Rowlett's new city budget breakdown — where your tax dollars actually go

The City of Rowlett adopted its FY2026 budget last fall. Here's where your property tax dollars and utility fees actually go, broken down in plain English.

Total budget: approximately $165 million (all funds combined — general fund, utility fund, debt service, capital projects, special revenue)

General Fund (~$65M) — the big one: This is the operating budget funded primarily by property tax and sales tax revenue.

• Police Department: ~$18M (28%) — 130+ sworn officers, patrol, investigations, dispatch. Rowlett PD is well-regarded but staffing has been tight. Starting salary for officers was increased to stay competitive with Garland and Rockwall.
• Fire-Rescue: ~$14M (22%) — 4 fire stations, ~80 firefighters/paramedics. Station 4 (the newest, near Bayside) added capacity for the growing south side.
• Streets and infrastructure: ~$8M (12%) — road maintenance, traffic signals, drainage. Separate from bond-funded capital projects.
• Parks and Recreation: ~$6M (9%) — park maintenance, community center operations, programs, events.
• Library: ~$2.5M (4%) — Rowlett Public Library on Main St. Solid collection, good programs, always packed during summer reading.
• Administration, finance, IT, HR: ~$10M (15%) — city management overhead.
• Economic Development: ~$3M (5%) — business recruitment, incentive programs, downtown revitalization.
• Other (courts, animal services, etc.): ~$3.5M (5%)

Utility Fund (~$45M):

• Water and sewer operations funded by your utility bill, not property tax.
• Rates set by NTMWD (North Texas Municipal Water District) wholesale costs plus city distribution costs.
• Rate increase of approximately 4% for FY2026, driven by NTMWD wholesale cost increases.

Debt Service (~$20M):

• Paying off voter-approved bonds — roads, parks, public safety facilities.
• The 2019 bond program ($52M) is the largest recent issuance, funding many of the construction projects you see today.

Capital Projects (~$35M):

• Bond-funded and grant-funded projects. Chiesa Rd, Lakeview Pkwy, park improvements, water/sewer infrastructure.

Property tax rate: $0.7046 per $100 valuation (FY2026 adopted rate)

• On a $400K home with homestead exemption: roughly $2,500/year to the city of Rowlett
• This is ONLY the city portion. You also pay Garland ISD or Rockwall ISD, Dallas County, DCCD (community college), hospital district. Total effective rate is closer to $2.10-$2.30 per $100.

Sources:

• City of Rowlett FY2026 Adopted Budget (rowlett.com/budget)
• Dallas County Tax Assessor — 2026 tax rate summary
• NTMWD — wholesale rate schedules