THE SPECTATOR: THE CITY HAS A MONEY PROBLEM

  

The City of Brenham has a money problem.  The problem is not that the City doesn’t have enough revenue.  The problem is the City spends it as fast as it comes in…and the staff and Council members justify it by saying “we have to have this”.  Under their proposed budget for the next fiscal year, property tax revenue is increasing over 18%, and overall revenue increases over 10%.  That’s an additional $1.7 million in revenue by leaving the tax rate the same as last year and calling it a “zero net revenue budget”.  Of course, we all know our property valuations have skyrocketed this past year.  And while homestead property is capped at a 10% increase each year, commercial property has no such protection.  Hence the 200 and 300% increases in valuation the property in downtown Brenham experienced this year.  The valuation of my company’s downtown property almost tripled, which means we will be paying almost three times the tax that we did last year.

But back to the City, where the proposed budget includes an additional $1.7 million in expenditures…an increase of almost 9%.  But again, they say “we have to have this”.  Most families and businesses, when faced with rising costs as we certainly are now, have to find ways to cut back on what they spend.  But not the City of Brenham.  No, they just raise your taxes, your water and sewer rates, and your trash collection rates to cover the spending.  City Council and staff…I understand your position.  Mismanagement over the past several years has left you with some major problems…like repaying FEMA for the work on the Lake Somerville water intake repairs…finding a new water source and expanding the water treatment plant to accommodate all of the new development Brenham is experiencing…and building a second fire station because that project has been put off by previous administrations.  I get it.  But if you really “have to have this”, then maybe now is the time to find some things you can do without for a while.  That’s what families and businesses have to do.

I have some close friends on the Brenham City Council, and I understand the position they are in.  But it’s time for our elected officials to stand up to staff members who say “we have to have this”…and maybe ask them what they are willing to give up to make that happen.  I know the Council is considering lowering the tax rate by 2 cents because they discovered an error in figuring their revenue.  But I bet there is still the same amount of revenue being generated by property taxes as before.  Come on Council members…you can do better.  Run the City like you do your business and your family.

And that’s the way it looks to this Spectator.