Fairview Passes Budget with Decrease in Property Tax Rate

Fairview’s Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the city’s budget for the fiscal year between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. Due to a reappraisal of county property, the upcoming budget features a decrease in city tax rates.

The upcoming budget will set a city property tax rate of $0.5904 per $100 of assessed property value, marking a change from the city’s previous rate of $0.8765 per $100. The change comes after the Williamson County Property Assessor conducted its four-year reappraisal of all property in the county, which led to a reassessment of the city’s tax base (the value of all taxable property within the city) and the base property tax rate.

Mayor Lisa Anderson explained that the city opted to maintain a tax-neutral rate, which means that the city aims to match changes in the base tax rate to maintain the same tax revenue they’ve had in years prior.

“Despite what I’ve seen on social media, talking about how the city’s raising your taxes, that’s not a fact. The fact is, every 3-5 years Williamson County does a reassessment on property values which is just commonplace,” Anderson said. “That means for our taxpayers in the city of Fairview that your property taxes according to your assessment will go up, but actually the revenue that was being charged in Fairview is going down to neutral.”

Fairview Economic and Community Development Officer Patti Carroll explained to the Williamson Scene in an email how the city was able to maintain its revenue while lowering taxes.

“Despite the decrease in the tax rate, Fairview’s overall revenue has remained stable. This stability is a result of continued growth in our property base both residential and commercial, reflecting strong demand for living and doing business in Fairview,” Carroll wrote.

Carroll continued that she hopes this decrease will incentivize new residents and businesses to come to Fairview.

“From an economic development perspective, a lower property tax rate offers a strategic advantage. Companies evaluating new locations are highly sensitive to ongoing operating costs, and property taxes play a key role in those decisions,” she wrote.

However, Fairview remains the city with the highest property tax rate in Williamson County, which city officials explained is because property values are significantly lower in Fairview. However, as property values rise and the city is able to decrease taxes and maintain the same revenue, officials hope that they will eventually no longer top the county’s tax rates.

In two separate readings of the budget on May 15 and June 5, commissioners weighed the city’s growing needs in personnel as Fairview continues to develop. While the original budget included $15,000 to invest in Placer.ai, an artificial intelligence software that would give city officials insight into city growth, trends, and ongoing issues, the plan was scrapped after city commissioners said it was unclear how the city would use it to boost growth.

Added to the second reading of the budget was an additional position in Fairview’s public works department in hopes of alleviating safety concerns and increasing capacity. During the second reading, commissioners also debated adding an assistant city planner position. The position was introduced by Commissioner Carolyn Roberts, arguing recent storms have led to significant issues for residents and adding the Planning and Codes department is understaffed.

While Roberts originally proposed decreasing or eliminating the city’s new Economic Development Officer position to pave the way for a new position in Planning and Codes, City Manager Tom Daugherty advocated to maintain the Economic Development Officer and also add an assistant city planner, saying that his revenue projections were conservative and that there would likely be enough revenue to fund another salary.

The budget ultimately passed with the new assistant city planner in place, who will likely be hired within the next year. Daugherty also promised the commission that he will work with the city’s economic development officer to report more clearly how they are working to grow the city’s economy in order to underscore the position’s importance.