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Eagle Pass holds FY2027 budget workshop; council member urges start of a public health department
Summary
At a June 16 workshop on the proposed FY2026–27 budget, finance staff presented fund balances and capital requests and Councilman Diaz pushed to begin a public health department planning process, proposing an initial consultant/strategic-plan allocation and recounting prior efforts and potential local matches.
The Eagle Pass City Council held its first FY2026–27 budget workshop on June 16 to review fund balances, departmental capital requests and revenue projections. No budget adoption took place; staff sought guidance as they refine the draft for later workshops.
Finance director Mr. Felix presented a fiscal snapshot: the general fund balance was reported at $14.5 million (April 2026), the combined budget for the general fund, bridge and solid-waste funds was shown at about $43.9 million, and projected revenues across the presented funds were roughly $61.7 million versus proposed expenditures of about $68 million—leaving a preliminary $6.2 million gap largely driven by capital outlays.
Mr. Felix explained reserve policy (a general 25–30% guideline across funds and a 30% enterprise requirement for the bridge fund) and walked the council through departmental capital requests totaling about $8.79 million. He described the bridge fund projection as conservative at roughly $20.374 million in revenue and reiterated that staff will refine numbers as certified appraisal rolls arrive.
Public health proposal: Councilman Diaz used the workshop to press for progress on establishing a public health department. He described prior efforts, including a previously proposed $100,000 initial investment and a matching pledge from the Maverick County Hospital District, and said the city has collected community health-assessment data (nearly 2,000 respondents) showing unmet needs. Diaz asked council to allocate seed money—possibly a modest consultant budget—to develop a strategic plan that could be used to compete for state and federal grants and to stand up services incrementally. “I’m not willing to go another year without making movement on that,” Diaz said.
Responses and next steps: City manager Mr. Sto and finance staff expressed support for exploring a strategic plan and committed to provide follow-up guidance on funding options and a path forward. Staff noted that starting with a consultant or small strategic allocation is the likely initial step, and that any permanent department would require further decisions about staffing, accreditation, and partnerships. Mr. Castillo and other council members offered support to find funding and collaboration.
Budget process timeline: Staff emphasized this was an informational workshop; adoption is not due until September. Additional workshops are expected in July and August as certified property values become available and staff refine revenue and expense projections.
