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Montgomery City Council advances $9.4M proposed FY 2026-27 budget

Montgomery City Council moved its fiscal year 2026-27 budget process forward Aug. 11, approving a proposed spending plan that increases general fund expenses while keeping the city’s proposed property tax rate at $0.40 per $100 valuation.

The details: The proposed general fund budget totals about $9.45 million in both revenues and expenditures. That represents a 15% increase in revenue and a 22% increase in spending compared with the city’s adopted FY 2025-26 budget.

By the numbers: Some of the largest proposed general fund expenditures include:

  • $3.45 million for administration, up 12%

  • $3.04 million for police, up 15%

  • $2.56 million for public works, up 55%

  • $401,651 for municipal court, up 7%

Zooming in: City officials are working with a proposed tax rate of $0.40 per $100 valuation, the same rate Montgomery has maintained for several years. The city’s no-new-revenue rate is about $0.3921, while the voter-approval rate is about $0.4649 per $100 valuation. Council unanimously approved moving forward with the proposed $0.40 rate Aug. 11.
 
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County Coverage
Montgomery County budget discussion includes tax rate, pay parity projections

Montgomery County budget workshop discussions for fiscal year 2026-27 began Aug. 11 at the Alan B. Sadler Commissioners Court Building in Conroe. The conversation started with commissioners' review of tax rate options as well as the FY 2026-27 certified taxable value of about $109.27 billion, a 3.23% increase over the FY 2025-26 adjusted taxable value. Budget Officer Amanda Carter also presented where the county stands on its pay parity goals and employee promotions.

At a glance: The 3.23% rate increase over the FY 2025-26 current adjusted taxable value is less of an annual increase than the county has seen within past years, Tax Assessor Tammy McRae said. 

Quote of note: “We [the county] didn't see a large increase in the '26 values … this year, as we have in [the past] five years, and the data showed that we had more of a stabilized market this year, and so for that reason, very few areas of our county saw an increase in their market value,” McRae said.

 

Your Weekend To-Do List

Check out these weekend events across the metro area.

Music & Motors

Aloha Beach Day

Aug. 14, 6-9 p.m.
Humble

Aug. 14, 7-11 p.m.
New Caney

More info.

More info.

 

'Rent'

White Linen Party

Aug. 14, 7:30 p.m.
Houston

Aug. 15, noon-10 p.m.
Pearland

More info.

More info.

 
To submit your own event, click here.

Statewide News
Texas senators consider how to better prepare communities for wildfires

From 2020-25, more than 45,000 wildfires burned over 2.7 million acres of Texas land, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Ahead of the 2027 state legislative session, lawmakers are looking into ways to better prevent wildfires from happening and prepare communities to respond when fires do start.

The background: In 2025, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 34, which required the Texas A&M Forest Service to create a statewide database of firefighting equipment; established a council to improve emergency communications between local, state and federal agencies; and increased funding to help rural volunteer fire departments purchase equipment from $30 million to $40 million.

Quote of note: Sen. Kevin Sparks, a Midland Republican who authored the law, said more work needs to be done to increase wildfire preparedness across the state.

"As we move forward, our focus should be on a more proactive approach that prioritizes prevention and mitigation alongside response preparedness," Sparks said during an Aug. 11 hearing of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, which he chairs.
 

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Jake Norman
Managing Editor

Chrissy Leggett
General Manager

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