Despite what Sugar Land City Manager Allen Bogard called a “very lean” budget for the 2010 fiscal year, a sharper than expected decline in revenues indicates the city could face a potential shortfall of $2.3 million.
Through March, net sales taxes are 4 percent less than budgeted, and other revenue sources have declines as well.
Bogard said the city is “committed” to maintaining the $1 million additional fund balance realized in the 2009 fiscal year, and said the city plans to reduce the transfer to pay-as-you-go capital improvement projects, reduce departmental expenditures by $1 million and maintain the current hiring freeze.
City staff is also reevaluating the Capital Improvement Plan to “capture any potential savings” and projects are being re-prioritized based on the revised funding capacity.
“These measures will remain in place throughout FY10, and the City Council recently directed staff to build the preliminary FY11 budget around equally conservative assumptions,” said Bogard in a message to residents. “With a predictably very tight FY11 budget, we are planning to add no new positions in FY11 and address challenges through the innovative use of existing staff. Departments are already working together to define more efficient, cost-effective ways of delivering high quality public services – whether that is through new ways of doing business or the utilization of our strong volunteer program.”
Bogard said the city will continue to work on projects suck as the Cultural/Entertainment District and proposed minor league baseball stadium, which he said will “help ensure that our revenue streams become stronger and even more stable.”
I would have thought that a collapsing economy would mean belt tightening everywhere (all of us together), but no. There seems to be a money grab going on in the unneeded construction arena, as well as from certain HOA attorneys. The homeowners and taxpayers are expected to go down first. Just remember, “If your end of the sinking ship is rising, that is not a good sign either.”
“Bogard said the city will continue to work on projects suck as the Cultural/Entertainment District…”
Suck? An appropriate slip of the tongue there?
The city should let the market and developers do these projects, without trying to force them and spend taxpayer money. While Sugar Land is so busy working on things like this, they ignore everything north of 90 in the original Sugar Land, plus the neighborhoods around the city’s airport. The priorities are all wrong if you ask me. Next will be further expansion way out in BFE past the Brazos, while the real Sugar Land around Imperial and the airport are ignored…
What about these fact finding trips to these minor league ballparks? I wonder if they stayed at the Four Seasons and had shrimp cocktails? Private flights or commercial flights. Come on reporters, do a little digging!!
Actually I believe county wide we all paid quite a bit more via appraisal creep by about 10%. That is intended to cover fluctuation of recent dips in projected sales taxes. Sad but true.
I keep reading about very lean budgets. How is that possible considering what we paid in property taxes last year?
GOP Economy misleadership is effecting sales tax input and FBISD deficit! The housing bubble has effected Sugarland dependent on the sales tax.
This isn’t good news at all. They kept telling us everything was fine.
That’s what the school district did the last time they voted for an increase too.
Since there were no challengers in the city elections they are making the case for a property tax increase. Anyone want to place a bet?