LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE

TITLE 4. FINANCES

SUBTITLE A. MUNICIPAL FINANCES

CHAPTER 102. MUNICIPAL BUDGET

Sec. 102.001.  BUDGET OFFICER.  (a)  The mayor of a municipality serves as the budget officer for the governing body of the municipality except as provided by Subsection (b).
(b)  If the municipality has the city manager form of government, the city manager serves as the budget officer.
Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Sec. 102.002.  ANNUAL BUDGET REQUIRED.  The budget officer shall prepare each year a municipal budget to cover the proposed expenditures of the municipal government for the succeeding year.
Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Sec. 102.003.  ITEMIZED BUDGET;  CONTENTS.  (a)  The budget officer shall itemize the budget to allow as clear a comparison as practicable between expenditures included in the proposed budget and actual expenditures for the same or similar purposes made for the preceding year.  The budget must show as definitely as possible each of the projects for which expenditures are set up in the budget and the estimated amount of money carried in the budget for each project.
(b)  The budget must contain a complete financial statement of the municipality that shows:
(1)  the outstanding obligations of the municipality;
(2)  the cash on hand to the credit of each fund;
(3)  the funds received from all sources during the preceding year;
(4)  the funds available from all sources during the ensuing year;
(5)  the estimated revenue available to cover the proposed budget;  and
(6)  the estimated tax rate required to cover the proposed budget.
Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Sec. 102.004.  INFORMATION FURNISHED BY MUNICIPAL OFFICERS AND BOARDS.  In preparing the budget, the budget officer may require any municipal officer or board to furnish information necessary for the budget officer to properly prepare the budget.
Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Sec. 102.005.  PROPOSED BUDGET FILED WITH MUNICIPAL CLERK;  PUBLIC INSPECTION.  (a)  The budget officer shall file the proposed budget with the municipal clerk before the 30th day before the date the governing body of the municipality makes its tax levy for the fiscal year.
(b)  A proposed budget that will require raising more revenue from property taxes than in the previous year must contain a cover page with the following statement in 18-point or larger type:  "This budget will raise more total property taxes than last year's budget by (insert total dollar amount of increase and percentage increase), and of that amount (insert amount computed by multiplying the proposed tax rate by the value of new property added to the roll) is tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year."
(c)  The proposed budget shall be available for inspection by any person.  If the municipality maintains an Internet website, the municipal clerk shall take action to ensure that the proposed budget is posted on the website.
Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.
Amended by: 
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 924 (H.B. 3195), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2007.

Sec. 102.006.  PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED BUDGET.  (a)  The governing body of a municipality shall hold a public hearing on the proposed budget.  Any person may attend and may participate in the hearing.
(b)  The governing body shall set the hearing for a date occurring after the 15th day after the date the proposed budget is filed with the municipal clerk but before the date the governing body makes its tax levy.
(c)  The governing body shall provide for public notice of the date, time, and location of the hearing.  The notice must include, in type of a size at least equal to the type used for other items in the notice, any statement required to be included in the proposed budget under Section 102.005(b).
Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.
Amended by: 
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 924 (H.B. 3195), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2007.

Sec. 102.0065.  SPECIAL NOTICE BY PUBLICATION FOR BUDGET HEARING.  (a)  The governing body of a municipality shall publish notice before a public hearing relating to a budget in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the municipality is located.
(b)  Notice published under this section is in addition to notice required by other law, except that if another law requires the governing body to give notice, by publication, of a hearing on a budget this section does not apply.
(c)  Notice under this section shall be published not earlier than the 30th or later than the 10th day before the date of the hearing.
(d)  Notice under this section must include, in type of a size at least equal to the type used for other items in the notice, any statement required to be included in the proposed budget under Section 102.005(b).
Added by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 268, Sec. 24, eff. Sept. 1, 1993.  Amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 402, Sec. 9, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.
Amended by: 
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 924 (H.B. 3195), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2007.

