Efforts in the state legislature to take away more authority from city government was among the topics discussed by Bryan city council members and staff during a day long workshop.
Chief financial officer Will Smith said “the last three legislative sessions, the biggest risk that faces the city and the utilities operate within it (is) the state legislature.” “And that’s not a political statement. That is how we assess the risk.”
Smith said he was hesitant to answer in a public forum what could be done to minimize future decisions by state lawmakers to reduce local revenue.
Smith says “I’ve just assumed that at some point, they’re (state lawmakers) going to do what they did to us two and then three legislative sessions ago and really curb our ability to raise the funds that our citizens asked us to raise.”
Smith said it was important for the city to keep at least 100 days of operating cash to reduce the impact on more obstacles passed by state lawmakers.
Click below for some comments from the April 19, 2023 Bryan city council workshop meeting.