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Bastrop council and administration spar over budget presentation and police staffing accounting ahead of June deadline
Summary
The Bastrop City Council heard presentations on the proposed 2026–27 sewer, sales‑tax and general budgets and debated whether to budget full authorized positions or show vacancies offset by overtime; administration will post the proposed budget June 1 and departments will appear in regular order for appropriation hearings.
Administration presented the proposed 2026–27 budgets for sewer, sales tax and the general fund and answered council questions about where millage revenue, contract payments and personnel costs will be charged.
For the sewer budget administrators said projected revenue and expenditures are each about $2.5 million, and that the proposed document balances the year with an expected draw from fund balance of roughly $386,000 (administration estimated an annual fund‑balance decrease in the $250,000–$400,000 range depending on interest and project timing). Administration also said a contract that had been paid from the general fund (referred to in the record as the Biola contract) will be charged to the sewer‑use fund going forward, which will reduce the appearance of a sewer surplus and better reflect actual sewer operating costs.
On personnel the council and finance staff debated whether to budget for the full authorized patrol complement (12 slots) or to show current filled positions and a separate overtime line. Finance presented a breakdown showing regular salaries of about $725,000 and overtime of about $215,000; administration said separating overtime provides accountability and a clearer tracking mechanism, while some councilmembers argued the long‑term practice should be to budget for the full complement so the public and council can see staffing needs up front.
A resident who spoke during public comment urged the council to consider allocating money for summer youth jobs in the 2026–27 budget to help reduce juvenile crime; council and administration acknowledged the request and the mayor said the administration had already identified work toward a summer program.
Administration said the proposed budget and supporting documents will be posted beginning Monday, June 1, to satisfy a 10‑day public‑notice period before the next regular meeting; the council discussed scheduling department‑specific appropriation hearings in regular order so department heads can present and answer oversight questions before final adoption by the June 30 deadline.
Council also discussed the timing of hiring and the plan for filling vacancies: administration said current overtime patterns reflect vacancies and the budgeted overtime would be converted to permanent salaries as vacancies are filled, whereas some councilmembers said withholding full authorized positions understates staffing goals and complicates public oversight. Council directed staff to bring department heads to the appropriation schedule and to provide staffing counts and justifications in regular order.
