Link

Social

Embed

Disable autoplay on embedded content?

Download

Download
Download Transcript


[I. COMMENCEMENT]

[00:00:04]

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN OF A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE TAX RATE AND A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE BUDGET TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 12TH, 2024 AT 6:30 PM IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER OF FLU CITY HALL, LOCATED AT 1 0 8 MAIN STREET, FLU, TEXAS 7 7 5 3 1.

FOR THE BELOW LISTED ITEMS, CITY COUNCIL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADJOURN INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AT ANY TIME DURING THE COURSE OF THIS MEETING TO DISCUSS ANY MATTERS LISTED ON THE AGENDA AS AUTHORIZED BY THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, SECTIONS 5 5 1 0.071.

CONSULTATION WITH AN ATTORNEY, 5 5 1 0.072 DELIBERATION ABOUT REAL PROPERTY, 5 5 1 0 7 3 DELIBERATION ABOUT GIFTS OF DONATIONS.

5 5 1 0 7 PERSONNEL MATTERS.

5 5 1 0 7 6.

DELIBERATION ABOUT SECURITY DEVICES 5 5 1 0 8 7.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 4 8 7 5 8 3 DELIBERATIONS ABOUT HOMELAND SECURITY ISSUES AND IS AUTHORIZED BY THE TEXAS TAX CODE INCLUDED BY LIMITED TO SECTION 3 2 1 0.3022 SALES TAX INFORMATION, THE AGENDA MEETING PACKET AND VIDEO ANCHOR POSTED ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE@WWW.KLUTEXAS.GOV.

TO ADDRESS COUNCIL DURING THE PUBLIC COMMENTS, A GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT FORM MUST BE COMPLETED AND PRESENTED TO THE CITY CLERK BEFORE THE START OF THE COUNCIL MEETING.

SPEAKERS MUST OBSERVE THE FIVE MINUTE TIME.

NO REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS DURING THE PUBLIC HEARING.

PORTION OF THE MEETING.

RECORDING OF THE MEETING WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE UPON WRITTEN REQUEST TO THE PUBLIC IN ACCORDANCE WITH MEETING ACT MEETING HAS NOW BEEN CALLED TO ORDER.

MR. VAUGHN, WOULD YOU CARE TO BLESS US? THANK YOU'VE GIVEN, LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU PROVIDE FOR US IN OUR COMMUNITY.

WE JUST, UH, WE ASK THAT YOU ALWAYS LOOK OUT FOR ALL OF OUR RESPONDERS AND EMPLOYEES.

ALL THESE PEOPLE MAKE THIS WORK THEIR ABILITY OUT PEOPLE EVEN IN BAD SITUATIONS OR SO.

ALWAYS ASK THAT YOU KEEP THEM ALL SAFE, NOT JUST ASK FURTHER HERE.

YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY IN AGREEMENT.

WHAT'S BEST MEETING, MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND HOPEFULLY YOUR EYES, WHAT IS PROPER? WE JUST ASK THAT YOU AMEN.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.

STANDS ONE, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, LIBERTY TO INJUSTICE FOR ALL.

OKAY, MEETING HAS BEEN CALLED ORDER WE'LL NOW HAVE ROLL.

CALL OF MEMBERS, CALVIN SHIFFLET.

PRESENT.

ERIC AGUILAR.

PRESENT.

NICOLE MADDOX PRESENT.

JOE LOPEZ PRESENT, FRANCIS VAUGHN.

PRESENT.

[II. PUBLIC HEARINGS]

FIRST ITEM ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA IS A PUBLIC HEARING IN, IN REGARDS TO ADOPTION OF THE PROPERTY TAX RATE OF 0.4 6 5 0 0 0, WHICH IS A TAX INCREASE OF 2.38%, WHICH IS LESS THAN THE VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024.

YOU WANNA LEAD US OR? YES, SIR.

I'VE, UH, PREPARED A PRESENTATION.

I, IF THERE'S MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO SPEAK ON THE TAX RATE, MAYBE THEY WANT TO GO FIRST OR LET ME DO MY TAP DANCE.

NO SIDE PUPPETS TODAY.

I'M SORRY.

UM, BUT WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START WITH THE E ALARM, UH, TAX HEARING.

UH, SO AS THE MAYOR STATED, UH, WE ARE, UH, ACTUALLY DECREASING THE TAX RATE FROM 4.6647.

I THINK I'VE GOT THOSE NUMBERS IN ORDER TO 4.6500.

AND EVEN THOUGH WE'RE DECREASING THE RATE, WE HAVE ACTUALLY ARE INCREASING THE, UH, OVERALL REVENUE.

SO THE STATE SAYS WE HAVE TO SAY THAT IT'S ACTUALLY A TAX INCREASE, SO THE RATE'S GOING DOWN, BUT THE REVENUE WILL COME UP.

AND SO, UH, LET ME KIND OF WALK YOU THROUGH THAT JUST REAL QUICK.

IN 2014, UH, THE CITY EMBARKED ON, UH, IN INCENTIVIZATION AT WOOD SHORE AND AT COLLEGE PARK, UH, WHICH LED TO A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN OVERALL VALUE.

AND AS YOU CAN SEE, FROM 2014, UH, TO TODAY, WE'VE INCREASED MORE THAN 320% IN TOTAL VALUE.

UH, BACK THEN WE WERE ABOUT, UH, JUST SHY OF 400 MILLION, $400 MILLION.

UH, WE'RE NOW AT ALMOST $1 BILLION.

AS A MATTER OF FACT, OUR PRELIMINARY APPRAISAL CAME IN AT 1 BILLION.

UH, WE ENDED UP RESIZING DOWN TO 926

[00:05:01]

THOU $926 MILLION.

UH, BUT THE HIGHER THOSE VALUES GO, THE LOWER THE RATE BECOMES, UH, BUT THE REVENUE STILL INCREASES.

AND THE STATE, UH, TELLS US BASICALLY THAT IF THE RATE GOES UP OR IF THE RATE STAYS DOWN, DOESN'T MATTER, IT'S OVERALL REVENUE.

CONVERSELY, IF THE RATE GOES UP AND THE REVENUE COMES DOWN, WE STILL HAVE TO CALL IT AN INCREASE.

UH, SO WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF CAUGHT IN A CATCH 22.

UH, BUT THAT'S BASICALLY IN A NUTSHELL, THE RATE FOR THIS YEAR IS 4 6 5 0 0 0.

