Sunset Valley City Council approves FY 2012–13 budget

"We missed the opportunity for billboard usage for Christmas shopping, so we're going to ask that we add $7,500 to the marketing campaign," Rosengarten explained.

The budget for the American Indian Heritage Pow Wow organized by Great Promise for American Indians was changed to $27,000. Mayor Rose Cardona previously cut the event's $29,000 budget to $25,000. In response, Lois Duncan, executive director of Great Promise, said the event should be supported because it draws between 40,000 and 50,000 attendees each year to Sunset Valley.

The council voted on two other revisions to the budget since it was first filed—to increase the beginning balance by $15,500 and boost the city's transportation plan funding by $15,500, and to change energy conservation rebates to include separate line items for solar, appliances and weatherization.

City budget cut, property tax rate still zero

The total budget is $6.88 million, down from the 2011–12 budget of $7.79 million, according to the city. The property tax rate remains at zero, as most of the city's funding comes from sales tax, according to Clay Collins, city administrator.

Proposed general fund revenue is $4.22 million. General fund expenditures, which make up the main operating budget, are $3.43 million, down 6.1 percent from the 2011–12 budget, according to budget documents. The largest general fund expenditures are the police department ($1.16 million) and public works ($833,000). Water rates will increase 4.3 percent, and commercial wastewater rates will rise 5.2 percent; those amounts are being increased by the City of Austin.

Total revenue for last year's budget was $6.3 million, while this year's budget projects total revenue of $6.6 million, Collins said.

For this fiscal year, the city moved some expenses that previously were budgeted for public works expenses to the drainage utility fund, decreasing general fund expenses by about $60,000, according to city staff.

The city also plans to transfer $426,727 from the general fund to the utility fund in 2012-13, up from $367,359 in 2011-12.

Aside from the budget, the city also approved activating Drought Management Level II Alarm Status of the Sunset Valley Water Conservation and Drought Management Plan. Also approved was an ordinance adopting water, wastewater, and drainage utility rates for residential and commercial customers of Sunset Valley for the 2012 fiscal year. The council approved its new communications plan, food safety ordinance revisions, and a watershed ordinance to develop two chimney swift towers in the city's water quality transition zone and use a vegetative buffer as mitigation to meet water quality and infiltration requirements.

For more information, visit www.sunsetvalley.org.