The Bryan city council’s first discussion of the proposed fiscal year 2022 budget included comments whether to reduce the overall property tax rate.
The maintenance and operations portion of the property tax rate is dropping by three and a half cents and the debt service portion is rising by an equal amount.
Councilmen Flynn Adcock and Brent Hairston asked to consider dropping the overall rate. Councilmen Bobby Gutierrez and Buppy Simank and mayor Andrew Nelson were opposed, due to limitations made by state lawmakers two years ago to raise property tax rates.
Click below for comments from the July 13, 2021 Bryan city council meeting.
Original story:
The Bryan city council was presented a proposed fiscal year 2022 budget during Tuesday’s meeting that calls for no increase in the property tax rate and no utility rate increases.
While the overall property tax rate is proposed to remain at 62.9 cents, the proposed rate for maintenance and operations falls from 45.4001 to 41.9 cents and the proposed debt service rate rises from 17.4999 to 21 cents.
General fund spending is proposed to increase from the fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget of $78.4 million to $89.6 million dollars. General fund revenue is projected to increase from the fiscal year 2021 budget of $79.6 million to $81.5 million dollars. The FY 2022 budget also proposes to spend $8.1 million from the city’s fund balance.
Increased spending for FY 2022 includes $2.8 million in what the city describes as “miscellaneous new spending”, almost $1.5 million in new vehicles, $544,600 for six new positions, a three percent merit pay raise, and a four percent increase in operating expenses.
The council was given a timeline that the budget will be on file July 30, the council will receive an updated budget presentation on August 10, a public hearing on the budget August 24, a public hearing on the property tax rate would be September 7, and the budget and tax rate will be adopted at dates that are yet to be set.
The proposal calls for the following personnel additions:
Additional funding for seven voluntary vacancies from fiscal year 2021 that were approved positions that were not funded:
- Municipal Court – City Marshall
- Engineering Part time Scanner and Part Time Intern
- Streets and Drainage Crew Member
- Traffic Signal Tech
- Parks and Rec Athletics Supervisor
- Fiscal Services Finance Assistant
- Facility Services Maintenance Position
Addition of 6 new positions for fiscal year 2022:
- Fire Administration – Assistant Chief of Training
- Engineering – Administration – Engineering Inspector
- Legal Services – Legal Administrative Assistant
- Development Services
- Business Systems Coordinator
- Plans Examiner
- Combination Building Inspector
There is also the purchase of vehicles in fiscal year 2022 that were deferred in FY 2020 and FY 2021:
- FY 20 $451,000 (approved, not purchased)
- FY 21 $1,000,000
The council also received an update on the city of Bryan’s capital improvements plan.
