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“The city staff will be fully engaged during the entire process, and there will be ample opportunity for citizens and council members to provide feedback.”
— Robert Tamble, city manager
SMITHVILLE — City officials will kick off the fiscal year 2025–26 budget planning process next week, as staff prepare for another year of financial forecasting shaped by uncertain property valuations and evolving infrastructure needs.
City Manager Robert Tamble said the process depends heavily on receiving certified property values from the Bastrop Central Appraisal District, which must deliver those figures by July 25. Until then, officials are working with preliminary values that remain fluid.
“(As of late May), those preliminary values have already been updated four times,” Tamble said. “We are basically dealing with a moving target, which makes it very difficult to publish meaningful and accurate numbers prior to the publication of the final certified roll.”
The first of four scheduled budget workshops June 18 marks the start of a broader budget review process and will double as a special-called council meeting—focusing on long-term wastewater infrastructure planning, including a presentation from reUse, a Georgetown-based firm offering membrane bioreactor technology.
Tamble said the workshop will cover cost estimates, financing strategies and implementation plans tailored to the city’s future wastewater expansion goals.
The session will run from 5 to 8 p.m. at City Hall. Additional budget workshops are scheduled for July 30 and Aug. 20, with a fourth tentatively set for Sept. 3.
The council is expected to adopt the final budget and tax rate Sept. 8.
The city’s 2025 preliminary net taxable property value stands at about $474 million—up just 0.2% from last year, according to Tamble. Based on the current tax rate, the increase could bring in about $5,600 in additional revenue, though pending appraisal adjustments could affect that estimate.
About 10 percent of Smithville parcels remain under review by the Appraisal Review Board, Table said.
Also influencing revenue projections is a rise in the number of over-65 homeowners with tax freezes, he added, which climbed from 464 to 500 this year. That increase could result in a projected loss of $112,522 in potential revenue.
Despite the uncertainties, Tamble said the workshops will serve as a key opportunity for open discussion and community engagement.
“The city staff will be fully engaged during the entire process, and there will be ample opportunity for citizens and council members to provide feedback,” he said.
