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Boerne staff outline budget kickoff, 0‑based approach and strategy map alignment
Summary
City staff presented the 2025 budget calendar and described a 0‑based budgeting approach tied to the administration’s strategy map. The presentation emphasized fiscal conservatism, capital planning aligned with master plans, and opportunities for additional council touchpoints ahead of formal adoption.
Director Buckley (staff presenter on budget process) and other staff briefed the Boerne City Council at the Jan. 30 workshop on the upcoming fiscal-year budget calendar and a strategic approach that links department work plans to a citywide strategy map.
Staff said the budget process emphasizes alignment with the city’s mission and strategic priorities, structural balance and transparent capital planning. “Our budget process really is grounded in these four philosophies here,” the presenter said, describing a 0‑based approach that requires recurring expenses to be justified, prevents routine carry‑forwards of one‑time spending, and ranks new requests through a prioritization process.
Staff outlined a proposed calendar with departmental kickoffs, targeted workshops on utilities and capital infrastructure, and a final budget adoption date in September. The administration told council it would welcome additional sub‑meetings or touchpoints and asked members to flag priorities (for example, water infrastructure or “purple pipe” planning) for staff to consider early in the department budget development process.
Speakers emphasized the city’s conservative financial posture, noting recent use of surpluses to cash‑fund capital projects and maintain manageable debt levels. The presenters also pointed the council to the city’s recent budget awards as evidence of the administration’s transparency and planning standards.
Council discussion touched on scheduling additional council touchpoints and the potential for bond proposals tied to mobility and infrastructure priorities identified in the community survey. Staff said the community survey will feed the budget and CIP process and that they intend to return with more detailed CIP materials and any funding proposals later in the calendar.
No formal budget decisions were taken at the workshop; staff asked council members to submit any strategic priorities they want to see emphasized in department briefings ahead of the formal departmental submittal deadline in April–May.
