[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6485890,"mediaKeyId","5545621-fbb6ba33d1fd9a3c4b0e817440130a38","parentId",5545621,"title","Votes at a glance: Forney Council approves PID assessments, settlement participation and municipal judge appointments","audioSeconds",46,"startMs",1542000,"endMs",1588000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5545621-fbb6ba33d1fd9a3c4b0e817440130a38&start=1542&end=1588","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5545621-fbb6ba33d1fd9a3c4b0e817440130a38/thumbnail_1542000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6485890/Forney/Kaufman-County/Texas/Votes-at-a-glance-Forney-Council-approves-PID-assessments-settlement-participation-and-municipal-judge-appointments","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6485890-2487cb73c7756df457db749087a87a52/orig.mp4?Expires=1770723307&Signature=Zo7U8MEzTKavKZQXtfjQSJi47-5Ni4slL6ZGH5Oiv4C~YCXFw9R2bo6bjgajrBeKoeNIaAESXIty4TCXAMJ5UmN2s8bspCslX~ANP7BnPL0Qw6m~VrrazlzmtP7yQ8GUUZYhhWrNOfo94db7704vNMYQjcf3Alh4B-kcr0RaNBu9awuX6OyhKGZ4tZCZOIL2yMoSQQwpbMW2THJfRazLYoj1SRjmfe0SuIeMU7OBTeNKFAIhoObOnemCU6k~VlfnfVLfte6cYFuIVDsNgkBza9t~wO~BSvJdqpUsZfNpci0LiMmM7weCZf6D8JIKUdJBQuIHm5oHEclVRzLiQNXxQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Forney","date","2025-08-05T00:00:00Z","article","The Forney City Council on Tuesday approved a series of routine and executive-session actions, including annual assessment updates for two public improvement districts, authorization to participate in a national opioid settlement, and appointments to municipal court.

On the consent agenda the council approved two ordinances updating the 2025 annual service and assessment plans and the assessment rolls for Bellagio Public Improvement District No. 1 (ordinance no. 20513) and Villages of Fox Hollow Public Improvement District No. 1 (ordinance no. 2514). The council approved the consent agenda by show of hands.

After a closed executive session the council authorized staff to execute a settlement participation agreement related to an alleged-opioid matter described during the executive session as a national opioid settlement with Purdue and related parties. Council Member Steve Chambers moved the settlement authorization; Council Member John Helm seconded the motion and it passed by show of hands.

The council also moved to reappoint Jessica Spain as presiding judge of Municipal Court of Record No. 1 and to appoint Carrie Ann Bradford as associate judge through Aug. 31, 2026. The motion to appoint was made by Council Member Schlitzker, seconded by Council Member Jay Weatherford, and passed by show of hands.

Other formal actions: the council approved minutes from the July 15, 2025 regular meeting and the July 21, 2025 special workshop; and earlier in the meeting the council voted to call a special meeting on Aug. 26 to set the proposed tax rate for the FY 2025–26 budget.

Where vote tallies were recorded, actions passed by a show-of-hands vote; individual roll-call tallies were not read into the record for these items.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Forney - City Council","oneSentenceSummary","Council approved two public improvement district assessment updates on consent, authorized participation in a national opioid settlement, reappointed municipal judges, approved minutes and scheduled a special tax-rate meeting.","taxTitle","Forney, Kaufman County, Texas","taxId",69540,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6485897,"Forney Council schedules extra meeting, debates proposed 2025 tax rate as budget deadlines loom",909,465000,1374000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5545621-fbb6ba33d1fd9a3c4b0e817440130a38&start=465&end=1374","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5545621-fbb6ba33d1fd9a3c4b0e817440130a38/thumbnail_465000.jpg","/articles/6485897/Forney/Kaufman-County/Texas/Forney-Council-schedules-extra-meeting-debates-proposed-2025-tax-rate-as-budget-deadlines-loom","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6485897-664dc1d007c37f5b704bdfc0bd1a7e1c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770723308&Signature=RtGaBsNvoAAmoEEUEO2bChct5s47WpssAoX74V7Vsi5HCYUZBEgv3GXJPY~~51GPD6g8y-mWvgKcgNxe4IMEXpzeWz2Um2BcP23dqK7hR4UAdXoHmEUQK8zx2plHPxPpEBhufqgmEANuWw0nwMKSouDkA2Q2sCcxzhipiyNCFwXtFrvYu-8OE3vsowN9ELBy98GrQDvxsoBrB1TJX~ULX18ici9UVJXO6edf8MufvkxD4NtbjjISzkHsSx~kJ6zDsxUGsfotDB6QSW4t0k9k9cTw8YIBOA4G5Klvg1lHlhBH2zOxJifqR3rdEN4ogRmVjVrtsc5gM9fzf6YBN3Ae2Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Forney City Council on Tuesday reviewed newly certified property values and tax-rate calculations, and voted to schedule a special meeting for Tuesday, Aug. 26, to set the proposed tax rate for the fiscal year 2025–26 budget.

Finance staff told the council the Kaufman County Tax Office certified no-new-revenue and voter-approval rates of 0.421431 and 0.448545, respectively, and staff prepared a budget using a 0.43 rate. Staff also said the appraisal district certified a 4.5% increase in total taxable value, reporting an increase of $255,000,000; staff said $325,000,000 of that figure was attributable to new construction and that existing values declined slightly. Staff said each penny of tax rate change raises about $487,000.

Council members pressed staff for more time to review the full budget document. Staff said the formal deadline to submit the budget to the city secretary is Aug. 15; the council will be presented a proposed tax rate at the council meeting on Aug. 19 (staff clarified the proposed tax-rate vote is a record vote and not the final adoption), and the council set Aug. 26 as an additional meeting to set the proposed tax rate to allow more review time. Staff said public hearings and potential final action on the budget are planned in September, with staff citing Sept. 2 as the first public hearing date and noting the county deadline to receive final tax-rate paperwork is mid-September.

Council members debated scheduling and review time. Several members said receiving the full budget only three days before the Aug. 19 meeting left too little time for meaningful review; one member called for workshops or a later date for the proposed-tax-rate vote. After discussion, Council Member John Helm moved and Council Member Steve Chambers seconded a motion to call a special meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 6:30 p.m. for the proposed tax rate; the motion passed by show of hands.

Staff said they are finalizing the budget and will provide the full document by the Aug. 15 deadline. Staff also told council that some values remain under protest and that certified calculations came from the Kaufman County Tax Office.

The council did not adopt a final tax rate at the Aug. 5 meeting; the passed Aug. 26 meeting call establishes when the council will set a proposed tax rate, which establishes a maximum for the final rate but can be lowered later.

The council’s next steps: staff will deliver the full budget package by Aug. 15; the council will receive the proposed tax-rate record vote at the Aug. 19 meeting and meet again Aug. 26 to set a proposed rate, with public hearings and potential final action in September.","Council reviewed certified property values and tax-rate calculations, set an extra meeting for Aug. 26 to adopt a proposed tax rate, and staff said the budget will be submitted by Aug. 15 with public hearings set for September.","actionData","errors"]

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Votes at a glance: Forney Council approves PID assessments, settlement participation and municipal judge appointments

Forney Council schedules extra meeting, debates proposed 2025 tax rate as budget deadlines loom