Balcones Heights board declines crime-control funding application, tables 2026–27 budget

The Balcones Heights Crime Control and Prevention District Board of Directors voted not to accept a program-project funding application intended to develop the district’s proposed fiscal-year 2026–27 budget and plan, and staff said the formal budget resolution will be tabled to the next meeting.

Board discussion focused on personnel and payroll pressures tied to a proposed 3% cost-of-living increase and possible outcomes of an ongoing collective-bargaining process. A board member who asked to be recognized cautioned the board “to make sure that they … provide enough information to the community” before allocating funds and urged delay until the full budget process is reviewed.

The application under consideration would draw from a portion of sales tax revenue dedicated to the crime-control fund. Board members clarified the request is separate from the city’s general operating fund and is funded from that crime-control sales-tax allocation.

After debate, a motion to move forward with the recommended application was made and seconded. The motion produced a 2–2 tie on the board floor; the chair said he would cast a deciding vote against the motion, explaining he preferred to “wait and see the other budget” before approving the allocation. The chair’s deciding vote produced a final outcome against the application.

The board opened a public hearing on the district’s proposed Oct. 1, 2026–Sept. 30, 2027 budget; no members of the public spoke. Maria (staff) said the budget adoption resolution would be tabled until the next meeting because the application failed. The board adjourned shortly afterward.

What happened next: the board did not adopt the 2026–27 budget at this meeting; the funding application and the budget adoption resolution will be revisited at a future meeting.