Hello Copperas Cove! The Cove City Council held a special Council Meeting on the afternoon of August 1, 2019 to discuss the property tax rate and City Manager's FY 2020 proposed budget and plan of municipal services.
The Council:
Mayor Bradi Dewald Diaz-Present
Joann Courtland-Present
Fred Chavez-Present
Dan Yancey-Present
Jay Manning-Present
Kirby Lack-Present
Marc Payne-Present
Charlie Youngs-Present
Council Seat 5 Candidates:
Dianne Campbell-Absent
Gary Kent-Absent
Action Items:
- "Coryell County Tax Assessor/Collector Justin Carothers has calculated the Effective and Rollback Tax Rates. Staff has reviewed the calculations and concurs with the calculations as presented on July 30, 2019 during a City Council Workshop. The proposed budget is based on a tax rate of $0.797908/$100 property value."
"City Council is required to take a record vote and set the required public hearing dates for the proposed tax rate if it exceeds the effective tax rate or the rollback tax rate, which ever one is lower, as dictated by the Texas Tax Code." - Ariana Beckman, Interim Budget Director
With the property values certified, the city has proposed a tax rate of .797908/$100. City Manager Ryan Haverlah presented the council with 3 rates they can choose from and the impact of those rates.
Dan Yancey opened discussion stating that next year there will be a state-wide roll back rate that the council will have to deal with. With that, he suggests to save money this year by not demolishing the old Police Station and go with 0.7865/$100. Charlie Youngs agreed that this is probably the best way to go, and it would be a good way to show the citizens "we do feel their pain". Editorial Comment: What about their pain about Fathom and the pending Business 190 Median project? Kirby Lack said the tax rate hasn't changed since 2012 - lets leave it the same. If we back up the rate, we'll be having to come in and make up for it in a few years. With a 5-2 Roll Call vote, the Proposed tax rate was PASSED at .7865.
Nay: Jay Manning, Kirby Lack
- Ariana Beckman said city staff recommends to set the date to adopt the tax rate and vote on September 3, 2019. In a 7-0 vote, the council PASSED this date.
- Ariana Beckman said city staff recommends August 13 and 20 as the two dates for the PUBLIC HEARING of the tax rate. In a 7-0 vote, the council PASSED these dates.
-Ariana Beckman dove into discussion about the different groups requesting funding from the city General Fund. This year, the city has $122,122 allotted to outside organizations.
The Boys and Girls Club, HCCAA, HOP, and Noon Exchange Club applied for funding support this year. Each group was given an opportunity to provide a 10 minute presentation followed by Q&A with the council.
PRESENTATIONS:
PRESENTATIONS:
"Boys & Girls Club of Copperas Cove is a youth serving organization that provides Copperas Cove kids with
opportunities for a great future through safe places, caring mentors and life-enhancing programs focused on
academics, health, and leadership. Our mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us
the most, to reach their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens." - Funding Application The Boys and Girls Club is coming on 25 years of service in Copperas Cove and they have seen a recent spike in attendance which has caused attendance to almost double. Charlie Youngs asked how are all of the movies on the training calendar helping to educate our youth? He was told that falls under the have fun and de-stress part of the program. But there are other educational opportunities. Leisure time is necessary to balance work plus the club also provides a safe space for children that they may not otherwise have. Kirby Lack asked what other funding they have coming in? It was stated that they receive funding on a Federal Level, from the MLB, Boys and Girls Club grants, and a fee of $100 per member per year, and a $30 transportation year if they need that service. Kirby Lack then asked what percentage of their budget is this $15,000? It was reported that this would make up about 1% of the overall budget.
