The Whitney City Council adopted a city budget and tax rate during a regular meeting held Thursday, September 17.
The council adopted the no-new-revenue rate, which represents a decrease in the current city tax rate and comes to $0.5411 per $100 property valuation. That rate will result in $39,922 less property tax revenue for the city in the coming year and decreases the city tax rate by about 3.5 cents.
City Administrator Billy Pribble said that the budget includes extra funding for street repairs and public works equipment. It also includes higher pay for public works employees, which Pribble said were paid well under market average, in an attempt to retain employees. Following budget workshops, Pribble said that significant cuts were made in some areas, including administrative salaries. The city will not provide funding for a full-time library director this year.
Council member Cheryl Taylor-West said that she could not support the budget because it does not fund the library director position. Council member Amy Teal said that she supports the library but noted that library funding is not among the services mandated by the state. She expressed concern about residents struggling to pay their property taxes and encouraged those who support the library to consider donating to help fund its operations.
Without a library director, the library will be staffed by part-time employees and volunteers.
Both Teal and Taylor-West voted against both the budget and tax rate motions. Teal cited her opposition to property taxes on principle, and Taylor-West said that she could not support a budget that does not include funding for a library director.
The council heard a recommendation from the Parks Advisory Board to sell or transfer the historic Cato Drug building downtown, which the city now owns, to a nonprofit organization that can renovate it for a public purpose. The city has been exploring options for turning the building into a community center, but no funding is available in the city budget for the project.
Board members said that the recommendation was not intended to abandon the historic building, but was based on the city’s lack of funding to complete the project.
Council member Teal supported the recommendation, saying that the city does not have the funding or staff time needed to take on the project. She said that city staff already has multiple responsibilities related to state-mandated functions.
Other council members questioned whether the city has fully explored potential donations and grants before transferring the property. Council member Jason Ince suggested reaching out to individuals known for making significant donations, and Taylor-West asked that the city consider potential donors and other funding options before making a decision.
Pribble said the city previously applied for a downtown revitalization grant that could have helped pay for work on the building but was not awarded the funding. He also noted that grants operate on cycles and do not provide an immediate source of funding.
City Attorney Jennifer Richie said that the city has several options for transferring or leasing the property, including a long-term lease that could require the recipient to renovate the building and bring it up to code for a public purpose while giving the city some control over its future use.
No action was taken. Teal made a motion to direct staff to research options and allow nonprofits and potential donors another month to consider organizing efforts to take on the project, but the motion did not receive a second.
The Parks Advisory Board also requested the city approve funding from the city’s parks donation account to finish out a donated GaGa game pit at the city park, purchase a new city park sign and fund a shade cover for the playground.
After discussion, it was determined that Whitney Fellowship church, which donated the GaGa pit, will fund any remaining renovations to the unit. Council member Ince pointed out that the city park sign was erected by the Texas Department of Transportation, and they should be contacted about its replacement. The council was in favor of adding a shade covering, but the parks board indicated that the structure could cost $50,000, and there is only about $12,000 in donations in the account. The board will continue exploring the issue and pursuing additional donations.
In other agenda items, the council approved changes to the city’s Texas Municipal Retirement System plan, which has not been updated since 1990. The change is intended to help with employee retention by increasing the employee contribution rate from 5% to 7%, with a 1-to-1 city match.
The council discussed a request from Ayushi Agarwala of HealthNow Urgent Care to reimburse her for approximately $5,000 she paid as a down payment for a living space to accommodate traveling practitioners working at the facility.
According to a staff report, city staff initially understood that the unit would be constructed on the medical facility’s property and connected to existing utilities, which would be permissible under city ordinance. Pribble said that the applicant was instructed to submit a complete plan for formal review, but that was never done.
The staff report said that the applicant later purchased a housing unit that remained on a chassis, which did not comply with the city ordinance prohibiting mobile residential units.
Agarwala said that she was open to discussing options for reimbursement, including a possible extension of her tax abatement agreement with the city, which is good through 2028. The council took no action on the request.
The council heard from a resident concerned about a damaged sewer line in the 800 block of North Brazos Street. The resident stated that the Texas Department of Transportation damaged the line while working on the road. The Public Works Department is expected to reach out to the resident to discuss the issue.
An agenda item regarding a request from Denise Zamora to consider a contract between Paws Place Rescue and the city was tabled, as Zamora was not in attendance.
The council convened in executive session and voted when open session resumed to appoint Christie Rogers as interim city administrator beginning October 1, due to Pribble’s resignation, and ratify the hiring of Public Works Director Waylon Higgins. Teal abstained from both votes.
Departmental Reports
Whitney Fire & Rescue reported 256 total fire and EMS calls in August. On the fire side, the department responded to 170 calls, including five fire calls in the city and 13 in the county, along with 81 first responder calls in the city and 71 in the county.
The city’s ambulance service responded to 86 calls in August, including 77 in the city and nine in the county as mutual aid for CareFlite. Average EMS response time was 5.3 minutes in the city and 9.4 minutes in the county.
Whitney Police Department reported 306 total incidents in August, including three arrests, 98 traffic stops and 135 citations or warnings issued. There were seven animal control calls for service, including a call regarding an animal bite, four welfare checks, one dog at large and one call about dumped kittens. There were also three code enforcement complaints, including two about building codes and one property nuisance.
The Public Works Department received 50 reports of issues, with 45 of them addressed.
Lake Whitney Public Library issued 28 new library cards in August and served 1,599 total visitors. There were 198 patrons using computers during the month, 38 unique events and programs offered, and 510 individuals attending the events and programs. The library loaned 614 materials during the month.
Mayor Janice Sanders read a proclamation observing National Suicide Awareness Month in September.
