Street improvements, sewer rehabilitation and comprehensive plan initiatives were all discussed in a budget meeting hosted by Jersey Village city staff July 20. Plans over the next few years will be shaped by Hwy. 290 construction and its effect on sales tax revenue, officials said. “Sales tax should continue to grow in this next budget year, but we’re expecting it to take a hit in 2017 once active construction begins,” City Manager Mike Castro said. “We also expect the relocation of Daikin Industries to Waller to have an effect on our property and inventory tax revenues.” Sales tax revenue varied from month to month throughout 2015, but trended upward, creating more revenue for the city than originally projected. General fund revenue for the 2014-15 fiscal year are set to come in at around $12.1 million, which is roughly $1.4 million more than city staff planned for in last year’s budget talks. Expenditures are projected to finish at $9.7 million, about $400,000 more than originally projected. The difference goes into the city’s capital reserve fund. Staff is projecting $11.09 million in revenue for the 2015-16 fiscal year, with $9.48 million in projected expenditures without supplemental projects. With all supplemental projects included—such as hiring a building inspector, introducing pool safety initiatives and funding traffic calming studies—expenditures would rise to $10.27 million. The property tax rate will remain at 0.7245 cents per $100 of valuation, Castro said. Assessed valuations citywide continue to grow and are expected to rise from $900 million in 2014 to just under $1 billion in 2015. “This number was around $525 million 10 years ago,” Castro said. “A lot of it has been driven by single-family residential development.” Council members considered adopting a proposed comprehensive plan at the July 20 meeting, but opted to wait until after a workshop session. The session, which will take place at a date to be determined in August, will give council members a chance to decide what projects can be implemented over the next 12-24 months, including what can be included in this year’s budget. “It is not engraved in stone that these are all things that are going to come to pass,” Council Member Tom Eustace said of the comprehensive plan’s recommendations. “We can use this workshop to determine what the city’s critical needs are.” In addition to coping with Hwy. 290 construction and comprehensive plan projects, other top budget considerations include Elwood Street repairs and starting up the city’s sewer rehabilitation program. The budget is expected to be adopted in September.