INGLESIDE, Tx — The Ingleside City Council will revise the proposed 2024-2025 fiscal year budget following a lengthy discussion during Tuesday's meeting. The deadline to approve the budget is less than a month away.
“My personal opinion is we’re nowhere near having a budget to vote on, and we’ve got 30 days to go," Council Member Steve Diehl told City Manager Brenton Lewis during the discussion. In reality, the budget is due in 27 days, as the council looks to approve it by September 24.
Diehl was one of the most vocal critics of the budget's current draft, focusing his comments on the creation of new positions and the increase in salaries from the previous year. He cautioned the council to be "careful" with salary increases and expressed confusion over new roles like the Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator, which carries a proposed salary of $92,758.49 per year.
Other concerns raised by the council focused on the rising costs for Ingleside residents. Mayor Oscar Adame expressed frustration over the proposed property tax rate increase. The 2023-2024 fiscal budget set the rate at 64 cents, but the current budget proposal would raise it by 10%, bringing the rate to 71 cents.
"I will not support a tax rate higher than what we’re charging right now," Adame told City Manager Lewis. The mayor emphasized the need to adjust the budget to account for an anticipated 15% water rate increase from the City of Corpus Christi, as well as industrial entities' continued requests for 380 agreements.
380 agreements allow Texas municipalities to provide grants or loans of city funds or services to promote economic development. Ingleside is currently in 380 agreements with Flint Hills and Kiewit; however, Adame made it clear that the city will "never" enter into another agreement of this type. “They want to work with the city, but they’re making our citizens pay more money right now," Adame said during the meeting.
The council requested that City Manager Lewis return with two new budget proposals. According to Adame, one should maintain the current 64-cent tax rate, and another should include only a "2-3 cent" increase and "no higher." These proposals will be discussed at the council’s next regular meeting on September 10. A public hearing will follow on September 17 before the budget approval deadline.
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