By Rachel Hall, reporting for Bluebonnet News
Cleveland City Council held a public hearing on the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2019-2020 during the Tuesday, Sept. 17, meeting.
“The proposed budget this year has been very surprising, because the City’s income has been very surprising,” explained Mayor Otis Cohn.
One aforementioned surprise includes the City collecting an excess of approximately $1.2 million in sales tax over the previously budgeted projections.
“Basically, all of the departments got their Christmas wishlists this year instead of the lump of coal they usually get,” said Cohn, who credited the excellent leadership of all the City’s department heads for the budget outcome.
The increased sales tax collected is one of the signs of the tremendous growth coming to the City.
“The City is growing and doing very well. This is a sign of the future I believe,” said Cohn.
Council also approved the tax rate of $0.77 per $100 of assessed property value.
“The actual total tax rate remains unchanged from last year. Our objective is to continue to hold that rate and increase the services to the community,” said Assistant City Manager and Finance Director Bobby Pennington.
Highlights of the proposed budget include:
- Engineering and architecture of a new fire station at $750,000
- Two SUV patrol vehicles at $80,000
- One patrol officer (mid-year) at $33,636
- Library renovations and furniture at $260,000
- Stancil Park improvements at $150,000
- Cleveland Airport fuel farm project at $150,000
- Community splashpad at $175,000
The new fire station is projected to cost between $3-4 million, which is unfunded at this time. The City is starting the planning phase and is considering fiscally-conservative ways to pay for the station.
A copy of the full proposed FY 2019-2020 budget can be found online on the City’s website. The public is welcomed and encouraged to review it and reach out with any questions.
For additional budget information, visit https://www.clevelandtexas.com/DocumentCenter/View/1861/FY20-PROPOSED-BUDGET-?bidId=