Garden Ridge council approves FY2025 budgets and ratifies $52,800 property tax increase

Garden Ridge City Council approved fiscal year 2025 budgets across multiple city funds and ratified a $52,800 property tax increase at a special meeting on Aug. 26, 2024.

The budgets — covering the general fund, the water company operation and maintenance fund, the interest and sinking fund, and the Capital Improvements Fund — were presented by Robin, the meeting’s budget presenter. After a brief public hearing with no speakers, council members moved and seconded each resolution and approved them on voice votes.

The presentation outlined line-item revenue and spending for the general fund, including tax revenue and other fees. Robin reported tax revenue read at about $2.5 million, franchise receipts of $687,500, permits of $63,800 and fees of $166,900; miscellaneous revenue was read as $25,600, with total general fund revenues read at roughly $3.09 million as presented. The proposed general fund budget included across-the-board personnel pay increases (a minimum 10% raise for most positions) and higher adjustments for several roles: a 15% increase was shown for the City Secretary, the assistant police chief, a library assistant and the library director; police officers and sergeants were shown at 12% in the presentation. The presenter stated the budget would use a portion of reserves to cover a shortfall, leaving an ending fund balance that the presenter said equated to about 10 months of reserves based on monthly expenditures.

On the water side, the council heard the proposed water company O&M fund budget with projected water sales of about $2.2 million and an interfund loan from the general fund of $867,000 included in the revenue plan. The presentation listed total water fund revenue of roughly $3.29 million and a capital outlay figure of about $1.107 million for 2025. Two major capital projects were named in the presentation: a ground storage tank rehabilitation (stated as $240,000) and a Vista Ridge project (amount unclear in the transcript). The budget presentation said it assumes a $4 base-rate increase and approximately a 5% rise in water sales overall.

Robin also summarized the interest and sinking fund — reporting expected revenue of about $1,326,565, debt service on four bonds (including payoff of a 2012 refinanced bond) and agent fees of $3,150 — and said the Capital Improvements Fund would begin the year with about $317,500 and anticipated interest earnings to finish the 2252 waterline relocation, an ARPA-funded project.

Council then considered resolutions to adopt each fund’s FY2025 budget for the period Oct. 1, 2024–Sept. 30, 2025. The council moved, seconded and approved the general fund budget resolution, the water fund resolution, the interest and sinking fund resolution and the Capital Improvements Fund resolution on successive voice votes. The council also voted to ratify a property tax increase of $52,800 as reflected in the proposed budgets; the motion carried on a voice vote.

During the citizen comment period, resident Sharon Stripling addressed the council and urged elected officials to limit what she described as "frivolous" spending on projects such as painting the water tower and replacing a park sign, and to consider promoting from within rather than contracting out. "We're getting hit from all aspects — the garbage rates are going up, the water rates are out of sight, everything's high," Stripling said, urging the council to focus on saving residents money. The council noted the formal tax-rate discussion takes place at a separate meeting scheduled for next Wednesday.

With no further business, the council adjourned the special meeting at 6:22 p.m.