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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/30/2004 City Council {J ( H U 4rJ August 30, 2004 Special Session MINUTES OF SPECIAL SESSION OF COUNCIL I HELD ON AUGUST 30, 2004 The Special Session ofthe City Council ofthe City of The Colony, Texas, was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on the 30th 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 Present Joe McCourry Mayor Pro-tern Present Lynda Bayliss Councilmember Present Perry Schrag Councilmember Present Joel Marks Councilmember Present And with seven council members present a quorum was established and the following items were addressed: 1. Public Hearing to discuss the proposed 2004-2005 tax rate not to exceed $ .78 per $100 valuation for the taxable value of all property real and personal, located with in I the City of the Colony. Finance Director Rebecca Koo reviewed with council the purpose of this public hearing, stating it was a state law that a public hearing be held on the impending tax rate for the next fiscal year. She provided the following: 2003 Certified Tax Roll- $1,710,869,433 2004 Certified Tax Roll- $1,723,095,042 The effective tax rate - 73.194 cents The rollback tax rate - 76.268 cents The proposed tax rate is "not to exceed" -78 cents. Rebecca reviewed with council the previously presented four options for the budget and tax rate and the resulting additional tax revenues, and included the corresponding public safety personnel proposed on each option. At Mayor Dillard's request she also presented Option Five that included no change for 2004-2005, but forecasted revenues for the following two budget cycles with various increases in the tax rate. She advised council will make no decisions at this meeting, only hear the public's input. Councilmember Marks noted that the present council can not make assumptions on what future city councils will do regarding tax rates. I 1 00804a August 30, 2004 Special Session Mayor Dillard opened the public hearing at 7:15 p.m. The following citizens addressed the council. Don Brody- in favor of extra public safety personnel but without a tax increase; suggested waiting on the civic center building expenditures and use that money for the salaries. Jeff Connelly- in favor of extra public safety personnel but opposed to tax increase; suggested eliminating non-essential services. Daniel Jacobs- in favor of extra public safety personnel but opposed to tax increase; he compared The Colony's tax rate to that of surrounding cities; suggested the city try to collect delinquent property taxes; wants the city to plan ahead for its needs. Beth Wagstaff- some families have limited incomes and said that council should do what is best for all citizens. Ernie Haynes- asked if the excess has been trimmed out ofthe budget for other departments. Gary Zimmerman- stated that he is a paramedic but is against the tax rate increase; raising the taxes will scare the businesses away; supports adding fire and police but not with a property tax Increase. Steve Parsons- against the tax hike but wants to add fire and police; he suggested starting the budget process with critical services and then spreading out what's left for the "nice" things; spoke ofthe amount of dollars spent on Five Star. Elizabeth Woods- said that expenditures on projects like Five Star can bring in revenue at its full pot~n~al;'st~i s~~~~ <;m a ~xed incom~ and suggested cutting out some perks and take home vehlcles:audItfng\cell anp..mrem~fuse; she wants to keep the tax rate the same and wants to ---~_._- bring in more residents beçaùse "r~olony has a high foreclosure rate. Sue Walden- (4B board member) wanted to clarify that the money spent on parks like Five Star cannot be spent on other things [like more fire and police]. Christi Martin- asked what other options have been considered; suggested using the city newsletter to offer citizens a way to contribute to the city's causes. Bernetta Henville-Shannon- suggested that a tax increase will send people elsewhere to shop and live; in favor of more fire and police but questions the amount of dollars brought in by Parks & Recreation compared to the expenditures for that department; suggestions she made include promoting Hidden Cove Park more, minimizing contractual service expenditures, cut city staff; she added that the city doesn't have to do all this [expand fire and police] in one year, but can spread it out. Michael Barrett- said that fire and police are spread too thin, and that we need more now; supports a tax increase if that's the only way. Jerald Odum- in favor of adding fire staff but against tax increase. Sharon Jones- in favor of Five Star and other family activities; has a single income and cannot afford paying more taxes. Ray A very- suggested bringing in another superstore like Target to increase our tax base. Melba Strobel- said the many vacant houses in the city have an impact and that revenue should have increased over the years with the additional businesses that have come in. Margaret Wright- 27 year resident said if taxes are raised then she'll leave [the city]. Mike Lynch- asked why some properties have been re-zoned as agricultural; hasn't heard any 2 -~.- - -----..-- ----.-.-. ..------ 008048 August 30, 2004 Special Session I justification for the tax increase; suggested sharing the cost of fire stations with neighboring cities and combining the assistant fire chief position with that of fire marshal as one position; mentioned [take home] vehicle waste. Mayor Dillard closed the public hearing at 8:12 p.m. He said that no decisions will be made at this time and encouraged citizens to contact council by phone or email on this issue. 2. Schedule meeting on September 13, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. to adopt the tax rate and municipal budget for 2004-2005. Motion to approve the date of September 13,2004 at 7:00p.m. to adopt the tax rate and municipal budget for 2004-2005-McCourry; second by Harris; motion passed with all ayes. And with no further business to discuss the meeting was adjourned at 8:12 p.m. APPROVED: I 00 Dillard, Mayor ity of The Colony ATTEST: /J/i ¿ ~~ . .~/fJAß--"Ì)~ hristie Wilson, TRMC, City Secretary I 3 --_.~