TYLER — The Tyler City Council passed the 2018-2019 budget Wednesday morning.
The total budget will be $69.04 million. Nearly two-thirds of the budget will come from sales and property taxes.
“We are being very conservative with our estimation of how sales tax will grow this coming year,” said City Manager Ed Broussard. “As was demonstrated these past two years, fluctuations in sales tax have a profound effect on the City’s core services.”
The city projects to spend $63.8 million with $66.3 budgeted for spending.
“In 2017, 13 percent of the City’s overall budget was paid in cash towards repairs, maintenance and capital improvements,” said Mayor Martin Heines. “No other city can claim that in the state of Texas.”
The Tyler raised property taxes from 24 cents to 24.4452 cents per $100 valuation.
“When homeowners pay their property taxes, only a little over 11 percent is for the City,” explained Broussard. “The other 89 percent goes to Tyler Independent School District, Smith County and Tyler Junior College.”
Among the items in the budget is a raise in sewer and water tap fees.
The water tap will rise from $950 to $1,150 and the sewer tap will rise from $950 to $1,500. With the rise in fees, the total tap fees including meter instillation and sewer activation will be $3,143.50.
“Over the years, the City has been reluctant to raise rates and fees, even as the cost to provide services became more expensive,” said Broussard. “We are now gradually recovering these costs due to the inability of the General Fund to subsidize these programs.”
It will also increase rates for water, sewer, solid waste and recycling services, which means people will see a price change of about $4 in their bills.
Water bill at a small house will increase from $52.25 to $55.19 per month. Houses that are mid-sized will see their bill go from $85.14 to $89.07. Large properties will see an increase from $151.19 to $155,30.
Solid waste rates will go from $16.07 too $16.39. Recycling will increase $0.75 from $4.50 to $5.25.
The city will also be opening up 13 jobs frozen since 2016 and increasing the lowest pay for city employees from $10.55 to $12 an hour.
"So with the kind of increase in funding that we've been kind of be able to put together for the fiscal year that's allowing for us to go back in really return to those projects and services that have reduced as far as operations programing during the past few years," Broussard said.
There will also be new employees added. Starting in October, a new information technology position will be added. In April 2019, two new employees will be added to the fire department and two to the police department.
"This year is the year that we actually are looking at having full employment, staff we'll be functioning very hard throughout the community," Heines said.