How much will you pay in property taxes? Corpus Christi City Council is nearing a decision

Decisions are nearing on what Corpus Christi residents will pay in taxes, rates and fees in the coming year — and the public still has a shot to comment on how those prices shake out.

Tuesday is expected to mark the first of two votes by the City Council to determine how much it costs taxpayers to make their home in city limits, including property taxes and utilities bills.

Although the fees, rates and taxes are proposed by the city’s staff, the council has sometimes in the past approved different rates, fees and taxes than initially suggested.

The budget must be adopted before the beginning of the fiscal year, Oct. 1. A second and final vote on the budget is set for the Sept. 10 meeting.

Here’s a breakdown of what is being considered for basic services and homeownership. The proposed property taxes, rates and fees are based on available budget documents for the Tuesday meeting.

Property taxes

Proposed property tax: About 60 cents per $100 valuation

Current property tax: The same, about 60 cents per $100 valuation

As part of early budget discussions, the City Council decided that the property tax rate in the 2024-25 fiscal year would reach no higher than the current property tax rate, which is about 60 cents per $100 valuation.

The resolution, approved earlier this summer, means officials can vote to either maintain the same tax rate or lower it.

Although the proposed property tax rate would be the same as last year, residents may still pay more, depending on whether the value of their property increased or decreased, as well as whether they are eligible for newly expanded homestead exemptions.

The city is projected to increase its revenue, should officials adopt the same rate for the coming year as the current rate.

That is generally driven by a combination of new properties being added to the tax rolls and the valuation on some existing properties rising.

Among their options, council members could choose to adopt what is known as a no-new-revenue rate, which would bring in the same revenue as the year before.

This year, the no-new-revenue rate would be about 57 cents per $100, according to city staff.

Should council members pursue a lower tax rate than the proposed 60 cents per $100, the city’s preliminary $1.8 billion budget would need to be reduced to fit within the limits of the lower property tax revenue.

Water rates

Goes into effect: Jan. 1

Proposed water bill for a typical residential customer in city limits: $37.29

Current water bill for a typical residential customer in city limits: $39.06

There’s not a blanket answer to what individual customers pay for water service — that’s because bills are determined through what can be a complex combination of meter size, volume of water used and customer classification.

City officials define the typical residential customer as one who uses about 6,000 gallons of water per month.

Wastewater rates

Goes into effect: Jan. 1

Proposed wastewater bill for a typical residential customer in city limits: $59.32

Current wastewater bill for a typical residential customer in city limits: $54.64

Rates differ depending on the amount of wastewater usage, but city officials consider a typical residential customer as one who uses about 5,000 gallons of wastewater per month.

Stormwater fee

Goes into effect: Oct. 1

Proposed stormwater fee for a typical residential customer: $10.32

Current stormwater fee for a typical residential customer: $8.84

The fees depend on a “tier” system, which is based on the square footage of impervious area of a given property. City officials define a typical residential customer as one whose property has between 3,000 and 4,000 square feet of impervious area.

How to comment on proposed rates, fees and taxes

Residents can weigh in on the proposed property tax rates, as well as the costs of basic municipal services, twice before they are adopted.

While a formal public hearing is slated for Tuesday, residents may also voice their opinion on the property tax — as well as anything else in the budget — a second time, when the final vote is taken Sept. 10.

The City Council will meet at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in council chambers at City Hall, 1201 Leopard St.

The public comment session begins at noon.

For information on how to sign up to give public comment in person or remotely, visit the city secretary’s website at www.cctexas.com/departments/city-secretary .

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: How much will you pay in property taxes? Corpus Christi City Council is nearing a decision