San Marcos City Council Adopts FY 2019 Budget, 2018 Tax Rate

According to their publicly released proposed budget, although the tax rate is remaining the same as last year, with rising property values and the addition of new property onto the tax role, the city will receive an additional $2,977,405 million more in property taxes…

By, Terra Rivers, Managing Editor

On Tuesday, Sept. 18, the San Marcos City Council adopted the city budget for the Fiscal Year 2019 and ratified and adopted the tax rate for 2018.

The city budget process begins in January every year and ends in September with the approval of the next fiscal year’s budget, which begins on October 1.

Last night, council members adopted a budget of $229,369,259 for FY 2019 by a 7-0 vote. The budget includes the approval of 2019 capital improvements program projects as well as a new position and extended hours for the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter.

Additionally, council ratified and adopted the 2018 tax rate at “61.39 cents on each $100 of taxable value of real property that is not exempt from taxation.”

According to their publicly released proposed budget, although the tax rate is remaining the same as last year, with rising property values and the addition of new property onto the tax role, the city will receive an additional $2,977,405 million more in property taxes than last year or 10.6 percent. Of that amount, $560,210 is revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll.

Mayor John Thomaides said that the 2018 tax rate is a 3.9 percent increase from the effective tax rate, which was 58.99 cents per $100 valuation.

Council members thanked city staff for all of their hard work regarding the budget.

The tax rate was ratified and adopted by a 7-0 vote.

Council members opened the meeting by addressing items and discussions from their executive session.

Mayor Thomaides read the agreed upon motion to allow the City Manager to do the following:

Authorize the City Manager to execute a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of San Marcos, San Marcos Baseball Investments, LLC, and Pursuant Ventures Development, LLC, that provides for the design, construction, and operation of an outdoor sports and recreation facility and baseball training facility near Centerpoint Road and Interstate 35 in San Marcos, for the purpose of generating substantial economic impact through hotel occupancy and sales tax revenue, and fulfilling the City’s need for a high-quality sports and recreation venue for the youth of our community.

The motion passed with a 7-0 vote with no discussion. Additionally, consent agenda Items 2-4, 6, 8, 11-19 passed with a 7-0 vote.

Council Member Jane Hughson pulled item 5, relating to the “rates for both residential and multifamily customers of municipal solid waste programs.”

Hughson proposed an amendment to exhibit A of the item adding the word monthly before rates and to state that the rates also included bulky pickups. The amendment passed 7-0 as did the main motion.

Rate modeling for the Resource Recovery Utility indicates the need for rates adjustments to both the single-family and multifamily rates for the fiscal year 2019. This rate adjustments will fund expenses for the Resource

Recovery services provided, educational and public outreach, and administration of the program.

1. Single Family Residential – .81 cent adjustment
2. Multifamily Recycling – .32 cent adjustment
3. Extra Cart-Trash- .19 cent adjustment
4. Extra Cart-all others .18 cent adjustment

The single-family rate includes a 65-gal trash cart, 96-gal recycling cart, 96-gal green waste cart, Green Guy Recycling services, Household Hazardous Waste drop off, brush drop off, downtown trash/recycling public container service, City special events trash, and community clean ups. There is an extra $3 per month for a 96-gal trash cart if requested instead of a 65-gal trash cart.

The multifamily recycling service includes on-site recycling, Green Guy Recycling services, Household Hazardous Waste drop off, downtown trash/recycling public container service, City special events trash, and community clean ups.

Council members Hughson and Scott Gregson abstained and recused themselves respectively from agenda item 7. Hughson recused herself due to her sister living directly next to the property, and Gregson recused himself due to economic interest. The item passed with a 5-0 vote.

Additionally, Hughson recused herself from items 9 and 10 due to the items being related to greenspace. The items passed by a 6-0 vote.

Mayor Thomaides recused himself from the two agenda items, 24 and 25, regarding the Trace Public Improvement District. The items passed by a 6-0 vote.

Council closed the meeting by holding two discussions. Agenda Item 28 related to the modification of the city code, which would require City Council members to state publicly when and why they are recusing themselves or abstaining from an issue on the council’s agenda.

During the discussion, council members reviewed Planning and zoning’s policy/code regarding the same issue.

Council members also discussed potentially adding a limit to the number of bedrooms duplex developments are allowed to possess.

While developers are no longer able to ask for a duplex zoning, staff noted that there were several vacant properties in the city, which were already zoned for duplex developments.

At the end of the discussion, staff was directed to research the number of bedrooms the city’s current duplex complexes possessed and present the information to planning and zoning at a future meeting.

Columbus day in San Marcos is no more. The San Marcos City Council voted last night to make the first Monday of October indigenous people day.