City Manager Don Magner said the city budget will not be finalized until he files it with the city secretary Aug. 11. The annual budget workshop July 24-25 provided council members an opportunity to weigh in on available estimates before staff finalize the numbers.
Two-minute impact
Magner’s proposed budget included a 5% merit-based increase for all city employees as well as sworn police and fire personnel. Several council members indicated they wanted to have 6% raises across the board, especially because of increased competition for employees.
The adjusted hourly rate for full- and part-time employees would be $18.24, an increase from $17.82. Longevity pay for employees with over one year of service may also see an increase to $6 monthly compared to the existing rate of $4 per month, according to Magner’s presentation.
During the budget workshop, Magner presented data that showed 101 vacancies out of 1,074 positions this year compared to 97 openings out of 1,045 positions in 2022.
Residential and commercial water and sewer rates will increase 3% to account for wholesale rate increases from the North Texas Municipal Water District. Residential solid waste customers will also experience a $1 increase on their monthly bills, although Budget Director Bob Clymire said the 26% senior discount will remain the same.
Commercial solid waste customers will see a 3% increase on their monthly bills.
The breakdown
Because of the rate increases, average residential customers can expect to see their annual bills increase by the following amounts, according to the budget presentation:
- Water: $29
- Sewer: $14
- Solid waste: $12
“None of this is fun, but I think [city staff has] worked very hard to mitigate that cost,” Richardson Mayor Bob Dubey said. “Three percent is a pretty mild cost when you think about where it could be.”
What else?
During his presentation, Magner proposed taking advantage of a past unused increment difference between the voter-approval tax rate and the adopted rate, which equates to around 4 cents, to increase the city’s voter-approval rate to fund some council priorities identified in the workshop. The proposed rate of $0.56095 per $100 valuation would allow the city to recapture about 2 cents of the increment.
Magner is scheduled to present the final budget during the Aug. 14 council meeting. Public hearings for the tax rate and budget are tabbed to take place Aug. 21 and Aug. 28, respectively.
Editors note: This article has been updated to include the public hearings for the proposed tax rate and budget on Aug. 21 and Aug. 28.
