After working for several weeks to balance the budget, West Lake Hills City Council approved its budget for fiscal year 2014–15 with a deficit of more than $400,000 on Sept. 24.

The budget includes a 10 percent increase in police officer salaries, but the bulk of the deficit is a result of $175,000 added to the road paving budget and $225,000 added to the drainage project budget.

West Lake Hills Mayor Dave Claunch said the council expects the 2013–14 fiscal year to end in a surplus of about $500,000, but the council wanted to run a deficit budget regardless of the previous year.

"We have a lot of money in the coffers, and some of it will be spent with the Bee Caves Road project," Claunch said.

Councilman David Moore said he wanted to run a deficit budget to help improve the infrastructure of the city.

Council also passed a property tax rate of 5.34 cents per $100 of valuation, the same rate as the previous fiscal year.