"The purpose of Hill Country Community Action Association, Inc. is to promote the reduction of poverty, the revitalization of low-income communities, and the empowerment of families and individuals to achieve economic, self-sufficiency, and maintain personal independence." Through the "Meals on Wheels" program, participants receive meals once a day - 5 days a week. The Meals on Wheels program operates within all of Copperas Cove as well as up to a 2 mile radius around city limits. For many of the participants, these meals are their primary source of nutrition. In some cases, they even split their singular meal to be lunch and dinner because they don't have the funds or the means to go out and get food on their own. In a few extreme cases, participants are trying to make the meals stretch into breakfast as well. With an annual budget of $46,257, they are requesting $5,000 from the City of Copperas Cove. $16,303 of that will go toward salaries. With the left over funds, they are proposing 7,850 meals which will cost $22,145. Due to space constraints, they can only full-fill 40 meals per day. Because of this, there's always a waiting list of participants. While they do ask for a $3.00 per meal contribution, they will never turn down service due to no contributions. They have one participant who has never paid for a meal, and they have no intention on dropping her from the program. The $5,000 from the city will pay for 1,773 meals. It costs less to feed the participants for 1 year than it costs for 1 day in a hospital or 6 days in a nursing home. Charlie Youngs stated the PD started the "R U Ok" program for Senior Citizens to join. Councilman Youngs said that he called the Copperas Cove Police Chief to ask him how many seniors were enrolled in the program. Editorial Comment: Council members are not allowed to ask staff members to do work for them, per the city charter. The VFW has volunteered lock boxes to the PD for this program so if they need to get into a home, they can without kicking down the door - "This is what community is all about" - "We need programs like the R U Ok program and Meals on Wheels program." Kirby Lack and Marc Payne both chimed in with agreement. Marc Payne brought up that the facilities for Meals on Wheels are really too small. It's a small space and everything is very crammed with the freezers always full. He felt we need to look into how we can help with space. Dan Yancey asked what is causing the backlog - it was re-affirmed space and some funding.
The HOP is requesting $98,089 - down from $100,000 last year. They serve the Temple, Belton, Harker Heights, Killeen, and Copperas Cove area. They offer 9 routes and offer 290 fixed stops - with door to door stops available for those with special needs. In Copperas Cove, they average 13 riders per hour, with the goal for funding being 10 riders per hour. They get funding from Federal, State and Revenue but there is still a funding shortfall. TxDot and the Federal entities recommend against a fare box increase due to an anticipated ridership drop. The HOP will start providing advertising on their buses and bus stops to bring in more funding. Marc Payne asked how far away are we from seeing the advertising being implemented, to which it was replied the advertising is expected to start in January 2020. He then asked why the drop in the funding request, to which it was told that last years $100,000 was an estimate of funds needed but they were able to fine tune that a little better for this funding request. Marc Payne closed out his questioning by stating "Copperas Cove needs bus service for its residents but can't afford to provide it by the city". Dan Yancey is concerned we're "shouldering a disproportionate burden compared to Killeen". The HOP rep agreed with that sentiment, but they are going to Killeen with adjustments of options to raise funding or reduce service. Jay Manning mentioned that in 2017, we paid $42,165. Even if we raised funding 10% per year since then, we'd still be way under this amount - "You're pushing for too much". The HOP rep replied that if local governments aren't contributing, the federal government doesn't either. The bottom line in all of this is the 5 cities being serviced need to determine if you really want public transportation or not. The national average that cities contribute towards public transportation is 32% of the budget. Of the 5 cities serviced by the HOP, they're only asking 5% of the HOP budget. The reason for the steep rise in 2018 was the loss of their broker system.
The Noon Exchange Club is requesting $4,033 for their Annual Feast of Sharing they do every year around Thanksgiving. For this meal, they charge $11.50 per person, and have an estimated 650 planned for this year. This dinner has a total cost of $8,064 so they are asking for the Council to contribute 50% of the funds. Charlie Youngs brought up that in the beginning, this dinner was a program to provide a dinner to disadvantaged families and individuals. At what point did it become open to just anyone? The Noon Exchange rep said this was started in the early 90's by the City Council aimed at helping the disadvantaged, and was run by the Council until the early 2000's. Once the Noon Exchange Club stepped in, they decided it was tough to turn someone away simply for being too successful - especially since everyone has their own situation at any given time. With that, they opened it to the general public and now attendees range with everyone from the disadvantaged to Council members, business owners, and the general public. It's really become a good way for people to network and get to know their fellow citizens.
