Crockett council adopts FY2025 budget and no-new-revenue tax rate; staff outlines reserves and staff additions

The Crockett City Council adopted the fiscal year 2024-25 budget and approved the city's ad valorem tax ordinance during its Aug. 19 meeting.

City staff presented the budget as a no-new-revenue plan that funds additional personnel and capital needs. The package includes an additional firefighter position, a utility-clerk position and an animal-shelter attendant; it increases the street-maintenance line by $60,000 and provides an average pay increase of roughly $0.52 per hour (described as about 2% overall).

Staff also told council S&P Global recently reaffirmed the city's credit rating and noted the city's cash reserves are at about 34% of its operational budget, above the 25% target used for ratings. During the tax-rate discussion staff explained the debt service calculation included a conservative assumption for 96% collection (rolling forward a 4% uncollected allowance) and presented a combined maintenance & operations and debt-service rate of 0.6362 per $100 of valuation. Council approved the ordinance to levy the rate and certified the tax roll submitted by the appraisal district.

Why it matters: adopting the budget and tax rate determines city services, staffing and projects for the coming fiscal year and affects property taxpayers through the levy adopted in public session.

What happens next: staff will finalize grant matches and move forward on capital projects already in design or bidding phases (swimming pool grant match, SIB street projects, water-well and wastewater funding), and will return to council as specific contracts and bids require further action.