for the average taxpayer is $230 for FY 2027. You still have a chance to express your opinion on this budget on Sep. 21st. Council will officially adopt the budget and tax rate that evening after conducting a public hearing.

Council also continues forward in the process of appointing someone to the Place 3 Council seat due to Councilman Dan Barrios’ resignation earlier this year to run for U.S. Congressional District 32. At the Sep. 14th meeting, Council selected three finalists from the pool of eight applicants they interviewed in August.

Council’s finalists selection prioritized applicants who have demonstrated their dedication to community involvement, servant leadership, and familiarity with the needs of Richardson. The three finalists to be interviewed on Sep. 21st are Daniel Burdette, Jeff Davis, and Jordan Noret. Council will officially designate a lone finalist on Sep. 21st who will be sworn in to serve on Sep. 28th until next May. If you have any input to offer on this selection, Sep. 21st is your chance.