Weatherford
Weatherford City Council, Sept. 22, 2015: 6 items, 1 split vote; CC092215 Page 1 of 4 Consider and/or act upon approval of Ordinance 737-2015-26 adopting
0 consent items, 6 regular items, 1 public hearing; 5 recorded votes. Written from the minutes.
CC092215 Page 1 of 4 Consider and/or act upon approval of Ordinance 737-2015-26 adopting the City Manager's Proposed Budget as amended by the City Council for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2015 and ending September 30, 2016. Kyle Lester, Budget and Strategic Planning Manager, presented this item. The budget was proposed on August 11, 2015. A work session was held on August 25. Required public hearings were held on August 25 and September 8. This proposed budget covers 22 funds including the General Fund (GF). The proposed budget for the GF is $30.3m in expenses and the budget for all funds to be adopted in this ordinance totals $43.9m. Major items added to the City Manager’s proposed budget total $77,000 in GF grants and $161,000 in Hotel Occupancy Fund grants, all at the discretion of the Council. Fund balance spending for FY16 is approximately $1.2m with the City ending the year with 120 days fund balance. The proposed property tax rate is the same as in the current FY. Ms. Wilder asked that the Council honor the commitments that are made and to memorialize those commitments. She provided an example that last year, the City Council limited GF grants to one day fund balance but the GF grants for FY 16 exceed one fund day balance by approximately $1,500. Ms. Wilder also spoke about the previous year sales tax baseline and the City’s sales tax principles. On the motion [...]
Ms. Wilder voted in opposition. Consider and/or act upon the first and final ratification of the property tax revenue increase reflected in the Proposed FY16 Weatherford Municipal Annual Budget. Mr. Lester presented this item. Though the City's tax rate is the same, property values did increase and the City’s tax rate is above the effective rate. The City must ratify, or acknowledge, that the increase in sales tax revenue exists. On the motion of Heidi Wilder, second by Craig Swancy, the Council voted unanimously to ratify the property tax increase. Motion carried 5 - 0.
Consider and/or act upon approval of Ordinance 738-2015-27 adopting the proposed ad valorem tax rate of $0.4866 cents per $100 of valuation for the 2015 tax year. Mr. Lester also presented this item. The proposed rate is $0.4866 cents per $100 of valuation which is the same tax rate as the current FY. Heidi Wilder moved that the property tax rate be increased by the adoption of a tax rate of 48.66 cents per $100 valuation which is effectively a 5.8% increase in the tax rate. This includes a rate of 31.5 cents for the operations and maintenance of the General Fund and 17.16 cents in order to service the city's debt. Jeff Robinson seconded the motion. Motion carried 5 - 0.
Discuss and consider approval of Ordinance 739-2015-28 amending Title II, Commissions and Boards, of the City's Code of Ordinances to add a new section for the Youth Advisory Council. CC092215 Page 2 of 4 City Secretary Malinda Nowell presented this item. City Manager Sharon Hayes presented a staff report regarding the creation of a Youth Advisory Council in the City of Weatherford. Public Relations Manager Blake Rexroat is accepting applications from Weatherford High School students that reside inside the City of Weatherford. Staff recommended an amendment to city code Title II relating to commissions and boards. This amendment adds a new chapter for the YAC and provides certain details regarding its creation, terms, members, eligibility, powers, and duties. Staff noted that YAC members are exempted from the "qualified elector" portion of Title II since members can be in grades 10-12 and as such, the majority will not be of voting age. Initial bylaws were developed by staff. The YAC is expected to hold their first meeting on November 2. One of their first orders of business will be to review the bylaws and propose changes if needed or desired. All proposed amendments will require the approval of the City Council. On the motion of Craig Swancy, second by Heidi Wilder, the Council voted unanimously to approve ordinance 739-2015-28. Motion carried 5 - 0.
Discuss and consider acceptance of a donation of land described as Lots 12-21, Block 29 Mineral Heights Addition. Sharon Hayes, City Manager, presented this item and asked for City Council authorization or approval to accept the donation. The property is heavily wooded and will not have a lot of upkeep in its present state. If anything is done to the property in the future, there would be increased maintenance costs. On the motion of Heidi Wilder, second by Dale Fleeger, the Council voted unanimously to approve moving forward with this request. Motion carried 5 - 0.
Consider holding a work session on October 20, 2015 to discuss long-term capital projects. Ms. Hayes presented this item as well. A number of projects have been mentioned briefly during the past few months. Staff would like an opportunity to bring those forward to the Council in a work session so there is ample time to discuss. These items include several capital projects, economic development projects, and discussion of responsible funding mechanisms. Council consensus was to convene in a work session on the third Tuesday of this month, October 20th, at 6:30 p.m.
Future agenda items: In March 2016, discuss budgeting priorities, sales tax principles, and memorialize commitments in these areas.
Compiled from the city secretary's minutes by the Ledger's extractor, in the minutes' own wording, item by item; the Ledger adds no characterization. Read the minutes for the full record.
Sources: City of Weatherford: council minutes, Sept. 22, 2015 (Granicus); Agenda for this meeting (Granicus); Meeting video (Granicus)