I WILL WALK Y'ALL THROUGH THE, UH, PROPOSED VOTER APPROVED TAX RATE IS THE HIGHEST RATE TO WHICH THE CITY CAN GO, UH, WITHOUT TRIGGERING AN ELECTION.

SO IF WE WERE TO GO ABOVE THAT NUMBER, UH, WE WOULD AUTOMATICALLY HAVE AN ELECTION, UH, BUT WE WE'RE BELOW THAT NUMBER THIS YEAR.

UH, THERE'S ALSO SOMETHING CALLED THE DI MINIMUS RATE, BUT, UH, IT REQUIRES YOU TO HAVE A DEGREE FROM MIT AND THEN UNDERSTAND, UH, BLACK MAGIC OR SOMETHING TO BE ABLE TO FIGURE IT OUT.

AND IT'S QUITE FRANKLY, JUST NOT WORTH THE ENERGY OR THE EFFORT ON OUR PART.

UH, THERE WE GO.

IF YOU, NOBODY CAN READ THAT, AND I APOLOGIZE.

I KNOW THAT THAT TABLE IS LIKE A LOT OF NUMBERS, BUT THIS IS THE HISTORIC TAX RATE FROM 2000 TO THE PRESENT.

UH, AS YOU CAN SEE, BACK IN, UH, THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS, WE HAD A TAX RATE OF 72.30 CENTS.

UH, WE STAYED THERE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, DROPPED DOWN TO 67 CENTS DOWN TO 65 CENTS, AND TODAY WE'RE AT 40, 42 ON THE M AND O.

UH, AND WE'RE AT 44, UH, SORRY, 46.5 OVERALL, AND THAT INCLUDES THE DEBT SERVICE.

ALSO, I WANT CLARIFY THAT THERE ARE TWO COMPONENTS TO THE TAX RATE, THE M AND O, WHICH IS MEANT FOR OPERATION MONEY.

THAT'S BASICALLY THE MONEY WHICH THE CITY GENERATES TO OPERATE ON, AND THEN WHAT'S CALLED THE INS OR INTEREST IN SINKING LEVY.

THE INTEREST IN SINKING LEVY IS SET.

IT'S A NUMBER DETERMINED BY THE AMOUNT OF DEBT THAT WE'VE ISSUED.

IT CAN'T BE TOUCHED.

IT HAS TO BE THE SAME AMOUNT THAT IS REQUIRED TO SERVICE OUR DEBT.

AND SO, UH, THE, THE WORD WE USE OFTEN IS SACROSANCT.

AND SO IT'S, IT'S NOT TOUCHABLE.

AND SO TO LOOK AT THE OVERALL IMPACT, UH, ON THE HOMEOWNER, UH, STATE REQUIRES US TO LOOK AT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.

I UNDERSTAND THAT NOBODY'S HOME ACTUALLY IS VALUED AT LOW ANYMORE.

UH, BUT THAT'S THE BASELINE THAT WE HAVE TO BEGIN WITH.

AND SO THIS BLUE COLUMN HERE IS WHAT'S CALLED A NO NEW TA, NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE THAT JUST ROLLS OFF THE TONGUE.

UH, AND BASICALLY IN THE OLD DAYS, WE CALLED IT THE, THE EFFECTIVE RATE, BUT IT WOULD GENERATE, IT IS BASICALLY SAYING THAT THE LEVY WOULD BE THE SAME AS IT WAS IF WE HELD THE TAX RATE EXACTLY WHERE IT WAS AT.

SO BECAUSE OF THE VALUE INCREASE, THE TAX RATE WOULD BE 44.

THE VOTER APPROVED TAX RATE IS BACK ALMOST EXACTLY WHERE WE WERE THIS TIME LAST YEAR AT 4, 6, 6, 6, 7, 4, 6, UH, AND STAFF, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT.

UH, COREY REALLY LIKES ROUND NUMBERS.

SO WENT WITH 4, 6, 5, 0, 0, JUST UNDER THAT RATE.

AND SO THE BURDEN, IF YOU OWN A, A HOME VALUED AT $200,000, YOUR TAX BURDEN IS GONNA GO TO $930 A YEAR.

UH, YOUR, UH, IF YOU'RE AT 400,000, IT'S 1800 AND OBVIOUSLY LESS THAN THAT.

IF YOU'RE, THE LOWER YOU GO, THE LOWER THE IMPACT ON YOU.

SO ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TAX RATE? AND JUST FOR UNDERSTANDING, THAT'S THE CITY TAX RATE.

THAT'S, THAT'S CORRECT.

THIS IS THE CITY TAX RATE THAT GETS STACKED ALONGSIDE YOUR COUNTY TAX RATE, YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT TAX RATE, YOUR GLASCO DRAINAGE TAX RATE, COURT TAX RATE.

YEAH, I UNDERSTAND.

I WAS DOING SOMEBODY, I TOLD ME $900.

YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

I WANT FOLKS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS JUST THE CITY COMPONENT.

SO, UH, IT DOES GET A LITTLE CONFUSING AT TIMES.

ANYBODY ELSE QUESTIONS ON THIS? X-RAY? NO.

YOU WOULD NEED TO READ ITEM B.

UH, YES, SIR.

OKAY.

IF THERE'S NO FURTHER COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSED TAX RATE, UH, WE WILL HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024.

2025.

THE BUDGET WILL RAISE MORE TOTAL PROPERTY TAXES THAN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET BY $267,183 OR 6.38% OF THAT AMOUNT, $54,925 41 CENTS IS TAX REVENUE TO BE RAISED FROM NEW PROPERTY ADDED TO THE TAX ROLL FOR THIS YEAR.

AND AGAIN, THAT GETS BACK TO THAT NOTION OF TRUTH AND TAXATION, WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY LOWERING THE RATE, BUT INCREASING THE TOTAL REVENUE OF THE CITY.

AND THAT'S BASED ON THE VALUE.

AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE CITY'S BUDGET, WE'RE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT A NUMBER OF BUDGETS THAT ARE INTERRELATED.

AND, UH, BASICALLY WHAT WE TRY AND DO AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS IS TO WRANGLE THOSE NUMBERS AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE ADEQUATE RESOURCES ON BOARD TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS AND, UH, AND OBJECTIVES IN SERVING THE PUBLIC.

AND SO, UH, WE HAVE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FUNDS.

THE MAJOR FUNDS, FUNDS THAT EVERYBODY WANNA PAY ATTENTION TO.

GENERAL FUND OH ONE IS THE PRIMARY FUND OF THE CITY.

