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MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS March 27, 2026 The City Council of the City of Paris met for a special meeting at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 27, 2026, at the City Council Chamber, 107 Kaufman Street, Paris, Texas. Present: Mayor: Mihir Pankaj Mayor Pro -Tem: Gary Savage Council Members: Alix Putnam & Tracy Attebury City Staff: Rose Beverly, City Manager; Janice Ellis, City Clerk; M.A. Smith, Chief Operating Officer; and Stephanie Harris, City Attorney; and Steve Marriott, Finance Director Absent: Council Members: Rebecca Norment, Shatara Moore & Mickey Ellis The matters to be discussed are: Call meeting to order. Mayor Pankaj called the meeting to order at 3:07 p.m. 2. Discuss budget and tax rate planning. City Manager Rose Beverly depicted a market and taxable values chart that reflected years 2016-2025. Consultant Shane Howard took the Council through the history and background of how the City got to this point. He referenced the taxable value growth less tax abatements, review of the M & O Growth and stated the City was well below the market value growth. Mr. Howard said that industry inside the city limits must increase, and there had been a decade of under investments. He emphasized to get growth inside the city limits; it would take a city-wide effort. He brought up the fact that the debt service had nearly doubled since 2016 and a good part of that was driven by the new wastewater plant which was needed. He reported that the tax rate in Paris needed to be corrected, and that only Mt. Pleasant and Greenville had tax rates lower than Paris. He explained that the City was paying for past decisions. Mr. Howard said that the County takes in $383,000.00 more than the City and the County has access to all City services but does not pay for these services. Mr. Howard emphasized development inside the City limits. Next, Mr. Howard spoke about the different phases, Phase I being context setting, Phase II being the Plan, and Phase III the Reinforcement. He reiterated that the tax rate needed to be corrected through an election, and the last day a November election could be called was August 24`". Ms. Harris reminded everyone that using public funds for advertising to vote for or against a measure was prohibited by State Law. She said City Council Members could campaign because they did not receive payment from the City for their services.