LG Preps Budget for a ‘Trying’ Financial Future

River Trail, Closing Beefhead Ditch Could Be on the Horizon

La Grange City Manager Shawn Raborn presented an overview of the proposed 2020- 2021 City Budget at a meeting Monday evening, Aug. 10. Planned spending for next year came in at $13,906,960, about $1 million less than the current year’s budget of $15,071,932.

Most of the 7.73% drop in spending comes from some one-time capital expenditures that were paid out of the current budget, including a trunk sewer line to the wastewater treatment plant and a new fire truck for the La Grange Fire Department.

The economic effects of the COVID-19 crisis remain unforeseen. The budget planning process comes at a time when the stock market continues to gain despite record rates of unemployment. At Monday’s meeting, Raborn said he was surprised that the crisis hasn’t affected sales tax revenue for the City so far. The City depends on citizens’ ability to spend, since sales tax collections make up about a third of the City’s revenue.

“It’s going to be a very trying year,” Raborn told the Council.

Property taxes make up 11 percent of total revenue for La Grange. The City Council plans to keep the property tax rate at $0.2093 per $100 of value, the same rate for the last four years. According to figures from the Fayette County Appraisal District, average home values in La Grange increased from $176,780 in 2019 to $182,485 in 2020. The increase in property values will gain the City about $16,000 in new property tax revenue.

Most of the City’s revenue, about 50 percent, comes from utility rates, fees for services, facility rentals and other businesstype income.

“We’ve got to stay focused on basic service delivery,” Raborn said.

The Police Department makes up about 30 percent of the budget in the general fund. The police budget increased from about $1.33 million to $1.4 million. Most of the increase comes from a new E-Ticket system that will allow officers to spend less time standing on the side of the road during traffic stops. Trafficrelated accidents are the leading cause of death among police officers for the last 10 to 15 years according to data from the FBI and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. A great many of those accidents occur while officers are standing on the side of the road issuing a traffic ticket. The City also plans to repaint the police station next year.

Spending in the street department is expected to increase from $581,220 this year to $761,324 next year.

“This is going to be a street year,” Raborn said.

In addition to La Grange’s annual street paving and reclamation program, the City plans to rebuild the 100 blocks of South Vail Street and South Jackson Street. Both streets were heavily damaged during construction at the La Grange ISD elementary school campus. Raborn said the City has a long-term plan to close-in Beef Head Ditch. The City will apply for a federal infrastructure grant this October to help pay for that project, along with drainage improvements on Franklin Street and Brown Street. If approved, construction could begin next year.

The public can view the proposed budget and property tax information by visiting http://www.cityoflg.com/departments/city_budget.php.

Council will hold a public hearing and first reading of the proposed budget at a meeting on Aug. 24. Council will then hold public hearing on the proposed tax rate at a meeting on Sept. 14. At the Sept. 14 meeting, they will also hear the second reading of the budget and vote for final approval of the budget. They will vote for approval of the proposed tax rate on Sept. 28.

Also at the meeting on Monday, Council approved an update to the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Part of the plan includes a “linkage trail system” that would connect parks and recreation facilities with schools, municipal buildings and downtown.

“The trail system could easily run in the floodplain,” the document states.

“Are we hinting around at a river walk?” Councilman Ken Taylor asked.

“When we did the master plan, one of the things discussed was to see a linkage all the way around the river,” Raborn said. “The issue with that is obviously private property.”

Raborn said it would be more of a trail than a “river walk.”

“If you look at the map, we’ve got a lot of waystations to get there, if you go below the Fairgrounds to White Rock Park,” Raborn said.

The public boat ramp and Northside Park both lie between the Fairgrounds and White Rock Park and could be used as way stations on the trail.

“That would be wonderful,” Taylor said. “You know my feeling on this. I’ve always wanted that.”

The Parks and Recreation Master Plan serves as a guide for City planning, but it does not obligate the City to complete any of the projects within it.