FY27 Budget Remarks to Council

Last year I stood before this body and argued against raising the tax rate. I was the only one who stepped forward and said that moving the rate out of fear of new state legislation—which ultimately failed to pass—was the wrong decision for the taxpayer. There was a real option last year not to push the rate as high as it went.

This year, with a budget exceeding $570 million, I see no realistic path forward that does not once again force this body to raise the tax rate all the way to the voter-approval line simply to fund the budget. I want to register my deep unease with this trend. It sets a dangerous precedent.

This is a massive budget. We have a large organization to run, hundreds of employees, and a city to maintain. Yet after reviewing the numbers, it is my clear perspective that cuts can and should be made so this body’s hand is not forced to the voter-approval limit.

I have heard colleagues ask in past meetings, “What would you cut?” As someone who prefers to execute rather than simply complain, here is my proposed amendment perspective for the FY 27 budget:

Public Works and Krenek Tap Road

• Nearly $10 million was just spent on a complete concrete rebuild—not a simple asphalt overlay—of the road that leads directly to our current Public Works facility. After that level of investment in the site’s infrastructure, the idea of relocating the facility leaves me questioning the logic.

  I had the privilege of going through Citizens University, touring the site, and speaking directly with the workers. Their primary concern was simple: they need more covered space so they can work on the rigs out of the Texas sun. That problem can be solved for a couple of million dollars by investing further in the existing site—exactly as we did with the road—by adding a steel building for the large trucks and the necessary technology upgrades.

  
  

  Town Lake / Feeder Road Connection and Baseball

  
  

• I see baseball as a major investment that could breathe real life into that part of the city. The critical missing piece, however, is the connection of Town Lake to Feeder Road. If we free up funding from the two projects I just mentioned, a portion can be redirected to complete that connection.

  
  

  I have spoken with the developer. They are waiting on the baseball project to move forward so they can bring hotels and restaurants into the area. Our property tax base is projected to rise 3 percent, yet we are already losing 2 percent in existing valuations. It is therefore critical that we invest in projects that actively grow the tax base. Hotels and restaurants will do exactly that. Extending the connection further strengthens the neighborhood and makes the entire area more attractive for that growth.

With all of that said, I ask this body to consider these points carefully as you deliberate on the budget. Work together to reduce this budget in creative, strategic ways so that the taxpayers are not left knowing—regardless of how the final vote falls—that the tax rate will simply be raised to the voter-approval line once again.