How Lago Vista's tax rate compares with 6 Texas cities

Lago Vista's 2026-27 property tax rate, $0.451988 per $100 of valuation, is the second highest of the six cities in this comparison with a 2026-27 rate on record.^1,2 The record vote on adoption of Lago Vista's 2026-2027 budget, printed on its cover, shows 4 ayes and 3 nays. Our earlier story on Lago Vista's budgets covers how the council adopted that budget and rate.³ Lago Vista's own taxpayer impact statement estimates the 2026-27 city tax bill on the median-valued homestead at $1,358.06. That is up from $1,261.94 for the current year at the rate the city had adopted.⁴ Lago Vista's 2025 sales tax allocation works out to $116 per resident, a small fraction of what Bee Cave, Marble Falls, and Granbury received.^5,6 Lago Vista also holds the second largest reserve cushion, relative to its own spending, of the six cities with posted audits.⁷

Percentages, ratios, per-resident amounts, rankings, and the Lago Vista homestead tax at the adopted rate are our calculations from the cited records.

The seven cities

Lago Vista's council is a mayor and six council members, its charter says.⁸ Lago Vista had 10,498 residents in 2025, the Census Bureau estimates. That is 13.3% more than in 2021.⁶

We compared Lago Vista with three nearby cities, Jonestown, Point Venture, and Leander.⁶ Jonestown is a type A general-law municipality.⁹ Its council is the mayor and five aldermen.¹⁰ Point Venture is a Type A general-law village.¹¹ Its mayor and council members serve without pay.¹² Point Venture's population fell 1.5% from 2021 to 2025, the only one of the three neighbors to shrink.⁶

Leander is a home-rule city with a council-manager government.¹³ Leander's population grew 35.8% from 2021 to 2025. That was the fastest growth of the seven cities.⁶

We also chose three Texas cities of similar size.⁶ Marble Falls is a home-rule city whose council is a mayor and six council members elected at large.¹⁴ Marble Falls' population grew 32.8% from 2021 to 2025. Marble Falls' Census estimate rose from 7,596 residents in 2023 to 9,431 in 2024.⁶ Bee Cave's council has six members, counting the mayor, all elected at large.¹⁵ Bee Cave's population fell 6.2% from 2021 to 2025.⁶ Granbury is a home-rule city with a council-manager government and a council of a mayor and five members.¹⁶

2021 and 2022: rates fall

Lago Vista's 2021-2022 budget lists a 2021-2022 adopted rate of $0.6070.¹⁷ It fell to $0.4283 in 2022-23.¹⁸ Bee Cave's total rate was already $0.02 per $100 in 2021-22. That was the lowest total rate of the seven cities in 2021-22.¹⁹ Marble Falls' total rate was $0.599 per $100 in 2021-22. Only Lago Vista's rate was higher that year.²⁰ Granbury's total rate was $0.386965 per $100 in 2021-22.²¹ Granbury's total property tax rate for 2022-23 was $0.38 per $100 of taxable value.²²

2023 and 2024: legal bills, bonds, and new managers

Lago Vista's Legal Services account was $27,383 in 2021-22. Its 518-1100 City Attorney account, for the city's own salaried attorney, shows $128,437 in 2021-2022 actual spending.²³ The Legal Services account reached $468,390 in 2023-24. Our earlier story on Lago Vista's outside legal bills covers that increase and a later budget amendment.³ Leander's non-departmental 5650 - Legal Fees account shows $246,972 in FY 2024 actual spending.¹³ Bee Cave's General Fund legal spending reached $1,476,785 in 2024-25.²⁴

Leander's council voted unanimously on March 7, 2024, to "Approve the appointment of Todd Parton as City Manager."²⁵ Julie Oakley joined Bee Cave as city manager in April 2024.²⁶

As of Sept. 30, 2023, Lago Vista had an outstanding principal balance of $27,740,000.²⁷ Its 2024 audit lists total bonds payable of $49,566,000 for governmental activities, outstanding at 9/30/24. That total includes $23,465,000 in Series 2024 certificates of obligation.²⁸ A city staff report said a new golf course irrigation system was "designated to be to be paid from the 2024 Bond Issuance." Our earlier story on the city's golf course covers that project, including a first contract the council later canceled.²⁹

