City Council - Special Meeting

All right, good morning, everyone. I want to welcome you to this special called meeting of the temple city council. It is currently 10 Oh three. Um, first item is, uh, public comments. Any citizens who desire to address the council on any matter may do so as long as you signed up prior to this meeting, as always, we ask you limit those comments to three minutes. Watch the timer on the TV screen there and no discussion or final action will be taken. Um, we have a couple of folks who've signed up first. We'll have Ms. Nell Brindley.

Because it's budget time and this is pretty, we have department heads and some police officers. We do this every year. Including the fire department folks back there. You can have an extra five seconds.

Yeah, thank you. I think that most of the things that were brought up by Ms. Thomas and Ms. Brindley have been talked about, discussed, explained, et cetera. So I'm not gonna go into any of that, but I will gladly go into Allen Lytle. I remember the first time I met Alan Lytle, we were meeting, my first recollection was we were meeting over at the Salmon Center years ago, and Alan, who was a former employee of Temple College, came and spoke to the council about not supporting the initial Temple College bond. And what I remember about him specifically was whenever he stepped to the podium, he s

Let's go ahead and do that now so that anyone who's going to speak during the public hearing will have the full scope.

Before we do that, a point of clarification. Because as we look at the no new revenue rate, we talked about there by that 0.0041 cents how we're actually raising slightly less money. But then whenever I read in the item, it talks about that the budget will raise more total property tax last year, more property taxes than last year's budget by an amount of $7 million. If I'm new to this process, I'm gonna scratch my head. The mayor just read about tax increase, but now we're talking about a no new revenue rate?

Right. It's just, you know, whenever we do these presentations, it seems like different things are being said.

apply different formulas to different parts of the process that's very frustrating I know it is to you guys it's frustrating as we go through our processes because we talked about transparency truth in taxation etc etc and it seemed like the state system works directly against those mandates so or even just the names of those those those those requirements so

Very good. Thank you all for that explanation.

Counseling thing for Ms. Myers or Ms. Bernard? Sounds kind of weird, but I think a round of applause is probably warranted to thank the team. So if the budget team would stand, yeah, stand up. Everybody stand up. Come on. Come on.

Okay. Then with that, I will open the public hearing, which is to receive comments on the proposed tax rate of 75 cents per $100 valuation for fiscal year 2027. If you'd like to speak, we just ask you to step to the podium and state your name for the record.

We'll get him, we'll finish up with him.

Ms. Brindley, before you sit down, this is a time. Nell? NELL BRINDLEY. This is a time we can have conversation if you'd like to come back to the podium. I have a couple of questions for you. What expenses would you like, if the council adopts a budget, what expenses, you said the council should cut expenses, what is your recommendation for that? What expenses would you like for the council to cut specifically?

So are you recommending we cut parks? That's what places and spaces is.

You know, and we've talked about this before. The city is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States and has been for years. And so I also see a lot of, uh, for sale signs coming up, but you know what I also see, I see a lot of sold signs. So there are houses for sale and there are people buying them.

Is that reflective of the City of Temple and the City of Temple's budget, or is that reflective of Taylor and Austin and Georgetown?

For the average home, it's not a tax increase. It's not a monetary, it's an increase in rate, but it's not an increase in expense in true dollars. We've talked about that.

Well, we have, as Ms. Meyer said, we have, we, all the department heads back there, needed to figure out a way to continue to deliver services based on a 10% decrease. So, again, my question is, if we need to cut it more, Do we stop maintaining parks? Do we start picking up trash once a week? Do we get rid of brush and bolt? Do we get rid of the recycling program? Because it's to the point now that any further cut would require cut in services.

And what is that? That is my question. We've already asked them to cut 10%, and they did that. Anything else, you're getting into the heart of it.

Did you know that auto thefts are down 60%?

And you know what? Flock cameras are part of that. Not only is it catching the bad guy, it's also part of it is preventing the crime from happening to begin with.

