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La Porte council adopts FY2024–25 budget, sets proposed tax rate at $0.71
Summary
The La Porte City Council approved the city’s FY2024–25 budget, including about $28 million in capital projects and employee market/step adjustments, and adopted a proposed ad valorem tax rate of $0.71. The budget passed after separate votes on Chamber funding and the full package.
La Porte’s City Council voted Sept. 9 to adopt the city’s fiscal year 2024–25 budget and approve a proposed ad valorem tax rate of $0.71. Staff told the council there would be no increase in the property tax rate and no utility fund rate increase; the budget includes roughly $28,000,000 in capital projects, $2,600,000 for vehicle replacements and transfers from the general fund of $7,700,000 to the CIP and $3,970,000 to the city’s insurance fund.
During the public hearing, city staff summarized personnel and program changes: a 3% standard-of-living increase for non–civil-service employees totaling about $660,000, a civil-service pay increase of about $326,500, and multiple market-adjustment requests including a $158,374 position for a special projects and communications manager and funds for three equipment-operator positions. The staff presentation also flagged several one-time CIP requests such as pier repairs ($470,000) and Pecan Park AstroTurf ($550,000).
Councilman Englekin urged approval of the full market-adjustment amount, saying the city should "do right for the employees" to avoid falling behind market wages. Staff emphasized the city’s fund balance provides a strong reserve (the presentation referenced roughly 378 days of working capital) but cautioned that those funds are the city’s "nest egg." Staff also noted that some line items are subject to future direction from council on implementation.
Council first voted separately on the portion of the budget that funds the Chamber of Commerce because Councilperson Martin had filed a conflict-of-interest affidavit and did not participate in that portion. After the Chamber vote, the council moved and seconded a motion to approve the full FY2024–25 proposed budget as presented; the motion carried. The council then approved Ordinance 2024-4019, formally adopting the budget for Oct. 1, 2024–Sept. 30, 2025.
The council also adopted a proposed tax rate of $0.71 (staff noted the no-new-revenue rate would be 0.76239 and the voter-approval rate 0.88987). In the roll-call vote on the tax rate, Miss Williams voted no while a majority voted to approve the 0.71 rate.
Next steps: the budget ordinance takes effect as provided in the ordinance language and staff will publish required notices under state law for the tax-rate action.