On Oct. 3, 2024, a staff report said the tax rate's split between operations and debt needed to change "to account for the increase debt due to the Certificate of Obligations sold this past February."³⁰ In Lago Vista, the council voted four to two on Oct. 3, 2024, "to accept the presented separation agreement with City Manager," the minutes show. The council then voted 6 to 0 to appoint Taylor Whichard as interim city manager.³¹ The council had appointed Tracie Hlavinka as city manager in a 2021 resolution.³² Our earlier story on the city manager's settlement covers what that agreement cost taxpayers.³¹ On Oct. 25, 2024, Jonestown's council voted unanimously to approve an agreement making Tracie Hlavinka its interim city administrator, "effective October 25 and commencing on October 29," its minutes show.³³

2025: the reserve cushions

Lago Vista's unassigned General Fund balance equaled 131% of its General Fund spending in 2024-25. Unassigned fund balance is money that "is available for spending at the government's discretion," the audit says. Lago Vista's policy sets its target for unrestricted General Fund balance at 90 days of general fund annual revenues, approximately 25%.⁷ Our earlier story on Lago Vista's budgets covers how the General Fund's total balance tripled in four years.^7,34 Bee Cave's unassigned balance equaled 168% of its General Fund spending in 2024-25. That was the largest cushion of the six cities with posted audits.³⁵

Jonestown's unassigned balance equaled 41% of its General Fund spending in 2024-25.³⁶ Jonestown's reserve policy calls for "a minimum reserve equal to at least 180 days of operating expenses."³⁷ Granbury's unassigned balance equaled 62% of its spending in 2024-25.¹⁶ Leander's equaled 40% in 2024-25.³⁸ Marble Falls' equaled 28% in 2024-25.³⁹

Leadership changed that year too.^40,41 Granbury's agreement with City Manager Christopher Coffman sets an annual salary of $250,767.68 beginning April 1, 2025.⁴⁰ On May 1, 2025, Mayor Sullivan gave an update on how the contract with new City Manager Charles West came about.⁴¹ Marble Falls' city secretary administered the oath of office to Mayor-elect John Packer after the May 3, 2025, general election.⁴² In September 2025, its council voted 6 to 0 to "appoint Caleb Kraenzel as City Manager."⁴³ Lago Vista's mayor, Shane Saum, was presiding over the council by Nov. 20, 2025.⁴⁴

2026: this year's rates

Lago Vista's council named an acting and then an interim city manager this year.⁴⁵ City Manager Charles West was absent from the Aug. 6, 2026, meeting. On Aug. 6, 2026, the council voted 7 to 0 to "Appoint Chief Ron Joy as acting City Manager designation until Interim City Manager is appointed."⁴⁶ On Sept. 3, 2026, the council voted 7 to 0 to approve a contract with SGR "to appoint Isaac Turner as Interim City Manager." As of Sept. 3, 2026, Nichole Navarro was Lago Vista's finance director.⁴⁵

The council's tax rate ordinance set the rate at $0.451988 per $100 of valuation for 2026-27.¹ The city's budget book says that rate is "equal to the No-New-Revenue Rate."³ That is the rate that raises about the same amount of property tax from the same properties as the year before.⁴⁷ The budget will still raise $143,182.44 more in property taxes than last year's, a 1.36 percent increase, and $222,186.10 of that comes from new property added to the tax roll.³ The impact statement lists one median-valued homestead taxable value, $300,463.⁴

Lago Vista's 2026-27 rate includes $0.265525 for maintenance and operations. The other $0.186463 of the 2026-27 rate pays debt service. Debt service makes up 41% of that rate.³

Granbury adopted a higher rate for 2026-27, $0.485 per $100.² Granbury's council adopted that rate by a roll call vote of 6 ayes and 0 nays on Sept. 1, 2026.⁴⁸ An ordinance in Marble Falls' Sept. 15, 2026, agenda packet proposes a 2026-27 rate of $0.58 per $100.⁴⁹ Jonestown's finance page lists a total property tax rate of $0.419112 per $100 valuation for FY 2026-2027.⁵⁰ Point Venture's certification of its 2026 tax rate lists an adopted rate of 0.085828.⁵¹ Leander's total property tax rate for 2026-27 was $0.417282 per $100 of taxable value.¹³ Bee Cave's 2026-27 rate stayed at $0.02 per $100.²⁴

