Commissioners Court continues working on 2014-2015 Budget at Special Meeting held on September 18th

By: Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2014, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

Maverick County Commissioners Court held a special Commissioners meeting, budget workshop, and public hearing on the new proposed tax rate for fiscal year 2014-2015 on Thursday, September 18, 2014, at 5 P.M. at the Maverick County Commissioners Courtroom.

Commissioners Court discussed the 2014-2015 fiscal year budget and the new proposed tax rate decrease that is to be approved before the September 29th deadline.

During the budget workshop, Maverick County Judge David R. Saucedo stated that the County Auditor’s office and he continue to work diligently on the financial numbers necessary to present a balanced budget for the 2014-2-15 fiscal year to be approved by Commissioners Court. “As you can see by the new numbers being presented, it is getting better,” said Saucedo.

365th Judicial District Judge Amado J. Abascal, III, presented a budget line item transfer of unused or leftover 2013-2014 budget funds from his Court budget to hire a part-time employee for the new 2014-2015 fiscal year, which would not require additional funds if the transfer is approved.  Judge Abascal also requested for funding to be able to buy speakers to be used in his courtroom with 2013-2014 unused or leftover funds in his budget.

Judge Saucedo stated he anticipated that they would be able to provide the funding for the speaker request under the new 2014-2015 fiscal year budget.

Judge Abascal stated that his concern was that if the county did not find the funding for the coming year to accommodate said request that the District Court would be left out. “I’m going to be out of it and it’s in my budget right now and so in order to assist the court, I thought maybe we can do it from current funding so we don’t have to impose on the court, with the struggle that the court is having on balancing the budget for next year. But I do leave it up to the Court’s discretion,” said Judge Abascal.

Judge Saucedo noted that in the new 2014-2015 fiscal year budget each individual Commissioner will receive additional funding for their respective precincts and that it also includes a 2.5 % increase for wages for Maverick County employees.

The budget workshop was closed and was immediately followed by a 2014-2015 Tax Rate public hearing. Judge Saucedo asked if there was anyone who would like to make public comments on the proposed tax rate, but there was none. Judge Saucedo read the new proposed tax rate, stating that after crunching the numbers the tax rate had decreased a little more. “ The proposed tax rate that we had figured in was lower than last year’s tax rate. It has now been lowered more because of our collection rate. The new proposed tax rate is at $0.5481 cents per $100 valuation, which is what I’m proposing to adopt,” said Saucedo. Saucedo stated that the new tax rate should be set at a lower rate than initially anticipated.   The 2014-2015 fiscal year tax rate public hearing was closed without further comments by anyone.

Commissioners Court are expected to set the new 2014-2015 fiscal year budget and tax rate before the September 29, 2014 deadline, possibly at a scheduled special meeting on September 25, 2014 at 5 P.M.

During the special meeting agenda, Commissioners Court unanimously approved to open and advertise for proposals for depositary bank services for the county and to advertise for proposals for food services at the Maverick County Detention Center.

Commissioners Court also unanimously approved the transfer of funds from the County Judge’s office for the purchase of furniture for the Emergency Operation Center in the amount of $3,500.

Emergency Operation Center Director Polo Vielma stated these funds are to be used for the partial purchase of furniture for the Emergency Operation Center at the Radar Base which was constructed this year under a Middle Rio Grande Development Council grant. “We are currently working with the Middle Rio Grande Development Council for some additional funds to put in conference tables,” said Vielma. “The Middle Rio Grande Development Council are the ones that worked on that project and they are requiring us to furnish it now. They are the ones who handled that grant,” said Judge Saucedo.

Commissioners Court will hold another special meeting on Thursday, September 25th, at 5 P.M. to tackle discussion and possible approval of the 2014-2015 fiscal year budget and establish the ad valorem property tax rate as well as other important agenda items.