FISHER MAINTAINING POSITIVE OUTLOOK FOR 2020-21 BRENHAM BUDGET DESPITE PANDEMIC
Brenham City Manager James Fisher says the city’s foundation for the upcoming fiscal year is “solid”, but it is a foundation marred by uncertainty caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
At a budget workshop meeting Thursday, city officials went through the details of the expected $66.4 million budget, which Fisher said is backed up by a diversified general fund revenue base. The city is still anticipating a revenue shortfall of approximately $1 million, with adjustments and cuts to costs being made where possible.
Fisher said officials have asked the Brenham City Council to allow the city to dip into its fund reserves, if needed. He said the city’s current amount of reserves shifts often and is hard to pinpoint, but he stressed that it cannot and will not go under the required 95 days of reserves.
Fisher said the city wants to avoid letting go of employees and that it does not anticipate doing so at this time, but as employees are the city’s greatest expenditure, layoffs are brought up in any conversation about cutting costs. He added that when comparing Brenham to cities of similar size, Brenham’s employee count is noticeably higher, so it has to analyze what it has and determine what is necessary.
According to Fisher, there are five positions within the city that are currently frozen. The city will evaluate those positions throughout the new fiscal year as needed, and it may eliminate them from the budget if it determines they are not needed. The city is currently focusing on promoting and hiring employees internally, instead of externally.
Fisher said the changes already made during the current fiscal year extend into the upcoming year, and as a result, not many new changes were needed.
With the new budget being so similar to the current one, Thursday’s workshop was the only one needed to work through the budget. A final draft of the budget will be presented at the Brenham City Council’s meeting August 6th, with public hearings and budget adoption in the following weeks.
Spot on Rules ??
Why has there been for many years a Over hiring process. Why are multiple people in Dept’s.? Its obvious the Budget cannot stay within the proposed amount w/o going into the Reserves. Frankly if the City mgr. & Comptroller cannot adjust the Payroll & stay within budget that calls nfor layoffs & the City needs to adjust. Do not look for Taxpayers & calling special Bonds to keep budget afloat. Its obvious this Budget hasn’t been stable for years. Truthfully we need a City mgr. Council & mayor with a Business background that have managed Budgets. That’s what is needed & hope soon. No more burden on taxpayers when City pays $200,000 for a Manager that wasn’t stellar in Budgeting in prior positions. Really the person w/great management skills needs to be in that job. How did the City get this way? Afraid it goes back several years & we are now suffering. The virus shouldn’t bear the cause of this as Fisher states…..cause that’s a minor cause. Its called over hiring, over spending. Get it together soon or else we’re gonna suffer deeply in the pocketbook . City council needs to take hard look at the many employees that are there & where to cut. Now is the time & maybe too late.