Who runs each city now

Jonestown's mayor, Paul Johnson, was in office by August 2021.⁵² The city's council page lists Paul Johnson as mayor.¹⁰ Hlavinka "serves as the City Manager for the City of Jonestown," the city's website says.⁵³ Jonestown's proposed 2026-27 budget worksheet requests $155,000 for full-time salaries in the city administrator's office.⁵⁴

Point Venture's mayor is Justin Hamilton.⁵⁵ Vickie Knight is the village secretary.⁵⁶

As of March 2026, Leander's mayor was Na'Cole Thompson and its city manager was Todd Parton.⁵⁷ Leander's fiscal year 2026 adopted budget lists Otis Williams as chief financial officer.⁵⁸

As of June 2026, Jeneen Peterson was Marble Falls' director of finance.⁵⁹ Kara King was elected to her first term as mayor of Bee Cave in May 2020.⁶⁰ Karin Smith is Bee Cave's director of finance.⁶¹ Granbury's mayor, Jim Jarratt, was presiding at the council's Sept. 1, 2026, meeting. As of Sept. 1, 2026, Eva Gregory was Granbury's director of finance.⁴⁸

What Lago Vista pays its staff

Lago Vista's budget books set a salary line for each one-person job, such as city manager or police chief.¹⁸ The 2021-22 budget letter lists "Cost of Living increases of 3%" among the items the council decided to fund.¹⁷ The 2022-23 budget letter adds, "The proposed budget includes ten new positions to mitigate the growth in service demands." It lists "Cost of Living increases of 5%" among the items the council discussed in budget workshops.¹⁸

The city manager's salary line was $165,000 in 2021-22.¹⁸ In October 2023, the council unanimously extended City Manager Tracie Hlavinka's contract, under which the city agreed to pay an "annual base salary of one hundred eighty-one thousand five hundred dollars ($181,500.00)."^62,63 The 2025-26 budget book lists $190,575 as that line's 2024-25 budget.²³ That is the year the council accepted the separation agreement described above.³¹ The FY 2025 actual for the city manager's salary line was $302,539.³ On Jan. 6, 2026, the council voted 6 to 1 to amend the budget for the year that began Oct. 1, 2024.⁶⁴ For the year ending Sept. 30, 2025, the amendment's Exhibit A adds $75,000 to the City Manager line for an ending budget of $265,575.⁶⁵ Staff listed "Separation costs for the former City Manager and relocation expenses for the newly hired City Manager" as a reason.⁶⁶ Actual spending still ran $36,964 over the amended line.^3,65 The FY 2027 approved amount for the city manager line is $225,000. For 2026-27, the police chief's line is $150,000.³

The 2026-27 budget letter says General Fund operating expenditures rise because of "additional employees, a 3% COLA and a cost of goods and services market increase."³ The mayor and council "shall serve without pay or compensation," the city charter says.⁸

Every city here except Point Venture reports its payroll to the Texas Municipal Retirement System, and each audit includes that payroll.⁷ Lago Vista's pension plan covered 99 active employees on Dec. 31, 2020.³⁴ On Dec. 31, 2024, the plan covered 96 active employees.⁷ Its covered payroll was $5,311,019 in 2020-21.³⁴ It was $6,780,021 in 2024-25.⁷ That is a 27.7% increase.^7,34 It is the slowest growth of the five cities we could compare.⁷

Lago Vista's TMRS covered payroll for 2024-25 works out to $646 per resident.^6,7 That is less than in Jonestown, Granbury, or Marble Falls, and more than in Bee Cave.⁶ We found no pension plan record for Point Venture. We left Leander out of the payroll comparisons. Its newest audit prints the same covered payroll for its latest fiscal year as for the calendar year before it, so we could not confirm the figure.³⁸

Only Lago Vista, Granbury, and Jonestown publish a pay figure for their top manager.^40,54 Leander, Marble Falls, and Bee Cave publish only department salary totals.^13,67,68