[00:10:01]

THAT'S WHERE WE FUND THE MAJORITY OF OUR OPERATIONS OUT OF.

THEN WE HAVE THE ENTERPRISE FUND, WHICH IS THE UTILITY FUND, WATER AND SEWER.

UH, THEN WE HAVE FUND, WHAT'S CALLED FUND OH FIVE, WHICH IS SIDEWALK STREETS AND DRAINAGE.

THAT ACTUALLY SERVES AS OUR CIP AND CAPITAL PROJECT FUNDING BUDGET.

UH, AND SO THAT'S WHERE THE, THE HARD PROJECTS, THE STREETS, WATER DRAINAGE, SIDEWALKS GO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS SELF-EXPLANATORY HOT FUND, WHICH IS HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX.

AND THOSE ARE VERY, VERY RESTRICTED FUNDS.

UH, WE'LL WE'LL DISCUSS HERE IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.

AND THEN FINALLY, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, IS THE DEBT SERVICE FUND.

BACKING THOSE FUNDS UP ARE SEVERAL SMALLER ANCILLARY FUNDS, UH, THAT BASICALLY SERVE AS, UH, RESIDUAL CASH OR SPECIAL PROJECT FINANCING.

UM, AND SO THOSE ARE THERE TO HELP FOMENT AND AUGMENT THE, THE, THE MAJOR FUNDS.

AND SO WHEN WE, UH, WE GET A BLANK SLIDE, THAT'S WHAT WE GET.

HOLD ON THIS.

THERE WE GO.

SO IT KIND OF WORKS LIKE THIS.

THERE YOU SEE THE MAJOR ACTIVITIES OF THE CITY AND THE MAJOR FUNDS, AND THERE'S THE REVENUES THAT GO TOWARDS THEM, AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE, SO THE REVENUES FLOW FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT SOURCES, AND THEN THOSE FUNDS GO OUT OF THOSE, THOSE FUNDS AND ACTIVITIES GO OUT.

AND THEN THERE'S INTERCHANGE AND EXCHANGE, UH, WHICH IS ALWAYS THE FUND PART, TRYING TO EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHERE THE DOLLAR GOES.

AND THEN YOU HAVE THE OUTFLOW OF OTHER FUNDS INTO THE DEBT SERVICE FUNDS.

SO WHEN THE CITY DOES A BIG PROJECT, LET'S SAY LIKE WE'RE GONNA REBUILD THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY OR A LIFT STATION, WE'LL TAKE OUT DEBT.

WELL, THAT DEBT, WE MAY PACKAGE IT SO THAT IT'S MORE THAN ONE ITEM, UH, BACK IN 2020.

OUR LAST ISSUE WAS A, WAS A COUPLE PACKAGE WHERE WE PUT, UH, $2.9 MILLION TOWARDS SIDEWALK REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT, UH, AND ANOTHER MILLION DOLLARS TOWARDS PARKS REPLACEMENT.

WELL, GENERAL FUND IS PAYING FOR PART OF THAT, AND FUND OH FIVE IS PAYING FOR PART OF THAT.

SO THAT'S THAT BLEND.

AND YOU SEE THOSE NOTES, YOU SEE THE FLOW OF CASH TOWARDS THAT DEBT SERVICE.

AND SO, UH, WE ARE DOING SOME REALIGNMENT THIS YEAR.

COREY AND I MET WITH THE, UH, AUDITORS THIS MORNING TO DISCUSS THIS.

UH, AND THIS IS REALLY JUST INSIDE BASEBALL, BUT, UH, WE'RE RENUMBERING SOME ACCOUNTS, UH, WE'RE CLOSING FUND FOUR 14 THAT'S GONNA ROLL INTO FUND FOUR 11.

UH, THAT'S THE SERVICE CENTER WILL NOW BE COMBINED WITH PUBLIC WORKS.

IT WAS ALWAYS PART OF PUBLIC WORKS.

IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT ACCOUNTING LINE.

THOSE WILL BE TOGETHER.

AND THEN FUND 4 0 5, WHICH USED TO BE FINANCE, UH, IS NOW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.

AND THEN FUND FOUR 12, WHICH IS EMS, WILL NOW BE FUND FOUR 11.

SO IT FALLS IN LINE WITH THE, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY, I'M SORRY, WE FUND FOUR 10, SO IT ALIGNS WITH THE, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY COMPONENT.

I KNOW THAT'S, YOU GUYS ARE JUST TRYING NOT TO PLEASE KEEP YOUR SEATS , UH, WITH, WITH EXCITEMENT.

AND I THINK MY MOUSE IS DEAD.

OH, YEP.

IT, UH, HERE'S THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART FOR THE CITY, UH, WHICH REFLECTS THE CHANGES.

WE, UH, THIS YEAR MOVED THE FIRE MARSHAL CODE ENFORCEMENT UNDER POLICE, AND, NOPE, THERE WE GO.

UH, THAT'S A LOT OF WORDS ON A, ON A SLIDE, AND I KNOW THAT'S A LOT.

BUT BASICALLY, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS CHANGED OR HAS BEEN OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACT TO US THIS YEAR IS, UH, HURRICANE BARREL.

UH, TO SAY IT'S HAD A, A MAJOR IMPACT ECONOMICALLY WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT ON THE CITY.

UH, YEAR TO DATE, WE'VE EXPENDED MORE THAN $1.5 MILLION ON DEBRIS REMOVAL AND MONITORING THAT THE REMOVAL, UH, WE KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO INCUR, INCUR THOSE COSTS.

WE ALSO HAVE MULTIPLE FACILITIES WERE DAMAGED.

AND, UH, THE GOOD NEWS IS, IS THE FEMA HAS APPROVED, UH, THE, UH, CATEGORIES A THROUGH G, WHICH MEANS WE'LL HAVE PERMANENT WORK, TEMPORARY WORK, UH, ALONG WITH THE DEBRIS REMOVAL COVERED BY FEMA.

THE HARD PART IS GONNA BE GETTING THOSE FUNDS FROM FEMA IN THE FUTURE.

WE'VE DOCUMENTED EVERYTHING, AND IT'LL PROBABLY BE ABOUT A THREE YEAR PER THREE YEAR PROCESS.

SO WHEN YOU SEE THESE FINAL BUDGET NUMBERS, PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE CARRIED FORWARD MOST OF THE COSTS THAT WE'VE ALREADY INCURRED INTO THE CURRENT YEAR END OF YEAR PROJECTION, WHICH IS GONNA DRAW THAT FUND BALANCE DOWN.

