Argyle Town Council approved the Fiscal Year 2021 budget during their September 21, 2020 meeting.
The adopted budget includes a decrease in the Town’s property tax rate, from $0.397500 to $0.378193 per $100 of valuation. The average Argyle homeowner, assuming home value stayed the same as 2019, would save $86 with this decrease. This marks the first change in the Town’s property tax rate since the $0.397500 rate was adopted in 2010.
Despite the economic uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Town was able to add almost $500,000 to its fund balance at the end of the 2020 fiscal year. Town Council attributed this surplus to staff’s sound fiscal management practices throughout the year.
Argyle citizens will see service enhancements in the 2021 fiscal year, even with the tax rate decrease. The budget allocates funds for one new police officer, bringing Argyle Police Department’s sworn officer count to 13. This addition will allow the police department to regularly maintain two patrol officers on duty, increasing the department’s response capacity and presence in the Town. The new position will also help cover the portion of the Harvest development located in Argyle’s extra-territorial jurisdiction; the Town entered an Inter-Local Agreement to provide police services in this area beginning August 1, 2020.
Funds for capital projects were included in the budget to cover major infrastructure improvements. The $3.8 million Crawford Road reconstruction project, funded with significant contribution from Denton County and the City of Denton, is scheduled to begin in November. In anticipation of TxDOT widening US 377, the Town allocated $2 million to relocate sewer lines along the roadway. Consulting services were also budgeted to cover planning for a Quiet Zone through Argyle once construction of US 377 is near completion.
“This budget represents a collaborative effort between staff and Town Council to thoroughly review town finances and identify opportunities for efficiency and savings,” said Mayor Pro Tem, Cynthia Hermann. “The result is a budget that enhances Town services for Argyle citizens while lowering their tax burden through a decreased property tax rate. It is just one way that we are putting the needs of Argyle citizens first.”