San Leanna’s quarter-of-a-million-dollar budget comes from water sales, property taxes, franchise fees and interest from savings.
Unlike Sunset Valley, San Leanna does collect property tax. Property tax in San Leanna is the highest amount allowable under state law for a village at $0.25 per $100 property valuation. At that rate, homeowners in the village still pay around $325 less a year than Austinites.
Unique challenges
In San Leanna, all water comes from the Edwards Aquifer, creating a dependence on rainfall.
“If rain doesn’t happen, we have a problem,” Payne said. “It’s an issue for this part of the country and will continue to be an issue for some time.”
As an emergency precaution, the village is tied into the City of Austin’s water system.