CITY & COUNTY
News from Flower Mound, Highland Village & Argyle
Flower Mound Town Council meets at 6 p.m. Aug. 21 at 2121 Cross Timbers Road, Flower Mound. www.flower-mound.com Highland Village City Council meets at 6 p.m. Aug. 8 and 22 at 1000 Highland Village Road, Highland Village. www.highlandvillage.org Argyle Town Council MEETINGS WE COVER HIGHLIGHTS FLOWER MOUND Council heard July 17 the recommended money amounts to be disbursed to local agencies and organizations seeking help from the town. The amount, which totaled $225,800 and comes from the general fund, will be in the proposed fiscal year 2023-24 budget, which will go before council for final approval in September. Among the organizations receiving funding will include the Children’s Advocacy Center of North Texas ($27,800), Christian Community Action ($22,500), Ranch Hands Rescue ($20,000), the Flower Mound Community Orchestras ($19,000), Humane Tomorrow ($15,000), Voices of Flower Mound ($7,000) and CASA of Denton County Incorporated ($5,000). FLOWER MOUND The first human case of West Nile virus in Denton County this year —West Nile Virus Neuroinvasive Disease— was detected in a Flower Mound resident, Denton County Public Health officials reported July 20. DCPH Chief Epidemiologist Juan Rodriguez said the first human West Nile Virus case comes as mosquito traps in Denton County have become more active over the summer. Authorities urge caution outdoors, including the use of long-sleeve shirts and pants with ample water intake to prevent overheating.
Highland Village council examines budget, employee compensation
BUDGET TIDBITS Some key components of the next fiscal year budget and other data.
$21.46 million will be general fund revenue. $534,000 will be transferred from utility fund for the revenues portion of the budget. $21.3 million was last year’s adopted expenditure general fund. The property tax valuation has increased by 3.5% over the last 25 years. The Marketplace shopping center represents 31% of retail sales in fiscal year 2022-23—the highest in the city.
BY DON MUNSCH
revenues. Regarding the other side of the ledger, the FY 2022-23 year-end expenditures estimate is $20.6 million. The specifics: City officials are estimating to have 44% of the total operating expenditures in the city fund balance at the end of this fiscal year; city policy requires a minimum 20% fund balance with a targeted range of 20%-25%, Heerman said. A closer look: Council discussed salary increases of three different employee groups: crossing guards, utility techni- cians and police officers. The base pay for an officer would increase from $64,110 to $70,681, while base pay for crossing guards would be $15 an hour, up from $12 an hour. For utility technicians, annual base pay
HIGHLAND VILLAGE City employ- ees would receive a pay boost in the next fiscal year upon council approval. Assistant City Manager Ken Heer- man discussed the fiscal year 2023-24 budget on July 11, and Human Rela- tions Director Kim Lopez discussed the city’s compensation system. The outlook: The proposed tax rate is $0.52373 per $100 valuation for FY 2023-24, a drop from $0.546825 in FY 2022-23. The projected budget shows a proposed $22.3 million in expendi- tures and $21.4 million in revenues for FY 2023-24. A breakdown of revenues shows $13.9 million in property tax, $3.9 million in sales tax, $1.5 million in franchise fees and $1.9 million in other
SOURCE: CITY OF HIGHLAND VILLAGE/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
would rise from $35,174 to $36,405. For police officers, the proposed annual salary max is $98,954. A 3.5% general pay schedule increase is proposed for new hires.
Argyle council approves cybersecurity audit
Argyle considers new code of conduct
BY DON MUNSCH
Carolina—and council approved that company on July 17. The mayor said the audit cost should be “pretty minimal.”
ARGYLE With an eye on inter- net and network safety, council approved conducting an audit of the town’s cybersecurity system at the July 17 meeting. Argyle Mayor Rick Bradford said at a meeting earlier in June he wanted to ensure the safety of the town’s information technology system, and proposed a full-scale inspection of its system. Bradford said he talked with a representative from CIBR Ready— based in Holly Springs, North
BY DON MUNSCH
ARGYLE Council examined creating a code of conduct for the elected and appointed officials at the July 17 council meeting. Among the code of conduct proposals were provisions on conduct in public meetings, use of electronic devices in meetings, accepting gifts and favors, and han- dling confidential information. Staff said they hope council provides feed- back so a draft can be in place before board appointments in October.
“IT’S JUST THE NEXT LAYER OF PROTECTION FOR OURSELVES.” CYNTHIA HERMANN, ARGYLE TOWN COUNCIL MEMBER, ON A TOWN CYBERSECURITY AUDIT
meets at 6 p.m. Aug. 21 at 308 Denton St., Argyle. www.argyletx.com
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FLOWER MOUND - HIGHLAND VILLAGE - ARGYLE EDITION • AUGUST 2023
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