LONGVIEW, Texas (KLTV) – As proposed, six of the seven voting members of the Longview City Council have agreed to keep the property tax rate unchanged for 2024: $0.5169 per $100 of assessed value.
At the last budget workshop, a property tax increase was proposed as a solution to finance salary increases for city employees, an issue that all council members supported at Thursday’s meeting.
The problem remains to find a source of funding to finance any salary increases for employees.
“I just think we need to really analyze our departments, see what kind of waste is going on there, and find another way to get it done without having to send the taxpayer to the rescue first,” suggested Deputy Mayor Michelle Gamboa.
Councilman Steve Pirtle disagreed with this solution and instead suggested using the reserve fund for one year to cover the salary increases.
According to City Manager Rolin McPhee, this would cause problems for future councils.
“The use of reserves for recurring costs, such as personnel costs, will result in a deficit of the same amount in the future plus inflation or any cost increases in the next year,” he said.
The Council will have another opportunity to present other options at its next meeting on 22 August, when the draft budget is finally approved.
In addition, the council approved co-funding by the city to pay for improvements to the Longview Fire Department.
As part of a hazard mitigation grant that awarded the city $287,000, the city’s $62,500 contribution will be drawn from the reserve fund.
The modernization measures include the installation of new generators at Stations 1 and 3 and at the training facility. The money also covers the costs of installing automatic transfer switches for times when alternative energy is needed.
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