Council Discussion/Appointment of Funds:
Marc Payne started off discussion by stating he wanted to move $3,000 from the HOP and add it to the requested Meals on Wheels funds - bringing the total to $8,000. Bradi Diaz stated she wanted to keep things on track and address the groups one at a time and in order. She then went on to say that the Boys and Girls Club is invaluable to the community and she wants to see them be taken care of. Fred Chavez said he's been watching them closely over the years and while they have had their ups and downs - they currently have great leadership who are pushing things in the right direction. He would rather see us pay for those children on the front end then have to pay for them on the back end. We should take care of them now rather than address the issue when they wind up in jail. Other members of the council agreed with his sentiment. Kirby Lack put the discussion back on the Meals on Wheels by saying he'd like to take $5,000 and add it to their requested amount. Bradi Diaz asked if they would be able to provide additional man power with the increased funding? The rep for Meals on Wheels stepped up and said while they greatly appreciate the generosity of the council, currently their issue is space. They only have enough space to prep and store ingredients for 40 meals at a time. If they can ever get into a bigger space, they would let the Council know and request additional funding at that time. Fred Chavez thanked her for her honesty and let her know it really meant a lot.
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB - $15,000 APPROVED
Fred Chavez started off discussion about the HOP funding by asking about the incoming advertisement funds - what would be the impact? The rep stated they feel confident with the funding, but they are too early in the process to have an idea of the impact. Jay Manning voted for $60,000 to go to the fund, and Dan Yancey voted for $79,665 to be put in the HOP fund. Joanne Courtland stated that we need our 1 route that comes to Copperas Cove and she didn't want to lose it - to which Bradi Diaz agreed. Dan Yancey reminded the council that last year we told them they needed to look at stretching funds, but instead they decided to be slow about it instead of doing this a year ago. Advertising is just a small band-aid on this wound, and they should also look into partnerships with local businesses that rely on the HOP to bring their customers such as Scott and White Hospital. Fred Chavez is a proponent of mass transit, but he also doesn't want to pay more than our fair share. Tax payers shouldn't be paying more for a bus ride than the people actually riding the bus. With that, Fred Chavez voted for $82,000 or $83,000. Jay Manning actually went for a bus ride today to see how things were going and it was nice. But nothing in our budget has ever gone up like this, and he doesn't like to ask our citizens to pay as much as $3 per ride, when the riders are only paying $1. Kirby Lack, Charlie Youngs, Joann Courtland, and Marc Payne all voted for $98,000 making it known we have to have a bus system, but they are not happy with the cost.
THE HOP 4-3 vote for $98,000 APPROVED
In regards to the Noon Exchange Club and the Meals on Wheels - Full funding request APPROVED. Editors Note: This allotted $11 of funding over the available balance which will most likely just be transferred from another account. Typically with budgets, if there's a small carryover like that, accounting can find a little wiggle room to even things out. - Jeremy
Stay tuned for part two of the budget meeting. It will cover entities who are requesting funding from the Hotel Occupancy Tax fund. While some groups were heard, no funds were designated at this meeting due to errors with some applications. This is because the Texas Hotel Lodging Association reviewed the applications for legal compliance and found several mistakes, that were returned for corrections. They will be debated on August 13, 2019, because there is more requests than money available. The debate on whether or not the Visitor's Bureau will be the responsibility of the Chamber of Commerce is also delayed until August 13, 2019. Editorial Comment: Why is the Chamber of Commerce requesting all the funds and getting their people placed on several boards and on the council? We may need to look into this. More on that with the next update!
