The Irving City Council greenlit a more than $320 million operating budget for the next fiscal year. It goes into effect Oct. 1.
The budget addresses first responder staffing and infrastructure improvements, among other city priorities.
The current tax rate of 58.91 cents per $100 valuation will remain the same, although that doesn’t necessarily mean the amount of local taxes each resident pays will be identical to last year’s. Rates for drainage, water and wastewater services will increase.
Property owners who are disabled or over 65 years old will see a $5,000 increase to the residential homestead tax exemption, per a June city council vote. That means for these residents, $60,000 of a property’s appraised value will be excluded from municipal property taxes in 2026 and beyond.
At their Sept. 18 regular meeting, the council approved the budget unanimously. They also voted unanimously to increase tax revenue.
City documents say the new budget will raise approximately $22.5 million more in property taxes than the previous budget. That comes from an increase in property values in the city, even though the tax rate itself doesn’t change.
Mayor Rick Stopfer said he was proud of how the vote turned out. He compared it to other cities shutting down services, laying off employees or raising taxes “just because they can.”
“When 70% of the people want you to build things, want you to contribute to our infrastructure and things of that nature, that's what we're here for,” Stopfer told the council. “When people say, ‘do your job,’ that’s our job.”
The budget also includes funding for increased library security and construction on Fire Station 9, which was damaged late last year by a fire while crews were out on a call. Stopfer highlighted the maintenance of city facilities as an important part of the money spent.
“Our employees are just as important as anybody else's employees. They deserve a quality workplace,” he said.
The city held public hearings and retreat sessions on the budget throughout the year for council members and other officials to discuss the proposal’s specifics. Members of the public weighed in during these sessions.
It’s budget season across North Texas and cities are in the process of finalizing and approving the fiscal structures that will guide them through 2026. Arlington also recently approved their $750 million operating budget. Irving is the fifth most populous city in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
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