Council welcomes two new members after May election

Justin Ray and Sheri Sheppard became official members of the Jersey Village City Council after votes were canvassed during the May 21 meeting.

Additionally, Mayor Russell Hamley recognized Mark Maloy and Joyce Berube, the two outgoing council members. Berube—who was not eligible to run this year because of term limits—served on Council for more than 16 years.

"I can't say enough about all the years, all the work, all the meetings and all the effort," Hamley said. "It's 16 years of dedicated service to this village, and we really appreciate your help."

2012–13 budget overview presented to council during May workshop

City Council received its first glimpse at some of the big issues related to the 2012–13 budget at the May 21 meeting.

Within the last budget cycle, which began Oct. 1, the city began its third round of street improvements, hired full-time fire department personnel and did not have to make any major reductions. Although the city's financial conditions have slightly improved, they are still not back to the point they were about four years ago.

"This is a slow and tepid recovery," said Mike Castro, city manager. "It's slow for most cities, and it's slow for Texas. We're still just now getting back to 2008 [levels]. We'll see a [slight] recovery this year and next year."

Several city administrators presented to Council about the needs and issues of each department during the budget workshop, which lasted several nights.

Castro will present a draft budget to Council in August, and the final product will be up for adoption in September.