UH, AND WE'VE STARTED LOOKING AT WHAT THOSE COSTS ARE GONNA BE GOING FORWARD TO MATCH, UH, GOING INTO NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.

UH, AS STATED, WE 1.6, 1.9, UH, IN DEBRIS REMOVAL ALONE.

UH, THE OTHER, THE OTHER MAJOR CHALLENGE THAT WE FACED, UH, AND THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF IT, IS THE STATE'S RESTRICTION ON OUR ABILITY TO HAVE LOCAL CONTROL IN TERMS OF REVENUE DEVELOPMENT.

UH, IT NOT JUST THE AVALOR CAP, WHICH HAS HAD AN IMPACT ON US, THE HOMESTEAD, WHICH HAS HAD AN IMPACT ON US.

UH, BUT WE'VE HAD TO FOREGO ABOUT $172,000 PER YEAR OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, UH, FOUR YEARS NOW.

UH, AND THAT WOULD BE THE EQU EQUIVALENT OF HIRING ONE, ONE AND A TWO THIRDS COP, OR BASICALLY TWO POLICE OFFICERS EVERY YEAR, YEAR WE WERE HAVING TO FOREGO BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE REVENUE.

UM, ADDITIONALLY, THEY'VE CURTAILED OUR ABILITY TO GENERATE REVENUE FROM PERMITS, WHICH IS ALWAYS ONE OF THE LEGS THAT WE HAVE TO STAND ON.

[00:15:01]

AND SO, UH, WE'VE SEEN ABOUT A 30% DECLINE IN PERMIT REVENUE FROM 2022 TO THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR BECAUSE OF THOSE, UH, THOSE CHANGES TO THE RULES.

UH, WE ALSO SAW, WE'RE SEEING DOWNWARD PRESSURE ON SALES TAX.

UH, THE CITY SHOULD HAVE USUALLY THREE LEGS OF REVENUE, UH, THE AVALOR TAX, SALES TAX, AND THEN FEES FOR SERVICE.

UH, WE'RE HAVING TO LEAN REALLY HEAVY ON FEES FOR SERVICE AND HAVE TO LEAN REALLY HEAVY ON PROPERTY TAX BECAUSE THE SALES TAX HAS GONE DOWN.

NOW, IRONICALLY, DURING THE PANDEMIC, OUR SALES TAX COLLECTIONS WERE AT AN ALL TIME HIGH BECAUSE EVERYBODY WAS SHOPPING ONLINE.

WHEN YOU SHOP ONLINE, AND THEN THIS IS GONNA BE ANTITHETICAL TO WHAT YOU HEAR FROM THE CHAMBER A LOT OF TIMES.

BUT WHEN YOU SHOP ONLINE, THAT DELIVERY COMES TO YOUR HOUSE.

THAT SALES TAX THINKS TO A CHANGE IN STATE LAW COMES TO THE CITY OF CLU.

WHEN YOU GO SHOP AT WALMART IN LAKE JACKSON AND YOU BUY IT OFF THE SHELF IN LAKE JACKSON, THAT SALES TAX GOES TO LAKE JACKSON AND IT STAYS THERE.

AND SO, UH, WHEN EVERYBODY WAS SHOPPING ONLINE, WE HAD RECORD HIGH SALES TAX REVENUES.

EVERYBODY'S GONE BACK TO SHOPPING IN PERSON.

AND I DON'T BLAME YOU.

I WANNA HANDLE THE GOODS.

I'M BUYING .

UH, BUT THAT HAS LED, LED TO A DECLINATION IN SALES TAX.

WE'VE ALSO SEEN, UH, A HIT TO SALES TAX AS A RESULT OF THE STORM.

WE HAD MULTIPLE BUSINESSES.

MATTER OF FACT, I THINK WE'VE STILL GOT ONE OR TWO BUSINESSES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO COME BACK ONLINE BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE POWER.

UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL OTHERS THAT HAD TO CLOSE UP SHOP BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T MAKE CASH FLOW WHILE THEY DIDN'T HAVE POWER, AND WHILE THEY'RE WAITING ON THE RECOVERY FROM THE STORM.

AND SO, UH, THAT'S VERY TROUBLING FOR US.

UH, ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE SEEN A RAPID DECLINE FROM 2018 TO THE CURRENT STATE, UH, IN HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX.

UH, WE WERE GENERATING CLOSE TO $900,000 A YEAR IN, IN HOTEL REVENUE.

I THINK YEAR TO DATE, WE HAVE $370,000.

AND THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE COMPETITION IN THE MARKET AND CAPACITY.

AND SO, UH, IT'S KIND OF BECOME A SELF, UH, UM, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER THE WORD SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY THAT WE'RE IN A, IN A, IN A, IN A DECLINE IN TERMS OF HOT TAX.

AND SO OUR, OUR, OUR ABILITY TO FUND PROJECTS AND EVENTS, UH, LIKE MOSQUITO FESTIVAL AND THE CAFS AND THE VISITORS BUREAU HAVE DECLINED BECAUSE WE'VE HAD TO CURTAIL, UH, WITH THE TAIL OFF IN REVENUES.

UH, THEN WE ALSO HAVE AGING INFRASTRUCTURE.

AND IF YOU LIVE ON THE SIDE OF TOWN, YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

YOU GOT TO SEE A, ABOUT A 350 LINE, 50 LINEAR FOOT, UH, SECTION OF SEWER GO OUT EARLIER, UH, I GUESS THIS MONTH.

UH, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO REPAIR THAT, BUT WE HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE AND, BUT IT, IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE.

AND SO THAT'S ONE OF OUR MAJOR CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE GOT GOING FORWARD.

UH, REVENUE, WE EXPECT ABOUT $4.4 MILLION IN AVALOR REVENUE, AND ABOUT 4.1 OF THAT IS IN, UH, M, M AND O.

THE REMAINDER GOES AS, UH, AS DISCUSSED DURING THE TAX HEARING, UH, TOWARDS THE, UH, INS INTEREST IN SINKING YOUR DEBT SERVICE.

UH, WE ALSO WERE ABLE TO SEE A, UH, ABOUT A $320,000, UH, INCREASE TOWARDS THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT AGREEMENT.

THAT IS A PAYMENT IN LIEU OF TAXES THAT THE CITY RECEIVES FROM THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT OUTSIDE OF THE CITY LIMITS.

