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Kennedale EDC hears budget guidance requests as fund balance and land purchases shape next year’s plan
Summary
At a Kennedale EDC work session, staff asked the board for guidance on next year’s operating budget, noting grant-application shortfalls, a roughly $2 million fund balance (April snapshot) and about $500,000 in May land-purchase activity not yet reflected in that balance.
Kennedale EDC staff briefed the council on budget priorities and asked for guidance as they prepare next year’s operating budget, highlighting grants, recent land purchases and rising legal costs.
John, the finance presenter, said the EDC’s April fund-balance snapshot was “about a little over $2 million” but noted a roughly $500,000 down payment on a property occurred in May and therefore is not included in the April figure. He added that the reported balance is a point-in-time cash figure — “if we went to the bank on April 30 and withdrew all the cash … that’s what our balance would be” — and does not reflect coming budgeted activity.
Staff and council members discussed grant budgeting after the EDC budgeted for five grants this year but received only two applications across the recent windows. Staff said the June application window is closed and one more application will be presented at next month’s meeting; unawarded grant funds revert to the fund balance at fiscal year-end and may be budgeted again next year. Mr. Hull said the office had budgeted for four new grants and carried assumptions for one additional award based on prior-year carryover.
Council members asked for clearer projections and visuals for fiscal planning. Multiple members requested a simple multi-year bar chart showing past revenue (two to three years) and two-year projections to reflect town-center changes, rental-fee revenue and other shifts that could affect available funds.
On expenditures, staff warned legal-services costs have risen because of recent land purchases, leasing negotiations and contract work related to the YMCA; staff estimated an additional $7,000–$10,000 of legal expense tied specifically to the YMCA contract review. Staff emphasized the charter’s technical point that the budget is adopted at the fund level, not by individual line-item accounts.
The council told staff to return draft operating-budget scenarios incorporating grant assumptions, the May land purchase, projected town-center revenue and anticipated legal costs. The meeting approved the May 11, 2026 minutes during the session; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
What’s next: Staff will prepare the requested projections and revised draft operating budgets for the council’s upcoming work sessions.
