ALPINE — Alpine City Council members were expected to review new budget and tax-rate figures Tuesday, but they were withheld because they were not ready for review. The budget and tax rate items were listed only as discussion items for action later, and City Manager Megan Antrim said both were still being computed.
She said the budget was being updated from what was published in the “packet” containing details of each agenda item. Antrim said preliminary figures showed a deficit budget and she was working at getting it to a balanced budget. She gave no timeline of when they would be released but indicated it could be at the August 20 meeting. The packet showed revenue at $17,120,395, up from last year’s $16,546,177, Expenses were $17,120,395, up from last year’s $16,875,971. But those are not the final figures.
Antrim said the tax rate will be set by Brewster County Tax Assessor-Collector Sylvia Vega, whom she said she would work with to get the best rate possible.
One action item failed. Ward 1 Councilor Reagan Stone proposed asking the Legislature to approve moving the city election each year from May to November. It failed 2-3 with only Council Member Lucy Escovedo voting with Stone.