Sep 06, 2022 Special City Council

[00:00:03]

OKAY, IT'S 6:01.

[CALL TO ORDER/GENERAL COMMENTS]

IT'S TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2022.

WE HAVE AN EXCITING EVENING IN STORE FOR US, BUT FIRST, LET'S HAND IT OFF TO MICHAEL WELLS FOR THE INAUGURATION

[INAUGURATION OF NEWLY ELECTED OFFICIAL]

YES, SIR. [INAUDIBLE] IF YOU WILL COME UP HERE, AND WE WILL START WITH YOUR STATEMENT OF ELECTED OR APPOINTED OFFICER.

SO IF YOU'LL RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND, DO YOU SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM THAT YOU HAVE NOT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY PAID OFFERED PROMISE TO PAY, CONTRIBUTED OR PROMISE TO CONTRIBUTE ANY MONEY OR A THING OF VALUE OR PROMISE ANY PUBLIC OFFICE OR EMPLOYMENT FOR THE GIVING OR WITHHOLDING A VOTE AT THE ELECTION AT WHICH YOU WERE ELECTED? OR [INAUDIBLE] TO SECURE YOUR APPOINTMENT OR CONFIRMATION, WHICHEVER THE CASE MAY BE, SO HELP YOU GOD? I DO. AND NOW YOUR OATH OF OFFICE.

DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM THAT YOU WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER PLACE ONE THE CITY OF BEDFORD, TEXAS, AND WILL TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION AND LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES, THE STATE OF TEXAS AND THE CITY OF BEDFORD SO HELP YOU GOD? I DO. CONGRATULATIONS. [APPLAUSE] [INAUDIBLE] ANY DAY, NICHELLE. [LAUGHTER] OKAY, WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF RULES.

WE ALWAYS LET GAGLIARDI MAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN.

[CHUCKLING] SOMETIMES WE HONOR IT.

SOMETIMES WE DON'T.

OKAY, SO NEXT UP, LET'S START OUR SPECIAL SESSION.

[1. Public hearing on the annual budget for the City of Bedford, Texas for the fiscal period of October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023; levying taxes for 2022 tax year.]

I GIVE YOU CITY MANAGER JIMMY STATHATOS.

THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, COUNCIL.

WE'LL FOCUS ON THE FIRST ONE RIGHT NOW.

IT'S FOR THE BUDGET.

I'LL ASK THAT KAREN, IF YOU CAN COME FORWARD, PLEASE.

KAREN, OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER AND FINANCE GURU.

THE BUDGET THAT IS BEFORE YOU, WE FEEL, IS A VERY FRUGAL ALLOCATION OF THE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES TAX DOLLARS.

WE FEEL THAT IT GOES A LONG WAY IN PROVIDING THE CORE SERVICES THAT OUR RESIDENTS EXPECT AND THAT THEY'VE REQUESTED, AND IT HELPS PROVIDE FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY AND DIFFERENT QUALITY OF LIFE ITEMS THAT, AGAIN, THROUGH COUNCIL'S VISION, THROUGH SURVEYS AND FEEDBACK FROM FROM THE RESIDENTS IS EXPECTED , AND SO AT THIS TIME, KAREN, IF YOU CAN GIVE UNLESS THE MAYOR OR COUNCIL DISAGREES, KIND OF A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR.

MEG! MEG'S NOT HERE. YOU'RE STUCK WITH ME.

[CHUCKLING] OKAY, COUNCIL, DO YOU ALL HAVE ANY OBJECTIONS TO THAT? OKAY, KAREN, HAVE FUN.

SO, IT'S BASICALLY THE SAME PRESENTATION WE GAVE AT THE WORKSHOP.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE CONDENSED.

WE'RE GOING TO GO KIND OF HIGH LEVEL, AND IT'S KIND OF A TWO FOLD PRESENTATION ON BOTH THE BUDGET AND THE TAX RATE SO WE CAN PAUSE IF WE NEED TO. SO THE BUDGET PROCESS, WE TYPICALLY BEGAN IN MARCH AS WE'RE REVIEWING EVERYONE'S MINIATURES WHERE THEY ARE FOR THE YEAR WITH DEPARTMENTS GO THROUGH AND GIVE US THEIR HOW THEY ANTICIPATE ENDING THE FISCAL YEAR, AND THEN WE MEET WITH THE CITY MANAGER.

