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Bandera council workshop prioritizes adding a full-time marshal amid tight surplus
Summary
At a budget workshop, the City of Bandera council reviewed options for a $55,000 general-fund surplus and directed staff to return a budget with a proposed full-time marshal position prioritized over vehicle replacement, while considering grants and other sub-options.
The City of Bandera council at a budget workshop reviewed competing priorities for a reduced general-fund surplus and gave direction to staff to return with a budget that includes one additional full-time marshal.
Council members reviewed staff options for the fiscal year, including passing the budget as presented, adding a marshal FTE, dedicating funds to welcome signage, or appropriating money toward engineering for a Cedar Street parking-lot upgrade. Staff told the council the general-fund surplus is now $55,000 (down from a previously reported $62,000) and that the utility fund is about $230,000.
Marshall Foster, presenting the marshals’ operations report earlier in the meeting, described law-enforcement activity that shaped the conversation: "In the month of July, we had 90 calls for service," he said, citing a breakdown including criminal trespass, incident and offense reports, security checks and citations.
Several council members said recruitment and retention concerns make the marshal position a budget priority. One member warned the city may not be able to sustain the more generous retirement benefit option over time and urged caution on long-term costs; another said the marshal headcount is more urgent than vehicle replacement in light of local break-ins.
Council discussed sub-options if it chooses to hire, including deferring vehicle replacement or reducing certain budgeted items to accommodate payroll costs. Staff estimated that eliminating the most generous benefit option entirely would reduce general-fund costs by about $30,000 a year, a number cited during the discussion.
After debate, the council asked staff to prepare a version of the budget that includes one additional marshal FTE and the related funding scenarios for review at the next workshop. Staff also said they will explore grant possibilities to offset costs.
Next steps: staff will produce a revised budget reflecting the direction and present it at the next scheduled workshop for final decisions.
