Sep 16, 2026 Special City Council

[1. Call to Order]

[00:00:06]

>> GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN TONIGHT IS WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16TH 2026 IT IS 530 P.M.

FIRST ITEM IS CITIZEN'S INPUT AT THIS TIME COMMENT ALSO BE TAKEN FROM THE AUDIENCE ON ANY TOPIC AND TAKEN DURING CITIZENS INPUT.

ARE THERE ANY REQUESTS TO SPEAK FROM THE AUDIENCE?

[3.A. Consider action to approve an ordinance to adopt the Budget for FY2027.]

>> IT WILL BE A QUICK PRESENTATION.

GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. THE FISCAL YEAR 2027 PROPOSED BUDGET AND TAX RATE WERE PRESENTED IN MORE DETAIL AT LAST NIGHT'S REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING.

SO TONIGHT WE'RE JUST HERE TO COMPLETE THE FINAL STEP TO FORMALLY ADOPT BOTH OF THOSE ITEMS. THERE ARE THREE REQUIRED ACTIONS BEFORE YOU TONIGHT TO ADOPT THE BUDGET, ADOPT THE TAX RATE AND ALSO TO RADFY THE PROPERTY TAX REVENUE INCREASE REFLECTED IN THE 2027 YEAR BUDGET BUT BEFORE WE GET TO THE MOTIONS I WANT TO BRIEFLY ADDRESS THE WORDING OF THE RECOMMENDED TAX RATE MOTION INCLUDING THE STAFF REPORT BECAUSE I RECOGNIZE THAT THAT NEGATIVE PERCENT INCREASE CAN LOOK UNUSUAL. THE RATE WE'RE ADOPTING IS BELOW THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE, STATE LAW REQUIRES VERY SPECIFIC MOTION LANGUAGE WHEN A TAXING UNIT ADOPTS THE RATE ABOVE THE NEW NEW REVENUE RATE BUT DOES NOT PRESCRIBE ALTERNATIVE MOTION LANGUAGE WHAT THAT IS BELOW IT. THE COMPTROLLER CONFIRMS THAT IT'S NOT REQUIRED IN THAT CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN THE RATE IS BELOW THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE. STAFF CHOOSE TO RETAIN FOR CONSISTENCY AND FRANKLY BECAUSE WE WANTED THE RECORD TO CLEARLY REFLECT THAT COUNCIL AND STAFF WERE ABLE TO MEET THE CITY'S BUDGET NEEDS THIS YEAR WHILE STILL ADOPTING A RATE BELOW THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE WHICH IS THE FIRST TIME THIS CITY HAS BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL.

WE ALSO REVIEWED THE WORDING WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY PRIOR TO PUBLICATION SHE HAD NO CONCERNS WITH RAY TAKENING THAT IS DOES NOT PRESCRIBE NOW LANGUAGE HOWEVER AGAIN RECOGNIZING THAT THE MOTION MAY SOUND AWKWARD AN ALTERNATIVE MOTION HAS BEE PROVIDED UP ON THE SCREEN FOR YOU IN THE EVENT YOU CHOOSE TO USE EITHER VERSION TONIGHT SO WITH THAT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT WEREN'T ASKED LAST NIGHT OTHERWISE I'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE MAYOR FOR CONSIDERATION OF BOTH THESE ITEMS OR ALL THREE OF THEM.

>> THANK YOU, WENDY. COUNCIL ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR STAFF? ALL RIGHT THEN I WILL ENTERTAIN AN MOTION ON ITEM 55A WHICH IS THE MOTION ADOPT.

>> THANK YOU, MAYOR. I MOVE THAT COUNCIL ADOPT PRO PROVING APPROVING BUDGET AS

PRESENTED. >> SECONDED BY MR. BOWERS.

>> I SECOND . >> MOTION TO APPROVE, ANY

DISCUSSION? >> MAYOR I JUST WANT TO APPLAUD STAFF FOR THEIR HARD WORK ON THIS YEAR'S BUDGET ESPECIALLY FOR US NEWCOMERS AND I ALSO WANT TO APPLAUD THIS GROUP FOR OUR WORK TOGETHER IN COMING TOGETHER ON THIS BUDGET.

AND THEN PARTICULARLY YOU MAYOR LAST NIGHT FOR -- I APPRECIATE YOUR QUESTIONS REGARDING DEFICIT SPENDING THERE HAD BEEN SOME CHATTER ON THAT AND WE CLEARED THAT UP.

IT'S AN HONER TO BE APART OF A BUDGET THAT DOES NOT INCREASE OUR TAX RATE AND PROVIDES INCREASES FOR EMPLOYEES AS WELL.

