Manvel council keeps tax rate at $0.56, approves $2M fund-balance transfer to fund supplementals and 12 new positions

Mayor Dan Davis and city staff presented the fiscal year 2025–26 budget options and the council on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to keep the property tax rate at $0.56 per $100 of assessed valuation while authorizing a separate $2,000,000 transfer from the general fund balance to cover supplemental capital items and staffing priorities.

City manager Dan (staff) and finance staff Rosie reviewed tax-rate scenarios (56¢, 57¢, 58¢) and presented two fund-balance options: $2,000,000 and $3,000,000. Staff said either transfer would fund the supplemental items identified by department directors; a $3,000,000 transfer could additionally cover an updated TMRS service-credit payment and come close to funding a proposed Heritage Park, which staff estimated at about $800,000. The budget packet listed the median homestead value in Manvel at $359,719; staff estimated the difference between 56¢ and 57¢ would amount to roughly $5–$6 per month for the typical homeowner presented in the examples.

Council directed staff to pursue the $2,000,000 transfer and to hold the tax rate at 56¢ while continuing to refine numbers for final adoption. “We’re gonna stick at 56, and we’re gonna, separately, we’re gonna do the $2,000,000,” Mayor Pro Tem David Lance said during the workshop discussion.

The $2,000,000 option, staff said, would free up existing budgeted monies that could pay for 12 positions the council prioritized, including a forensic technician, records clerk, four jail staff plus a jail supervisor, two public-works maintenance technicians and a foreman, and two development-services positions (an engineer and a GIS technician). Staff said the recommended staffing additions and one-time supplementals would also include a 3% cost-of-living adjustment and some one-time capital items such as an asset-management module and a folding machine for administrative staff.

Police leadership underlined operational reasons for the jail staffing request. “If you hire the jail staff it’s actually gonna keep officers out on the street. Just plain and simple,” the police chief said, adding that transporting detainees to the county jail can occupy officers for 90 minutes to several hours depending on medical screening and other events.

Staff noted the city’s fund-balance policy currently targets 50% of operating expenses and warned that any transfer would reduce that cushion. Under the staff estimates presented in the packet, a $2,000,000 transfer would leave roughly $6.5 million in fund balance; a $3,000,000 transfer would leave about $5.5 million. Councilmembers stressed caution given hurricane-season risks and asked staff to model interest-income impacts — staff said they had conservatively budgeted approximately $270,000 in interest income next year.

Council scheduled the formal budget-adoption vote for Sept. 15 and asked staff to return with a final ordinance and line-item numbers. Mayor Davis said he supported the $2,000,000 transfer now and that the council could revisit an additional $1,000,000 midyear (November–December) if post-hurricane-season conditions and project cost estimates warrant it.

What happens next: staff will finalize the ordinance and detailed budget document for the Sept. 15 adoption vote. Council asked staff to provide any updated construction or park-cost estimates (notably for Heritage Park) and to show the projected impact to fund-balance reserves and projected interest earnings.