THE DEPARTMENTS LOOK AT IT AGAIN AND THAT'S HOW WE GET TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET THAT GETS PRESENTED TO YOU IN JULY, AND THEN WE YOU ADOPT THE BUDGET IN THE SEPTEMBER.

THE BUDGET PROCESS STARTS AGAIN IN OCTOBER WHEN THE BUDGET IS FISCAL YEAR ROLLS OVER AND THEN WE HAVE A FEW MONTHS OF REPRIEVE WHEN WE'RE DOING THE AUDIT.

SO IT PRETTY MUCH IS A YEAR ROUND PROCESS.

SO THE TAX RATE THAT IS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS 0.495726, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT IS THE LOWEST TAX RATE WE HAVE HAD SINCE 2017, AND I'LL GET INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE WHEN WE GET INTO THE TAX RATE CALCULATION, WHY WE'RE IN THAT POSITION THIS YEAR.

[00:05:01]

SO WE'RE IN A REALLY GOOD POSITION WHERE OUR REVENUES ARE ABOVE OUR EXPENDITURES.

YOU NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR REVENUES DIP BELOW YOUR EXPENDITURES BECAUSE IN YOUR DIPPING INTO YOUR RESERVES NOW, YOU CAN DIP INTO RESERVES FOR ONE TIME CAPITAL PROJECTS, BUT YOU DON'T WANT THAT TO BE AN ONGOING TREND AND PAYING YOUR OPERATIONS OUT OF YOUR FUND BALANCE.

SO THIS JUST IS A REALLY GOOD SLIDE JUST TO KIND OF SHOW YOU.

YOU CAN SEE IN 16-17, OUR EXPENDITURES WERE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN REVENUES THAT YEAR, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WE'VE BEEN IN A REALLY GOOD TREND IN THE POSITIVE DIRECTION.

THIS IS THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST.

AGAIN, IT'S JUST KIND OF SHOWING THE TREND.

WE WENT OVER THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST AT THE BUDGET WORKSHOP AND THAT'S BASICALLY JUST PUTTING THAT TREND INTO A GRAPH FORMAT SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE REVENUES OR PROJECTED EXPENDITURES ARE PROJECTED AND THEN THE FUND BALANCE THAT'S JUST SHOWING YOU THAT PERCENTAGE.

SO BY POLICY IN THE GENERAL FUND, WE WANT TO HAVE A 20% FUND BALANCE OF YOUR EXPENDITURES.

SO WE'RE IN A REALLY GOOD PLACE.

SALES TAX, NOW, THIS HASN'T CHANGED BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN UPDATED SALES TAX NUMBERS SINCE WE PRESENTED TO YOU AT THE WORKSHOP.

SO BUT AGAIN, WE'RE IN A REALLY GOOD PLACE.

AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR WE WERE 9.8 MILLION IN SALES TAX AND THIS YEAR WERE A 11.3.

SO WE'RE DOING REALLY WELL ON A SALES TAX TREND, AND FOR YEAR END PROJECTIONS, WE WERE RELATIVELY CONSERVATIVE.

WE PUT 5% FOR THE REMAINING MONTHS.

I THINK WE'RE GOING TO COME IN HIGHER THAN THAT, BUT WE STILL WANT IT TO BE A CONSERVATIVE APPROACH AND THEN WE TOOK FOR YOUR 23 BUDGET, WE TOOK WHAT WE WERE ESTIMATING FOR 22 AND ADDED 3% TO COME UP WHAT WE PUT INTO THE BUDGET FOR FY 23 FOR SALES TAX. SO THESE ARE THE TOTAL REVENUES BY FUND, AND SO YOUR GENERAL FUND IS TYPICALLY GOING TO BE YOUR LARGER FUND WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT CITY GOVERNMENT. SO HERE OUT OF OUR ENTIRE BUDGET, THE GENERAL FUND MAKES OF ABOUT 50%.

