Alpine council adopts $17 million budget, holds water-budget debate and approves tax rate

The Alpine City Council voted 4–1 on Sept. 10 to adopt the city’s fiscal year 2025–26 budget and later approved a tax rate that holds property tax revenue flat.

Council members approved ordinance 2025-09-03, the annual budget for Oct. 1, 2025–Sept. 30, 2026, after a lengthy discussion about fund balance use and water and wastewater needs. Council member Stevens was the lone dissenting vote. The council then adopted ordinance 2025-09-04 to set a proposed tax rate of 0.424737 per $100 of assessed valuation, a rate the city said would raise the same amount of property tax revenue as the prior year; that ordinance passed unanimously.

Why it matters: Council members debated whether the budget relies too heavily on fund balance and whether the council had sufficient detail about planned water and wastewater projects. The discussion included a failed amendment that would have reduced water and sewer appropriations by $250,000 each and directed staff to revisit priorities after scheduled workshops.

Discussion and next steps

Council member Stevens led the most extensive critique, saying he was uncomfortable approving a $17 million budget without more detail on water and wastewater projects and the anticipated year-end financial position. “I will not approve this budget,” Stevens said during the meeting, pressing for further workshops focused on water and wastewater operations and capital needs. City staff agreed to hold a water workshop the first October meeting and a wastewater workshop later in October; staff said budget amendments could follow those workshops.

Victoria Sanchez, the city’s finance director, and Interim City Manager Gio (referred to in the meeting as Gio) explained that some line items were carried forward from the prior fiscal year because staff had limited time to assemble the budget after a recent turnover and to avoid creating gaps for projects already in motion. Sanchez described several transfers and a projected $438,000 that could be covered from fund balance if fully expended, and she said that some budgeted line items carried forward are not intended to be spent until council authorizes specific projects.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 2025-09-02 (first and final reading): Amend FY2024–25 budget for year-end closeout — adopted unanimously (vote recorded as unanimous). - Ordinance 2025-09-03: Adopt FY2025–26 annual budget — adopted 4–1 (Council member Stevens voted no). - Ordinance 2025-09-04: Adopt proposed 2025–26 tax rate of 0.424737 per $100 — adopted unanimously. - Ordinance 2025-09-01: Set 30 mph speed limit on Bagel Avenue (first reading) — approved unanimously on first reading. - Resolution 2025-09-15: Formalize rental-fee and waiver policy for city event equipment — adopted unanimously. - Resolution 2025-09-16: Authorize participation in FY2026 regional solid waste project through Rio Grande Council of Governments — adopted unanimously. - Contract: Alpine Public Library FY2025–26 funding (annual contract) — approved unanimously. - Contract: Family Crisis Center of the Big Bend FY2025–26 funding — approved (four in favor, one opposed; Council member Escobedo voted no). - Contract: Children’s Advocacy Center of the Big Bend FY2025–26 funding — failed (one in favor, four opposed). - Consent agenda (included minutes, reports, invoices and special-use permit 2025-09-01 for a short-term rental at 509 N. Sixth St.): approved unanimously.

What staff said

Interim City Manager Gio and Finance Director Victoria Sanchez told the council that the hybrid budget approach reflected limited lead time to assemble the new fiscal-year budget and a desire to avoid dropping projects already in progress. Sanchez said the city will present a clearer, department- and fund-level format next year and that staff expect to come back with amendments after October workshops.

What council members said

- Council member Stevens urged delaying final discretionary spending and sought explicit, itemized follow-ups on the water and wastewater budgets. - Council members Martinez and Portillo said the council must move forward with an adopted budget so day-to-day operations can continue and said they would rely on staff to bring timely amendments after the scheduled workshops.

What’s next

Staff scheduled a water workshop for the first October council meeting and a wastewater workshop for mid-October. Council members instructed staff to return with line-item details and proposed amendments after those workshops. The council adopted the budget to enable city operations while reserving the right to amend it based on workshop outcomes.

Sources quoted in this article include: Council member Stevens; Victoria Sanchez, finance director; Gio, interim city manager.