Tomball council schedules pre-budget workshop for early May amid time‑of‑day questions

Tomball — City staff and several council members agreed during a special workshop April 21 to hold a pre‑budget workshop the week of May 5 to give council early input into budget priorities and capital projects.

The meeting was intended as a planning session rather than a forum for votes. David, a city staff member, told the council the session would be “to check your calendars and see your availability for a pre budget workshop,” and that the workshop would focus on budget direction and philosophy rather than detailed line‑item decisions.

City staff said the session will present information the council uses to prioritize capital projects so members understand how staff ranks “needs” versus “wants” ahead of formal budget preparation. Council members and staff noted uncertainty about next year’s revenue — property‑tax and sales‑tax estimates were described as unknown — and framed the workshop as a chance to set expectations for staff before a formal proposal is prepared.

Council discussion produced a tentative date of May 5 for the workshop. Participants referenced both 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. as possible start times during the discussion; a later staff statement at the end of the exchange recorded the date as May 5 with a start time reported as 2:00 p.m., while other speakers in the same discussion referenced 3:00 p.m. The transcript does not settle a single, final start time during the workshop.

City staff said they will finalize scheduling and proceed with the planned presentation on capital‑project prioritization; no formal vote was taken during the workshop. The item was procedural: staff will follow up with a confirmed date and time and then post the workshop details in accordance with public‑meeting law.