THE SECOND ONE IS GOING TO BE YOUR WATER SEWER FUND, AND THEN WE'VE GOT YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SEE YOU'VE GOT STORMWATER FUND AT YOUR 2% DEBT SERVICE IS ABOUT 8%.

SMALLER FUNDS MAKE UP ABOUT 3%, BUT THESE ARE YOUR ALL OF YOUR FUNDS THAT MAKE UP YOUR BUDGET.

EXPENDITURES BY CLASSIFICATION.

AGAIN, THESE ARE TOTAL EXPENDITURES, SO YOUR PERSONNEL MAKES UP A GOOD CHUNK.

IT'S ABOUT 43% OF THE OVERALL BUDGET.

NEXT UP IS GOING TO BE YOUR DEBT SERVICE AND TRANSFERS, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE ACROSS NOT ONLY THE DEBT SERVICE FUND, BUT ALSO IN THE WATER SEWER FUND AS WELL.

THESE ARE ALL FUNDS AND CONTRACTUAL SERVICES IS ABOUT 13%.

GENERAL FUND REVENUES DIDN'T CHANGE FROM WHAT WE PROJECTED OR WHAT WE PRESENTED TO YOU AT THE PROPOSED WORKSHOP.

THE ONE THING THAT DID CHANGE ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE WAS COUNCILMEMBER STEVES ASKED ABOUT ADDING IN THAT PART TIME PD POSITION, AND SO THAT HAS BEEN ADDED INTO THESE NUMBERS.

SO THAT IS REFLECTIVE HERE.

MAYOR, YOU DID ASK ABOUT A $5 PER MONTH DECREASE ON OUR MEMBERSHIP DUES FOR RESIDENTS.

THAT'S NOT IN THESE NUMBERS, BUT BASED ON WHAT WHAT WE'RE ESTIMATING AND IT ALL IS GOING TO DEPEND ON WHO PARTICIPATES.

IT'S GOING TO BE IN ABOUT $85,000.

YEAH, THAT'S WITH RESPECT TO THE DUES TO THE NEW CENTER.

CORRECT. CORRECT.

CORRECT, AND I KIND OF DID SOME ROUGH CALCULATIONS.

IF WE PUT THAT 85,000 IN HERE, WE WOULD STILL BE ABOUT 20.14% IN FUND BALANCE REQUIREMENTS RESERVES. SO WE'D STILL BE IN A GOOD POSITION.

SO JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT.

DEBT SERVICE FUND. THIS, AGAIN, IS EXACTLY AS WE PRESENTED TO YOU AT THE WORKSHOP.

THESE ARE OUR DEBT SERVICE REQUIREMENTS BASED ON THE CURRENT DEBT WE HAVE ON THE BOOKS TODAY.

THIS SLIDE JUST ILLUSTRATES THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEBT.

SO THE DARK GRAY IS YOUR GENERAL.

THEN YOU'VE GOT YOUR LIGHTER GRAY, WHICH IS WATER, SEWER, STORM WATER AND SIEDC, AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT AT THE BUDGET WORKSHOP IS YOU'LL NOTICE 25-26, THE GENERAL DEBT DECREASES PRETTY SIGNIFICANTLY, AND SO THAT'LL GIVE US SOME CAPACITY FOR FUTURE CAPITAL PROJECTS.

SO THIS IS THE STREET I ALWAYS SIEDC FUND I ALWAYS GET TONGUE TIED WHEN I TRY TO ACTUALLY SAY IT.

I SHOULD JUST SAY 4B AND KEEP IT SIMPLE.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT AT THE BUDGET WORKSHOP WAS WHENEVER WE ARE PROJECTING EXPENDITURES MORE THAN REVENUES, I KIND OF WANT TO BREAK IT OUT SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S FOR ONE TIME ITEMS AND NOT FOR OPERATIONS AND SO THAT'S WHY I BROKE THIS SLIDE OUT THIS WAY.

[00:10:01]

SO THAT'S WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE THAT IN THAT COLUMN SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THAT BREAKOUT , AND AGAIN, WE'RE ALSO STILL ABOVE THE FUND BALANCE REQUIREMENT IN THIS FUND AS WELL.

SO THIS FUND IS DOING REALLY WELL.

THIS IS THE TOURISM FUND.

