Council goes deep into YE 2023 budget

BY CONNIE CLEMENTS

Examiner reporter

At a Special Meeting of the Navasota City Council Monday, Aug. 15, City Manager Jason Weeks and department heads presented council members with a department-by-department review of the City’s proposed 2022-2023 budget.

Weeks kicked off the meeting by reviewing council’s budget priorities and highlights of the proposed $36.2 million budget and announced a proposed reduction in the tax rate from $0.5693 to $0.5560 per $100 valuation.

While there is no utility rate increase in the proposed budget, residents will see a 4.83% pass-through trash rate increase when the City renews its contract with Republic Services in February 2023. A new employee “benefit” Weeks asked council to consider is subsidizing a portion of child care costs at the Navasota ISD Lil’ Rattler Academy. His request calls for the City to cover half the cost for the first child and one-fourth the cost of a second child but nothing for subsequent children. According to Weeks, there were 10 employees who would benefit from this new employee perk. Staffing, services dilemma

Hiring additional staff has been a priority for Weeks since his employment in January and the budget provides for three new patrol officers, a dispatcher, firefighter and a gas technician. Compensation, another area of concern for Weeks, is also provided for in the proposed budget.

Weeks said, “Staff does a lot for what staff we have. Staff is nearly maxed out on capacity to do anything new. We’re going to need more revenue coming in to get more staff. I can’t ask staff to do much more than what they’re doing now.” He continued, “In order to add anything else new, or any additional services, we’re going to have to have additional staff. That means adding to the tax base by adding more sales tax and getting more businesses here, adding more development.”

Addressing the need for a second fire station and the staff to man it at a cost of $1.1 million, Weeks said, “That means we’re going to need about another 1,000 homes based on $250,000 home values times the tax rate in order to get that revenue. If you want new things, what does that mean in development? We could get a lot of new police officers and a fire station with a new Walmart.”

Future projects

Following Weeks presentation of revenues, expenditures, fund balance and major budget items in the General, Water, Natural Gas, Wastewater and other miscellaneous funds, department heads presented their proposed budgets with a breakdown of expenditures, major budget items, staffing statistics and supplemental requests. Weeks said that while staff’s original “wish list” was $13,467,388, the proposed budget will allow funding of about $12,569,115 of those requests. Council received a breakdown of Capital Improvement Projects for fiscal year 2022-2023, their cost and the fund from which they would be paid.

Water Fund projects total $6.7 million and include development of water facilities east of SH 6; Natural Gas Fund projects total $1.9 million and include a high-pressure looped gas system for the Pecan Lakes Estates subdivision; Wastewater fund at $395,000 for phase II of the treatment plant improvements; Wayfinding signage from the Hotel/Motel Fund at a cost of $250,000; and $750,000 in the Capital Projects fund for design and engineering costs for a new fire station and other city facilities.

After presenting his revenue and expense projections for the next five years, Weeks said, “What you have before you is a financial plan that is sustainable for several years based on these assumptions.” Public hearing, council vote

A follow-up workshop is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22 prior to the 6 p.m. council meeting. A public hearing will be held Monday, Sept. 12 on the budget and tax rate. Council will also ratify the tax increase reflected in the proposed budget and vote on the first reading of the budget, tax rate and Republic Services rate increase. The second and final reading will take place Sept. 26. All meetings are held in city council chambers at City Hall, 200 E. McAlpine Street.

View city council meetings in their entirety at www. navasotatx.gov/city-council/ pages/meeting-videos.