I don't think they would be up if they were unconstitutional. Do you have anything else? Okay. Thank you. Who else? Anybody else? Okay. Yeah. If there's no one from the audience, then we'll move on to the virtual platform.

DAVID BURRAGE. Alan, whatever that tax rate impact is, if the bond is passed, will be added to the $0.75, assuming that it's approved. So any tax increase that's voter approved is added to the base tax rate.

Yes, sir. It's not baked into the $0.75.

OK. That's a good point. So it'll be added to next year's tax rate. If any. Yeah. Got it.

I agree. Thank you, Alan. Anything else?

Mentioned earlier the cost of a hamburger. The cost of a hamburger, however that relates to the city, increases just like it does to the residents. Anybody else from the audience? Okay, very good. Then I will close the public hearing. There's no action to be required on item one, but item two, 2A, and I'll read that back in, is adopting the City budget for fiscal year October 1, 2026, ending September 30, 2027, including the operating budget for 2026, business plan, capital improvement plan, general government pay plan, civil service pay plan, fiscal and budgetary policy, and the investment po

We have a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Walker. We have a second by Council Member Pilkington, who is somewhere where it's not 100 degrees. So Council, please cast your vote.

Item 2A passes five votes to zero. Item 2B. reads to ratify the property tax increase reflected in the budget. This budget will raise more total property taxes than last year's budget by amount of $7,306,515, which is a 10.83% increase from last year's budget. The property tax revenue to be raised from the new property added to the tax rolls this year is $5,032,457. Council, you also have special language on this item.

Added to the tax rule this year is five million thirty two thousand four hundred and fifty seven Second we have a motion by councilmember grant we have a second by councilmember Pilkington Council please cast. I'm sorry. I said Pilkington by councilmember Emmons council. Please cast your vote. I Item 2B passes five votes to zero. Item three?

This is an important day. So let's go ahead and cover those, please. I read it in there, but I will again. Yes. So item three is a second and final reading to consider adopting an ordinance approving the tax roll and authorizing calculation of the amount of tax that can be determined for all real and personal property in the city for fiscal year 2027. Is this good? Yes.

You know, the over 65 exemption I think is important. I think some people in the past, people have been confused that whenever they're over 65, that I think many folks think that the tax rate freezes, but as their home fluctuates in value, that that can add or take from their actual costs in the property tax bill. At 65, the dollar amount owed on that home that's occupied by someone 65 or older, that the dollar amount is frozen for as long as they live in that home. If they move to another home, then that property tax is frozen at the new home. So at 65, it freezes. A couple of years ago, a gu

OK. Then to wrap up item three, council, I will entertain a motion on item three. Make a motion to approve item three. We have a motion by Councilmember Immons. We have a second by Mayor Pro Tem Walker. Council, please cast your vote. Aye. Item three passes, five votes to zero. Moving on to item four is a second and final reading to consider adopting an ordinance setting a tax rate for fiscal year 2027 and making the appropriation for the regular operation of the city.

We have a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Walker. We have a second by Councilmember Pilkington. Council, please cast your vote. Aye. So that puts the tax rate portion of the budget to bed. So real quickly, a couple of comments. As always, we thank the accounting staff. I know that you guys work on that so much. But it's also at the direction of Ms. Myers and Ms. Bernard. And so there are lots of moving parts. So I personally want to thank everyone for the hard work that you do. It's always interesting this time of year, when I read the telegram, I read about different taxing entities and what they're

What's your saying? Cheshire cat rep. So very good. that's right and it may not you may end up somewhere you don't want to be like dipping into your rainy day fun so um very good well again thanks thanks to everyone for all the hard work it's truly appreciated moving on to Item five is consider adopting a resolution setting the collection charges for solid waste services as well as setting rates associated fees and rebates for recycling processing to be effective October 1, 2026.

I know that solid waste is not an enterprise fund. official enterprise fund, but it operates sort of like one in that these rates are adjusted to cover the cost of those activities, right?