NOTHING'S CHANGED FROM OUR BUDGET WORKSHOP.

SO THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY IS ABOUT 1.1 MILLION, AND THEN THE OTHER ITEMS ARE SMALL, LITTLE ANCILLARY REVENUES IN THAT FUND.

THE NUMBERS DO INCLUDE THE CULTURAL ART ASSISTANT POSITION IN THIS FUND TO HELP KRISSI WITH HER SPECIAL EVENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO THIS IS THE WATER SEWER FUND.

THIS DIDN'T CHANGE EITHER FROM THE BUDGET WORKSHOP, BUT IF YOU'LL REMEMBER CORRECTLY, WE HAD A CHANGE IN THE RATES AND WE WANTED TO SHOW YOU THAT THIS IS BASED ON THE PRESENTATION THAT CHRIS WITH [INAUDIBLE] GAVE YOU GUYS I GUESS IT WAS TWO WEEKS AGO, THOSE RATES THAT HE PROPOSED ARE WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THESE NUMBERS.

SO AND WHAT'S DRIVING THIS IS PRIMARILY THE PASS THROUGH FROM TRA FOR BOTH WATER AND SEWER AND THIS IS KIND OF JUST ILLUSTRATING.

SO CURRENTLY WE'RE AT 20.23 PER MONTH AS A BASE RATE AND PROPOSED IS 20.70 PER MONTH ON WATER AND THEN ON THE SENIOR RATE GOES FROM 18.39 TO 18.81, AND THEN THE VOLUMETRIC RATE ALSO CHANGES, AND AGAIN, THAT'S COMING FROM TRA.

THEY'RE COMING BACK WITH ALMOST A 16% INCREASE IN THEIR WATER ALLOCATION, AND THEN ON THE WASTEWATER SIDE, YOU'LL SEE A SLIGHT INCREASE ON THAT BASE RATE AND VOLUMETRIC RATE AS WELL, AND AGAIN, IT'S TRA IS COMING IN AT A 7.1% INCREASE ON THEIR WASTEWATER ALLOCATION.

STORMWATER FUND. NO CHANGES FROM THE BUDGET WORKSHOP.

NOW I'M GOING TO CONTRADICT MYSELF BECAUSE DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION, MAYOR? WOULD YOU EXPLAIN WHY THEY'RE INCREASING THEIR BUDGET? TRA, IT'S ACTUALLY A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT ARE DRIVING THAT THEIR SUPPLIES ARE GOING THROUGH THE ROOF.

I WANT TO SAY THEIR CHEMICAL PRICES INCREASED, I THINK 2,000%, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, AND THEN I THINK THEY'VE GOT SOME CAPITAL PROJECTS COMING DOWN THE WAY AS WELL.

YES, SO HERE'S WHERE I CONTRADICT MYSELF, BECAUSE IF YOU'LL REMEMBER ON THE 4B BUDGET, I ALWAYS LIKE TO POINT OUT A SEPARATE PIECE AND PULL OUT WHY WE'RE HAVING MORE EXPENSES THAN REVENUES, AND I DIDN'T DO IT ON THIS SLIDE AND I APOLOGIZE.

SO INCLUDED IN THAT 2.4 IN EXPENDITURES IS TO CAPITAL PROJECTS.

IT'S COMING FROM FUND BALANCE, AND LET'S SEE.

IT IS A SYSTEM WIDE DRAINAGE STUDY FOR 500,000 AND A SULFUR BRANCH, CULVERT IMPROVEMENT FOR 330,000.

SO WHEN YOU PULL THOSE OUT OF THAT 2.6, YOUR REVENUES ARE HIGHER THAN YOUR EXPENDITURES.

SO I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT MAKING THAT MORE CLEAR.

NO CHANGES, NO RECOMMENDED CHANGES TO THE STORM WATER RATES.

NOW DO WE WANT TO PAUSE OR DO YOU WANT ME TO GO INTO THE TAX RATE PRESENTATION? OKAY, YOU WANT TO PAUSE? SURE. PAUSE.

PAUSE OKAY, ANYONE, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COUNCIL COUNCILMEMBER DAWKINS.