UH, WE SHARE THAT, SPLIT THAT MONEY WITH LAKE JACKSON AND WITH, UH, WITH FREEPORT.

AND SO, UH, WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE THERE, WHICH IS VERY NICE.

UM, WE DO INCLUDE, THIS BUDGET DOES INCLUDE A FEE FOR SERVICE INCREASE FOR SOLID WASTE, DMS UTILITIES, UH, AS WE TRY TO CATCH UP WITH OUR OPERATIONAL COSTS.

JUST LIKE YOU AT HOME, WE'VE EXPERIENCED, UH, YOU KNOW, DOUBLE DIGIT INFLATION IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS.

THANKFULLY, IT'S SLOWING, BUT IT CAN'T SLOW FAST ENOUGH FOR US TO CATCH UP.

UH, THIS AGAIN, DISCUSSES THE ACTUAL INCREASE IN VALUE AND THE LOWERING THE TAX RATE FROM 2014 TO 2022.

WE'RE AT 4 6 5 0 0, UH, WHICH IS, UH, ALMOST 20 CENTS LESS THAN WHERE WE WERE 10 YEARS AGO.

UH, AND THEN YOU SEE THE SALES TAX TREND HERE.

WE WERE GOT CLOSE TO 3.5 AND WE'VE TAILED OFF SINCE THEN.

UH, WE HOPE THAT, UH, THAT REVERSES ITSELF IN THE COMING YEAR.

AND WE'VE GOT SOME, UH, STRATEGIC WORK TO DO, UH, THAT WE'LL DISCUSS ONCE WE TALK ABOUT WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET.

UH, IN TERMS OF STAFF, UH, WE HAVE A COLA INCREASE FOR ALL STAFF OF 4% CARRY FORWARD FOR, UH, THE LONGEVITY INCREASE.

WE HAVE A STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT REALIGNMENT OF STAFF, AND WE'VE, UH, TRIED TO, TO BALANCE THAT BECAUSE, AS YOU KNOW, SALARIES AND, AND STAFFING LABOR COST IS ALWAYS YOUR HIGHEST COST.

UH, WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF NEW POSITIONS.

UH, WE'VE GOT A DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM DIRECTOR POSITION THAT IS CO-FUNDED, NOT BY THE GENERAL FUND, BUT BY THE CCVB AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT HOPEFULLY WILL AID IN DIRECTING MORE TOURISTS TO OUR COMMUNITY AND ALSO, UH, TO PROP UP THE HOT TAX, BUT ALSO HELP IN, IN GETTING MORE BUSINESS STARTED AND GETTING MORE BUSINESSES TO LOCATE HERE.

UH, WE ALSO EXPERIENCED A 14% INCREASE IN HEALTH INSURANCE COST.

WE HAVE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE UP TO THIS POINT IN NOT HAVING THAT, HAVING SUCH A STEEP INCREASE.

UH, BUT WE HAD A NUMBER OF LARGE CLAIMS, AND THAT HURT US.

UH, WE'VE HEARD THE COMPLAINTS AND WE'RE REACTING TO THAT IN THIS BUDGET BY, IN INCREASING THE MOWING AND LANDSCAPING EXPENDITURES TO ENHANCE

[00:20:01]

THE, THE APPEARANCE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE PARKS, THE DRAINAGE AND RIGHTS OF WAY.

UH, WE ALSO SAW SIGNIFICANT INCREASES TO OUR ENERGY COST, ALMOST 30% THANKS TO CENTER POINT, AND ABOUT 40% TO OUR PROPERTY AND WIND INSURANCE.

UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT ADDING IN CODE 10, WHICH SHOULD STREAMLINE SOME THINGS FOR US ADMINISTRATIVELY, UH, AND ALSO SHOULD BE EASIER FOR YOU, THE TAXPAYER, WHEN YOU GO TO PAY YOUR FEES OR INTERACT WITH THE CITY, IT SHOULD ENHANCE THAT AT THAT SITUATION.

IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS AND CIP, WE EXPECT TO EXPEND $2.4 MILLION IN SIDEWALK AND TRAIL CONSTRUCTION.

UH, THAT'S TO CLOSE OUT THE FINAL YEAR OF THE, UH, THE FINAL, ACTUALLY TWO YEARS OF THE SIDEWALK, CIP THAT WAS ADOPTED IN 2019.

WE HAVE $3.75 MILLION IN DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS.

THE MAJORITY OF THOSE FUNDS ARE, UH, GRANT FUNDS THROUGH THE G-L-O-C-D-B-G PROJECT, UH, $850,000 IN STREET REPAIRS.

AND ACTUALLY, THAT NUMBER'S GONNA GO A LITTLE BIT UP BECAUSE WE HAD TO CARRY FORWARD OUR TWO YEARS, TWO MILE THIS YEAR.

UH, AND THEN 1.65 IN WATER WASTE LINE REPLACEMENTS AND REPAIR.

AND, OH, WAIT, DID I MISS ONE? YEAH, YOU DID.

I'M SORRY.

THANK YOU.

UH, WE HAVE, UH, ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS IN IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE MARION STREET WATER PLANT, $400,000 IN WATERLINE REPLACEMENTS.

WE HAVE THE COMPLETION OF THE GENERATOR INSTALLATION AT GROUND STORAGE TANK IN THE SERVICE CENTER, AND THEN $415,000 FOR PARK UPGRADES AT MILSTEAD HARDY AND PHASE TWO, THE MUNICIPAL PARK THAT INCLUDE, UH, PICKLEBALL AND BASKETBALL COURTS, UH, AND SOME OTHER, UH, IMPROVEMENTS AT ALL THOSE SITES.

SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT GETTING THOSE PROJECTS LAUNCHED.

UH, WE DO ALSO, UH, IN, IN TAIL A PROPERTY, AN ADDITIONAL PROPERTY ACQUISITION BY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.

UH, AND THEN WE HAVE NEW VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING NEW POLICE PATROL OFFICER UNITS, A NEW ANIMAL CONTROL UNIT, UM, AND A NEW LIGHT DUMP TRUCK, NEW TRUCK, AND THEN MOWING EQUIPMENT IN BOTH PARTS AND PUBLIC WORKS.

SO LAST TIME WE MET, THIS WAS OUR NUMBER 5 55 5 5 7.

I DIDN'T REALIZE WE HAD THAT MANY FIVES IN THERE, BUT, UH, SOUNDS LIKE THE OLD, UH, STUFF.

