City Council - Special Meeting

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, tonight is Wednesday, September 16th, 2026. It is 5 30 PM. And the city council has a quorum present here in the council chambers. Uh, the first item tonight is citizens input. So at this time, comments will be taken from the audience on any topic. No action can be taken by the council during citizens input. I do not have any requests to speak forms. Were there any requests to speak from the audience? Seeing none, we will move on with our agenda to individual consideration item 3A, consider action to approve an ordinance to adopt the budget for fiscal year 2027. We have Wendy Badgett, finance director, here to make a presentation.

be a quick presentation good evening mayor and council the fiscal year 2027 proposed budget and tax rate were presented in more detail at last night's regular city council meeting so tonight we're just here to complete the final step to formally adopt both of those items There are 3 required actions before you tonight to adopt the budget adopt the tax rate and also to ratify the property tax revenue increase reflected in the fiscal year 2027 budget. But before we get to the motions I want to briefly address the wording of the recommended tax rate motion include in the staff report because I recognize that that negative percent increase can look unusual. The rate we're adopting is below the no new revenue rate. State law provides a very specific required motion language when a taxing unit adopts a rate above the no new revenue rate, but it does not prescribe alternative motion language when that rate is below it. The comptroller confirms that statutory increase motion is not required in that circumstance when the rate is below the no new revenue rate. STAFF CHOSE TO RETAIN FOR CONSISTENCY AND FRANKLY BECAUSE WE WANTED THE RECORD TO CLEARLY REFLECT THAT COUNCIL AND STAFF WERE ABLE TO MEET THE CITY'S BUDGET NEEDS THIS YEAR WHILE STILL ADOPTING A RATE BELOW THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE, WHICH IS THE FIRST TIME THIS CITY HAS BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL. We also reviewed the wording with the CD attorney prior to publication. She had no concerns with retaining it given that the statute does not prescribe motion language for a rate that's below the no new revenue rate. However, again, recognizing that the motion may sound awkward, an alternative motion has been provided up on the screen for you in the event that you choose to use either version tonight. So with that, I'm happy to answer any additional questions that weren't asked last night or otherwise, I'll turn it over to the mayor for consideration of both these items or all three of them.

Thank you, Wendy. Council, are there any questions for staff? All right, then I will entertain a motion on item five, which is the budget adoption. See a motion by Mr. Britton.

Yeah, thank you, Mayor. So I move the council adopt an ordinance approving the fiscal year 2026 2027 budget as presented.

I have a motion to approve the item as presented. Second by Mr. Bowers. I second. I have a motion to approve with a second. Any discussion?

Mayor, I just want to applaud staff for their hard work on this year's budget, especially for us newcomers. I also want to applaud this group for our work together and coming together on this budget. And then particularly you, Mayor, last night for I appreciate your questions regarding deficit spending. There's been some chatter on that. We cleared that up. And so it's an honor to be a part of a budget that does not increase our tax rate and provides increases for our employees as well. So thank you for, uh, uh, the, the hard yeoman's work together on this.

likewise i want to thank staff the finance department did a phenomenal job all of our department directors did really amazing work this year to come together in light of some challenges that we faced toward the beginning of the year so thank you guys for stepping up and doing that thank you to our city manager's office likewise for doing that as well and Mr. Holston, Mr. Fassett, Mr. Kazar, some of you have been around the city a really long time, some of you not as long, but you guys dove right into this process. I commend you because I was a freshman council member at one point, as we all were, and the learning curve is steep, to say the least, straight into an all-day or half-day budget meeting. AND MULTIPLE BUDGET MEETINGS AND ALL THE STRATEGY SESSIONS THAT WE HAD AND THE UTILITY RATE DISCUSSIONS THAT WERE INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT. THERE WAS NO EASY TASK IN FRONT OF US THIS YEAR. SO I WANT TO COMMEND YOU GUYS AS WELL FOR STEPPING UP AS WELL AS MY OTHER COLLEAGUES WHO THIS ISN'T OUR FIRST RODEO BUT CERTAINLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK OF THE COUNCIL. I THINK WE DID GOOD WORK THIS YEAR. SO THANK YOU ALL. ANY OTHER COMMENTS?

Yeah, Mayor, I have a short other comments. First of all, staff, thank you guys so much, Wendy and team. Christoph, thank you guys for being a part of this. I know, Jeff, you said this isn't our first rodeo, but it is a first for the city, as Wendy mentioned, right? Coming in with a tax rate that we did not increase and we came below the net and no new revenue rate. So happy to be a part of a group that when we think about government and good government, trying to listen to what our constituents need and not necessarily pushing that property tax rate up. So I appreciate being a part of this. Thank you.

Any last comments? All right, let's go ahead and call the vote on item 3A. Uh-oh. It did that item carried unanimously and there's the voting result on the screen for everyone. All right, let's switch back over to the other screen. Thank you, Debbie. And I'll read item three B into the record. Consider an ordinance, excuse me, consider an ordinance approving and adopting the ad valorem tax rate of 0.807, eight nine one per $100 of taxable value for fiscal year 2627. And that again is a maintaining our tax rate from this past year. And with that, I will entertain a motion. Debbie, if you can clear those motions. All right, I see a motion by Mr. Bowers. Do you need the language from the screen? I'm sorry. Let me switch back. There you go.

Thank you. I move to adopt a property tax rate of 0.807891 and that council adopt an ordinance adopting this tax rate and levying ad valorem taxes for tax year 26.

All right, we have a motion to approve and a second by Mr. Holston.

Motion approved.

Second. All right, we have a motion and a second. Any comments or discussion? All right, with that, let's go ahead and call the vote, please. And that item carries unanimously. And I'll switch the screen back to the podium or the computer. And item three C is consider action to ratify the property tax revenue increase reflected in the budget for fiscal year 2027. And I will entertain a motion. See a motion by Mr. Holston.

Okay. I make a motion that we consider action to ratify the property tax revenue increase reflected in the budget for physical year 2027. All right.

We have a motion that language isn't exactly what's on the screen there. Does that it's good enough. Okay. All right. Thank you. Just wanted to be sure. And I see a second by Mr. Gibbs. I'll second that. All right. We have a motion and a second to approve as presented any discussion. All right, seeing none, let's call the vote. And that item carries unanimously. And with that, it is 5.38 p.m., and we are adjourned. Thanks, everyone.