Copperas Cove Council holds budget workshop
Fri, 2016-07-15 05:00
News Staff
By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
The Copperas Cove city council worked its way through the proposed fiscal year 2017 budget on Tuesday evening, with city budget director Ryan Haverlah giving a presentation that lasted around two hours.
The presentation went through each funded area of the budget, along with departments, and the council was given the opportunity to ask questions and receive clarifications for the proposed funding. Next year’s proposed operating budget is million, with $16.4 million for the general fund and the largest fund, $11.7 million for water and sewer fund, $3.6 million for the solid waste fund, $330,355 for the golf course fund and $4.8 million for other expenses.
The city’s beginning fund balance is $10,380,338 and the ending fund balance is $9,813,808. Revenues are $36,459,960 and expenses are $37,026,490.
When the solid waste budget came up in the presentation, a fee change recommendation also came up. Velia Key explained the city is recommending a 25-cent increase to the solid waste fees, from $16.75 to $17. This increase will help purchase new garbage containers. There are no recommended rate changes for the water and sewer rates.
That department also requested a commercial waiting fee of $1 per minute for dumpster trash pickup, which a business can be charged if its dumpster is blocked when the solid waste truck comes to pick up their trash.
Among other requested changes this fiscal year is in the golf course budget, moving the maintenance staff salary to the parks and recreation maintenance budget. There is a bit of hope where the golf course fund is concerned, with the fund balance still in the negative, but beginning to trend higher to the positive mark.
The city also projected lower sales tax revenue increases, in keeping with current trends, projecting a 2 percent increase next year, whereas over the past five years that increase was 3-1/2 percent each year, said Haverlah.
The council will meet to discuss the proposed tax rate for fiscal year 2017 on July 26. It will meet for a record vote on the tax rate on July 28. The first public hearing for the budget will be held on August 9, with the first public hearing on the tax rate to be held the same day.
The council is scheduled to adopt the fiscal year 2017 budget, as well as vote on the budget plan, the tax rate and the fee schedule on Sept. 20.