Monthly utility bills and annual property taxes will be on the agenda during Fairfield Council’s Regular Session, being held this Tuesday, August 13, 2019.

“This is one of the toughest decisions a Council makes,”said City Administrator Nate Smith, as he presented several options during last week’s budget workshops.

Proposed utility rates for water and wastewater, as well as a proposed property tax rate, is set to be adopted by Fairfield City Council this week.

These proposed rates will be followed by public notices in the newspaper, and two public hearings for citizens to express their views, before final approval in September. Bristol accountant enjoy working with all types of businesses, whether you’re a contractor, sole trader or a limited company. They will make sure you know what you need to put in place to be as financially efficient as possible with your tax and accounting. They are committed to providing all of their customers with a affordable cost effective solutions, making sure your tax bill is presented to you in plain English. So you know exactly why and what you’re paying for. They help businesses of all sizes to continue what they’re best at, by allowing us to do what we’re best at. Saving you money with effective financial accounting by using the best accounting software.


Utility Rates

According to City Administrator Smith, it has been eleven years since the City of Fairfield has adjusted their water rates. “With what we are charging now, it is extremely difficult to break even,” he said.

Currently, Fairfield has the second lowest water rate compared to neighboring cities, with Palestine having the lowest. However, according to the City Administrator, Palestine raised their rates by fifteen percent, just last month.

Smith is recommending an increase to the base water rates for Westwood Utility customers, who live outside the city limits, in order to level-out the costs sustained by all of the City’s customers. According to the City Administrator, “Taxpayers inside city limits are supporting Westwood customers.”

Westwood Utility Corporation, which supports homeowners in Oak Forest and Westwood subdivisions, was purchased by the City of Fairfield in June of 2017. According to City Administrator Smith, part of the purchase agreement was to keep water rates unchanged for twelve months.

Council members were provided four options for raising the base rate for water and wastewater services.

They include an increase for residents inside city limits of $2.5, $5, or $10; while residents outside city limits could see an increase of $5, $6, or $10 for their base rate.

Click here to view presentation materials given by the City Administrator during this workshop.


Property Tax Rates

In looking at the proposed property tax rate, Council members were given the certified appraised values released by Freestone Central Appraisal District. “It is a little bit under, but still good,” said City Administrator Smith.

This year’s Net Taxable Value, as certified by Chief Appraiser Bud Black, totals $204,615,360 for the City of Fairfield.

Not included are four parcels valued at $2,061,990 that are still under protest by Midcoast G&P (East Texas) LP.

Individual property changes that lessened the City’s tax roll this coming year include the house on Mount that was lost to fire damage, property that was donated to a tax-exempt charity, and exemptions for disable veterans and those who turned 65 years old.

Based on the numbers provided by the Appraisal District, four options were given by City Administrator Smith in determing on the tax rate.

.443825 – Effective Tax Rate.
This rate would provide the same amount of revenue as the previous year.

.452874 – Increase M&O by 3.5%
This would increase the tax rate for the Maintenance and Operation component, with the I&S (interest and sinking) debt portion being unchanged.

.456753 – Increase M&O by 5%
Again, this would increase the tax rate for the Maintenance and Operation only.

.464582 – Rollback Tax Rate.
This is the calculated maximum rate allowed by law without voter approval.


City Administrator Smith reminded Council members that, when deciding on the tax rate needed to meet the budget, not to expected total property tax collection. “You budget for 90% to 95% of that,” he said.

According to the City’s records, Fairfield has collected an average of 94.22% of property taxes over the past ten years, hovering closer to 90% the previous three years.

Click here to view the presentation materials presented to Council about tax rates.

Also discussed during last week’s budget workshops were the following:

Personnel


A two percent cost of living raise is being recommended by the City Administrator, not to include those who were promoted during the calendar year.

A new salary scale is proposed that will include incentive pay for continuing education.

The number of employees is expected to remain the same as last year, numbering forty for the City. This includes hiring additional police officers, one of which will be a new position for Animal Control/Code Enforcement Officer.

The City Administrator also presented a revised Employee Organizational Chart that includes designating the Utility Billing Supervisor in charge of Purchasing for all departments.

Click here to read presentation materials concerning city personnel.

Fire Department

Acting Fire Chief Chandler Baggerly and Acting Assistant Chief Bradley Holland, presented a draft of the budget they had been working on for Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department.


New priorities were proposed, taking money earmarked for firefighter reimbursement and putting it toward needs at the fire station, including public relations, safety equipment, and software maintenance.

An estimate for installing roof gutters was offered to contend with same drainage issues that led to the closure of the former City Hall building, located behind the fire house.

Also presented is a plan to downsize the fleet of fire trucks for efficiency.

According to Acting Chief Baggerly, benefits would include less money spent on maintenance and insurance, while paying down the debt on both the newer trucks and the air pack safety equipment.

“We are just a small piece of the puzzle,” Baggerly said, speaking about the fire department’s portion of the City budget.

When asked about the recent change in command, City Administrator Nate Smith relayed to Council members that Matt Foree had verbally informed Fairfield VFD that he would not be moving forward as Fire Chief.

According to Smith, the City has not received any written communication to that effect, as of press time.

Police Department

Flashlights, reflective uniform strips, evidence kits, and rifles were on the list for gearing up Fairfield’s officers, as well as a new design for their uniform badge.

Station needs include purchasing a secure server (mandated by the State of Texas), a new reporting software to replace an out-of-date system, and a stand-alone evidence locker.

“Right now, that will be the evidence room,” said Fairfield Police Chief David Utsey, at the department’s temporary location in the Conference Center.

Once the City completes the new City Hall project, and the Police Department moves into a more permanent facility, this locked evidence box will be utilized inside the evidence room to secure sensitive items such as narcotics.

Also addressed was the need for additional hiring to complete their roster of officers, and the purchase of new vehicles for the department’s fleet.

Judicial

This year’s budget is “pretty much the same,” according to Municipal Court Clerk Donna Bulger, with the exception of software maintenance for the new collections software being implemented.