City of Eagle Pass facing $1.2 Million Budget Deficit for 2015-2016 Fiscal Year

By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2015

The Eagle Pass City Council approved the first reading of an Ordinance adopting the 2015-2016 fiscal year budget for the City of Eagle Pass, Texas, at their regular meeting held on Tuesday, August 4, 2015, reflecting a $1.2 Million deficit for now.

Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey English Cantu opened up discussion on Agenda Item No.6 which called for consideration and possible approval of an Ordinance approving and adopting the budget of the City of Eagle Pass, Texas for the 2015-2016 fiscal year; finding that the meeting at which this ordinance is passed is open to the public as required by law; providing a sever-ability clause; and establishing an effective date.

During discussion, Eagle Pass City Manager Gloria Barrientos stated that the proposed budget is for the time period from October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016.

“This is the first review of the budget and will have another two readings before approval,” advised Barrientos to City Council.

Mayor Cantu asked Barrientos to disclose the total amount of the proposed 2015-2016 City of Eagle Pass fiscal year budget.

“It is at $19 Million for revenues and over $20 Million in expenditures. We have a deficit of $1.2 million and that is what was presented at our workshop,” said Barrientos. This means that since the budget workshop was held, administration has not reduced the $1.2 Million budget deficit before presenting it to City Council at their August 4, 2015 meeting.

Mayor Cantu asked if City Council had any questions or changes on the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Sadly, there were no comments or questions asked by any City Council member questioning the $1.2 deficit in the proposed budget.

Mayor Cantu opened the meeting for comments from the public on the proposed annual budget for the City of Eagle Pass, which regrettably had no public comments from any citizen in the audience in attendance, allowing City Council and Administration carte blanche power to do as they wish with the proposed 2015-2016 fiscal year budget. The lack of any Eagle Pass taxpayer making any public comments does not necessarily mean that Eagle Pass taxpayers approve of the proposed budget and tax rate increase. It just means that Eagle Pass taxpayers have grown frustrated and lackadaisical over the past years that their public comments are not taken into consideration by City Council and Administration as they regularly approve the inflated budgets and tax rate increases anyway despite their public comments.

Mayor Cantu explained and gave a rundown of the process and that there will be a formal approval of the budget set with a formal public hearing on the proposed budget being sought for the City of Eagle Pass on September 15, 2015.

Being no public comments, Mayor Cantu closed down the public comment on the first reading of the 2015-2016 proposed budget with a current $1.2 Million deficit under agenda item No.6.

Mayor Cantu called for a vote on the first reading of 2015-2016 proposed budget with the $1.2 Million deficit and not surprisingly the City Council unanimously approved the first reading.

The Eagle Pass City Council and Administration vowed to work through the budgetary process in order to have a balanced budget ready for approval by September 15, 2015 and meet the budget setting deadlines to provide a 2015-2016 fiscal year budget for the City of Eagle Pass.