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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/18/2022 - Special Minutes - City Council MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL (BUDGET) MEETING IN-PERSON WITH TELECONFERENCE PARTICIPATION CITY OF COLLEGE STATION JULY 18, 2022 STATE OF TEXAS § § COUNTY OF BRAZOS § Present: Karl Mooney, Mayor Council: Bob Brick arrive late via remote John Crompton via remote Linda Harvell Elizabeth Cunha John Nichols Dennis Maloney City Staff: Bryan Woods, City Manager Jeff Capps, Deputy City Manager Adam Falco, Interim City Attorney Tanya Smith, City Secretary Ian Whittenton, Deputy City Secretary 1. Council Lunch. 2. Call to Order and Announce a Quorum is Present. (12:00 p.m.) With a quorum present, the Special (Budget) Meeting of the College Station City Council was called to order by Mayor Mooney via In-Person and Teleconference at 12:05 p.m. on Monday, July 18, 2022, in the Council Chambers of the City of College Station City Hall, 1101 Texas Avenue, College Station, Texas 77840. 2. Executive Session No Executive Session was held. 3. Reconvene from Executive Session and take action, if any. No Executive Session was held. 4. Pledge of Allegiance, Invocation, consider absence request. 5. SPECIAL (BUDGET) ITEMS 5.1. Presentation, discussion, and possible action on the FY 2022-2023 Proposed Budget. TQN182933!Njovuft!Qbhf!2! Mary Ellen Leonard, Finance Director, provided a review of the proposed FY22-23 budget and citywide budget issues. The proposed FY23 budget is $410,091,383, which is 15.84% higher than the th approved budge presented in August of 2022. A public hearing is to be scheduled for July 28, th adoption of the budget scheduled for August 11, and according to the charter, final action on the th proposed budget must take place on or before September 27. Key decision points include public safety, maintenance needs, capital project planning and funding, compensation and benefits, wastewater rate increase, service level increases to address growth and maintenance needs, and the th proposed tax rate. The budget and tax rate are scheduled to be adopted September 26. FY23 Council Strategic Initiatives: Continue virtual meetings Explore diversifying sources of revenue Explore options for a community recreation center Identify a site and begin design of Fire Station 7 Begin the design of Texas Independence Ballpark Contribute to the HOME Revitalization Project Expand Christmas in College Station Explore options for redeveloping Post Oak Mall and Wolf Pen Creek Park City Manager Recommendations: Reduce overall tax rate by 1.0 cent (1/2 cent on each side of tax rate) Utilize 1.5 cents saved in prior years on public safety needs in FY 23 Reserve 1.6 cents of increment for future O&M needs Increase CPI-U indexed fees and rates by 10% Increase Electric rate by 10% Adjust Pay Plan scale by 4.5/5% and include step increases and a one-time merit pool for non- uniformed staff Mrs. Leonard stated that the organization is combatting the same inflationary forces that we all face as individuals. After COVID and URI impacts, the city now must adjust for significant inflation impacts and since January 2021, the CPI-U has gone up 11.1%. Therefore, providing the same services as in prior year has become more expensive. TQN182933!Njovuft!Qbhf!3! Discussion of the General Fund will include: Revenue Overview Proposed Property Tax Rate Expense Requests Fund Balance & Future Years Mrs. Leonard stated that the General Fund Revenue is the primary governmental fund of the City of College Station that includes Utility Transfer 14%, Sales Tax 38%, Ad Valorem Taxes 33%, and all other Revenue is 15%. Property Value Estimate Assessed Valuation $15.1 billion (16.8%) % Increase in existing Market Values Year over Year Percentage of Property Value 17.8% Commercial 14.8% Multi-family 22.0% All