The budget includes 3% raises for all employees, additional 3% raises for eligible employees, 18 new city positions, and funding for Fire Station No. 2 and several drainage improvement projects.
The budget contains roughly $91.9 million in expenditures, leaving a surplus of about $53.6 million.
Council members also proposed a tax rate of $0.249753 per $100 valuation for FY 2022-23 at the Sept. 13 meeting, down from last year’s rate of $0.263508. Due to increased property values and the addition of new properties in the area, the city would take in roughly $628,000 in additional revenue in the coming fiscal year based on the proposed tax rate.
City Manager Jason Stuebe said the council would consider formally adopting the tax rate in October.
City documents show the expenditures included in the approved budget are about $1.4 million less than what was proposed during the council’s Sept. 8 public hearing.
Officials said the lower amount of expenditures is mainly related to the construction of Humble Fire Station No. 2. The new fire department was originally projected to cost about $4.5 million when it was designed in 2018, but the cost has since been pushed around $6.13 million.
Stuebe said the city is working with Harris County and Texas Department of Emergency Management officials to determine additional sources for funding for the project, noting any additional expenditures required for the construction of the fire department will be added to the budget at a later date.
At the Sept. 8 meeting, Humble Mayor Norman Funderburk noted several new positions funded in the budget, including six positions at the Humble Police Department, three civilian jailers, a crime scene investigator, and a room-and-evidence technician.
Funderburk also noted the budget includes the addition of six new paramedics to staff the city’s new ambulance, which he said was funded by a donation from the Northeast Hospital Authority.
“That’s going to be a big deal for us to cut down on the mutual aid that's been required here,” Funderburk said.
Additionally, the budget includes roughly $5.25 million for the city’s new Senior Activity Center.
The budget also includes funding for several projects that aim to improve drainage throughout the city, including:
- $2.02 million for the Black’s Branch Drainage Improvement Project;
- $1.45 million for the Jordan’s Gully Drainage Improvement Project;
- $716,000 for the Seventh Street and FM 1960 Bypass Drainage Improvement Project;
- $2.85 million for the Country Village and Treble Drive Drainage Improvement Project; and
- $1.92 million for the South Bender Avenue Reconstruction and Drainage Improvement Project.
“I think we've done a good job of addressing the needs [of the city and] supporting our core services,” Funderburk said. “I think this budget will demonstrate our commitment to public safety and infrastructure.”
