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Ennis budget workshop proposes $5M certificate of obligation, 4% COLA and cautious approach to incentives
Summary
City staff presented FY2027 revenue projections and decision packages at a June 9 budget workshop, proposing a flat property-tax rate, a $5,000,000 bond, a 4% cost-of-living adjustment and targeted capital requests while warning of large water/wastewater needs identified in capacity studies.
City Manager Andrea opened the June 9 workshop presenting the FY2027 budget framework and emphasizing conservative revenue assumptions and the commission’s final approval role. Finance Director Stanley gave the economic outlook, saying staff had factored in risks from tariffs, midterm-election uncertainty and the rise of artificial intelligence. "AI is changing how businesses conduct business," Stanley said, and cities should consider data-center proposals given their property-tax potential but also their heavy energy and water demands.
Stanley recommended revenue assumptions that include 2.5% projected growth in property-tax receipts and a 7.7% rebound in sales tax that would raise roughly $700,000–$1,000,000 in new revenue next year. The plan proposes keeping the property-tax rate flat for 2027 and maintaining a 30% operating reserve. "We are proposing to keep the property tax rate flat in 2027," Stanley said.
City Manager Andrea asked the commission to prioritize decision packages and signaled support for a 4% across-the-board cost-of-living adjustment and merit funding for staff. "For this year, it is truly the 4% cost of living allowance across the board and the pay-scale adjustments that we would like to make for our public safety staff," she said, flagging a roughly $1.5 million estimate for those public-safety pay adjustments as an early, high-priority cost.
Staff proposed a $5,000,000 certificate of obligation later this summer to allow limited capital work without increasing the current tax rate. Finance noted some enterprise funds (water/wastewater, sanitation) are in stronger positions to fund their own decision packages, while the general fund is constrained and may not accommodate all requested recurring items.
Decision packages presented across departments included cybersecurity and IT staffing for administration; an elections and records-imaging package for the city secretary; public-safety staffing and facility repairs requested by police and fire; fleet, sanitation and streets equipment requests from Public Works; and tourism/EDC marketing and festival support. Of special note, utility staff warned the sewer-capacity study identified major infrastructure needs potentially totaling tens of millions of dollars. Andrea said the proposed $5,000,000 bond is intended to address immediate capital priorities while the city plans longer-term financing for larger infrastructure work.
Next procedural steps include CCPD board hearings and continued refinement of decision-package priorities. Finance presented a budget calendar that would bring a proposed budget to the commission by late July and a final vote on or about Sept. 1.
An adjournment concluded the workshop after commission members asked staff to return with prioritized decision-package costs and clearer fund-level capacities.
