The fiscal year of the City of La Grange shall begin the first day of October and shall end the last day of September of each calendar year.
The City Manager shall submit a proposed budget containing a complete financial plan for each fiscal year. Such a budget shall be submitted to the City Council within a reasonable time prior to the beginning of each fiscal year. The budget shall contain the following:
(a) 
A budget message shall outline the proposed financial policies of the City for the fiscal year, shall set forth the reasons for any changes in expenditure and revenue items from the previous fiscal year, and shall explain any major change in financial policies.
(b) 
A consolidated statement of anticipated receipts and proposed expenditures for all funds.
(c) 
An analysis of property valuations.
(d) 
An analysis of tax rates.
(e) 
Tax levies and tax collection by year for the last three (3) years.
(f) 
General fund resources in detail.
(g) 
Special fund resources in detail.
(h) 
Summary of proposed expenditures by fund, function, department and activity.
(i) 
Detailed estimates of expenditures shown separately for each activity to support summary as described in subsection (h) above.
(j) 
A revenue and expense statement for all types of bonds.
(k) 
A description of all bond issues outstanding, showing rates of interest, date of issue, maturity date, amount authorized, amount issued, and the amount outstanding on each.
(l) 
A schedule of requirements for the principal and interest of each issue of bonds.
(m) 
The appropriation ordinance.
(n) 
The tax levying ordinance.
(o) 
A provision for financing the current capital improvement program.
(Amnd. at an election held 5/1/21)
In preparing the budget, the City Manager shall place in parallel columns opposite the several items of revenues and expenditures, the actual amount of each item for the last complete fiscal year, the estimated amount for the current fiscal year, and the proposed amount for the ensuing fiscal year.
The budget and all supporting schedules shall be a public record. It shall be filed with the person performing the duties of City Secretary, and it shall be submitted to the City Council. The City Council shall make copies available for all interested persons.
The City Council shall fix the time and place for a public hearing on the budget, and shall cause to be published in a newspaper of general circulation of the City of La Grange at least ten (10) days before the date of such hearing, a notice of the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof. At any time and place set forth in the notice required by this section, or at any time and place to which such public hearing shall from time to time be convened, the City Council shall hold a public hearing on the budget submitted and all interested persons shall be given an opportunity to be heard for or against any item or the amount of any item therein contained.
After the conclusion of such public hearing, the City Council may increase or decrease the items of the budget, except items in proposed expenditures fixed by law. If the City Council increases the total proposed expenditures, it shall also provide for an increase in the total anticipated revenue to at least equal such proposed expenditures.
The budget shall be finally adopted not later than the beginning of the fiscal year, and should the City Council fail to so adopt a budget, the then existing budget together with its tax-levying ordinance and its appropriation ordinance, shall be deemed adopted for the ensuing fiscal year on a month-to-month basis, with all items in it provided accordingly, until such time as the Council adopts a budget for the balance of the fiscal year.
Upon final adoption, the budget shall be in effect for the fiscal year. A copy of the budget as finally adopted shall be filed with the person performing the duties of the City Secretary and the County Clerk of Fayette County. The final budget shall be printed, mimeographed or otherwise reproduced, and copies shall be made available for the use of all offices, departments and agencies for the use of interested persons and civic organizations.
From the effective date of the budget, the amount stated therein as the amount to be raised by taxation shall constitute a determination of the amount of levy for the purposes of the City in the corresponding tax year; provided however, that in no event shall such levy exceed the legal limit provided by the laws and Constitution of the State of Texas.
Provisions shall be made in the annual budget and in the appropriation ordinance for a contingent appropriation in any amount not more than three (3) percent of the total budget, to be used in case of unforeseen items of expenditure. Such contingent appropriation shall be under the control of the City Manager, and distributed by him/her after approval of the City Council. Expenditures from this appropriation shall be made only in case of established emergencies and a detailed account of such expenditures shall be recorded and reported.
(Amnd. at an election held 5/1/21)
The total estimated expenditures of the general fund, available utility fund, and debt service shall not exceed the total estimated resources (prospective income plus cash on hand). The classification of revenue and expenditure accounts shall conform to the uniform classification as promulgated by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants or some other nationally accepted classification.
The City budget may be amended and appropriations altered in accordance therewith in case of public necessity, the actual fact of which shall have been determined and declared by the City Council.
There shall be established a Department of Taxation to facilitate assessment and collection of taxes, the head of which shall be the City Tax Assessor-Collector, which office shall be filled by appointment by the City Council.
