Budgeting is an essential element of the financial planning, control, and evaluation process of municipal government. The operating budget is the city's annual financial operating plan. The budget includes:

Budget Summary: This section provides a general overview of the proposed budget and identifies key changes from the prior year. To view past Annual Budget Reports, visit our Financial Transparency page.

Vision Statements: The vision statements section of the budget provides a view of the various services provided by the city and is organized around the four city council vision statements and the Strategic Plan

Financial Section: This section provides a more traditional "fund accounting" view of the city's budget. Fund summaries and department summaries are provided.

Appendices: The fourth major section of the budget is the appendices, which contains supplemental information to meet specific City Charter requirements and to help the reader better understand the community.

The proposed budget is prepared and presented to the city council 30-90 days before the end of the fiscal year, which is Sept. 30. The city council then reviews and revises the budget and receives citizen input through a public hearing on the proposed budget.

The budget process shall span sufficient time to address policy and fiscal issues by the council.

The council will adopt by ordinance such budget as it may have been amended as the city's annual budget, effective for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

Videos

• FY 26 Proposed Budget [YouTube]
• July 7 Special Budget Meeting [YouTube]

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Blogs

• City's proposed FY 26 budget prioritizes public safety, infrastructure, and long-term growth [WordPress, July 7]
• Offer valuable feedback on the City’s FY 26 budget priorities with our interactive online tool [WordPress, June 18]

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Presentations

• FY 26 Budget Presentation [PDF]

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Meetings

• July 7 Special Budget Meeting [YouTube]
• July 10 Outside Agency Discussion [Webpage]
• July 16 Budget Workshop [Webpage]
• July 24 Budget Public Hearing [Webpage]
• Aug. 28 Tax Rate Public Hearing/Budget Adoption [Webpage]

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Media

• College Station City Council Receives Proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Budget [WTAW, July 8]
• What's in College Station's proposed $474 million FY26 budget and tax rate? [KBTX, July 7]
• College Station's preliminary budget for FY 2026 nearly $475M [Eagle, July 7]

The City of College Station received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association. To receive this award, a governmental unit must publish a budget document that meets program criteria as a policy document, as an operations guide, as a financial plan and as a communications device.