HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/23/2004 City Council
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August 23, 2004
MINUTES OF SPECIAL SESSION OF COUNCIL
I HELD ON
AUGUST 23, 2004
The Special Work Session ofthe City Council ofthe City of The Colony, Texas, was called to order
at 6:32 p.m. on the 23rd day of August 2004, at City Hall, 6800 Main Street, The Colony, Texas, with
the following roll call:
John Dillard Mayor Present
Allen Harris Councilmember Present
Scott Ward Councilmember Absent (family)
Joe McCourry Mayor Pro-tern Present
Lynda Bayliss Councilmember Present
Perry Schrag Councilmember Present
Joel Marks Councilmember Present
City Manager Dale Cheatham, Assistant City Manager Tony Johnston, Finance Director Rebecca
Koo, and department directors were also in attendance.
And with six council members present a quorum was established and the following items were
addressed:
I 1. Work session to discuss preliminary municipal budget for 2004-2005
Dale Cheatham passed out a summary of budget cut suggestions that council members Schrag, Ward
and Harris had submitted. Dale went through these one by one with discussion on each. Also
included in the summary were the four options for the budget previously presented (adding staff to
public safety or maintaining the same as last budget year.)
The following questions were raised for staff follow up:
1. Check out the Technologies Board ordinance and Volunteer Policy to determine ifvolunteers
can be used to a greater extent, in an effort to reduce the IT Department overtime budget.
2. Check out whether or not the city can apply an additional convenience/user charge to
individuals wishing to pay court fines, utility fees, or other fees with a credit card.
3. Check out the actual cost of water re-connect fees after hours.
After review of the summary, it was determined that $16,865 could be cut from the departmental
budgets, with the exception of items reflected above that are unresolved.
Dale asked Council to review the four options. The Mayor then asked for council members'
preliminary choices regarding the options.
I Harris- Option 4, holding the rate at 4.5 or 4.75 cents.
Bayliss- Option 4, holding at 4.5 cents
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August 23, 2004
McCourry- Option 4
Schrag- Option 5 (none of the options presented; had hoped for more cuts to help fund public safety
personnel)
Marks- Option 3 plus police personnel; suggested a closer look should be taken at existing personnel.
Dillard- Option 1
Councilmember Harris suggested having the directors cut an additional five percent from their
budgets. Councilmember Bayliss does not want to cut any existing personnel due to the growth of
the city.
Finance Director Rebecca Koo advised council that Option 4, for a home valued at $143,000, would
increase the tax by $72 per year. She added that Option 4 would put our tax rate beyond the rollback
rate.
And with no further business to discuss the meeting was adjourned at 8:42 p.m.
APPROVED:
Dillard, Mayor, City of The Colony
ATTEST: ----.-
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Christie Wilson, TRMC, City Secretary
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