WE REALIZED THOUGH, UH, IN TALKING THIS WEEK AS WE TRY AND CLOSE OUT FISCAL YEAR 2024, THAT SEVERAL OF THE CAPITAL PURCHASES THAT WE HAD BUDGETED FOR THIS YEAR AND ANTICIPATED HAVING TO EXPEND THIS YEAR, UH, WE'RE GONNA COME IN.

AND THAT IS NOT THE CASE.

UH, WE'RE GONNA GET OUR SIDE LOADER IN DECEMBER, ALLEGEDLY, MAYBE, PERHAPS, FINGERS CROSSED.

UH, WHICH HAS BUMPED UP THE, UH, THE TOTAL THERE TO ABOUT 6 72 BECAUSE WE CARRIED THAT COST INTO THE, THE NEXT YEAR WE HAD TO PAY FOR IT ONCE WE TAKE DELIVERY.

WE DIDN'T PREPAY FOR IT LIKE WE DID THE FIRETRUCK, I GUESS LESSON LEARNED THERE.

BUT, UH, IT DOES MAKE IT MORE COMPLICATED ON THE BACK END.

UH, WHAT HAS THE CHANGE THE CARRY FORWARD FOR EQUIPMENT AND, AND VEHICLES.

UH, WE PUT ALSO SOME MONEY ASIDE, ADDITIONAL MONEY FOR MATCHING GRANTS AND, UH, SOME CONTINGENCY FUNDING FOR KEY POSITIONS IN CASE WE DON'T GET WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR WHEN WE MARKET SOME POSITIONS.

UH, SO HERE IS WHAT THE CURRENT MODEL SUMMARIES LOOK LIKE.

GENERAL FUND, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'LL DO A DRAW DOWN ON RESERVES OF 6 72.

UH, GENERAL FUND CONSTRUCTION.

WE'RE DRAWING DOWN TO PAY FOR THE IMPROVE, SOME OF THE IMPROVEMENTS AT THE PARKS, AND ALSO THE SERVICE CENTER.

UH, UNEMPLOYMENT FUND IS AT ONE OF THE SMALLER ANCILLARY FUNDS, UH, POLICE FORFEITURE, WHICH BASICALLY PAYS FOR THE, UH, BLUE SANTA.

AND TYPICALLY SPEAKING, YOU NOTICE THERE'S NO REVENUE THERE.

WE GET LARGE DONATIONS, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GONNA BE.

SO WE JUST BUDGET WHAT WE GOT FOR THE, UH, WHAT WE GOT FOR THE INTEREST.

UM, EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT FUND.

WE, UH, ENDED UP, UH, WITH THE ADDITION OF THE 2 94 FOR THE TRUCK, BRINGING IT DOWN FURTHER THAN WE HAD HOPED.

UH, AND THAT'S THE SIDE LOADER.

UM, BUT WE ALSO INCREASED THE PAYBACK PERCENTAGE FROM THE DEPARTMENTS BACK INTO IT.

SO, AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO NOW TO FOREGO, HOPEFULLY WE'LL CONTINUE OUR ROTATION, BUT IT'LL BE ON, ON A SLOWER SCALE GOING FORWARD.

WHAT WAS OUR INCREASE ON THAT? UH, ALMOST $300,000.

I THINK IT WAS 2 9 4 8 80.

YEAH.

UM, HOT CVB FUND, UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT A DRAW DOWN THERE.

AND AGAIN, UH, THE SAME STORY IN SIDEWALK STREETS AND DRAINAGE.

WE INURED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF REVENUE IN THERE THROUGH THE BOND ISSUE.

WE HAVEN'T EXPENDED THAT MONEY.

WE'VE ALSO GOT GRANT FUNDS TO COMING IN.

UH, BUT WE HAVE A VERY AGGRESSIVE SCHEDULE, UH, AS I LAID OUT IN TERMS OF SIDEWALK REPAIR, STREETS, MAINTENANCE AND DRAINAGE.

UH, SO A TOTAL, UH, GOVERNMENT FUNDS ALL WERE LOOKING AT, UH, ENDING THE YEAR AT ABOUT $16,000 IN RESIDUAL, WHICH IS STILL WITHIN OUR PARAMETERS FOR SAVINGS.

WE HAD SAVED UP A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY, AND NOW WE'RE TRYING TO LEVEL THAT FIELD A LITTLE BIT THROUGH MAKING SURE THAT THESE PROJECTS GET DONE.

THIS IS WHAT OUR FUND RESERVE LOOKS LIKE.

OUR PROJECTION THERE IS BASED ON THAT 1.9, $1.8 MILLION DRAW DOWN OF RESERVE TO PAY FOR THE, UH, BARREL, HURRICANE BARREL, UH, FIXES.

UH, WE'LL GET

[00:25:01]

THAT MONEY BACK SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE.

PROBABLY, UH, MAYBE NO FEMA'S BEEN GOOD ABOUT PAYING.

IT'S JUST THEY LIKE TO SLOW PAY.

SO MAYBE IN MY LIFETIME, MAYBE IN THE MAYOR'S LIFETIME, MAYBE IN ALL OF OUR LIFETIMES.

BUT THE, UH, THE GOAL THERE, WE DID HIRE, UH, WE HAD BROUGHT IN ASSISTANCE TO HELP MAYBE EXPEDITE THE PROCESS THIS TIME.

I KNOW IT TOOK THREE AND A HALF YEARS AFTER, UH, WAS IT IKE OR IKE WAS, IKE WAS, YEAH, IKE WAS, IKE WAS THE ONE ON COLLEGE HERE.

YEAH.

YEAH.

IT TOOK US A LONG TIME.

SO HOPEFULLY IT WON'T BE THAT LONG.

IN TERMS OF, UH, IN TERMS OF OVERALL ENTERPRISE FUND, YOU'LL NOTE THAT WE DID INCLUDE A RATE INCREASE, UH, LESS THAN OUR, OUR PEERS.

WE'RE AT ABOUT 6.9%.

THE CITY WILL NET ABOUT 4.4% OF THAT.

WE SHOW A, AN ACTUAL REVENUE REDUCTION.

WE'VE HAD A DRIER YEAR THAN NORMAL, UM, UP UNTIL UP UNTIL AFTER THE STORM HIT, AND THEN IT GOT REALLY, REALLY WET.

UH, BUT, UH, THE TREND LINE THERE WAS FOR LESS REVENUE AS THINGS DRIED OUT.

UH, WE ASSUMED THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE A WETTER YEAR NEXT YEAR.

SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVEN'T BUDGETED THAT WAY.

AND ABOUT $8 MILLION IN PROJECTS AND OVERALL EXPENDITURES, UH, IN THE WATER FUND, UH, STARTING WITH THE 17, BUT DRAWING DOWN.

AND THOSE FUND, THOSE PROJECTS INCLUDE, UH, THE EXPANSION OR THE REDO OF THE SEWER LINE THAT RUNS FROM BUMPY ROAD, UH, TOWARDS THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT.

UH, COMPLETE RED REDO FOR THE SEWERS THAT SERVE THE BRIAN SUBDIVISION AND ALSO THE EMERALD SUBDIVISION, UH, WHICH ARE LOCATED HERE ON THE BACKSIDE OF CITY HALL.

THAT INFRASTRUCTURE'S NOW, I THINK THE BRIAN SUBDIVISION IS PROBABLY 70, APPROACHING 70 YEARS OLD.

AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE EMERALD SUBDIVISION IS ABOUT 50 YEARS OLD, AND BOTH SYSTEMS ARE FAILING.

SO THAT'S WHERE WE STAND FROM THERE.

UH, ANY QUESTIONS ON THE BUDGET? I KNOW IT'S A LOT TO DIGEST.

UH, NO, I MEAN, I THINK YOU DID A GOOD JOB IN WHAT TOOK US THREE, SIX MONTHS TO, TO DO, TO SAY IT ALL IN ONE NIGHT.

YES.

SO I APPRECIATE THAT.

CJ? YES, SIR.

THANK YOU.

UH, I WAS GONNA SAY, WE START OUR PROCESS USUALLY IN MARCH, AND WE USUALLY FINISH UP RIGHT ABOUT NOW, SO ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS.

AND, UH, AS SOON AS WE GET DONE TONIGHT, WE'LL START ON NEXT YEAR.

SO, ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS ON THE, ON THE, UH, TAX RATE OF THE BUDGET PROPOSAL? CONSIDERING THE COST? I THINK BETWEEN OUR EMPLOYEES AND OUR HEAD OF STAFF, WE'RE LUCKY TO KEEP IT WHERE IT IS.

LUCKY'S MIGHT NOT A GOOD WORD, BUT IT WORKED REAL HARD TO BE ABLE TO DO FOR THANK YOU.

UH, THAT'S THE ONE I WAS LOOKING FOR, WHAT I, TO BE WHERE WE ARE VERSUS THE EXPENSES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

AND I, AND I WANT TO GIVE ALL THE CREDIT IN THE WORLD TO THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, THEY TYPIFY AND EXONERATE OR NOT EXONERATE, EXEMPLIFY, EXEMPLIFY.

THANK YOU, MR. DUCKEN.

I NEED ONE OF THOSE FANCY $5 WORDS.

UH, DOING MORE WITH LESS.

THEY REALLY WORK HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S STRONG STEWARDS OF THE, OF THE, OF THE PUBLIC TRUST.

SO, AND THANKS TO COREY ANGEL, ROSIE, UH, EVERYBODY THAT IS, THAT HELPED ME PROOFREAD.

UH, I SCARE MYSELF WITH, UH, WITH LANGUAGE SOMETIMES.

AND SO THEY WERE ABLE TO MAKE SURE, AND I STAYED ON THE RAILS.

SO WE'RE ONE OF THE, WE'RE ONE OF THE ONLY CITIES LEFT THAT DO OUR OWN TRASH SERVICE.

THAT'S TRUE.

YEAH.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE OF OUR, THAT'S, I GET MORE COMPLIMENTS ON OUR, ON OUR, THE PRODUCT THAT WE DELIVER THAN, THAN I EVER HEAR FROM THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GETTING IT SUBCONTRACTORS.

CJ, I DID HAVE ONE QUESTION.

I KNOW WE BRIEFLY TALKED, UH, TOUCHED ON OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT YES.

FUNDING PLANS.

WHAT OTHER THINGS ARE THEIR PLANNED FOR THAT YEAR? I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT MAYBE.

SO WE WILL, UH, IN ADDITION TO THE, UH, PROPERTY PURCHASE PARTICIPATION IN THE, UH, IN THE POSITION, UH, THE CREATION OF THAT POSITION, UH, THEY WILL CONTINUE THEIR INCENTIVIZATION PROGRAM.

THEY'VE ACTUALLY EXPANDED IT A LITTLE BIT TO, UH, UH, INCREASE THE BUDGET ON THAT.

UH, THOSE INCLUDE, UH, PARKING LOT RETROFITS, UH, BUSINESS SIGNAGE, UH, EXCUSE ME, I GET REAL EMOTIONAL WHEN I TALK ABOUT 'EM.

UH, BUSINESS, UH, DEVELOPMENT GRANTS THAT INCLUDE SIGNAGE, UH, REMODELING, PARKING LOT, INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, ALSO E-COMMERCE.

UH, WE HAVE MONEY SET ASIDE TO HELP THOSE BUSINESSES.

THOSE MOM AND POPS THAT MAY NOT HAVE A DIGITAL FOOTPRINT GET ONE.

UH, TO DATE, WE HAVEN'T AWARDED ONE OF THOSE GRANTS, BUT WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THEY'LL COME IN.

UH, AND THEN WE'VE ALSO WORKED ON A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT THREE EIGHTY'S.

UH, IF YOU THINK ABOUT WOOD SHORE, THAT WAS A THREE 80 PROJECT THAT WAS INCENTIVIZED THROUGH BOTH THE EDC AND THE CITY.

UH, COLLEGE PARK HAS BEEN INCENTIVIZED THAT WAY, AND SO HAS, UH, THE OLLIE'S, WHICH, UH, HAS PAID BIG DIVIDENDS TOWARDS THE CITY WITH THAT.

WITHOUT THAT C, WITHOUT THOSE SEED INVESTMENTS BY THE CITY BACK IN THE MID 20 TEENS, UH, WE WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT A TAX RATE TODAY, PROBABLY IN EXCESS TO 76 CENTS.

SO THE VALUE GROWTH THAT IT HAS COME FROM PARTICIPATING IN TRYING TO DEVELOP THE CITY IN THAT MANNER HAS PAID,

[00:30:01]

PAID SIGNIFICANT FRUIT TO THE TAXPAYER.

SO, AND IF Y'ALL WENT THROUGH THE BUDGET BOOK AND PANICKED LIKE I DID WHEN YOU MOWING WAS NOT IN PUBLIC WORKS, WE MOVED IT TO THE FUND.

