The city of Shenandoah is set to adopt its proposed $18.5 million budget for 2024 in September with allocations for three new employees and the community’s 50th-anniversary celebration.
The city’s proposed budget includes the city’s water and sewer fund and a tax rate of 14.49 cents per $100 property valuation, down from the current rate of 14.47 cents.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Sept. 13 to consider adopting the budget and tax rate.
The proposed budget includes two new positions for the police department and a new position for the city’s water and sewer department.
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With a focus on public safety, the council agreed to fund raises for the police chief and his two lieutenants which were taken out originally as a cost-saving measure.
“It is worth putting (the police chief) and two lieutenants back in the budget,” said Councilman Jim Pollard. “I think the city can afford it. I don’t see punishing three of our most important leaders in the community to get the budget approved.”
Finance Director Lisa Wasner said the total impact on the budget, including benefits, would be about $12,000.
The council also agreed to include the incentive of reimbursement for police academy fees and considered including a salary for a police recruit in the academy.
“I think we gain some loyalty by being able to pay them a salary and then reimburse them,” said Councilman Ron Raymaker. “Anything that would attach them to the police department we have a good rate of people sticking around once they start with us. I would like to give them a commitment up front.”
Police Chief Troye Dunlap said he supported only providing the reimbursement.
“That way we know they will be successful in the (police academy) program,” Dunlap said. “I think that is the route to go.”
Dunlap said the city has an extensive hiring process that not all recruits can complete including written and oral exams and firearms training.
“Not a lot of agencies do all of that,” Dunlap said. “But we want to keep our standards, a lot of agencies are lowering their standards. Even though it might take us a little longer (to hire officers), we aren’t going to do that.”
The city also will allocate $50,000 to its 50th-year celebration which will include a community-wide event. Shenandoah was incorporated in March 1974.
City Administrator Kathie Reyer said the staff has been meeting to come up with a plan for the event but nothing was finalized.
“We still have details to firm up,” Reyer said.
Reyer said to date, the staff has visited with Conroe ISD to use the parking lot of Woodforest Stadium to ensure there is plenty of parking for the event.
