Allen residents will continue enjoying one of the lowest tax rates among large Texas cities following the approval of the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 tax rate and city budget.
The $299,469,407 annual budget includes funding for infrastructure projects ranging from street repairs and water/sewer improvements to the completion of new City facilities such as Allen Fire Station #6 and the Stephen G. Terrell Recreation Center.
It also funds 20 new positions, including six Community Services employees, five staff members in Allen Police Department and four firefighters to complete the staffing of Allen’s final fire station. Other positions include a senior code compliance officer focused on commercial properties, an I.T. security administrator and a heritage and cultural administrator.
The 2024 tax rate of $0.4205 per $100 of taxable value is one of the lowest in the state of Texas among cities with populations higher than 100,000. This tax rate is a reduction from last year’s rate of $0.4212 and comes on the heels of a new 5% city homestead exemption approved by Allen City Council in April.
Councilmembers expressed support for the new budget and tax rate, citing the need for additional public safety officers, additional staff for new facilities and the diligence and professionalism of city staff throughout the budget process.
“There were late nights, a lot of one-on-ones and a lot of questions answered,” said Mayor Brooks. “I’ve been on the Council since 2012 and this was one of the best budget processes I’ve ever been through. To see the level of professionalism that everyone in the city organization brought to us, and the professionalism and respect our councilmembers gave city staff as we continued to drill down these numbers as far as they could be drilled down – I thank you all.”
The City of Allen’s 2023-2024 fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, 2023 and ends on Sept. 30, 2024. The budget proposed and passed by council can be viewed online, with the official final budget to be made available soon on the Finance web page.