The City Tax Assessor-Collector shall give a surety bond for faithful performance of his/her duties, including compliance with all controlling provisions of the State law bearing upon the functions of his/her office, in a sum which shall be fixed by the City Council.
The City Council may in the interest of economy and efficiency, contract with another political subdivision or tax appraisal district to handle the assessment and/or collection of taxes.
(Amnd. at an election held 5/1/21)
The City Council shall have the power to levy, assess and collect an annual tax upon real and personal property within the City as now or hereafter provided by the Constitution and general laws of the State of Texas. The City Council shall also have the power to levy such additional taxes as now or hereafter may be authorized by the State of Texas. The City Council shall have the power to grant tax exemptions in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas. The City Council shall also have the power and authority, in conjunction with County wide tax appraisal districts, to facilitate collection of taxes upon taxable property within the City.
All taxes due to the City of La Grange shall be paid at the office of the City Tax Assessor-Collector and may be paid at any time after the tax rolls for the year have been completed and approved, which shall be not later than October 1. The City Council may allow discounts for early payment of taxes as may be provided by ordinance. Taxes shall be paid on or before the following January 31, and all such taxes not paid on or prior to such date shall be deemed delinquent and shall be subject to such penalty and interest as the City Council may provide by ordinance. The City Council may provide further by ordinance that all taxes, either current or delinquent due to the City of La Grange, may be paid in installments. Failure to levy and assess taxes through omission in preparation of the approved tax roll shall not relieve the person, firm or corporation so omitted from obligations to pay such current or past due taxes as shown to be payable by recheck of the tax rolls and receipts for the years in question. The City Council shall be prohibited from waiving penalties and interest.
The tax levied by the City is hereby declared to be a lien, charge or encumbrance upon the property as of January 1 of the year from which the tax is due, which lien, charge or encumbrance the City is entitled to enforce and foreclose in any court having jurisdiction over the same, and the lien, charge or encumbrance on the property is such as to give the State courts jurisdiction to enforce and foreclose said lien on the property on which the tax is due, not only as against any resident of this State or person whose residence is unknown, but also as against non-residents. All taxes upon real estate shall especially be a lien and a charge upon the property upon which the taxes are due, and such lien may be foreclosed in any court having jurisdiction. Such lien shall be prior to all other claims, and no gift, sale, assignment or transfer of any kind can ever defeat such lien.
In addition to the liens herein provided, on the first day of January of any year, the owner of real and personal property subject to taxation by the City shall be personally liable for the taxes due thereon for such year. The City shall have power to sue and recover personal judgment for taxes without foreclosure, or to foreclose its lien or liens so to recover both personal judgment and foreclosure. In any such suit where it appears that the description of any property in the City Assessment Rolls is insufficient to identify such property, the City shall have the right to plead a good description of the property intended to be assessed, to prove the same, and to have its judgment foreclosing the tax lien or for personal judgment against the owner of such taxes.
The City Council shall have the power, except as prohibited by law, to borrow money by whatever method it may deem to be in the public interest.
The City shall have the power to borrow money on the credit of the City and to issue general obligation bonds for permanent public improvements or for any other public purpose not prohibited by the Constitution and laws of the State of Texas, and to issue refunding bonds to refund outstanding bonds of the City previously issued. All bonds shall be issued in conformity with the laws of the State of Texas.
The City shall have the power to borrow money for the purpose of constructing, purchasing, improving, extending or repairing of public utilities, recreational facilities or any other self-liquidating municipal function not prohibited by the Constitution and laws of the State of Texas and to issue bonds to evidence the obligation created thereby. Such bonds shall be a charge upon and payable solely from the properties, or interest therein pledged, or the income therefrom or both. The holders of the revenue bonds shall never have the right to demand payment thereof out of monies raised or to be raised by taxation. All such bonds shall be issued in conformity with the laws of the State of Texas.
No bond (other than refunding bonds issued to refund and in exchange for previously issued outstanding bonds) issued by the City shall be sold for less than par value and accrued interest. All bonds of the City, having been issued and sold and having been delivered to the purchaser thereof, shall thereafter be incontestable, and all bonds issued to refund in exchange for outstanding bonds previously issued, shall, after said exchange, be incontestable.
The City of La Grange shall take competitive bidding in accordance with Article 2368a, Section 2, Title 44 of the Revised Civil Statutes of the State of Texas, 1925, as now or hereafter mentioned.