This podcast contains comments from the July 13, 2021 Bryan city council meeting. Speakers include councilmen Flynn Adcock, Brent Hairston, Buppy Simank, and mayor Andrew Nelson.

The Bryan city council's first discussion of the proposed fiscal year 2022 budget included comments whether to reduce the overall property tax rate.

The maintenance and operations portion of the property tax rate is dropping by three and a half cents and the debt service portion is rising by an equal amount.

Councilmen Flynn Adcock and Brent Hairston asked to consider dropping the overall rate. Councilmen Bobby Gutierrez and Buppy Simank and mayor Andrew Nelson were opposed, due to limitations made by state lawmakers two years ago to raise tax rates.

Links to five city of Bryan budget documents can be found at https://wtaw.com/?p=147563

The city of Bryan's proposed FY 2022 budget also calls for no utility rate increases.

General fund spending is proposed to increase from the fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget of $78.4 million to $89.6 million dollars. General fund revenue is projected to increase from the fiscal year 2021 budget of $79.6 million to $81.5 million dollars. The FY 2022 budget also proposes to spend $8.1 million from the city's fund balance.

Increased spending for FY 2022 includes $2.8 million in what the city describes as "miscellaneous new spending", almost $1.5 million in new vehicles, $544,600 for six new positions, a three percent merit pay raise, and a four percent increase in operating expenses.

The council was given a timeline that the budget will be on file July 30, the council will receive an updated budget presentation on August 10, a public hearing on the budget August 24, a public hearing on the property tax rate would be September 7, and the budget and tax rate will be adopted at dates that are yet to be set.

The proposal calls for the following personnel additions:

Additional funding for seven voluntary vacancies from fiscal year 2021 that were approved positions that were not funded:

Municipal Court – City Marshall
Engineering Part time Scanner and Part Time Intern
Streets and Drainage Crew Member
Traffic Signal Tech
Parks and Rec Athletics Supervisor
Fiscal Services Finance Assistant
Facility Services Maintenance Position


Addition of 6 new positions for fiscal year 2022:

Fire Administration - Assistant Chief of Training
Engineering – Administration – Engineering Inspector
Legal Services – Legal Administrative Assistant
Development Services
Business Systems Coordinator
Plans Examiner
Combination Building Inspector

There is also the purchase of vehicles in fiscal year 2022 that were deferred in FY 2020 and FY 2021:

FY 20 $451,000 (approved, not purchased)
FY 21 $1,000,000