Like a baton exchange, City Manager Bill Dollar officially (and literally) handed his proposed 2008-09 Budget to the Council Tuesday night. It is now the Council's charge and duty to accept or to modify it.
 
In a process regulated by state law, the Council also passed a resolution that provided public hearings and placed possible adaption of the budget on the September 2 meeting agenda. The city manager's budget proposes a tax rate increase of 1.1¢ per $100 valuation. The chart below shows how Garland would compare against other cities at their current tax rates. One thing for certain, there will be major changes to this order after the budget season ends. Some cities are holding strong and others are raising rates substantially.

Annual city taxes per $100,000 Garland's position among area cities if tax rate increased to 69.96¢ Chart shows cities over 25,000 in Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, and Rockwall Counties Cities with asterik are exceptions, either smaller than 25,000 or outside the four counties.

A sudden increase in home foreclosures and the reactive decline in residential values, the tremendous rise in fuel prices since Jan 2007, and significant cost increases in the state's retirement system for city employees gave the city a good walloping and a $5 million deficit.
 
The city manager and the whole city staff deserve acknowledgment and credit for cutting the operating budget, which has remained at the same tax rate for three four years. It would have been tempting to feign no possible cuts but, truly on their own initiative, they looked for cuts, starting several months ago.
 
To accomplish the task, the city has eliminated 53 positions, most of which were empty but four were not. Overtime and holiday pay will be calculated differently, basically as it is done in the private sector. Two fire engines will be mothballed but ambulances will be manned at all eleven stations, the first time ever Garland will have this level of EMS coverage. No police or fire employees are being dismissed. The smallest library branch, Ridgewooed, will be closed and those employees will be transferred to the South Garland branch, which has needed additional employee help.
 
Some of the other proposed actions that mean biting the bullet:

• suspend funding for the Star Spangled Fourth,
• privatize the mowing of medians and stretch the mowing interval to ten days instead of seven,
• eliminate seasonal plantings at city entryways and city facilities,
• reduce hours at the Granger Recreation Center,
• close Hinton Landfill on Memorial and Labor Days,
• eliminate surplus equipment,
• reduce General Fund and Support Service departmental expenditures,
• employees using take-home vehicles to pay the fuel cost.
• increase certain fees, and
• charge for non-transport EMS calls.

To deal with the problems related to the state retirement system, cost of living allowances (COLA) will be eliminated for retirees.
 
Most areas of the general fund budget will decrease from last year. Two areas set to rise are more money for fuel expenses and money for salary increases. The city manager is requesting 3.5% for non-civil positions. Civil positions would be a little higher.
 
Keeping employees at a market rate is always a moving target. No year could be worse than this. County employees will probably see no raises. School district employees are reportedly slated to receive 3%. Other area cities are all over the possible ranges but low is common.
 
The proposal before the Council would result in a General Fund of $133.1 million, 0.1% less than last year. Considering the effects of inflation, the difference is even greater.
 
The 1.1¢ addition to the total rate would be for debt service on capital projects approved under prior bond programs. The following chart shows the impact to residents. Seniors fare better partly because they receive a $51,000 exemption.
 

 
That sums the proposal. Council will now review the individual department budgets and hold two public hearings. Citizens have been submitting suggestions for cuts and those will be reviewed.
 
For much more detail of the information presented above, please review the slide presentation below and listen to the video presentation.
 

Work Session Video of Budget Dir Bryan Bradford's Budget Preview Presentation

Mr Bradford's Slide Presentation