Financial History
This shows how well the city is balancing its revenue, debt, and infrastructure maintenance over time. Higher means a bigger cushion.
A rising trend or positive value shows a growing buffer. A negative or falling value signals thinning reserves or aging infrastructure.
A positive net financial position says the city has more financial assets than obligations and is in a better position to weather downturns, invest in infrastructure, or respond to emergencies without borrowing or service cuts. If this number is negative the city has spent more than it has saved and is relying on future revenue to pay past bills
A rising trend means the city is improving its financial buffer. A falling trend suggests the city is becomign less able to handle its obligations without borrowing or cutting services.
This ratio shows whether the city has enough liquid financial resources to cover what it owes. A ratio below 100% means it would not be able to pay off its liabilities using only its financial assets.
A rising trend means the city is improving its financial buffer. A falling trend suggests the city is becomign less able to handle its obligations without borrowing or cutting services.
A ratio above 100% means the city owns more than it owes (solvent). Below 100% means it owes more than it owns (insolvent).
A downward trend means the city is becoming less solvent. An upward trend shows improving financial resilience.
This shows how many years of income it would take to pay off all debts if every dollar went to debt repayment.
If the ratio is rising, debt is growing faster than income, this is unsustainable. If it's falling the city is gaining control of its obliations.
This shows how much of the city's income goes to servicing debt rather than providing services.
An increasing trend limits future choices and can crowd out basic services. A decreasing trend improves flexibility and budget health.
This indicates how well the city is maintaining its infrastructure. A low value means assets are aging and wearing out.
A declining trend means the city is falling behind on maintenance. A stable or rising trend suggests it is keeping up.
This shows how dependent the city is on government grants and other one-time transfers versus local revenue.
If the trend is rising, the city is becoming more dependent on outside help. If it's falling, the city is strengthening its local revenue base.
Each year an actuary calculates what the city must contribute to cover benefits earned that year plus a payment against the existing shortfall. Below 100% means the city is underfunding its pension.
At or above 100% every year means the city is paying what its actuary says it owes. A value persistently below 100% is a policy choice to defer cost onto future budgets.
This is how much of the retirement benefits already earned by employees is actually backed by money in the plan. 100% means fully funded. The remainder is an obligation that current or future taxpayers must cover.
Rising toward 100% is healthy. Changes in investment returns, discount rate, or benefit terms can also affect this, so you need to look at the broader trend over time.
The debt service portion is dedicated to paying off bonds or other long-term debt. The operations portion of the property tax rate is flexible and can be used as needed.
A rising debt service rate means more money has been borrowed, resulting in less flexibility on the tax rate. If the cost of providing services rises faster than property values, then an increased tax rate could be necessary to provide the same level of service. Similarly, property values rising faster than the cost of services can allow for a rate reduction.
Out of the 8.25% sales tax, 6.25% goes to Texas and the remaining 2% goes to the city. This chart shows how the city allocates its 2%. Typically 1% goes to the general fund and the remaining 1% gets used for specific purposes. Some of these are set by popular vote, others are set by the city council.
These categories show what is most prioritized by voting residents and city leadership. Common uses are public transit, Economic Development Corporations (EDCs), Community Development Corporations (CDCs), extra police funding, and street maintenance.
| FY2015 | FY2025 | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Property tax | $1.5M | $5.4M | +261% |
| Sales tax | $1.6M | $5.9M | +263% |
| Hotel occupancy tax | - | $30K | - |
| Expenditures | |||
| Public Safety | $1.1M | $3M | +177% |
| General government | $495K | $538K | +9% |
| Debt service | $287K | $811K | +183% |