What makes Lago Vista different

In 2025, Lago Vista's sales tax allocation from the state came to $116 per resident.^5,6 Jonestown's came to $137.^6,69 Leander's was $136.^6,70 Point Venture's was $107.^6,71 The three cities of similar size took in far more.^72,73,74 Marble Falls received $1,450 per resident.^6,72 Granbury received $1,013.^6,73 Bee Cave received $1,822. No city in the comparison received more.^6,74

Lago Vista's General Fund pays for general government, public safety, streets, sanitation, and culture and recreation, its audit shows. In 2024-25, Lago Vista's General Fund collected $5,885,401 in property taxes. It collected $1,244,602 in sales taxes in 2024-25. That is $4.73 in property taxes for every $1 in sales taxes.⁷ Bee Cave's General Fund collected $11,544,144 in sales taxes in 2024-25. It collected $337,406 in property taxes in 2024-25. Bee Cave's General Fund took in $34 in sales taxes for every $1 in property taxes.³⁵

Debt is a big part of Lago Vista's rate, but not the biggest among these cities. Its budget book says the debt service part of the rate "supports eligible debt service obligations."³ Granbury's 2026-27 rate is 52% debt service.² Jonestown's is 14%.⁵⁰

Home values explain some of the gap between cities that charge similar rates. Granbury's 2026 tax notice shows its average homestead taxable value going from $436,452 to $443,583. On the same 2026 notice, the tax on the average homestead goes from $1,833.10 to $2,151.38.⁷⁵ Granbury's council had adopted a $0.42 rate for 2025-26.⁷⁶ Lago Vista's average homestead taxable value for the 2025 tax year was $334,316.⁴⁷ Lago Vista's adopted rate for 2025-2026 was $0.420000.²³ At that $0.42 rate, the average Lago Vista homestead's city tax for 2025-26 works out to $1,404.13.^23,47 Granbury's average homestead paid more at the same rate that year because it was worth more.^75,76

Lago Vista's new rate is the no-new-revenue rate, so it is set to raise about the same money from the same properties as last year.³ The city also holds a General Fund cushion far larger than its own policy calls for.⁷

What we could not find

• Whether the Marble Falls City Council adopted the proposed $0.58 rate. The minutes of its Sept. 15, 2026, meeting were not posted as of Sept. 27, 2026.⁴⁹
• Whether Jonestown's council formally adopted the $0.419112 rate at its Sept. 10, 2026, meeting. Minutes of that meeting were not posted as of Sept. 27, 2026.⁷⁷
• Point Venture's council accepted its fiscal year 2025 audited financials on April 21, 2026. We found no audit posted on the village's website, so its reserve share cannot be computed.⁷⁸
• Jonestown's minutes list "Finance Director Myers" among staff present.⁷⁹ We could not find the director's first name or a current finance director in the records we reviewed.
• Why Marble Falls' Census estimate jumped in one year, as described above.
• Base salaries for the city managers of Leander, Marble Falls, and Bee Cave. We found no employment agreement or salary figure for them in the posted records we reviewed.
• The pay terms of Lago Vista's interim city manager contract with SGR, and whether Charles West still holds the city manager post.
• A breakdown of what Lago Vista paid from its city manager salary line in the year of the separation agreement, including how much was separation pay.
• Leander's covered payroll for its latest fiscal year. Its newest audit repeats the plan-year figure, as described above.

What you can do

The city's Open Records Request page explains how residents can ask for public documents.⁸⁰ State law says "each person is entitled, unless otherwise expressly provided by law, at all times to complete information about the affairs of government and the official acts of public officials and employees."⁸¹

Records worth requesting from Lago Vista include the following.

• Ask for the interim city manager's contract with SGR, including its pay terms.
• Ask for any separation agreement or resignation letter for City Manager Charles West.
• Ask which projects the city's recent certificates of obligation have paid for, and how much each has cost so far.
• Ask for the invoices behind the Legal Services account, which shows what the city paid its outside lawyers.
• Ask for the payroll register or year-to-date earnings by employee, which state law makes public, and the ledger for the city manager salary account.

If you have records on any of these questions, you can share them with us at /share-records. We protect your identity and publish the evidence when we can do so safely.