YAY! THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, WHEN IT COMES TO THE MEMBERSHIP FEES FOR THE YMCA, THE WEBSITE HAS SOME PROPOSED FEES IN THIS CHART WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT THE YMCA MONTHLY RATES, THOSE ARE THE PROPOSED FEES PRIOR TO US RECOMMENDING $5 PER MONTH.

YEAH, WE HAVEN'T FINALIZED THOSE FEES.

CORRECT. OKAY, BUT WOULD IT BE SAFE TO ASSUME THAT IT WOULD BE $5 OFF OF WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING? OKAY, AND THEN WHEN IT COMES TO THIS BUDGET, THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT HAD BEEN OUTSTANDING, LIKE THE COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN. DOES THIS BUDGET CONSIDER THAT? I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN.

I'LL LOOK INTO THAT FOR YOU. WE HAVE THOSE FUNDS IN THE CURRENT BUDGET, SO I'M SURE WE CAN ENCUMBER THOSE OVER, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S OUTLINED SPECIFICALLY.

OKAY, AND THEN ANY OTHER THINGS LIKE THE CITIZENS ACADEMY? WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD CONSIDER IN THIS BUDGET?

[00:15:01]

SO WHEN WE LET ME FOLLOW UP ON WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

SO LAST YEAR, WHEN WE HAD A STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION, WE IDENTIFIED THE POSSIBILITY THAT WE COULD CREATE SOMETHING OF A BEDFORD 101 CITIZENS ACADEMY SIMILAR TO WHAT SOME OTHER CITIES ARE DOING.

I THINK WE WERE ALL KIND OF IN AGREEMENT.

WE LIKED THE IDEA OF DOING THAT.

I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT INCURRING ANY COSTS THERE.

NO, SIR. I'LL FINISH AFTER YOU FINISH.

I APOLOGIZE. FINISHED.

[CHUCKLING] OKAY, THANK YOU. I WAS PAUSING.

NO, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT, MAYOR. THERE WILL NOT BE AN ADDITIONAL COST, AND IF THERE IS FOR ANY OF THE MATERIALS FOR OUR RESIDENTS OR WHAT HAVE YOU, IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN ABSORB AND WE WANT TO KICK THAT OFF IN JANUARY.

THE BIGGEST HOLDUP HAS BEEN CANDIDLY HAVING THE STAFFING CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO PUT OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD, BUT JANUARY IS WHEN WE'RE LOOKING TO KICK IT OFF.

SO AND THAT WAS THE RATIONALE OF MY QUESTION WAS THE STAFFING LEVELS.

IF WE'RE STAFFED APPROPRIATELY TO IN OUR BUDGET TO CONSIDER HOSTING A CITIZENS ACADEMY? YES, MA'AM, WE ARE.

OKAY, AND THEN BASED OFF OF THE WORK SESSION WE TALKED ABOUT, THE COUNCILMAN STEVES BROUGHT UP THE ANIMAL SHELTER.

SO WE'RE NOT CONSIDERING ANY FUNDING TO FIX OR EXPAND IT IN THIS BUDGET.

I'LL LET CITY MANAGER SPEAK ON THAT.

WE'RE DOING AN RFP TO HAVE AN ARCHITECT LOOK AT THAT SPACE AND THEN ALSO THE OLD JAIL SPACE, AND THAT WILL BE FORTHCOMING THROUGH AN ARPA REQUEST.

SO IT WILL BE A SEPARATE FUND OUTSIDE THE BUDGET, AND I'M JUST GOING TO ADD TWO CENTS TO THAT.

I THINK THAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE CONVERSATION THAT WE NEED TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND LOOK AT WHAT KIND OF OPTIONS WE HAVE AVAILABLE.

IT'S ONE OF THOSE SCENARIOS WHERE WE NEED TO LOOK AT HOW WE CAN DO THAT WELL, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE TAKEN THE TIME IN THE PAST TO DO THAT, BUT NOW IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO IT.

WE RECOGNIZE WHAT WE HAVE.

WE RECOGNIZE WHAT STAFF IS CAPABLE OF DOING NOW.

SO IT'S KIND OF AN APPROPRIATE TIME FOR US TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION HERE PRETTY SOON.

ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS, KEN, LET ME PIGGYBACK COUNCILMEMBER DAWKINS' QUESTIONS.

