Council adopts ordinance adjusting FY24‑25 budget to reflect interdepartmental transfers and cost changes

The City Council held a public hearing and approved Ordinance 2025‑032 to amend the fiscal year 2024‑25 budget to reflect appropriation transfers across departments. City staff described adjustments made to account for outsourcing, billing timing and staffing changes; the ordinance slightly reduced the total budget.

Craig, staff member, summarized the largest adjustments: outsourced building inspections while the building official position was open, additional billing from the county appraisal district that exceeded the originally budgeted amount, increased street maintenance and a mis-timed pickup truck purchase that fell into the fiscal year. He said the appraisal district billing was about $23,000 higher than budgeted and planning had an increase of roughly $130,000 largely tied to outsourced inspections; police overtime increased by about $115,000 to cover staffing shortages. Those increases were offset by larger reductions from open positions in police, street and planning, producing a net decrease to the overall budget.

Craig said the amended budget decreased the total budget by $1,605 and adjusted the projected expenditures-over-revenues figure. The public hearing drew a question from a resident about a roughly $8,710 increase tied to the public health district; staff explained the health district provides restaurant inspections, septic/off-site sewage inspections, disaster preparedness and disease monitoring and that the city contracts with the Waco‑McLennan County Public Health District for those services.

Following the public hearing the council voted to adopt Ordinance 2025‑032. Council members asked staff to be mindful of timing and billing for future budget cycles so that costs appear in the correct fiscal year and to continue monitoring outsourced-service costs.

The ordinance passed on a motion and a second; the voice vote in the meeting record was recorded as “Aye” and the motion passed.