Corpus Christi City officials are considering raising a street maintenance fee, a price removed from utility bills in 2024 to help finance the repair of the streets of residence.
The fee before the sunset in 2023 December At the end of the 19th century, he raised about $ 12 million in residential revenue, said interim assistant city manager Ernie de la Garza on August 21. At the budget meeting.
In previous budget discussions, city staff were not recommended to refund the fee, but officials have since changed the course after some city council members expressed interest in reviewing this initiative.
In this 2023 April In the case photo, construction staff are preparing to build a prescott street bar near Gollihar Road.
With the re -introduction of the fee in 2026, In January, it may be 15 million.
When this is valid, most residents paid about $ 5.30 a month – a fee that has never been adjusted for inflation, De La Garza said.
Employees, August 21 The recommendation provided was to repeat the fee and increase it to about $ 6.60.
According to the report submitted to the Council, it may receive about $ 6.60 for the next nine months, if approved, can receive about $ 15 million in the next nine months.
Funding opportunities
The vote in 2023 to end the tax was a united one – the decision that the members of the Road Council had since interviewed.
The staff said, the city manager Peter Zanoni, at the time, recommended that the fee be updated and adjusted under inflation.
Although some council members recently stated support to restore street fee, both mayor Paulette Guajardo and City Council Gil Hernandez have retreated from 21 August. Budget meeting.
Taxes and taxes should not be considered as “permanent solutions,” said Guajardo, asking staff to return with other recommendations on how to fill in the funding gap.
One route may be a bond program, according to her, by giving voters the opportunity to confirm funding that could be intended for residential streets.
Hernandez claimed that there are other ways to compensate for funding, lost street maintenance fee, including restriction of the reserve balance up to 17% of the General Fund compared to 20%.
He said this difference means about $ 10 million that could enter the program.
“I would rather use that $ 10 million on the streets than let it sit in a bank account rather than use,” Hernandez said. “I would like to do it instead of adding a fee for an account of someone else’s utilities that will already increase.”
Water, sewage and rainwater taxes were offered to increase in the coming years.
However, the route offered by Hernandez would be a one -off source and would not provide repetitive funding, such as a tax, said Zanoni.
According to him, Hernandez prefers the city to hold a referendum asking residents to vote or add 2 cents to the property tax rate and funding goes to the program.
It will not be possible this year, but potentially further.
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This article initially appeared at Corpus Christ Caller Times: Corpus Christ officials considering recovering street tax