other including exempt 18.4% Residential 246M New Value Market Value to Taxable Value Estimates Reserve Estimate FY23 (475,774,504) Est. Total Assessed Value FY23 $11,690,619,796 (11.5% Change) Overview of Property Tax Rate Options for the Revenue in General Fund $1,111,000 $.297203 per $100 at the 3.5% Cap $2,510,000 $.313172 per $100 if Council uses $1.6 cents of increment $2,948,000 $318.176 per $100 at the current rate $3,552,000 $325075 per $100 if Council uses all $2.79 cents of increment Assumes Reserve increases to Policy of 20% The proposed budget provided options of a tax rate with No-New-Revenue Rate and Voter Approval Rates, but final numbers are not available from Tax Assessor/Collector until August 5, 2022 TQN182933!Njovuft!Qbhf!4! Current Rate Change Proposed FY23 21.6642 (0.5001) 21.1441 Debt Service Fund 31.8176 (0.5004 31.3172 General Fund Total 53.4618 (1.0005) 46.7966 51.8885 46.7966 Estimated No New Revenue Rate 56.2519 50.8613 Estimated Voter Approval Rate (before increment use) 56.2519 53.6516 Estimated Voter Approval Rate (after total increment use) Mrs. Leonard gave information on the impact of different rates on average home: At 1:45 p.m., the Mayor recessed the Special (Budget) Workshop. The Special (Budget) Workshop reconvened at 1:59 p.m. General Fund Recurring Expenses Mary Ellen Leonard, Finance Director, gave a brief summary of the operating expenses by function such as Salaries & Benefits (74%), Fixed Costs (10%), Professional & Purchased Services and Supplies (11%) and lastly Replacement Costs (5%). TQN182933!Njovuft!Qbhf!5! Compensation & Benefits Non-Step Cost of Living Adjustment A 5% scale adjustment has been allotted for all employees that are not uniformed. A one-time expense $1.7M has been allotted for a merit-based bonus pool for non-step employees. Public Safety (Step) Employees Cost of Living Adjustments A 4.5% scale adjustment has been allotted for all step-plan based, (primarily uniformed) employees. In addition, ongoing step pay increases of approximately 2% are received by uniformed employees as earned. Benefits Premiums have increased 15.4% City changed providers to BCBS effective January 2022 Started reducing the TMRS liability , or Property Casualty Operating Expenses by Department Key General Fund Service Level Requests Economic Development & Tourism ($108K) Public Communications ($115K) Community Services & Code Enforcement ($16K) Human Resources ($113K) Mayor, City Secretary, and Internal Audit ($72K) City Attorney ($50K) City Manager / Neighborhood Services ($115K) CIP The Deputy and Assistant City Managers presented an overview of the Key General Fund Service Level Requests for each of the departments reporting to them. TQN182933!Njovuft!Qbhf!6! Police Total Request of (1.4M) for Northgate Sergeant and vehicle, Northgate Officer and vehicle, IT Technical Services Specialist - Public Safety, Training / Testing / Onboarding Computers, Dispatch Consolettes, AXON consolidation package, Cell Phone / Ticket Writers, and Records Technician. Fire Total Request of (1.3M) for Deputy Fire Marshal body armor / body cam replacements, Replacement of Wildland PPE, Knox Med Vault replacement, 7 Firefighters and Additional Fulltime Ambulance, Continuity of Operations plan for city, Additional Reserve Ambulance to fleet, and Fire/EMS Regulatory Compliance/Educator. Public Works Total Request of ($1.1M) for Facility Maintenance Corrective Increases, Traffic Calming, Signals Bucket Truck, and Markings Maintenance Increase. Parks Total Request of ($541K) for Athletic Field Laser Grader (2), Workman & Sportstraq Painter, Harper Hawk Sweeper, Park Ranger (2), Trimble Unit, Dump Trailer, Power Wash Trailer O&M, and PTNB Increase. Councilmember Brick arrived the Special (Budget) Meeting at 3:10 p.m. Planning Total Request of ($350K) for Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Planner, Comprehensive