Fulshear's nine-officer police department is in line for a $978,000 budget increase next fiscal year, funded largely by a sales tax shift voters approved in May, as the city works to stop losing trained officers to higher-paying agencies across Fort Bend County.

The proposed fiscal year 2027 budget raises police spending by about 17% over the current year, according to Bob Gordon's local newsletter analysis of the proposed budget. The money would fund salary adjustments targeting the 55th percentile of market pay, three new sworn officer positions and roughly $295,000 in vehicles and equipment.

Police already accounts for about $6.2 million of Fulshear's $19.4 million general fund, making it the city's single largest line item, according to a July 31 department profile in the same newsletter.

Where the money comes from

On May 2, Fulshear voters approved Proposition A, redirecting roughly $1.25 million a year in sales tax revenue from the city's Type A economic development corporation to police, fire and general operations. Of that amount, about $800,000 is earmarked for police compensation in the FY2027 budget.

The ballot measure reduced the economic development sales tax by one-quarter of one percent and adopted a new local sales and use tax at 1¼ percent. Residents' overall sales tax rate did not change.

Why the raises

The problem is retention.

Fort Bend County sheriff's deputies now start at $68,515, up more than 60% in a decade, and departments across the Houston metro have been leapfrogging each other's pay scales for years. A small department that falls behind becomes a training ground, hiring rookies and watching them leave for bigger paychecks.

In October 2025, Fulshear City Council created a subcommittee that reviewed salaries at 10 peer agencies between November 2025 and January 2026, according to the city's elections page. The panel recommended a phased three-year plan: reaching the 55th percentile in FY2027, the 65th percentile in FY2028 and the 75th percentile by FY2029, subject to annual council approval.

Chief Kenny Seymour, who reports to the city manager, now advertises starting pay of $76,425 to $81,102 on the department's recruiting site. The city covers 100% of employee health insurance premiums and offers a two-for-one retirement match.

"Our priority is not just writing a crime report after a crime has occurred; it is working with the community to prevent crime and to solve community problems," Seymour said in the July 31 newsletter profile of the department.

Safety record holds

Fulshear ranked eighth-safest city in Texas in SafeWise's 2026 report, with zero motor vehicle thefts and a violent crime rate under one incident per 1,000 residents.

What's next

Public hearings on the FY2027 budget and tax rate are expected in August and September. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. The police salary committee is set to meet twice yearly going forward, tied to the budget calendar.

Residents can reach the Fulshear Police Department's administrative line at (281) 346-8888. Non-emergency dispatch, handled by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, is (281) 341-4665.