Bertram approves new budget, tax rate for 2026-27 fiscal year
The city of Bertram. Staff photo by Caden Senn
The city of Bertram recently ratified its new budget and tax rate for the 2026-27 fiscal year, marking a slight decrease to overall spending and a minor increase to the tax rate.
The passed budget and tax rate remained unchanged from those proposed by Bertram City Council in August. See the entire proposed 2026-27 fiscal year budget here, which includes a comparison to the 2025-26 fiscal year budget.
The approved budget includes roughly $3.115 million in expenditures in the general operating fund, as compared to $3.292 million approved in FY 2025-26. It also includes $21.744 million in expenditures in the utility fund, as compared to $25.082 million in FY 2025-26.
Tax rate
The approved tax rate is $0.4423 per $100 property tax valuation, which is about 0.13 percent higher than last year’s rate of $0.4417.
Mayor John Baladez explained during a Sept. 8 council meeting that this is the “no new revenue rate,” which is essentially the property tax rate that would generate the same amount of revenue as the prior year, adjusting for changes in property values.
- FY 2025-26 tax rate – $0.4417 per $100 property valuation
- FY 2026-27 tax rate – $0.4423 per $100 property valuation
Budget by fund
Several of the city’s funds and subfunds were budgeted differently in FY 2026-27.
General fund
- General administration – $951,274 ($1.2 million in 2025-26)
- Police department – $1.02 million ($969,273 in 2025-26)
- Municipal court – $196,648 ($207,182 in 2025-26)
- City secretary – $149,864 ($147,219 in 2025-26)
- Building inspection/code – $278,250 ($284,550 in 2025-26)
- Parks/pool – $320,900 ($202,500 in 2025-26)
- Other expenses – $165,000 ($265,000 in 2025-26)
- Transfers – $30,775 ($19,327 in 2025-26)
Utility fund
- Utility expenses – $2.48 million ($2.15 in 2025-26)
- Other expenses (associated with water, sewer debts) – $19.27 million ($22.94 million in 2025-26)
A large chunk of the “other expenses” under the utility fund are associated with loan debt that the city took on while upgrading its water and sewer facilities back in 2020 and its lift station in 2024. Together, those projects amounted to more than $19.67 million in expenses in FY 2025-26 and $11.19 million in FY 2026-27.