"The purpose of Hill Country Community Action Association, Inc. is to promote the reduction of poverty, the revitalization of low-income communities, and the empowerment of families and individuals to achieve economic, self-sufficiency, and maintain personal independence." Through the "Meals on Wheels" program, participants receive meals once a day - 5 days a week. The Meals on Wheels program operates within all of Copperas Cove as well as up to a 2 mile radius around city limits. For many of the participants, these meals are their primary source of nutrition. In some cases, they even split their singular meal to be lunch and dinner because they don't have the funds or the means to go out and get food on their own. In a few extreme cases, participants are trying to make the meals stretch into breakfast as well. With an annual budget of $46,257, they are requesting $5,000 from the City of Copperas Cove. $16,303 of that will go toward salaries. With the left over funds, they are proposing 7,850 meals which will cost $22,145. Due to space constraints, they can only full-fill 40 meals per day. Because of this, there's always a waiting list of participants. While they do ask for a $3.00 per meal contribution, they will never turn down service due to no contributions. They have one participant who has never paid for a meal, and they have no intention on dropping her from the program. The $5,000 from the city will pay for 1,773 meals. It costs less to feed the participants for 1 year than it costs for 1 day in a hospital or 6 days in a nursing home. Charlie Youngs stated the PD started the "R U Ok" program for Senior Citizens to join. Councilman Youngs said that he called the Copperas Cove Police Chief to ask him how many seniors were enrolled in the program. Editorial Comment: Council members are not allowed to ask staff members to do work for them, per the city charter. The VFW has volunteered lock boxes to the PD for this program so if they need to get into a home, they can without kicking down the door - "This is what community is all about" - "We need programs like the R U Ok program and Meals on Wheels program." Kirby Lack and Marc Payne both chimed in with agreement. Marc Payne brought up that the facilities for Meals on Wheels are really too small. It's a small space and everything is very crammed with the freezers always full. He felt we need to look into how we can help with space. Dan Yancey asked what is causing the backlog - it was re-affirmed space and some funding.
The HOP is requesting $98,089 - down from $100,000 last year. They serve the Temple, Belton, Harker Heights, Killeen, and Copperas Cove area. They offer 9 routes and offer 290 fixed stops - with door to door stops available for those with special needs. In Copperas Cove, they average 13 riders per hour, with the goal for funding being 10 riders per hour. They get funding from Federal, State and Revenue but there is still a funding shortfall. TxDot and the Federal entities recommend against a fare box increase due to an anticipated ridership drop. The HOP will start providing advertising on their buses and bus stops to bring in more funding. Marc Payne asked how far away are we from seeing the advertising being implemented, to which it was replied the advertising is expected to start in January 2020. He then asked why the drop in the funding request, to which it was told that last years $100,000 was an estimate of funds needed but they were able to fine tune that a little better for this funding request. Marc Payne closed out his questioning by stating "Copperas Cove needs bus service for its residents but can't afford to provide it by the city". Dan Yancey is concerned we're "shouldering a disproportionate burden compared to Killeen". The HOP rep agreed with that sentiment, but they are going to Killeen with adjustments of options to raise funding or reduce service. Jay Manning mentioned that in 2017, we paid $42,165. Even if we raised funding 10% per year since then, we'd still be way under this amount - "You're pushing for too much". The HOP rep replied that if local governments aren't contributing, the federal government doesn't either. The bottom line in all of this is the 5 cities being serviced need to determine if you really want public transportation or not. The national average that cities contribute towards public transportation is 32% of the budget. Of the 5 cities serviced by the HOP, they're only asking 5% of the HOP budget. The reason for the steep rise in 2018 was the loss of their broker system.
The Noon Exchange Club is requesting $4,033 for their Annual Feast of Sharing they do every year around Thanksgiving. For this meal, they charge $11.50 per person, and have an estimated 650 planned for this year. This dinner has a total cost of $8,064 so they are asking for the Council to contribute 50% of the funds. Charlie Youngs brought up that in the beginning, this dinner was a program to provide a dinner to disadvantaged families and individuals. At what point did it become open to just anyone? The Noon Exchange rep said this was started in the early 90's by the City Council aimed at helping the disadvantaged, and was run by the Council until the early 2000's. Once the Noon Exchange Club stepped in, they decided it was tough to turn someone away simply for being too successful - especially since everyone has their own situation at any given time. With that, they opened it to the general public and now attendees range with everyone from the disadvantaged to Council members, business owners, and the general public. It's really become a good way for people to network and get to know their fellow citizens.
