By David Taylor, Managing Editor
On Monday night, Aug. 26, 2024, the aldermen of the city of Mont Belvieu voted unanimously to a slight increase in the tax rate and budget for Fiscal Year 2025. The new budget begins on Oct. 1.
The rate will be the highest tax rate in the history of the city.
“The FY25 tax rate of .471118 per $100 valuation is still the lowest rate in the area when compared with surrounding cities,” said Brian Ligon, communications and marketing director for the city.
Ligon also added that this year’s budget is set at $38,115,452 up from FY24’s $36,779,547, a 3.36 percent increase year-over-year.
Despite the increase, Ligon said they have had little resistance to the new rate.
The new tax rate is about a 6 percent increase over last year’s .44252 per $100 valuation and Ligon said the city needs the new funds to help address the fast growth the county is experiencing.
“Just recently, in a presentation from U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (R), he stated that the Census Bureau has said that Chambers County is the sixth-fastest growing county in the nation and that the west side, mainly Mont Belvieu, accounts for most of that growth,” Ligon reported.
To ensure the city keeps up with the growth demand and can meet the service requirements of residents, Ligon said the councilmen took the rate increase cap.
“If you look at a $400,000 home here in Mont Belvieu, they will see an increase of $86.19 on their 2025 tax bill,” he explained.
Once broken down to the smallest denominator, it effectively means about 24 cents per day more.
“That’s a pretty good value considering the high amenity community that is Mont Belvieu,” he stressed.
Ligon pointed out the additional money would help pay for some key hires and projects.
“I’m a taxpayer and live here too and will have to pay that 6 percent increase in my property taxes, but the thing that I can feel good about is what I’m getting for that extra 24 cents a day,” he said.
Some of that money will go toward six full-time firefighters for the city fire department.
“We are becoming more and more of a blended department with volunteers. We’re keeping our volunteers. We rely on having a strong volunteer firefighter corps, but to help with those response times because the call volume has gotten so high with the growing population we serve, we need six new firefighters,” he explained.
He also said the city would add another four dispatchers over the next fiscal year.
“We’ll also be adding four more 911 dispatchers so that we have a little bit of bench strength there,” Ligon said.
Funds would be applied to the design of three major road projects.
“It would be just the design portion for taking Langston Boulevard extending from SH 99 all the way out to SH 146,” he described it.
Another project would widen Eagle Drive from FM 565 north to SH 146.
“That’s a project that we’ve heard from a lot of our residents,” he said.
“We’ll get under design and address that.”
Ligon said they were also going to go to the design process on widening FM 565 from Canal Street to SH 99 to help alleviate some traffic concerns through there.
“We’re going to be building a loop road off of Langston Blvd. that runs through our growing restaurant and retail corridor at Eagle Dr. and I-10. We want to give our residents better access so they don’t have to get on the access road of the interstate to enjoy this area. We have acquired some land that’s going to allow us to build this road, that not only improves access for our residents, but gives us additional development oportunities. We’re looking forward to that,” he said.
Another key project is entering Phase Three of Hackberry Park.
“Since it opened, it has become a community favorite. This is our 200-acre nature park. With this small increase in property taxes, it will also allow us to expand the trail system and add two bridges so that our residents can have more area to exercise and explore. We’re happy to bring that to our residents,” he said.
Since the proposed tax rate was not greater than the voter-approval tax rate, the city was not required to hold an election to give voters the opportunity to accept or reject the proposed tax rate. Voters were given the opportunity to attend the public hearings and voice their approval or disapproval.