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Balcones Heights budget workshop flags $165,380 shortfall; council keeps tax rate unchanged
Summary
At a workshop on the proposed fiscal 2027 budget, staff reported a $165,380 general-fund gap driven by payroll increases tied to refilled positions and a Wonderland Mall loan payment; the council agreed not to raise the property tax rate while asking for more detail on event spending, legal fees and grant projections.
Maria, a city staff member, opened Balcones Heights’ first fiscal 2027 budget workshop by telling the council the general fund balance stands at $5,755,130 and that total payroll is projected at $5,000,403.97, a reported 13.7% increase over fiscal 2026 largely because previously frozen positions are being refilled.
The increase, Maria said, makes the working budget show an overage of $165,380 that council members and staff will address in subsequent meetings. The proposed tax rate will remain unchanged, she added, citing the city’s already-high county ranking and conservative revenue assumptions amid declining property values.
Council members probed revenue and expense lines, asking how new citation payments from an updated court-payment system will be allocated and where grant-funded items such as recently purchased police vehicles appear in the budget. Maria said the new software will allow citations to be paid by phone and that the court and finance systems do not yet talk to each other; the city expects a unified system next year that will streamline allocations.
Members also asked for clearer breakdowns of council and event spending after staff noted multiple community events contributed to higher-than-budgeted costs. One council member requested per-event totals rather than an item-by-item list to inform 2027 event decisions. Maria said she would provide those figures.
Legal services caught particular attention. Staff said legal costs are likely to rise because of a lawsuit involving the mayor and a high volume of open-records requests; the city’s insurance pool (TML) is providing a portion of the defense, but Maria warned there still will be additional drafting and records-handling expenses through 2027.
The session ended with staff asking for council input on where to reduce expenses or generate revenue; members were encouraged to submit suggestions before the next budget workshop.
