By DAVID TUMA
The Belton Journal
The City of Belton Financial Department was awarded the Certificate and Award of Financial Reporting Achievement. This award is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting reporting.
The City of Belton Financial Department was awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association meeting at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.
Brian Johnson was appointed to the Building and Standards Commission. Samantha Crumbaugh, Priscilla Linnemann and Eric Haugeberg were reappointed to the board to serve another term.
The City of Belton cast their 98 votes for Todd Scott to serve on the Bell County Tax Appraisal District Board of Directors. There are five spots available on the board with eight nominations. Todd Scott currently serves on the board and is the current representative for Belton/BISD. BISD has 555 votes. There are 5,000 total votes available, and it is expected that 600 votes will be needed for Scott to serve another term.
The City currently contracts with Waste Management of Texas for residential and small commercial solid waste collection/disposal and recycling. The current contract, awarded in 2019, is for a term of five years with two 1-year renewal options. The initial term ends in December 2024. The council approved a one-year extension. The cost for curbside trash pickup once a week increased from $32.41 to $33.50.
The council approved an ordinance amending the City of Belton Fee and Rate Schedule. Those fees can be found on the City website.
Budget amendments approved by the council for the 2024 Annual Budget were:
Revision #1)
General Fund
Property tax, permit fees, and refuse-related revenues ended the year below budget. Interest income, gas franchise fees, and the reimbursement for police services the City provides to BISD offset the shortfall. The Finance, Human Resources, Fire, Parks & Recreation, and Planning departments exceeded appropriations in various accounts. Salary savings in Police, along with lower than expected refuse expenditures, made up the difference.
Revision #2)
Hotel/Motel TaxFund
Hotel occupancy tax revenues finished FY2024 $77,000 under budget, but a similar savings
in consulting expenditures counterbalanced the loss.
Revision #3) TIRZ Fund
City and County contributions into the TIRZ Fund were $134,000 less than expected, but that loss was more than offset by higher interest earnings and savings in consulting and façade grants. During the year, the TIRZ Fund paid Bell County $1,181,000 to purchase land near the Cadence Center. Revision #3 increases the TIRZ Fund annual budget by a net amount of $1,126,000.
Revision #4) Information Technology Fund
Accounts within the Information Technology Fund budget surpassed budget due to storm
damaged equipment, rising software costs, and the conversion of wireless services from
Verizon to AT&T FirstNet. Revision #4 increases appropriations by a total of $106,000.
Revision #5)
Water & Sewer Fund
While on an actual basis water and sewer revenue was essentially flat from FY 2023, the FY 2024 budget anticipated an increase of more than $1.8 million. Revision #5 shrinks’ total revenues in the fund by $1,526,400. Total expenditure appropriations in the Water & Sewer Fund can be reduced by $101,500 due to savings in several capital accounts.
Revision #6)
Drainage Fund
Storm drainage fees ended FY 2024 $52,000 short of budget, but savings in drainage facility maintenance and consulting can negate the revenue deficit.
At the October 22, 2024, meeting, the City Council allocated $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) interest funds to the BACS. The funds are proposed for building renovations to provide additional finished activity and meeting rooms, improved storage space, and enhanced building accessibility to grow center programming. The agreement approved by the council Tuesday night outlines the areas where work is anticipated to occur, adding up to 1,000 square feet of additional usable space. There is no timeline of the use of the funds.
The Council also authorized the City Manager to execute an agreement for Visitor Center support with the Belton Area Chamber of Commerce for 2025.
It authorized the annual purchase of replacement Desktop Computers, Laptops and Peripherals from GTS Technologies Inc. through Texas DIR in accordance with the IT Equipment Replacement Plan at a cost of $52,543.95.
A resolution was adopted, authorizing an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for the Construction, Maintenance and Operation of Continuous Highway Lighting Systems along S. Loop 121 between IH-14 and IH-35. The city is responsible for maintaining this lighting. Oncor has meters on these lights with the bill paid by the city.
The City Manager was authorized to execute a contract with MUSCO Sport Lighting LLC for the installation of sports field lighting in the Heritage Park Expansion through the BuyBoard purchasing cooperative.
There is no lighting for any of the multipurpose fields at Heritage Park, which are heavily used by the youth soccer association. Installing lights on the newest and largest field will enable evening games, allowing games to be scheduled on weekdays and reducing the traffic congestion typically seen in Heritage Park on Saturdays. Playing after sunset will also make the experience more enjoyable and safer for both children and spectators.
The new lights will allow this field to host a variety of sports besides soccer, such as flag football, lacrosse, and youth football, transforming the area into a more versatile event venue that appeals to a broader range of sporting events. The total cost is $265,500.
During construction and upon completion of TXDOT’s IH-14 project, W. Avenue I at S. Mitchell began experiencing significant stormwater flooding runoff, affecting the Temple/Belton Housing Consortium that is in this area. Substantial rainfall has led to recurring flooding to this area’s homes and roads. During heavy rains, the street is inundated, creating a river-like flow that prevents vehicles from passing and causes severe water backup for the residents who live at the northwest corner of W. Avenue I and S. Mitchell Street. Attempts to protect the housing authority residents with sandbags have proven ineffective as the water volume is so high it displaces the sandbags entirely.
A detention pond near Avenue I is proposed to reduce flooding near property owned by the Belton Housing Authority. The projected cost for this project is $550,000. A 15% match is required and will come from the Drainage Capital Project Fund.
The council adopted a resolution authorizing the submission of a Texas Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program application to the Texas Department of Agriculture for drainage improvements in the area of W. Avenue I at S. Mitchell Street.
The council approved Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas for Health, Dental insurance and vision coverages. These expenses are 18.72 percent more than the previous year. The maximum increase allowed in 2026 is a 15 percent increase.
The purchase of playground equipment for Freedom Neighborhood Park was approved in the amount of $75,071.39. This new park is on the south side of town along Huey Road. Authorized the Economic Development Corporation to execute a construction contract with Bell Contractors for the IH-14 Water and wastewater Improvements Project and any change orders associated with the contract, not to exceed the amount authorized under state law.
