The $35.7 million proposed annual budget for the city’s next fiscal year was explained in detail to the Bellaire City Council by City Manager Paul Hofmann.
The budget will be the subject of an August 17 public hearing before the City Council, who will then meet in two days of budget workshops on August 18 and August 24.
The proposed spending plan includes $20.1 million in general funds, which largely finances the city annual operating expenses, $6.8 million in debt service payments to retire Bellaire’s outstanding municipal debt and $8.7 million for the enterprise fund, which covers the city’s water, wastewater and solid waste operations.
The proposed budget for the 2016 fiscal year that starts October 1 does not anticipate a tax increase for residential property owners in Bellaire. The budget does include a $3 per month increase in solid waste fees that would raise the average bill to about $20 per month, as well as a slight increase in fees for the Bellaire Family Aquatics Center.
The city’s main swimming pool in Bellaire Town Square has been so popular this summer that city staff have been forced to deal with complaints about overcrowding. The proposed fee increase for the pool would be in effect for the months of May through August.
Hofmann said the proposed budget also includes fee increases for the city’s popular summer day camps, called Camp Paseo.
The proposed budget includes hiring two more full-time employees and one part-time employee, as well as a 5 percent increase in employee pay and benefits.
In a letter to the council, Hoffman noted that the next year’s city budget would differ from the current budget in several ways, such as:
*A significant increase in funding for street maintenance.
*The establishment of a vehicle and equipment maintenance fund, and a plan to fully support that fund over the next five years, and;
*Additional resources devoted to the full-cycle recruitment of new employees.
The street improvements were recommended earlier this year by City Engineer James Andrews. Andrews told the council that there are more than 4.5 million square feet of roadway in Bellaire at an “unacceptable” condition. The estimated cost to bring all of Bellaire’s streets to good condition is estimated at $14 million, or $2 million per year for the next 8 years, Hoffman said.
Hoffman said that the road improvements could be done annually with $1 million from Metro and approximately $800,000 each year from property tax revenues.
Hofmann also detailed a series of “Management Projects proposed in the budget, which range from hiring an additional human resources employee to help in the year-long recruitment of city employees, particularly police officers, to “improving engagement with the community.”
The efforts to improve citizens’ engagement will include a citywide survey of residents’ opinions about city services; starting a new leadership development class, and increasing “communication efforts” with Bellaire residents, Hofmann explained.
Those management projects also will include conducting a detailed right-of-way analysis, in an effort to determine how private property owners are using city-owned right-of-way and, as part of an effort to promote community development.
Another major management project is a $45,000 appropriation for a Stormwater Drainage Plan.
Although the city of Bellaire has spent millions to install street and drainage improvements, there were 230 Bellaire houses that flooded in the Memorial Day storm.
A key reason for the flooding was the fact that Brays Bayou “jumped its banks,” and the stormwater in Bellaire had no place to drain.
Hofmann said the new drainage plan is needed to asses “conveyance improvements” and whether “other entities” should be responsible for making those improvements.
The city’s efforts to beautify Bellaire also will continue, Hofmann said.
And, a series of improvements to the city’s water and wastewater treatment systems are included in the management projects listed in the budget.
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