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Alpine council workshop restores library funding, increases tourism pay and debates water budget risks
Summary
City staff implemented prior workshop requests — restoring Alpine Public Library funding, raising the director of tourism pay 5% and increasing council discretionary funds — while councilors spent most of the workshop scrutinizing water and utility budget increases and fund‑balance risks.
City staff told the council at a budget workshop that they had implemented the changes the council requested at a prior meeting, including restoring funding for the Alpine Public Library, increasing the director of tourism’s contract by 5% and raising council discretionary funds from $3,000 to $4,000.
Much of the workshop discussion centered on the utility budgets and the city’s fund balance. Council member Stevens said he was concerned about the size of the proposed overall budget and the planned draw on reserves, saying “this budget which is now over $17,000,000 takes $1,400,000 of our home balance.” Stevens and other councilors pressed staff to delay changes to the water budget until a dedicated water workshop with the city’s water engineer (Mike) and to consider whether the council should repeat prior-year water revenue assumptions rather than adopt the current increases.
Council members scheduled two public workshops to review utilities: a water town hall on Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. (with a possible 5:30 p.m. alternative) and a wastewater workshop on Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. Several councilors noted that budget amendments are possible after the formal budget adoption and that the workshop itself rolls no formal vote.
Councilors discussed specific line items flagged during the session. Stevens noted the sewer billing line increased from $645,158 to $750,000, and staff described water billing revenue budgeted at roughly $1.2 million last year and $1.8 million in the current draft budget. Councilors expressed unease about approving a budget that would substantially reduce the city’s unallocated fund balance; one councilor said the unallocated amount was about $2,400,000.
The workshop also included a report about automatic gas/water meter projects. City staff said funding to start work in Fort Davis is included and that the total for Fort Davis is about $185,149.31. The council discussed a multi‑year approach for Alpine, with a target of budgeting about $200,000 per year to complete the rollout over several years.
Councilors repeatedly emphasized that the workshop was for discussion only; no budget vote was taken. Several members urged staff to provide additional detail before the formal budget vote and to be conservative about committing large sums so the city does not exhaust its fund balance and later need to raise utility rates or take on debt.
