City Council wrangles with City’s 2015-2016 proposed budget of $20 Million
By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2015
The Eagle Pass City Council continues to review and wrangle with its proposed fiscal year 2015-2016 budget of $20 Million at its Budget Workshop held on Tuesday, August 25, 2015, particularly with the creation of new positions within the City Administration and the increased cost of funding these new positions.
The proposed City of Eagle Pass fiscal year 2015-2016 operating budget is almost $20 Million.
Originally, the City Council was contemplating of increasing the City’s tax rate by almost six cents, but citizens vocal opposition and outcry has caused the City Council to scale back on the proposed tax rate increase from six cents to approximately 3.9 cents per $100 valuation.
Among changes to be seen in the new budget is a potential increase in revenues stemming from the potential INS tax rate increase of $0.39 cents per $100 valuation while deciding not to increase the Maintenance and Operations Tax rate.
Most noticeable in the proposed $20 Million City Budget is the creation of 11 new employee positions within City Administration at a cost of over $600,000. The proposed new positions include a Grants Administrator, an Economic Development Director, an Information Technology Department Director, an Assistant Police Chief, a Police Patrol Division Lieutenant, two Police Officers, a Sanitation Department employee, two Golf Course employees, and an Administrative Clerk.
During discussion, City Finance Director San Juana Garza presented City Council with a draft of the proposed 2015-2016 fiscal year budget, including a list of proposed new positions which have been requested by the different departments within the City.
Garza presented City Council a proposal for a full-time Grants Administrator position.
“Right now, we pay $2,000 a month for that contracted position,” said Garza.
“Councilwoman Gloria E. Hernandez queried Garza; “How many grants are we dealing with, right now?”
“The grants that we have presently have, none of them have come through this contracted individual,” replied Garza.
Councilwoman Yolanda P. Ramon questioned Garza further.
“So, you’re telling me that we’re paying an individual $2,000 a month to write grants and we have not had any grants written by him?,” asked Ramon.
“Correct, not right now, maybe in the previous years, but not the ones that we’re dealing with right now,” replied Garza.
Garza recommended hiring a person solely dedicated to serving the City of Eagle Pass as a Grant Writer would make more economical sense than hiring an Independent Contractor.
City Council members frowned at the suggestion and additional cost of hiring a new city employee as Grants Writer. “I don’t think this is a necessary position,” said Councilwoman Hernandez.
Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey English Cantu raised the issue how earlier this year the City was at the verge of losing important funding for the Police Department due to a lack of oversight on city grants by a person solely responsible for these grants. Cantu noted that if a person solely responsible for grants would have been available, the City would not have almost lost a large state grant. Eagle Pass Interim City Manager Hector Chavez concurred with Cantu. “A full time grants administrator is needed to make sure that all the departments are covered,” said Chavez.
“In my view, this is not a position that we need. If there have been times when we almost missed deadlines, it’s somebody’s lack of managing the time of everybody else because we have plenty of people here.” said Hernandez.
Garza stated that they just want to be more active in searching for grants and that the position would pay for itself.
“We just keep growing,” said Hernandez.
Garza presented City Council other new positions needed by the City and proposed in the budget.
“The other position is in the Information Technology Department. We currently only have one employee. We have been advertising for a manager in the past. Even if we have three full time employees may not be enough. We really need to beef up on I.T. Also, the Planning Department has two positions; one is an administrative clerk and an Economic Development Manager,” added Garza.
Garza advised City Council that the Economic Development Director position would also promote the International Center for Trade for conventions, events, and tourism.
Garza also presented an Assistant Police Chief position, a patrol division lieutenant, and two new police officers positions.
Garza added that the Sanitation Department is seeking to hire on an employee due to an overload of work that is currently generating overtime hours for the existing employees among other issues that leave the department short- handed.
“Under, the ICT building, a Custodian as well as an ICT Director are needed. These last two are the positions being proposed to be added at the Golf Course,” said Garza.
“So out of the $452,000 that we’re still looking to balance the budget,$601,000 of that is already including these positions,” said Garza.
“You all added more than half a million dollars in positions that did not exist today,” said Hernandez.
“In some areas, we do need too,” replied Garza.
“I don’t have a problem with the workers when you need a police officer, grounds keeper but this other- grant administrator, assistant police chief, I thought that was a lieutenant, Economic Development Manager, they’re very high priced tags on them.” said Hernandez.
Garza stated that if the City wants to bring and attract more businesses then the Economic Development Director position is vital.
Mayor Cantu stated that the Economic Development Manager position is an essential part of the plans under the Retail Recruitment Study and Plan conducted and approved by the city.
“I think if we’re going to be investing in plans, there needs to be someone who is going to be following through with it in having the full implementation and they can sell the city,” said Mayor Cantu.
“if the city is going to be serious on actually wanting to have thing happen with the development of our community , we need to have it. We need to start somewhere and this is where I believe we need to move forward on getting that side that is actually going to happen,” said Cantu.
“I think that if we’re going to be sending a message out to the community, you know what we’re investing an x amount of dollars into a retail plan, that is going to recruit business into the area. We just need to make sure that we follow through,” added Cantu.
City Council is scheduled to adopt and approve both the final 2015-2016 operating budget and tax rate on or before September 15,2015.
