Cedar Park City Council Members Are Present With Proposed $132M City Budget

CEDAR PARK, TX -- City Council members were presented with a proposed $132 million municipal budget at their meeting Thursday, highlighted by a lowered property tax rate, merit pay raises for city workers and more than $30 million in bond projects.

The Austin American-Statesman reported the Cedar Park budget calls for an increase of $101 in taxes due to property values. But the amount could change if council members vote to reduce the property tax rate, the paper reported.

As for that tax rate, the proposal calls for 47.4 cents taxation per $100 valuation -- about a half cent less than the current budget. The Statesman notes, however, that property values have gone up, and city officials would have to tax at 44.8 cents per $100 valuation to raise the same amount of money for the city as last year.

All told, this year's budget total represents a 6.7 percent increase from last year's allotments.

The budget also includes merit raises for non-civil service workers and police and firefighters, an allotment of $586,000 for the pay increases. Additionally, the budget includes $30.2 million of the $96.7 million in bonds that voters approved in November.

Among the voter-approved bonds in the budget, as the Statesman noted, are projects ranging from construction of New Hope Road from Cottonwood Creek Trail to Ronald Reagan Boulevard; street overlay work to improve several city arteries; fire station construction to service the north central/northeast portion of the city; realignment of Bell Boulevard; and expansion of both the police department and fire administration buildings.

Other budgeted items include $1.2 million for a new fire engine with ladder; $47,000 for a police patrol car and $190,000 for a brush truck, the report noted. Additionally, a $2.1 million earmark is aimed at filling 17 new positions -- five firefighters; two police officers; police department evidence technician; drainage foreman; two drainage maintenance workers; transportation engineering associate; plan review; redevelopment project director; director of neighborhood and community affairs; part-time librarian; and a part-time public safety help desk specialist.

Per state law, public hearings must be staged before the city budget is adopted. Those hearings are scheduled Sept. 8 and Sept. 15 in the council chambers, 450 Cypress Creek Rd., at 7 p.m. After those hearings, a final budget would be approved on Sept. 22.

To watch the last city council meeting addressing the municipal budget, click here.

Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman >>

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