The City of Boerne’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2023 was unanimously approved by City Council during first reading at the Sept. 13 council meeting. The final vote on the proposed budget will take place at the Sept. 27 council meeting.
The proposed overall budget is $97 million and includes a 2.1 cent reduction in the property tax rate while focusing on: Improving public safety by funding additional firefighter and school resource officer positions Increasing funding for capital infrastructure projects Investing in competitive employee benefit programs to ensure the City of Boerne remains an employer of choice Managing inflationary pressures with no service level reduction I’m very appreciative of the hard work city staff has done to create this budget. As we’ve all experienced with our personal budgets, a dollar doesn’t stretch as far as it has in the past. This budget does a great job of focusing on core operations while meeting citizens’ expectations and maximizing every dollar.
The City of Boerne’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2023 includes a 2.1 cent tax rate reduction, which is just shy of a 5 percent rate reduction. And the last time the City of Boerne lowered the property tax rate was all the way back in 2005.
The budget for fiscal year 2023 reflects the growth in population of Boerne and the county by investing in additional public safety positions through strategic funding opportunities.
The Boerne Police Department will add two additional School Resource Officers to provide a designated officer at each Boerne ISD campus. These positions are being added in collaboration with the Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department, Kendall County Sheriff ’s Office, and Boerne ISD to strengthen safety and security measures at all school facilities. The school district and the city share the costs associated with these new positions.
Three new firefighter positions are included in the budget. The additions come as part of master plan objective 4.5.1 to, “Continue to identify and evaluate opportunities to better meet accepted national fire service response and staffing standards.” The city has applied for a grant that would fully or partially offset the costs of the additional firefighter positions. While not included in this budget, planning and design work for the city’s second fire station is ongoing.
Capital Improvement projects represent 14 percent of the 2023 budget, which is an increase of 5 percent over the previous year. For 2023, 33 capital projects totaling $13.3 million are scheduled, including projects for water/wastewater, stormwater, streets, parks and other infrastructure.
The increase in capital project funding reflects the City Council’s strategic focus on implementing the city’s master plan and includes projects in both the general fund budget and the utility budget.
This year’s Capital Improvement Program focuses on public infrastructure and includes: $ 4.1 Million in Street and Sidewalk Investments $4.2 Million in Utility Investments $2.9 Million in Stormwater Investments $2 Million for Parks Investments I believe our budgeting process has been very thoughtful despite a plethora of challenges that have come with rising prices, supply chain shortages and more. As our city has grown, the expectations never diminish, and city staff continues to demonstrate incredible poise and commitment to all who live, play and work here. I’m also grateful to our entire City Council for their dedication to our community!
Bis zum nächsten mal (until next time).
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