BISD adopts 2025-2026 budget, tax rate

The Breckenridge Independent School District board has officially adopted its budget and tax rate for the upcoming fiscal and tax year. Board trustees voted following a public hearing Monday, Aug. 25. 

For the 2025 tax year, the board voted to adopt the same tax rate as last year at $0.7575 per $100 valuation. 

Despite the tax rate staying the same, the levy carries an increase of $66.39 in taxes on the average household. This is due to the average market value and average taxable value of residences increasing. 

The average market value of residences increased from $196,173 to $210,905 and the average taxable value of residences went from $78,866 to $87,631. According to the required public notice posted by BISD, the total appraised value of all property is $1,074,228,882, up from $1,018,077,930 last year. Of that value, 716,195,700 is the taxable value, down from last year’s $731,240,723. 

Kenneth Thompson presented some changes to the previously proposed budget which was discussed at the budget workshop Monday, Aug. 11. The school district added about $177,000 to the fund balance compared to what was originally proposed. 

“If we spend everything and all the revenues we budgeted, we will be adding $1.7 million to the fund balance next year,” Thompson said. 

The additions to the fund balance puts the school district at an estimated $409,939 above last year’s fund balance, and this year there is a designation for committing funds for bond construction. 

The board recently approved placing a $39 million bond on the November ballot for infrastructure improvements at its schools. Superintendent Prairie Freeman said that after speaking with the bond council, they have to come back and recommit other funds post-election, which can be done in a regular board meeting. 

Prior to the election, she said that they currently have $1.2 million designated for construction in the fund balance. Freeman also said that they can come back at any time and uncommit or commit other funds. 

“So we felt like prior to the election, this will kind of be in there. Projected is February or March or something like that,” Freeman said. “...Once you commit [the funds] it has to go to a specific purpose.” 

That means that once funds are designated for construction, the school board must earmark them for that purpose and must follow through with the construction or the funds will be removed from the balance. 

The board unanimously approved to adopt the budget at the fund and function level for 2025-2026, as well as the tax rate at 0.7575 per $100 valuation for maintenance and operations and zero dollars for interest and sinking rate for a total tax rate of 0.7575.