O FIVE.

RIGHT, RIGHT.

YEAH, I NOTICED THAT.

YEAH.

HOW ABOUT HAD A HEART ATTACK AT THREE O'CLOCK THIS AFTERNOON? , ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? PLEASE BE RECORD VOTE? YES, SIR.

OKAY.

THE NEXT ITEM WOULD BE TO ADJOURN THE PUBLIC HEARINGS IF, UH, THERE'S NO FURTHER COMMENT,

[IV. ACTION ITEMS]

ADJOURN FROM THE PUBLIC HEARING AND MOVE INTO OUR ACTION ITEMS. AND FIRST ACTION ITEM IS CONSIDERATION OF POSSIBLE ACTION.

TO TAKE A RECORD VOTE ON ORDINANCE NUMBER 2014 DASH OH 11, ADOPTING THE BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 20 24, 20 25, AND IT WOULD BE ORDINANCE NUMBER 2024 DASH OH ONE ONE, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF CLINTON, TEXAS, CONTAINING A PREAMBLE, APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR, BEGINNING OCTOBER 1ST, 2024, AND ENDING SEPTEMBER THE 30TH, 2025.

APPROPRIATING AND DISPERSING THE INCOME AND EXPENDITURES OF THE CITY FOR VARIOUS USES THEREIN SPECIFIED WRITING FOR THE FILING THEREOF, PROVIDING FOR APPEAL CLAUSE, AND PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE, PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

AT THIS TIME, I WOULD CONSIDER A MOTION TO APPROVE ORDINANCE NUMBER 2024 DASH OH ONE ONE.

MAYOR, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE ORDINANCE NUMBER 2024 DASH OH ONE ONE MADE BY COUNCILMAN AGUILAR.

I HAVE A SECOND.

I'LL SECOND.

SECOND.

BY COUNCIL PERSON.

MADDOX.

ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, I'LL ENTERTAIN THE VOTE WILL BE BY RECORD.

VOTE.

MR. CHRIS.

AYE.

MR. AGUILAR? AYE.

MS. MATTER.

AYE.

MR. LOPEZ? AYE.

MS. VAUGHN? AYE.

UNANIMOUS.

AND THE NEXT ITEM WOULD BE TO CONSIDERATION OF POSSIBLE ACTION TO TAKE A RECORD FURTHER ON ORDINANCE 20 24 0 0 12, ADOPTING A PROPERTY TAX RATE OF 0.46500, WHICH IS A TAX INCREASE OF 2.38%, WHICH IS LESS THAN THE VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2024.

2025.

PERSON THAT MAKES THAT MOTION NEEDS TO SAY, SO THEY NEED, THEY NEED TO CALL OUT THE TAX RATE.

YES, SIR.

ACTUALLY, TAKE THE LANGUAGE IS ON THE BACK OF THE, UH, BACK OF THE ORDINANCE AT THE, UH, WHOEVER'S GONNA MAKE A MOTION FOR THAT, ONE WOULD HAVE TO READ THE BOLD LETTERS ON THE LAST PAGE OF THAT ORDINANCE.

IT'S, IT'S ON THIS SIDE.

TURN.

TURN THE PAGE.

OH, EXCUSE ME.

YOU HAVE TO READ THE, YOU HAVE TO READ THE SENTENCE ON THE VERY LAST PAGE AT THE TOP.

I THOUGHT WE HAD SAID IT WAS A 2.38% INCREASE AND IT WOULD BE, IT IS A 2.38.

THAT IS A TIGHT SRI'S ERROR.

OKAY, SO THIS 6.38, IT SHOULD SAY 2.38.

2.38.

AND IT WOULD BE ORDINANCE NUMBER 2024 DASH OH 12 ORDINANCE, FIXING THE TAX RATE AND LEVYING FOR THE CITY OF CLUTE, TEXAS FOR THE PURPOSE OF PAYING THE CURRENT EXPENSES FOR THE CITY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2025.

AND FOR THE PUR, FOR THE PURPOSE OF FUNDING THE SEEKING FUND TO RETIRE THE PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST OF THE BOND INDEBTED THIS BY THE CITY, PROVIDING FOR A LIEN ON ALL REAL AND PERSONAL PROPERTY TO SECURE PAYMENT OF TAXES DUE THEIR OWN CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE, REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES AND PARTS THEREOF AND CONFLICT WITH HEREWITH AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

AND AS I MENTIONED, WHOEVER'S GONNA MAKE THE MAKE THE MOTION WOULD NEED TO READ THE LAST SENTENCE THERE WITH THE CORRECTION AT TWO 2.38 INSTEAD OF 6.38, RIGHT? CORRECT.

I'LL MAKE A MOTION.

IS THAT, WHAT WE'RE YOU NEED TO READ? YOU HAVE TO READ IT THOUGH.

READ? NO.

NO.

OKAY.

THAT NOT THAT THIS, THIS ONE

[00:35:01]

I THOUGHT WAS, OH, I WAS LOOKING.

OKAY.

I WAS LOOKING AT THE BOLD WORDING.

WE WERE JUST LOOKING AT, UM, I MOVE THAT THE PROPERTY TAX RATE BE INCREASED BY THE ADOPTION OF A TAX RATE OF 0.4 6 5 0 0 0, WHICH IS EFFECTIVELY 2.38% INCREASE IN TAX RATE.

AND SECONDED BY I'LL SECOND BY COUNCIL PERSON BOND MOTION MADE BY COUNCIL PERSON MAD, SECONDED BY COUNCIL.

AND THEN THE ABOVE AT FORT TOY ORDINANCE WAS PASSED AND APPROVED BY ROLL CALL.

VOTE AS FOLLOWING.

JEFF CHRISTIAN.

AYE.

ERIC AGUIAR.

AYE.

NICOLE MADDOX.

AYE.

JOE LOPEZ.

AYE.

FRANCIS VAUGHN.

AYE.

UNANIMOUS AGAIN, REVEREND.

THANK YOU.

THEN THE NEXT ITEM ON THIS AGENDA WOULD BE ADJOURN.

I MOVED.

MOVE BACK OUT THE FIRST V.

AND SECONDED BY I'LL SECOND.

COUNCILMAN AGUILAR, YOU NO DISCUSSING.

I'LL ENTERTAIN THE VOTE.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

UNANIMOUS.

THE PUBLIC HEARING IS ADJOURNED.

AND WE'LL MOVE INTO THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING.