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Council approves budget amendment and sets deadline for agenda submissions
Summary
The City of Bandera council unanimously approved a fiscal-year budget amendment that moves certain salary expenses into a transfer to the Christmas fund and adopted an ordinance establishing a deadline to submit agenda items 12 days before meetings (debate centered on whether 12 days was too tight).
The City of Bandera City Council unanimously approved two ordinances after discussion: a budget amendment to reclassify certain payroll expenses and a change to the municipal code establishing a deadline for submitting agenda items ahead of council meetings.
Allison Heights, a city staff member who presented the budget item, told the council she had consulted the city auditor and a federal service contact about the entries and said the proposed handling was appropriate. She said the amendments decrease expenses in salary, Social Security and Medicare tax lines and create a new "transfer out" line to move those expenses into the city's Christmas fund. "I'm going to create a new line item, which is gonna be a transfer out because we are still extending those funds out of the general fund," Allison said. She said the city will begin the Christmas fund next year with a zero balance and then build it with donations and transfers.
Lynn moved to adopt the budget amendment ordinance (spoken as "ordinance number 12449" during the meeting) and Brett seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote; the minutes show unanimous approval with "All 5 in favor, none opposed." The council did not record individual no or abstain votes.
Council members then debated an ordinance to change the municipal code to require that items be submitted at least 12 days before a council meeting (referenced in the meeting as a change to section 1.030.092 and identified as "ordinance number 450"). Council members discussed whether 12 days would be too tight because of attorney review and packet-preparation time; some members preferred restoring the prior practice of having the full packet available by the Friday before a meeting. Tony moved to approve the ordinance; a second was given. Council members noted the mayor retains authority to add emergency items. After discussion, the ordinance passed on a unanimous voice vote.
Both ordinances were presented and adopted in the meeting as part of the consent/regular agenda; each passed with a unanimous vote and no recorded dissents.
Votes at a glance
- Ordinance No. 12449 — Budget amendment, fiscal year 2024–2025: Motion to adopt (mover: Lynn; second: Brett). Vote: 5–0, outcome: approved. Key points: consultant with auditor and federal service; decreases salary/benefits expense lines and creates a transfer-out line to the Christmas fund. Specific dollar amounts were not clearly stated in the transcript.
- Ordinance No. 450 — Amend section 1.030.092 (agenda-item submission deadline): Motion to adopt (mover: Tony; second: not specified in transcript). Vote: 5–0, outcome: approved. Key points: sets a deadline of 12 days prior to council meetings for submission of agenda items; council debated whether 12 days or an earlier Friday deadline would better serve packet preparation and attorney review.
The council moved on to a scheduled closed session after the votes.
