Irving adopts budget

September 17, 2026

by Leann Callaway

Irving — The Irving City Council unanimously adopted a $1.1616 billion total FY 2026–27 budget Sept. 10, keeping the city’s property-tax rate at $0.5891 per $100 of taxable value while approving a plan projected to raise $32,296,939 more in property-tax revenue than the prior year.

Council also approved a companion ordinance ratifying the budget’s increase in property-tax revenue and adopted the 2026 tax roll.

Tax rate unchanged

Although the city’s nominal tax rate remains unchanged from 2025, it is above the 2026 no-new-revenue rate of $0.513817 per $100 of value. City documents project the budget will generate $32,296,939 more in property-tax revenue than the prior year, a 14.38% increase, including $3,372,681 from property added to the tax roll in 2026. The voter-approval rate was listed at $0.589174, slightly above the rate approved by council.

The adopted rate is divided into:

For a median-valued homestead, city figures show the estimated annual property-tax bill would rise from $1,591.62 in FY 2025–26 to $1,669.92 under the FY 2026–27 rate and valuation assumptions. The median homestead value used in the city’s comparison increased from $270,179 to $283,470.

The city’s general fund is budgeted at approximately $323.5 million, supporting services including police and fire protection, transportation, parks, libraries and city operations. The city held budget-related public hearings June 26, Aug. 27 and Sept. 3 before adopting the fiscal-year budget.

Homeland-security grants approved

Council approved agreements with the Governor’s Office and the Texas Homeland Security State Administrative Agency to participate in two FY 2025 homeland-security grant projects for the Irving Police Department. Both grants reimburse 100% of allowable costs, according to agenda materials.

The city was awarded:

· $43,779.15 for a police traffic-camera project. Assistant Police Chief Darren Steele said the grant will fund pan-tilt-zoom cameras for traffic-intersection monitoring, along with video displays and backup power equipment for the department’s Real Time Crime Center, and that the project does not include Flock features.

· $32,261 for communications headsets for the Irving Police Tactical Team.

Infrastructure contracts advance

The council approved several infrastructure and utility actions, including:

A $1,943,575.90 contract with SYB Construction Company Inc. for the Skyway Circle South Part 2 water and wastewater improvements project. The project is intended to replace aging pipelines and improve reliability; the city said SYB’s proposal was 30.8% below the engineer’s estimate.

A $787,674.18 contract with Key Construction Texas LLC for pavement repairs at the Irving and Grand Prairie Joint Fire Training Center. The two cities share the facility’s maintenance costs equally, with Grand Prairie expected to reimburse Irving for half of the final project cost.

A $4,267,700 addendum with Pape-Dawson Engineers Inc. for design, bidding and construction-phase services for Phase 2 of the North Delaware Creek drainage-improvements project, including flood-mitigation work between Henry Drive and Finley Road.

A $118,650.71 change order with Garney Companies Inc. for the Princeton Booster Pump Station expansion. The overall project is designed to increase the station’s pumping capacity from 65 million gallons per day to 104 million gallons per day.

Council also approved a $32,175 amendment with AECOM Technical Services Inc. for a survey of 650 large-meter locations to help prioritize the city’s advanced-metering-infrastructure replacement program.

Water, sewer and drainage rates

The council approved new solid-waste, drainage, water and sewer rates. City staff said the water and sewer adjustments are intended to address higher wastewater-treatment costs, infrastructure needs, software upgrades, billing costs and repair materials.

The city’s materials said water rates would rise 2.92% and sewer rates would rise 7.05%. For a residential customer with a three-quarter-inch meter using 12,000 gallons of water and 5,000 gallons of wastewater, the city’s stated average residential volumes, the monthly bill would increase by about $3.78, or 4.11%.

For a customer using 3,000 gallons of water and 2,000 gallons of wastewater, the city projected a monthly increase of 87 cents, or 3.47%.

The drainage-fee adjustment is the next step in a five-year Municipal Drainage Utility rate plan approved in 2024. Under the proposed drainage schedule, the monthly charge would be $15 for manufactured homes and for properties with fewer than five units on lots larger than 5,000 square feet. Properties with fewer than five units on lots under 5,000 square feet would be charged $11.25 a month.

Economic development and tourism

Council adopted the FY 2026–27 work plan and set $2,664,515 in consideration for the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce to provide economic-development services. The amount represents no change from the prior fiscal year.

Council also approved $418,330 for the chamber’s international-affairs, sister-cities and trade-center services, also unchanged from the prior year.

For Irving’s tourism and hospitality operations, council approved a contract with Granicus, formerly Simpleview, for up to $1,010,436 in web-based applications, customer-relationship-management tools, marketing, market research and other digital services for the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau, Irving Convention Center and hospitality venues. The agreement runs from Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2027.

According to city agenda materials, Irving’s hospitality industry is a $4.1 billion-a-year sector that welcomes 4.5 million visitors and generates $85.5 million in annual taxes.

Other council actions

Other approved actions included:

Catherine Hung and Christine Primrose were approved for vacant municipal court judge positions created through the FY 2026–27 budget process.

An $81,906 interlocal agreement with Dallas County Health and Human Services for communicable-disease-control services.

A one-year emergency-medical-services billing agreement with Digitech Computer LLC, compensated through a 4.15% commission on net monthly EMS billing collections, with up to four one-year renewal terms.

A $124,979.91 payment to Itron Inc. to renew maintenance agreements for the city’s advanced-metering-infrastructure network and meter-reading equipment.

A four-year purchase from Cornerstone OnDemand Inc. for online employee-training programs and materials, estimated at $429,022.41.

A $289,635.37 purchase from Texas Kenworth Company LLC, doing business as MHC Kenworth, for a 2026 Kenworth T380 cab and chassis with a Knapheide service body.

A negotiated rate settlement between the Atmos Cities Steering Committee and Atmos Energy Corp.’s Mid-Tex Division. The city said the settlement would raise the average residential monthly bill by $13.37, or 14.15%, beginning Oct. 1.

Council also approved the partial abandonment of a five-foot private access and maintenance easement at 4178 and 4182 Khawlah Nafal Court, enabling redevelopment after two lots are combined.

Rooming-house changes

In its final zoning item, council considered proposed Phase I amendments to the Unified Development Code involving rooming and boarding houses.

The proposed amendments revise the terminology from “rooming house” to “rooming/lodging house,” remove “boarding house” from the R-XF zoning district and set a minimum parking requirement of one space per bedroom for rooming/lodging houses. The changes also clarify the distinction between rooming/lodging houses and regulated boarding-home facilities for elderly and disabled residents.

City staff said the changes are the first phase of a broader review. A future phase may consider standards for permitting rooming/lodging houses in certain multifamily districts, along with licensing and registration requirements.

The council’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 825 W. Irving Blvd.