Michelle Berdeaux (right) of the Atascosa County Appraisal District discusses the budget presented by ACAD to the City of Pleasanton. The City Council voted unanimously against the budget. DANIEL ELIZONDO | PLEASANTON EXPRESS

The Pleasanton City Council took a step back from discussing the budget and tax rates in more detail as those issues were brought to the forefront during a special meeting called Thursday.

The Council voted to postpone five items, including the general fund budget, the pension fund budget, special fund budgets, no new income tax rate and the ad valorem tax rate.

“As far as this tax rate here, it was shown in the budget presentation that by increasing the ad valorem tax rate to the proposed rate, that portion of the taxes would increase by 13.93%,” said 6th District Councilman Brandon Hicks. “I know that people’s property values ​​in the city have increased tremendously over the last few years, so if we were to leave those rates the same, that would only be about a 1.8% increase.”

The current ad valorem tax rate for 2023 is 0.515645 per $100 of property value. The proposed tax rate was 0.525 per $100 of property value.

The budget and tax rate must be approved by the end of the month.

Pleasanton City Manager Johnny Huizar proposed new items for next fiscal year’s budget, including a proposed marketing program for the City of Pleasanton called “All Things Pleasanton.” The proposed program and its details were presented to the City Council on July 25 under the title “All Things Atascosa.”

“We have to overcome some hurdles before we do something like this,” said legal counsel Bobby Maldonado. “That actually applies to both The Business Ventures and All Things Pleasanton. Essentially, we are constitutionally prohibited from giving money to individuals, businesses, corporations, etc., as I’m sure many of you know. There has to be a stated public purpose.”

Maldonado told the council that the Business Ventures Grant was initially implemented during COVID using ARPA funds, but for the grant to continue, it must come from the general fund. To pay for All Things Pleasanton, the same applies.

Huizar told the council that the money was earmarked for the Business Venture Grant, but could be used for another area of ​​need if the council so decided.

“You not only have to say this is good for everybody, but more importantly, you have to put controls in place over how the money is disbursed and how it’s spent,” Maldonado continued. “You have to do that both up front and after the fact, but you still have to say at the end that it’s good for everybody. Not just certain people, certain businesses, but everyone. The same goes for All Things Pleasanton. You’re determined that it’s going to benefit everybody and all businesses in Pleasanton, which in turn benefits all residents and taxpayers in Pleasanton. And if that’s the case, we can pass a resolution that you have to put in place certain controls and certain metrics so that you can make sure that it actually benefits everybody.”

Huizar said the city plans to provide Pleasanton police with a drone, a drug incinerator, stun guns and car and body cameras. The fire department needs new fire hoses, safety equipment, radios that need to be upgraded, the remodeling of the firehouse on the north side of town and $1.6 million for a new aerial ladder truck, which is already in the budget.

Other key areas of discussion included revising the 2025 Master Plan and beginning the process to develop the Airport Master Plan, continuing development of the Main Street renovation project, beginning the business incubator process, continuing the USDA process to develop the Justice Center, completing the first phase of the wastewater facility, and modernizing and implementing fiscal year capital expenditure policies and investments.

Huizar mentioned 2023-24 highlights including redesigning the city logo to represent the City of Pleasanton as the birthplace of the cowboy, purchasing 500 acres to expand the airport runway realignment, establishing the Pleasanton Housing Finance Corporation and Pleasanton Public Facility Corporation as economic development corporations to support the development of high-quality fixed-income housing, and council approval to move forward with the Main Street Revitalization Project by entering into an agreement with Stantec to design and renovate the old elementary school and gymnasium and transform it into a four-story, 200-unit multifamily development that includes retail and office space and residential amenities.