DAVID BURRAGE- Maybe some, there can be questions around, well, say you've got a tax rate, but then you've got these other fees that you're adjusting. It's because those fees don't cover, I'm sorry, the tax rate doesn't cover the operation, 100% of it.

Council, any further questions or comments on item five? There being none, council, I'll entertain a motion on five.

Second. We have a motion by Councilmember Grant. We have a second by Councilmember Emmons. Council, please cast your vote. Aye. Item five passes five votes to zero. Moving on to item six is to consider adopting a resolution setting the current utility system fees to be effective October 1, 2026.

Can I also make a thing for Ms. Myers or Ms. Bernard? OK. With that, council, I will entertain a motion on item 6.

We have a motion by Council Member Pilkington, a second by Mayor Pro Tem Walker. Council, please cast your vote.

item six passes five votes to zero item seven is consider adopting a resolution authorizing the settlement of a texas commission on environmental quality enforcement case number six nine two one one related to violations that occurred in the year 2025 at the brazos river authority managed temple belton wastewater treatment plant resulting in an administrative penalty of $36,000, where 7,200 of that is deferred upon timely completion and satisfactory compliance of the order, and where the remaining $28,800 is conditionally offset upon timely and satisfactory completion of the supplemental envir

This item is not subject to a public hearing. Okay, that wasn't clear.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO ON THIS ACTION, The need for this action was discovered in just a TCEQ audit, so to speak?

Okay. And then I guess had this fan been in place or then it would have, um, those violations would not have occurred. I'm assuming, I mean, who knows, right?

You live outside your area of expertise there, aren't you?

I know that, to me, this is a little bit complicated, right? Because we have co-ownership. And then we also have somebody else operating. Correct. So does BRA have any responsibility as the operator of the plant? for any of this, or ultimately just rolls up, I guess, to the owner as the responsible party? Yeah, essentially that's what happens, correct. And so the $36,000 of the city of Temple is being fined. Is that just our three quarters? And so Belton's getting $12,000?

As long as corrective action is taken within all the time limits Uh, we saved 36,000, but we pay our portion of $165,000. Correct. Which we were planning it to do anyways. Okay.

Okay, thank you, ma'am. Council, with that, I'll entertain a motion. DAVID BURRAGE. Thank you. Second. DAVID BURRAGE. We have a motion by Councilmember Grant. We have a second by Councilmember Immons. Council, please cast your vote.

Item seven passes five votes to zero. Moving on to item eight is to consider adopting a resolution designating Alan Lytle as council ambassador, establishing an advisory role through which he may provide advice, institutional knowledge, and perspective to the city council and participate in city council meetings and discussions, including through electronic means.

Can we add an addendum to this, Adam, that although he's in an advisory role, we do not have to take his advice?

Alan, this doesn't give you any more authority, by the way. Very good.

Well, Alan, again, we appreciate you and your dedication to the city. And you're always a bright light. Sometimes you're shining it upon something that we might need a little help with. And that's OK, too. So thank you for everything. And our prayers are with you and your continued health. Thank you, Alan. All right. God bless you, sir. You bet. Counsel, it's my honor.

No, what y'all need is a better mayor. That's the problem. Very good. Then I will entertain a motion gladly on item 8.

And I'm honored to second out of eight. MIKE PATTERSON. Mike, you want to get in here? MIKE PATTERSON. Mike also seconds it. MIKE PATTERSON. I second it also. MIKE PATTERSON. All right. So I'll get in.

MIKE PATTERSON. I think I was muted. But I appreciate Alan very much.

So we have a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Walker. We have a second by Council Members Grant, Pokington, and Emmons. And item eight passes five votes to zero. Again, Alan, thank you for everything. We've enjoyed our time with you, and we hope to see you around. And with that, it's 11.33, and Council, I will close this meeting, and there's another budget in the books. So thank you all, everybody.