Tax rate to remain the same.
Killeen City Council unanimously adopted the annual budget for Fiscal Year 2020 and voted to maintain the current tax rate at a special meeting tonight. The new budget goes into effect October 1.
The adopted budget is balanced with $209 million in planned expenditures. It maintains the current tax rate at74.98 cents and proposes no utility rate increases. The projected ending fund balance across all funds is 21.6 percent.
The General Fund, which makes up 41 percent of the overall City budget, is balanced at $86 million with a projected ending fund balance of 29 percent. Primarily funded through property and sales taxes, the General Fund allocates resources to the essential services of police and fire and to quality of life services including parks and libraries.
All other funds are balanced with expenditures planned within projected revenue with the exception of the Aviation Fund, which will use fund balance to achieve balance.
One major new program was included throughout the budget. Compensation Equity Phase 2 will address employee pay which is an average 25.4 percent below the comparable market. The budget provides a 2.4 percent cost of living adjustment for all employees. It also includes funding to bring civil service employees to 95 percent of market from the current 90 percent mark and classified employees to about 85 percent of market from 75 percent.
Other new programs afforded in the budget include additional funding for supplies and veterinary care at the Animal Shelter and funding to address dangerous building abatement. Two Water and Sewer programs also made the list to address fire hydrant and valve maintenance and water loss and conservation.
The Council made just one significant change to the proposal. It committed an additional $101,516 to the HOP bringing the total annual contribution to $222,366. This additional funding will provide for the continuation of the current level of bus service in Killeen.
City Manager Ron Olson delivered his proposed budget to City Council August 7. In a series of August and September workshops, he and his staff made detailed presentations of each fund and department. City Council conducted two budget public hearings and two tax rate public hearings to gain resident input prior to budget adoption. The document and all presentations remain available for public review.
Fiscal Year 2020 begins October 1 and ends September 30, 2020. The adopted budget, along with current and previous budgets, is available online at KilleenTexas.gov/Budget.