Plan Implementation - Fiscal and Land Use Analysis, Computer Hardware and Upgrades, Traffic Congestion and Mobility Analysis, and Plan Action Software. IT - Total Request of ($443K) for Cyber Security Analyst, Business Impact Analysis with Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP), Apple iPads Replacement and Management, Office 365 Identity Protection and Management, and Network Monitoring System Aruba Central. Finance and Municipal Court Total Request of ($256K) for Purchasing Assistant, Grant Accountant, Financial Support Specialist, and Court Technology Courtroom Trial Recording Equipment. Utility Customer Service Total Request of ($252K) for UCS - Temporary help for UCS systems installation, UCS - Landscaping and Building Exterior, UCS - Interior remodel - Lobby and Bathroom and UCS - Permanent barriers for drive thru. General Government Bryan Woods, City Manager, spoke on the General Government Strategic Plan, and SLA Request to Address Strategic Plan. Facility Master Plan - CMO$50,000 $0 $50,000 Long Term Staffing Study - CMO$25,000 $0 $25,000 Community - Staff Event - CMO$0$40,000$40,000 Election Equipment and Bond Election - CSO$10,000 $11,000 $21,000 Appreciation Dinner & Lunch - CSO$0 $5,500 $5,500 Code Enforcement Technology Comm Services$13,800 $2,400 $16,200 Industry Recruitment Strategy Econ Dev$0 $72,500 $72,500 CRM for Business Recruitment and Retention Econ Dev$0 $5,500 $5,500 Strategic Marketing Efforts-TAMU Ventures Econ Dev$30,000 $0 $30,000 TQN182933!Njovuft!Qbhf!7! Upgrade Recruiting - Staff Resource & Programming - HR $500 $112,600 $113,100 Specialized Audit Expertise - IA $20,000 $20,000 $40,000 Review Contract Forms - Legal $50,000 $0 $50,000 Food & Beverages Mayor & Council $0 $4,000 $4,000 Training Mayor & Council $0 $2,000 $2,000 Website Coordinator Pub Comm $2,700 $97,400 $100,100 Citizen Survey Pub Comm $15,000 $0 $15,000 Wellness Funding - Activity Room, Staff & Programming (Benefits) $28,600 $152,700 $181,300 Mary Ellen Leonard, presented an overview of the Grant Fund Impact, which are State Funds - $6.4M, Federal Funds - $29.0M and FY22 Increase in Fund Balance - $17.7M. As well as the the General Fund Unassigned & Reserved Fund Balances ($57.428M) and the General Fund Assigned Fund Balance ($32.1M): General Fund Five Year Forecast At 4:34 p.m., the Mayor recessed the Special (Budget) Workshop. TQN182933!Njovuft!Qbhf!8! The Special (Budget) Workshop reconvened at 4:46 p.m. CAPITAL BUDGET Mary Ellen Leonard, Finance Director, stated that the proposed Capital Improvements Project Budget for FY23 totals $87.6 million for all funds that include capital projects. This is an increase of approximately $16.2 million increase over the capital budget for FY22 yet reflects some significant capital projects scheduled to be addressed this coming year. Appropriation by Fund Jennifer Prochaska, Assistant City Manager, gave a breakdown of the Key Capital Projects that are underway as follows: Electric ($19.8M) Transmission Distribution Underground System Water ($13.9M) Rehab of Well Pumps & Motors Greens Prairie Water Tower Rehab SH40 Waterline Lincoln Ave Rehab Wastewater ($32.5M) CC Diversion Lift Station NE Sewer Trunkline McCulloch Rehab Southwood Valley Trunkline Hotel Tax ($175K) Equipment Streets ($49.5M) Francis Drive TQN182933!Njovuft!Qbhf!9! Greens Prairie Road Rock Prairie Road James Parkway & Puryear Drive Facilities & Tech ($5.6M) 1207 Texas Ave. Fuel System Rehab Parks ($19.3M) Texas Independence Ballpark (TIB) Mrs. Prochazka continued with the unfunded CIP by Department 6. Adjournment. There being no further business, Mayor Mooney adjourned the Special (Budget) Meeting of the City Council at 5:42 p.m. on Monday, July 18, 2022. ________________________ Karl Mooney, Mayor ATTEST: ___________________________ Tanya Smith, City Secretary TQN182933!Njovuft!Qbhf!:!