Levelland reviews FY24-25 budget priorities as staff flags capital and broadband needs

Levelland city officials reviewed the proposed fiscal year 2024–25 budget at a workshop, with staff laying out revenue assumptions, capital requests and several operational pressures that will shape the coming year.

Staff said the city is still awaiting final county figures but is planning under the assumption that the coming tax rate will be similar to last year’s. Andre, who presented the memo and schedule for follow-up budget sessions, told the council staff would ask the body to set a tax-rate ceiling at an upcoming meeting as a procedural step to keep options open while final numbers arrive.

The capital request list totals roughly $2.8 million, staff said, with about $1.8 million of that earmarked for a ladder truck. Council members and staff discussed other proposed equipment and facility investments across departments, including dispatch consoles, new patrol and animal-control vehicles and a proposed storage building for downtown decorations and supplies.

Public-safety technology also drew sustained attention. Staff said the city’s current body-camera system vendor is no longer in business and recommended replacing the existing system; earlier replacement estimates from the transcript were unclear, so the budget will specify costs once vendors return final quotes. Staff also proposed moving to cloud-hosted records systems to reduce errors caused when local storage fills and confirmed a quota of devices under consideration for dispatch and camera upgrades. On officer equipment, staff proposed that each officer be issued a personal taser rather than sharing devices.

Council members and staff raised recurring broadband and IT problems that surfaced during a recent storm. Council discussed whether a new communications tower or leased alternatives could improve connectivity for public-safety operations and city services. "If we don't do something about it, who's going to?" one participant said, summarizing broader concern that limited broadband capacity is constraining local businesses and remote work.

Parks and downtown projects were included on the capital list. Staff highlighted a $65,000 parks master plan, a 50-by-50 basketball court at Seventeenth Street Park, tree plantings and a $25,000 conversion of an old tennis court to pickleball as proposed items. Main Street representatives flagged damage to downtown holiday lighting during the recent storm and a roughly $30,000 price tag to replace decorations and add secure storage.

Several revenue notes stood out: staff projected general-fund revenues of about $3.5 million and sales-tax receipts near $2.4 million, assuming a conservative 3% growth rate. Staff also reported a one-time insurance recovery from the Texas Municipal League after storm damage—about $195,000—that temporarily boosted miscellaneous revenue but will not recur next year. The presenter said some revenue assumptions, including expected contributions from LCDC/EDC and projected ARPA inflows, still require confirmation; staff identified a roughly $706,000 gap in anticipated contributions that must be reconciled.

Code-enforcement and demolition work was another significant cost pressure. Council was told that demolishing increasingly numerous substandard structures can be expensive; staff estimated high per-house costs and warned that repeated demolitions can create vacant lots that strain maintenance budgets and reduce tax rolls. Council discussed the need to find grants or partners to help stabilize neighborhoods before structures reach the point of demolition.

The workshop concluded after staff walked through enterprise- and cemetery-fund items; staff noted cemetery operations receive 0.03¢ of property taxes and listed proposed equipment and mower purchases to maintain cemetery grounds. A motion to adjourn closed the workshop; the transcript records the motion but not a recorded second or roll-call vote.

Pastor Steve Sanders opened the meeting with an invocation asking city officials to "serve all the people of Levelland," and staff thanked him before the substantive budget review began. The council scheduled follow-up meetings to dig into capital items and finalize revenue assumptions once county tax figures and audit completions are available.