Council gives direction to fund city engineer position

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

Although the Texas legislature concluded its regular session at the end of May, the City of Copperas Cove’s property tax revenue outlook isn’t out of the woods where property tax reform is concerned on the legislative level. 
During Tuesday night’s city council workshop, the city’s budget director/deputy city manager, Ryan Haverlah, talked about the upcoming special legislative session where city property taxes are concerned. For a citizen, Haverlah said property tax reform is thought of as a great thing, but as far as providing services to citizens, it is not a great thing because it becomes detrimental for a city to able to provide services.
Haverlah also presented several budget topics to the council where the city’s 2017-2018 operating budget is concerned. Currently, city staff are in the process of preparing a proposed budget for the next fiscal year, which Haverlah said will be presented to the council on July 6. 
Where the city’s general fund is concerned, Haverlah said the city’s fund balance—uncommitted funds at the start of the fiscal year—is $5,447,977. Adding $15,741,241 of anticipated revenues to that amount, then taking away $16,607,345 of expenditures would leave the city with an ending fund balance of $4,581,873, which is a little more than $500,000 over the ideal fund balance, or three months of city operating expenses.
items already included so far in the general fund’s budget for next year is a public safety market stabilization which bumps all certified/licensed public safety annual salaries up by $2,500, amounting to $364,329, as well as economic development incentive payments to Endeavor Real Estate and HomeBase totaling $354,000. 
Haverlah introduced the idea of re-funding the position of a city engineer in the general fund. Presently, the city has a contracted engineer for services. After discussion, the council asked Haverlah for city staff to go forward with working a city engineer position into the budget, but not an entry-level engineering position. The projected cost for a contracted engineer for next year is $179,430. An entry level engineer on the city’s payroll would run $154,750, which includes benefits and operating costs.
In addition to the general fund outlook, Haverlah also shared the budget summary for next year’s water and sewer fund. That fund will start the year with a roughly $1.7 million fund balance, and after revenues of $11.8 million and around $12.6 million in expenditures, that would leave the fund with just over $2 million in the fund balance, which is a little more than $1 million under ideal fund balance.
So far, there are no rate/fee adjustments for next year in the budget, and Haverlah noted that the last time water/sewer rates and fees were raised were in 2015. However, the results of the utility rate study will come to the city in July and Haverlah said rate increases will be part of that study’s recommendations.
The council approved releasing allocated funds to two groups during Tuesday night’s meeting which followed the workshop. The first was to the Boys & Girls Club of Copperas Cove for $10,000, in order to support after-school operations. The second approved funding allocation was $2,500 to the Hill Country Community Action Association for support of delivering meals to the elderly in Copperas Cove. 
The council approved the amendment of the city’s Personnel Improvement Plan for 2017-2021 and the position listing for fiscal years 2016-2017, reclassifying several positions in the Water Distribution, Sewer Collection, and Wastewater Departments. 
The Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation board of directors now has a full slate of board members, with the approval of Jimmy Hammond to fill an unexpired term through Sept. 30, 2017. Hammond is a small business owner and recently received his master’s degree in criminal justice with an emphasis on public administration and management.
The council awarded a bid to PrimeSpec Construction, LLC, and authorized the city manager to execute a contract with that company to replace the skimmer pipe at the South Wastewater Treatment Plant in the amount of $106,000, to be paid for with funding from 2015 certificates of obligation bonds. 
The council voted to table a request to approve a professional services agreement with Utility Engineering Group, PLLC for $58,500 to complete three domestic wastewater discharge permit renewals for the city’s wastewater treatment plants. The request was initiated by councilman Jay Manning, who requested more time to research the matter, to which the other council members agreed. 
Also this evening, the council held a second public hearing and subsequently approved an amendment to the current fiscal year’s operating budget in the amount of $20,000 for the Five Hills Scholarship pageant float. The amendment also included an expenditure increase for the 2015 certificates of obligation solid waste fund for the purchase of solid waste vehicles and capital projects totaling $96,623.