BOERNE – City coffers runneth over this year after months of budget and bond planning, inching officials closer to funding a second fire station and stormwater drainage projects.
Officials said the amount comes to nearly $95,000, but coupled with federal grants and dollars, funding is now available for several municipal projects.
“As we do every year, the Boerne Finance Department and City Council continue to maintain a conservative budget,” city spokesman Chris Shadrock said. “In doing so for fiscal year 2022-23, we provide a lower tax rate, maintain all service levels, manage inflationary pressures and include limited expenditure growth.”
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A property-tax revenue surplus was identified once the certified tax rolls hit the desks of city staffers, who planned this year’s budget around certified estimates from the local appraisal district.
The rise in appraisal challenges slowed the certified tax-roll process, leaving city staff with the certified estimates to determine tax-rate parameters, officials said. Finance Director Sarah Buckelew has said while these are estimates, the current returns will be used for tax-rate planning if the certified rolls are not available by late July.
Officials said the summer certified tax rolls would not have an impact on the rate the council has already approved; however, the certified rolls could lead to some budget adjustments to accommodate gains or losses in property-tax revenue.
“Upon receiving the certified rolls, the city anticipates that our budgeted property tax revenue will increase $94,635.
Staff recommended and City Council unanimously approved that additional revenue be utilized to fund the design of a future fire station,” Shadrock said.
A second fire station at a couple of key areas in the city has long been on the minds of city staffers and council members, and the council even considered adding it to a bond issue earlier this year.
However, in favor of reducing the bond totals and after noting the Esperanza development would be required to pitch in for a fire station once a certain building permit quota is met, council opted to table the proposal.
But with the additional $ 95,000, the city can help construct a second fire station sooner, which officials estimate during bond discussions estimated would cost around $8 million.
Beyond the property tax surplus, the council also formally accepted roughly $4.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act – a stimulus package signed into action by President Joe Biden last year.
While these funds have several restrictions imposed by federal agencies, the monies are intended to replace revenue lost by local municipalities due to shuttered businesses and decreased tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The dollars can be used to invest in water, sewer, broadband and safety infrastructure.
In the case of the city, officials have dedicated the grant’s millions to drainage projects on Adler Road and Menger Creek, which will move the primary route for emergency responders out of the floodplain.
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