Crockett council opens FY2024 budget workshop, directs staff to study capital needs and staffing pay options

Crockett — The Crockett City Council on Monday opened its fiscal year 2024 budget workshop and directed staff to research capital purchases and refine personnel pay proposals.

City staff told the council the proposed budget holds current insurance coverage after receiving an estimated $66,000 increase in health-insurance costs, "roughly, 16%" for all employees. The draft includes no cost-of-living or merit increases, and staff said the city is balancing the budget without adding certification pay lines.

Why it matters: Council members emphasized that rising operating costs and material-price pressures will force trade-offs. The city faces possible water- and garbage-rate increases and steep rises in street-material costs that could shrink the mileage the city can maintain with a $350,000 materials allocation.

"We received about a $66,000 increase for all city employees — roughly, 16% increase," staff said in the presentation. That prompted a discussion about whether the budget should restore certification or incentive pay for public-safety staff or preserve the current coverage level until revenues are clearer.

Police Chief Keith Schmidt described the certification-pay system the department used previously — intermediate, advanced and master peace-officer licensing, degree pay and a variety of specialty incentives — and said such pay "incentivizes them to go further" in training and qualifications. Council members pressed for numbers and asked staff and the administrator to return with options and offsets to avoid unplanned budget increases.

The workshop also covered several capital requests. Staff listed two police vehicles (estimates near $26,000 each), a proposed radio system for public safety with an estimated cost around $466,000, and a replacement fire engine that likely requires multi-year planning and possibly bonding. Staff noted three police vehicles already approved for purchase with ARPA funds should arrive within weeks.

Material and debt context: Staff warned that chip-seal rock and oil have each risen about 30%, and that the city’s in-house $350,000 materials fund will buy significantly less paving material this year. On long-term financing, staff outlined about $544,000 in debt-service obligations for 2024 and showed how bond scenarios could add modest increases to the average homeowner’s annual bill.

Council action: After discussing trade-offs and timing, a council member moved and the council voted to "research these items and go out for bids" so staff could return with concrete numbers, procurement options and financing scenarios. The motion carried.

What’s next: Staff will return with bid solicitations, updated cost estimates and options for certification pay and rate adjustments, including potential impacts to utility rates and proposed budget amendments.