THANK YOU FOR THE HARD WORK TOGETHER ON THIS.

>> LIKEWISE. I WANT TO THANK STAFF, THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT AND ALL OUR DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS WILL REALLY AMAZING WORK THIS YEAR TO COME TOGETHER IN LIGHT OF SOME CHALLENGES WE FACED TOWARDS THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR STEPPING UP AND THANK YOU TO OUR CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE LIKEWISE FOR DOING THAT AS WELL.

MR. HOLT AND MR. FACET AND M MR. KASAR, SOME OF HAVE BEEN AROUND THE CITY FOR A LONG TIME SOME OF YOU NOT AS LONG AND I COMMEND YOU BECAUSE I WAS A FRESHMAN CITY COUNCIL MEMBER AT ONE POINT, WE ALL WERE AND THE LEARNING KEV IS STEEP TO SAY THE LEAST AND STRAIGHT INTO HALF DAY BUDGET MEETING AND MULTIPLE BUDGET MEETING AND THE UTILITY RATE DISCUSSIONS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT. THERE WAS NO EASY TASK IN FRONT OF US THIS YEAR. SO I WANT TO COMMEND YOU GUYS AS WELL FOR STEPPING UP AS WELL MY OTHER COLLEAGUES THIS ISN'T OUR FIRST RODEO BUT CERTAINLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK OF THE COUNCIL AND I THINK WE DID GOOD WORK THIS YEAR SO THANK YOU, ALL. ANY OTHER COMMENTS?

>> YEAH, MAYOR. SHORT OTHER COMMENTS, FIRST OF ALL, STAFF, THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH, WENDY AND TEAM, CRIST

[00:05:04]

IT IS FIRST FOR THE CITY AS WENDY MENTIONED COMING IN WITH THE TAX RATE THAT WE DID NOT INCREASE AND CAME BELOW THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE SO HAPPY TO BE APART OF THE GROUP WHEN WE THINK ABOUT GOVERNMENT AND GOOD GOVERNMENT TRYING TO LISTEN TO WHAT OUR CONSTITUENTS NEED AND NOT NECESSARILY PUSHING THAT PROPERTY TAX RATE UP SOY APPRECIATE BEING APART OF IT.

THANK YOU. >> ANY LAST COMMENTS? ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO AHEAD AND CALL THE VOTE ON ITEM 3A. THAT ITEM CARRIED UNANIMOUS.

[3.B. Consider an ordinance approving and adopting the ad valorem tax rate of $0.807891 per $100 of taxable value for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 (FY2027).]

CONSIDER AN ORDER APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE TAX RATE OF 0.789 1 FOR FISCAL YEAR 26-27 AND THAT IS AGAIN MANTING YOUR TAX RATE FROM THIS PAST YEAR WITH THAT I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION.

DEBBIE IF YOU WILL CLEAR THOSE MOTIONS.

I SEE A MOTION BY MR. BOWERS. DO YOU NEED THE LANGUAGE FROM THE SCREEN? I'M SORRY.

LET ME SWITCH BACK. THERE YOU GO.

>> THANK YOU. I MOVE TO ADOPT THE PROPERTY TAX RATE OF 0.807891 AND THAT COUNCIL ADOPT AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THIS TAX RATE AND LEVYING TAXES FOR TAX YEAR 26.

>> ALL RIGHT WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE AND A SECOND BY

MR. HOLSTON. >> MOTION APPROVED.

>> SECOND. >> WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY COMMENTS OR DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT WITH THAT LET'S GO AHEAD AND CALL THE VOTE PLEASE? AND THAT ITEM CARRIES UNANIMOUS AND I'LL SWITCH THE SCREEN BACK TO THE PODIUM OR THE COMPUTER. AND ITEM 3C, CONSIDER ACTION TO

[3.C. Consider action to ratify the property tax revenue increase reflected in the Budget for FY2027.]

SEE A MOTION BY MR. HOLSTON. >> OKAY.

I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE CONSIDER ACTION TO RADFY THE PROPERTY TAX REVENUE INCREASE REFLECTED IN THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027.

>> ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION THAT LANGUAGE ISN'T EXACTLY WHAT'S ON THE SCREEN THERE.

IT'S GOOD ENOUGH. OKAY.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.

I JUST WANTED TO BE SURE AND I SEE A SECOND BY MR. GIBBS.

>> I SECOND IT. >> WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE AS PRENTED. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT. SEEING NONE, LET'S CALL THE VOTE. AND THAT ITEM CARRIES UNANIMOUS.

AND WITH THAT IT IS

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.