Sec. 102.007.  ADOPTION OF BUDGET.  (a)  At the conclusion of the public hearing, the governing body of the municipality shall take action on the proposed budget.  A vote to adopt the budget must be a record vote.
(b)  The governing body may make any changes in the budget that it considers warranted by the law or by the best interest of the municipal taxpayers.
(c)  Adoption of a budget that will require raising more revenue from property taxes than in the previous year requires a separate vote of the governing body to ratify the property tax increase reflected in the budget.  A vote under this subsection is in addition to and separate from the vote to adopt the budget or a vote to set the tax rate required by Chapter 26, Tax Code, or other law.
(d)  An adopted budget must contain a cover page that includes:
(1)  one of the following statements in 18-point or larger type that accurately describes the adopted budget:
(A)  "This budget will raise more revenue from property taxes than last year's budget by an amount of (insert total dollar amount of increase), which is a (insert percentage increase) percent increase from last year's budget.  The property tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year is (insert amount computed by multiplying the proposed tax rate by the value of new property added to the roll).";
(B)  "This budget will raise less revenue from property taxes than last year's budget by an amount of (insert total dollar amount of decrease), which is a (insert percentage decrease) percent decrease from last year's budget.  The property tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year is (insert amount computed by multiplying the proposed tax rate by the value of new property added to the roll)."; or
(C)  "This budget will raise the same amount of revenue from property taxes as last year's budget.  The property tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year is (insert amount computed by multiplying the proposed tax rate by the value of new property added to the roll).";
(2)  the record vote of each member of the governing body by name voting on the adoption of the budget;
(3)  the municipal property tax rates for the preceding fiscal year, and each municipal property tax rate that has been adopted or calculated for the current fiscal year, including:
(A)  the property tax rate;
(B)  the no-new-revenue tax rate;
(C)  the no-new-revenue maintenance and operations tax rate;
(D)  the voter-approval tax rate; and
(E)  the debt rate; and
(4)  the total amount of municipal debt obligations.
(e)  In this section, "debt obligation" means an issued public security as defined by Section 1201.002, Government Code, secured by property taxes.
Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.
Amended by: 
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 924 (H.B. 3195), Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2007.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1329 (S.B. 656), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 944 (S.B. 2), Sec. 79, eff. January 1, 2020.

Sec. 102.008.  APPROVED BUDGET FILED WITH MUNICIPAL CLERK:  POSTING ON INTERNET.  (a)  On final approval of the budget by the governing body of the municipality, the governing body shall:
(1)  file the budget with the municipal clerk; and
(2)  if the municipality maintains an Internet website, take action to ensure that:
(A)  a copy of the budget, including the cover page, is posted on the website; and
(B)  the record vote described by Section 102.007(d)(2) is posted on the website at least until the first anniversary of the date the budget is adopted.
(b)  The governing body shall take action to ensure that the cover page of the budget is amended to include the property tax rates required by Section 102.007(d)(3) for the current fiscal year if the rates are not included on the cover page when the budget is filed with the municipal clerk.  The governing body shall file an amended cover page with the municipal clerk and take action to ensure that the amended cover page is posted on the municipality's website.
Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.
Amended by: 
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 924 (H.B. 3195), Sec. 5, eff. September 1, 2007.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1329 (S.B. 656), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2013.

Sec. 102.009.  LEVY OF TAXES AND EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS UNDER BUDGET;  EMERGENCY EXPENDITURE.  (a)  The governing body of the municipality may levy taxes only in accordance with the budget.
(b)  After final approval of the budget, the governing body may spend municipal funds only in strict compliance with the budget, except in an emergency.
(c)  The governing body may authorize an emergency expenditure as an amendment to the original budget only in a case of grave public necessity to meet an unusual and unforeseen condition that could not have been included in the original budget through the use of reasonably diligent thought and attention.  If the governing body amends the original budget to meet an emergency, the governing body shall file a copy of its order or resolution amending the budget with the municipal clerk, and the clerk shall attach the copy to the original budget.
(d)  After the adoption of the budget or a budget amendment, the budget officer shall provide for the filing of a true copy of the approved budget or amendment in the office of the county clerk of the county in which the municipality is located.
Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Sec. 102.010.  CHANGES IN BUDGET FOR MUNICIPAL PURPOSES.  This chapter does not prevent the governing body of the municipality from making changes in the budget for municipal purposes.
Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Sec. 102.011.  CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH CHARTER PROVISIONS CONTROL.  If a municipality has already adopted charter provisions that require the preparation of an annual budget covering all municipal expenditures and if the municipality conducts a public hearing on the budget as provided by Section 102.006 and otherwise complies with the provisions of this chapter relating to property tax increases, the charter provisions control.  After the budget has been finally prepared and approved, a copy of the budget and the amendments to the budget shall be filed with the county clerk, as required for other budgets under this chapter.
Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.
Amended by: 
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 924 (H.B. 3195), Sec. 6, eff. September 1, 2007.