Council Discussion/Appointment of Funds:
Marc Payne started off discussion by stating he wanted to move $3,000 from the HOP and add it to the requested Meals on Wheels funds - bringing the total to $8,000. Bradi Diaz stated she wanted to keep things on track and address the groups one at a time and in order. She then went on to say that the Boys and Girls Club is invaluable to the community and she wants to see them be taken care of. Fred Chavez said he's been watching them closely over the years and while they have had their ups and downs - they currently have great leadership who are pushing things in the right direction. He would rather see us pay for those children on the front end then have to pay for them on the back end. We should take care of them now rather than address the issue when they wind up in jail. Other members of the council agreed with his sentiment. Kirby Lack put the discussion back on the Meals on Wheels by saying he'd like to take $5,000 and add it to their requested amount. Bradi Diaz asked if they would be able to provide additional man power with the increased funding? The rep for Meals on Wheels stepped up and said while they greatly appreciate the generosity of the council, currently their issue is space. They only have enough space to prep and store ingredients for 40 meals at a time. If they can ever get into a bigger space, they would let the Council know and request additional funding at that time. Fred Chavez thanked her for her honesty and let her know it really meant a lot.
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB - $15,000 APPROVED
Fred Chavez started off discussion about the HOP funding by asking about the incoming advertisement funds - what would be the impact? The rep stated they feel confident with the funding, but they are too early in the process to have an idea of the impact. Jay Manning voted for $60,000 to go to the fund, and Dan Yancey voted for $79,665 to be put in the HOP fund. Joanne Courtland stated that we need our 1 route that comes to Copperas Cove and she didn't want to lose it - to which Bradi Diaz agreed. Dan Yancey reminded the council that last year we told them they needed to look at stretching funds, but instead they decided to be slow about it instead of doing this a year ago. Advertising is just a small band-aid on this wound, and they should also look into partnerships with local businesses that rely on the HOP to bring their customers such as Scott and White Hospital. Fred Chavez is a proponent of mass transit, but he also doesn't want to pay more than our fair share. Tax payers shouldn't be paying more for a bus ride than the people actually riding the bus. With that, Fred Chavez voted for $82,000 or $83,000. Jay Manning actually went for a bus ride today to see how things were going and it was nice. But nothing in our budget has ever gone up like this, and he doesn't like to ask our citizens to pay as much as $3 per ride, when the riders are only paying $1. Kirby Lack, Charlie Youngs, Joann Courtland, and Marc Payne all voted for $98,000 making it known we have to have a bus system, but they are not happy with the cost.
THE HOP 4-3 vote for $98,000 APPROVED
In regards to the Noon Exchange Club and the Meals on Wheels - Full funding request APPROVED. Editors Note: This allotted $11 of funding over the available balance which will most likely just be transferred from another account. Typically with budgets, if there's a small carryover like that, accounting can find a little wiggle room to even things out. - Jeremy
Stay tuned for part two of the budget meeting. It will cover entities who are requesting funding from the Hotel Occupancy Tax fund. While some groups were heard, no funds were designated at this meeting due to errors with some applications. This is because the Texas Hotel Lodging Association reviewed the applications for legal compliance and found several mistakes, that were returned for corrections. They will be debated on August 13, 2019, because there is more requests than money available. The debate on whether or not the Visitor's Bureau will be the responsibility of the Chamber of Commerce is also delayed until August 13, 2019. Editorial Comment: Why is the Chamber of Commerce requesting all the funds and getting their people placed on several boards and on the council? We may need to look into this. More on that with the next update!