STAFF-WISE, WE HAVE 25 UNFILLED FTES, IS THAT CORRECT? WE'VE ACTUALLY ELIMINATED 25 IN THE LAST TWO YEARS AND THEN ELIMINATED 15 PART TIME.

SO 40 TOTAL. SO WE STILL HAVE UNFILLED POSITIONS AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW.

YES, SIR, WE DO.

DO WE ANTICIPATE FILLING ALL THOSE OR ARE YOU TRYING TO GENERATE ANY SAVINGS FROM SOME OF THOSE? WE HAVE WE WANT TO GENERATE SOME SAVINGS BY MAYBE WAITING TO FILL SOME OF THEM, BUT THERE'S NOT AS MANY THERE ARE SEVERAL FROZEN THAT WE'RE NOT ASKING TO HAVE FUNDED THOUGH.

THE SAVINGS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WASN'T IT 40 POSITIONS OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS.

YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE WE UN-HIT PAUSE? NO.

THANK YOU, MAYOR. OKAY, ABOUT THE TAX RATE, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S PRETTY STAGGERING AND YOU KIND OF FORESHADOWED, BUT IF YOU LOOK IF YOU PUT IN PERSPECTIVE, THE TAX RATE THAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS ABOUT A TEN AND A HALF PERCENT DECREASE, GIVE OR TAKE, AND IF YOU LOOK AT IT, THAT RATE IS THE LOWEST IT'S BEEN IN SEVERAL YEARS.

IN FACT, THAT TAX RATE IS ACTUALLY LOWER THAN WHAT THE IT'S BACK TO WHERE THE TAX RATE WAS BEFORE THE RESIDENT THE VOTERS APPROVED ISSUING DEBT FOR GENERATIONS PARK.

SO THE IRONY IS OUR TAX RATES ARE GOING TO BE BACK TO THAT LEVEL RIGHT BEFORE GENERATIONS PARK OPENS, AND SO I THINK THAT'S KIND OF COOL AND I WISH WE COULD SAY WE PLANNED THAT, BUT IT'S A FLUKE, BUT THAT BEING SAID, WE WANTED TO COME--I DISAGREE.

WELL, I MEANT I DIDN'T PLAN IT.

I KNOW YOU DID. [LAUGHTER] OH, WELL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO STEAL YOUR THUNDER.

GOOD JOB, MAYOR. YEAH, GOOD JOB, MAYOR.

MY REVIEW'S COMING UP.

IT'S ALL YOU, MAN; IT'S ALL YOU. [LAUGHTER] BUT SERIOUSLY, IT'S A HUGE DEAL BECAUSE WHILE YOU KNOW, I KNOW KAREN I'LL TALK ABOUT THERE WERE SOME THINGS LIKE OUR HEALTHY SALES TAX, YOU KNOW, COLLECTIONS, APPRAISALS, THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT APPLIED SOME PRESSURE TO REDUCE THE TAX RATE BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF CITIES THAT ARE NOT REDUCING THE TAX RATE AT THE SAME LEVEL THAT BEDFORD IS, AND SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE AND POINT THAT OUT, BECAUSE WE'RE DOING THAT WHILE WE'RE ALSO PROVIDING THE SAME LEVEL OF SERVICES, ACTUALLY ENHANCED SERVICES, AND SO WE'RE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT IT.

SO THAT'S WHY I WANT TO SEPARATE IT OUT.

BUT WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, I MEAN, I WANT TO GIVE CREDIT TO STAFF BECAUSE WE'VE TAKEN OPPORTUNITIES TO FIND SAVINGS IN EVERYDAY EVENTS.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE TAKEN A LOOK AT VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS.

WE FOUND SAVINGS THOSE DEPARTMENTS BY DOING REALIGNMENTS THERE.

WE'VE ALSO TAKEN ANY DEBT SERVICE THAT WE'VE HAD.

WE'VE REFINANCED EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO FIND SAVINGS THERE.

SO WE FOUND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN SAVINGS OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS AND WE'RE SEEING THE BENEFIT OF IT IN THIS BUDGET.

THANK YOU, SIR.

WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT ME TO SAY ON YOUR BEHALF? OH, NO, WILL YOU TURN THE PAGE OVER? THANK YOU, MAYOR. ALL RIGHT, ANYTHING ELSE, GUYS? OKAY, KAREN, PLEASE CONTINUE.

OKAY, SO UN-PAUSE, PLEASE.

[00:20:06]

SO WHEN WE RAN THE TAX RATE CALCULATIONS, WE CAME UP WITH THE NUMBERS.

THE WAY THE NUMBERS WERE WORKING OUT WAS THAT THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE CAME IN LOWER THAN THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE, AND THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE IS THE HIGHEST RATE THAT WE CAN ADOPT WITHOUT GOING TO AN ELECTION, AND SO WHAT IS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS THAT VOTER APPROVAL RATE AT 0.495726, WHICH IS A REDUCTION FROM THE CURRENT TAX RATE OF 0.552.

SO THIS JUST KIND OF BREAKS IT OUT BETWEEN MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS, WHICH IS YOUR GENERAL FUND SIDE AND THEN I&S, WHICH IS YOUR DEBT SERVICE SIDE, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S A 5% REDUCTION ON THE GENERAL FUND SIDE, M&O SIDE AND THEN A 22% ON THAT DEBT SERVICE RATE FOR A TOTAL OF ABOUT A LITTLE OVER $0.05.

SO THIS JUST SHOWS YOU ALSO ON OUR AVERAGE HOME TAXPAYER.

SO OUR AVERAGE HOME BUYER, I CANNOT SPEAK.

I AM SO SORRY. YOUR AVERAGE HOME VALUE INCREASED FROM 21-22 TO 22-23 FROM 240 TO 265.

SO ON YOUR AVERAGE HOMEOWNER, YOU CAN SEE THAT IS A SLIGHT DECREASE OF ABOUT A DOLLAR A MONTH OR ROUGHLY $10, $12 FOR THE YEAR.

NOW, THE BOTTOM PART SHOWS WHEN A OVER 65 CAME ON THE ROLL LAST YEAR, WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE PAID VERSUS IF THEY CAME ON THE ROLL THIS YEAR FOR THEIR FIRST TIME, WHAT THEY WOULD PAY, AND SO THE REASON WHY YOU'RE SEEING THAT SLIGHT INCREASE IS OBVIOUSLY THE VALUE, THE AVERAGE HOME VALUE INCREASED.

YES? KAREN, HOW HAVE WE INCREASED IN OVER 65 OUR FROZEN TAX RATE? ARE WE GROWING AT AN ALARMING RATE WITH THE--NEW HOUSEHOLD.

THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.

SO, WE SAW A SLIGHT INCREASE AND IT LOOKS LIKE ON THE ROLL FOR LAST YEAR, THE 21 ROLL, IT WAS A LITTLE OVER 4400, AND THE COUNT FOR THIS YEAR IS 4569.

SO IT'S ABOUT 100.

YEAH, BECAUSE THERE WAS A TIME SEVERAL YEARS BACK WHERE WE WERE, YOU MAY HAVE BEEN ON WHERE WE WERE BEING TOLD TO ANTICIPATE 15% INCREASES A YEAR.

WOW. WOW.

BACK IN THE OLD DAYS.

SO THIS JUST BREAKS DOWN ON YOUR AVERAGE HOME VALUE.

OUR AVERAGE TAXPAYER ON A MONTHLY BASIS WHAT THAT TAX DOLLARS GO TO.

SO YOU CAN SEE ON A MONTHLY BASIS, IT'S A LITTLE OVER $109 AND THAT'S $32 TO POLICE, $23 TO FIRE, $4 TO STREETS AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.

SO I REALLY LIKE THIS GRAPHIC BECAUSE IT KIND OF JUST SHOWS YOU YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK ON A MONTHLY BASIS, WHAT YOU'RE PAYING FOR, AND THEN THAT'S THE END OF MY PRESENTATION. I KIND OF WENT REALLY QUICK.

OKAY, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BEFORE WE OPEN A PUBLIC HEARING? JIMMY, DO YOU HAVE ANY FINAL THOUGHTS? NO, SIR, I DON'T.

