As Manvel officials develop the budget for fiscal year 2026-27, Director of Development Services Jose Abraham presented personnel and software-related priorities during Manvel City Council’s June 15 workshop.
What you need to know
The department provides development-related customer service for residents, business owners and developers while overseeing planning, zoning, inspections and geographic information systems, or GIS, operations.
For FY 2026-27, Abraham is requesting $130,000 in funding, including:
- $100,000 for a building official position
- $15,000 for travel and training related to recent hires
- $15,000 for increased software costs
Manvel currently contracts with SafeBuilt for building inspections, but the city lacks a dedicated staff member to oversee coordination with the contractor, leaving those duties to other employees, Abraham said.
An in-house building official would provide continuity for long-term development projects that often span multiple phases and serve as a consistent point of contact to oversee projects from start to finish, City Manager Dan Johnson said at the meeting.
Also of note
The department added five employees during FY 2025-26, including a graduate engineer, GIS technician and city engineer, according to city documents.
Among its accomplishments were the development and adoption of the city's Comprehensive Plan and Major Thoroughfare Plan, which includes the land use map, as well as completing GIS data updates aimed at maintaining accurate mapping information and supporting infrastructure planning.
What’s next
Manvel City Council will continue reviewing departmental budget requests as officials work toward finalizing and adopting the FY 2026-27 budget.
