CITY & COUNTY
News from League City, Houston & Harris County
QUOTE OF NOTE
League City City Council approves employee raises
“I DON’T THINK WE CAN AFFORD TO LOSE ANY MORE EMS, AND I DON’T THINK WE CAN AFFORD TO LOSE ANYMORE TELECOMMUNICATORS.”
BY JAKE MAGEE
FUNDING RAISES Raises for League City employees will cost $1.26 million in fiscal year 2022-23.
LEAGUE CITY After a debate about how to fund it, League City City Council on Sept. 27 granted raises to 347 city employees. The raises will cost the city $1.13 million plus approxi- mately $134,000 after City Council approved further raises of $3 per hour for emergency medical services and telecom- munication employees. Under City Council’s direction, City Manager John Baumgartner will have to cut $134,000 from the fiscal year 2022-23 budget, which City Council approved Sept. 13, to fund the additional raises. The raises come after a salary survey that concluded after the FY 2022-23 budgeting process wrapped up Sept. 27. Ever- green Solutions surveyed comparable cities to obtain pay benchmark data, and city staff accepted most of Evergreen’s recommended pay raises to bring League City in line with comparable cities, according to a memo to City Council. “These recommendations led to an 8.5% increase to the midpoints of the majority of pay grades, tapering down as the pay grades increased past the $82,000 midpoint,” the memo reads. Additionally, the city’s starting pay grade was brought up to $15 an hour. Evergreen advised a starting rate of $21.82 per hour for EMS. City staff used that to reform the EMS pay grade chart, resulting in a $3.43 increase to hourly minimums, according to the memo. Telecommunication staff resigned significantly after the salary survey began. The starting pay for
Initial proposed raises: $1.13M Extra raise for EMS and telecommunication employees approved by League City City Council: $134,000
PAT HALLISEY, LEAGUE CITY MAYOR, ON GRANTING EXTRA RAISES TO DEPARTMENTS SEEING HIGHER TURNOVER
$1.26 million
League City City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Oct. 25 and Nov. 8 at 200 W. Walker St., League City. Meetings are streamed at www.facebook.com/ leaguecitytexas. Harris County Commissioners Court will meet at 10 a.m. Oct. 25 and Nov. 3 and 15 at 1001 Preston St., Ste. 934, Houston. Meetings are streamed at www.harriscountytx.gov. Houston City Council will meet at 9 a.m. Oct. 26 and Nov. 2, 9 and 16 at 901 Bagby St., Houston. Meetings are streamed at www.houstontx.gov/htv. CORRECTION: Volume 5, Issue 2 On Page 15, the eliminated Clear Creek ISD teaching positions were due to teachers retiring. MEETINGS WE COVER NUMBER TO KNOW fiscal year 2022-23 is allocated toward capital projects, compared to $87.03 million for FY 2021-22. $148M OTHER HIGHLIGHTS HOUSTON On ballots this is how much of League City’s November, Houston voters will be given the chance to vote on seven bond propositions that would help fund city needs, including police department maintenance projects and the expansion of a city-run animal shelter. If all seven bonds pass, it would give the city the ability to sell roughly $478 million in bonds to investors, which would be paid back with interest over a longer term. The bonds would not require an increase in property taxes, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. Voters have the ability to choose which of the seven bonds to support. The largest bond, which will show up on ballots as Proposition A, would provide $277 million toward public safety, including for renovations of police and fire stations as well as new vehicles. Other referendums would support parks, animal care, public health, libraries, the city’s solid waste department and general improvements to city facilities.
SOURCE: LEAGUE CITY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
telecommunication staff was raised to $23 an hour, and an additional $0.50 per hour will be added when telecommunication staff obtains certifications and completes their probationary period. Council Member Hank Dugie recommended increasing the hourly pay for EMS and telecommunication employees an additional $3 beyond the recommendations at an addi- tional $134,000 cost. These departments have seen signifi- cant turnover and been slightly below average in pay, and if League City leadership wants to have the best employees, increasing their pay is a way to get that, Dugie said. “I don’t think we can afford to lose any more EMS, and I don’t think we can afford to lose anymore telecommunica- tors,” Mayor Pat Hallisey said in support of Dugie’s idea. Eventually, City Council voted to approve the raises and for City Manager John Baumgartner to find money in the budget to trim to afford the additional $134,000 cost.
Commissioners approve help for renters facing eviction
City Council approves FY 2022-23 budget
BY JAKE MAGEE
DROPPING THE RATE Despite protest from a couple members, League City City Council approved a tax rate slightly lower than the fiscal year 2021-22 rate.
LEAGUE CITY With League City City Council’s approval Sept. 12, fiscal year 2022-23 will include the largest investment in capital projects the city has seen. During City Council’s meeting Sept. 12, members voted 6-2 to approve the budget. Mayor Pat Hallisey and Council Member Larry Millican were opposed, stating they did not favor dropping the tax rate so low. The budget-supporting tax rate, which City Council approved Sept. 27 at $0.415526 per $100 valuation, is $0.05 lower than the FY 2021-22 rate of $0.465526. Other council members, including Chad Tressler, said the rate decrease will be negligible for residents and the city. Council Member Nick Long pointed out small changes can make a big difference. Additionally, the budget includes increasing the cap- ital projects budget by $61 million
BY RACHEL CARLTON
HARRIS COUNTY On Sept. 27, Harris County commissioners voted 3-0 to approve $4 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to provide renters facing eviction with legal services. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey and Precinct 4 Commis- sioner Jack Cagle were not in attendance for the vote. The $4 million will be split into $2 million of funding in 2023 and $2 million in 2024, and applicants will be able to apply for funding for an initial two-year period. The funding will augment the county’s $1 million housing and legal services initiative, which was approved by commissioners in August 2021 in anticipation of rising numbers of evictions following the end of the moratorium on evictions.
$0.50
$0.415526
$0.45
$0.40 0
over FY 2021-22. In total, the capital budget is almost $150 million for FY 2022-23, he said. “We are reinvesting to the tune of more than we ever have,” Long said. The budget totals $318.63 million and funds 11 new positions. The budget also includes $74.41 million on new street projects and $24.29 million on drainage projects. SOURCE: LEAGUE CITY/COMMUNITY IMPACT *PER $100 PROPERTY VALUATION Fiscal year 2021-22 2022-23
13
BAY AREA EDITION • OCTOBER 2022
Powered by FlippingBook