THANK YOU. I KNOW THE THRONGS OF PEOPLE IN OUR AUDIENCE HAVE A TON OF COMMENTS, SO I'M GOING TO OPEN UP THE PUBLIC HEARING AT 6:24.

[CHUCKLING] SO I DO WANT TO SAY THAT BUDGET YOU TALKED ABOUT STARTING IN MARCH AND OBVIOUSLY ALL CREDIT TO THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT AND ALL YOUR FOLKS OVER THERE, YOU DID A TREMENDOUS JOB.

YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCES IN THE TWEAKS THAT YOU'VE BEEN MAKING AND IT'S VERY MUCH APPRECIATIVE AND VERY HELPFUL TO US, I KNOW, ON COUNCIL.

ALSO THANK YOU TO ALL THE DEPARTMENTS WHO'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR MONTHS.

YOU CAN REALLY SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN US TALKING ABOUT NEEDS AND WANTS.

WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE REALLY FOCUSED ON NEEDS WITH A COUPLE OF WANTS, WHEREAS THAT HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE.

NOT JUST US, BUT OTHER CITIES AS WELL.

SO I REALLY LOVE HOW OUR ORGANIZATION IS KEEN ON CUSTOMER SERVICE AND BEING A QUALITY ORGANIZATION AND HOW WE'RE FOCUSED ON MANAGING MONEY AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE. SO I THINK THIS BUDGET REFLECTS THAT.

SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU.

GIVEN THAT NO ONE WILL STAND UP TO THE DAIS AND SAY ANYTHING.

OKAY, I'M GOING TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.

6:25.

NO, SIR, WE JUST HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE TAX RATE AFTER THIS.

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO ITEM TWO PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE PROPOSED 2020 TAX RATE? I CAN GO BACK THROUGH THE SLIDES.

[CHUCKLING] OKAY, COUNCIL, ANY THOUGHTS BEFORE WE OPEN A PUBLIC HEARING FOR THAT? 6:26 LET'S OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSED TAX RATE.

[2. Public hearing to consider the proposed 2022 tax rate.]

[00:25:06]

IT WAS REALLY NICE WEATHER.

MY GRASS IS REALLY GREEN, TOO.

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU ALL. IT'S A LITTLE HIGH.

YEAH. YEAH. STOP COMING BY MY HOUSE, FARGO! [CHUCKLING] ANYONE ELSE? LET'S WAIT FOR THE CLOCK TO HIT 6:27.

OH, I HAVE SOMETHING. COME ON UP! COME ON, COME ON, COME ON.

TELL US EVERYTHING ABOUT YOURSELF, PLEASE.

[LAUGHTER] YOU OPENED A CAN OF WORMS. I WAS SO COMPELLED. [LAUGHTER] WHAT'S THE VIEW LIKE FROM THE BACK ROW? DO YOU LIKE IT BACK THERE? HEY, IT'S SWEET.

IS IT? ALL RIGHT, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD.

I HAVE A BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF EVERYBODY. [LAUGHTER] ALL RIGHT, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AT 6:27.

SEE, I HELPED THE TIME PASS. [CHUCKLING], THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.

I USUALLY SAY, DO YOU HAVE ANY RECIPES OR ANYTHING? I DO, ACTUALLY.

ALL RIGHT, WELL, COME BACK FOR THE NEXT PUBLIC HEARING.

ALL RIGHT, OKAY, JIMMY STATHATOS, ANY FINAL THOUGHTS? NO, SIR. JUST THAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING THIS AND HOPEFULLY HAVE COUNCIL APPROVAL OR AT LEAST COUNCIL CONSIDERATION ON SEPTEMBER 13TH.

IF ANYONE AT WATCHING OR COUNCIL OR ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANYTHING RELATED TO THE BUDGET OR THE TAX RATE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT TILL THEN.

YOU CAN EMAIL US AND WE'LL PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION YOU'D LIKE.

OKAY, VERY GOOD. SO I HEAR A MOTION TO ADJOURN FROM COUNCILMEMBER DAWKINS.

DO WE HAVE A SECOND? [CHUCKLING] SECOND FROM COUNCILMEMBER GAGLIARDI.

EVERYONE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

WE ADJOURN AT 6:27.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.