City Ponders Ways to Spend $1.3 Million Budget Surplus

 

SAN ANGELO, TX — The City of San Angelo Council went into budget discussions for FY 2020 with more money than the previous year. According to City Finance Director Tina Dierschke, the Council has over $1.3 million this year in excess of last year’s budget to spend.

The purpose of this morning’s budget workshop was to hear pitches for major capital investments where the extra money can be spent.

The City is receiving 3.58 percent more, or $1,200,915, in property tax revenue for FY 2020 over FY 2019. This is calculated conservatively, with the expectation that 98 percent of all property taxes will be collected next fiscal year. The City operates on an Oct. 1 – Sept. 30 fiscal budget year.

Currently, City staff is looking at decreasing the budget for sales tax revenue expected in FY 2020. Mayor Brenda Gunter said last week that she anticipates a cooling of the local economy as oil field producers consolidate and the region anticipates a reduction in retail sales — and the accompanying sales tax collected — because FY 2020 is a national presidential election year.

For FY 2019, sales tax revenue is forecasted to be $19,725,424 million total and that amount is $1.3 million more than last year’s budget. For FY 2020, the City staff proposes the sales tax budget remain flat at $18,640,527.

The end result, considering an increase in property tax revenue, flat growth of sales tax revenue, and fees expected to be collected next year, is the City budgeted an extra $1,303,859 to spend on “other considerations.” What to spend that money on was the subject of this morning’s budget session.

The top priority that surfaced at this morning’s meeting was Concho River bank stabilization work downstream from the downtown area. In 2011, the banks upstream of today’s focus area were cleared and the river bottom dredged. Then rocks, slab stones, and mesh were strategically placed to slow or end riverbank erosion that usually occurs during times the Concho River is deluged with runoff from rainfall.

The 2011 project focused only on the Concho riverbank between approximately the Santa Fe Golf Course to Johnson Dam near Oakes St. The Museum area around Celebration Bridge, Neff’s Park, the Bosque and Kid’s Kingdom were major enhancements that became known as the River Walk as a result of that project.

Riverbank stabilization work downstream from the Oakes Street Bridge towards the convention center was not expected to be as comprehensive, however. Still, Assistant City Manager Rick Weise estimated the cost will run around $500 per linear foot. Weise said there were approximately 20 “hot spots” where stabilization work is needed.

“Initially, we were looking at $800,000 to fix the identified areas,” Weise told Council this morning.

As the riverbank erodes there, Weise warned that city sidewalks could fall into the Concho if left unfixed for much longer. The Council led by the mayor seemed supportive of spending money there.

“We’ve had a lot of rain and it has really impacted those hot spots,” Mayor Gunter said.

The City of San Angelo Development Corporation (COSA-DC) and the half-cent sales tax set-aside for economic development subsidized the 2011 riverbank project. For this smaller-in-scope project, Weise promised that if grant money became available, the City could use it to leverage City general revenue budgeted for the project.

Other big ticket items Council considered this morning included spending $97,508 and then approximately $70,000 per year for four more years on a software suite for the planning department. The software will help the department better serve building contractors and developers who would be able to submit their plans online, explained City Planning Director Jon James.

The San Angelo Fire Department requested $263,900 for ambulance EMT manpower for peak hours. Fire Chief Brian Dunn explained that new State regulations on ambulance services in recent years have effectively doubled the cost of operations for the City’s ambulance fleet.

Chief Frank Carter said the police department needs to replace Tasers, in-car video cameras, and deploy body cameras for patrol officers. He was asking for $1.7 million total. The San Angelo police in-car video system was initially deployed in 2003 and uses technology of that time. “You can barely make out a person 10 feet away,” he said. He added that to maintain the old in-car video system, his officers are shopping for spare parts on eBay.

Not all of Chief Carter’s wish list would be financed by the $1.3 million FY 2020 budget surplus. Dierschke detailed numerous accounts in the City’s chart of accounts where money was stashed to pay for a majority of Carter’s request.

Not mentioned in today’s meeting were any proposals to lower taxes. Gunter said last week that she was hoping to discuss a property tax rate cut for FY 2021, however.

No action was taken on giving the green light to any of the projects proposed this morning. That will come later when the Council approves the FY 2020 budget.

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Comments

1.3 million dollar surplus.. seems that might be wisely spent on Road repair. There are several areas in town that cause disalignment to the front end on some of the most robust front ends in the road

Head for the Roulette table and put it all on black! If it doubles, fix the streets and water mains......

What a novel thought..... If we had council members with even a brain the size of a pea, they might think that putting that extra money toward road repair might be an unseen blessing but naw, we can't expect something sensible coming out of these twits...... So instead, the general public and tax payers can get ready for something really retarded coming out of their decisions on what to do with it............

Fix the damn streets! WTH is there to “ponder” over?! Like Ding mentioned, few council members have a brain capable of figuring this out...SMH!

Wabo73, Tue, 08/27/2019 - 20:51

Well since carter has hit ground running since becoming chief and STILL running and they get lied to and short end of stick I say they get it all. Screw the make angelo look good in one tiny part of town give me a break stop polishing the TURD OR fire everyone in COSA office I have a list and hire new people and lee se ones that don’t know what there doing and how The even keep there job is shocking

I agree with everyone on here about fixing the freaking roads!! Southwest from Sherwood Way to Southland will be just as bad as Bell Street by the next fiscal year. Ave N is almost there as well. Surely fixing those two roads is a priority other then worrying about the side walk a long the river falling into the river. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. As much as crash reports, dash camera videos, and any other thing you request at the Police Dept cost, you would think that the Chief would be able to do his budget right and buy the equipment he needs. Instead of looking for grants to purchase what he needs, he’s out driving around checking on his other business at construction sites. Smh

Try fixing the roads CORRECTLY for a change instead of just slopping crap down that doesn't last a week!

why not fix the aging water infrastructure instead of waiting for the pipes to break like they have been. so glad I moved from that town.

If the City Council is reading these comments (which I doubt), it is pretty obvious what the citizens of San Angelo want. FIX OUR STREETS!! There are pot holes in Chadbourne Street that you can fall into! Bell Street is a disaster. Same with Van Buren, Jackson, and lots of other residential streets. We don't need any more cutesy little parks downtown. We don't need any more wire sculptures full of rocks, we don't need some out-of-state Advisory Board to come in and give us suggestions on how to "grow San Angelo." Make it nicer for the folks who gave you that nice surplus!

Fix the streets or save it for the next oil bust, when we will have a deficit. Oh I forgot, no politician would ever not spend every penny they have available. After all it's not real money, ask our County Commissioners.

I agree with those that mentioned that the streets need repairs. It's ridiculous. There is a ledge at the corner of Sunset and College Hills. Avenue N is a total disaster, and Southwest isn't pretty either. Part of the problem is the surface that's used on the streets, seal coating, breaks down quite fast. That's where all the pot holes come from. The streets should be paved with asphalt, like most other cities do. Also, many of the streets have huge humps in them. I liken them to frost heaves, but it's not cold here in the winter to produce them. Southland comes to mind when I think of those humps. Seal coat is bad for your car's undercarriage as well as your tires. The only thing seal coating is good for is putting money into Reese Albert's pockets.

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