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Blue Mound could only become part of another city through annexation. Annexation used to be easier in Texas but now it is much harder. Annexation is the name of the process that merges jurisdictions. In 2019 the Texas Legislature changed annexation laws. A City cannot decide on its own to become part of another City. One City cannot take over (annex) another City. Usually to become annexed, property owners must give their permission. Sometimes voters must approve the annexation. Learn more about annexation laws here: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/LG/htm/LG.43.htm
No. Council has never discussed it. In a conversation two years ago, the Interim Chief asked the Mayor about the issue. The Mayor said no option existed to outsource the police department. The matter dropped there. The Council has never discussed outsourcing the police department with city administration. Only the Council can approve outsourcing the police department. Also, Council is the only body that could disband a police department. City staff has no authority to make either decision.
No. The police department follows a process that every other city department follows. The Police Chief drafts a budget. The Council approves it when they approve the city budget. Discussions and public hearings occur before that vote. Citizens can ask questions during budget discussions and hearings at City Council meetings.
Blue Mound follows budget analysis processes that are common throughout Texas. The Police Department is one of several departments the taxpayer budget funds. The Council must balance the department requests with resident priorities. The Council also balances department requests with annual funding the City is expected to receive. Doing both requires many meetings with all department heads, including the Police Chief.
The police department receives funding from two places. First, the General Fund contains property taxes from residents. Second, the Crime Control Prevention District contains sales tax receipts. It contains 25 percent of all sales tax revenue. Most police funding comes from the General Fund.
Here is a look at the Police Department budget and the amount spent:
For 2020-2021 Council approved $1,194,166 from General Funds. The department spent $1,060,459.00.
For 2021-2022 Council approved $1,015,600 from General Funds. The department spent $1,117,015. The department was over-budget because of several reasons:
For 2022-2023 Council approved 915,226 from General Funds. This budget included the reduction in dispatching expenses. The department spent $886,078.
For 2023-2024 Council approved $908,681 from General Funds. The Council will learn how much the department spent in total at the end of the current budget cycle. The Council sees a monthly budget report every month that shows activity for the month as well as a year-to-date amount.
Texas has never promoted professional municipal staff based on a city’s population size. Texas has a long-standing tradition of encouraging its cities to have professional staff. Professional staff helps the Mayor and Council run an efficient city. The practice began over 100 years ago.
Over those 100 years, Texas cities have been dealing with more complex issues. Today, the state and the legislature change rules, regulations, and laws all the time. Professional staff, called either City Administrators or City Managers, work for the Councils. They handle the daily issues that happen in a city. Examples include fixing potholes and repairing broken pipes. They also guide the hiring of people to fix potholes and broken pipes.
When laws change, the state notifies them (and sometimes the Mayor) about the changes. The staff notify the Council about the changes and how they will impact the city.
This allows the Mayor and City Council to focus on larger matters that grow and expand Blue Mound.
The professional staff only have the authority the Councils gave them. Professional staff receive authority by ordinance passed by Council.
The state has no issues with the Blue Mound drinking water. Blue Mound meets all the standards and requirements of the state. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regulates the quality of the C ity’s water. Every year, the City publishes a water quality report. Learn about it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oxeBvs_E3VayThMehVNzEc6984Z66pEa/view
Yes. This outsource saves the city taxpayers over $100,000 a year. Blue Mound did not have a full dispatch department as required by the state. To have one would have cost taxpayers $360,000 a year. Instead, it had four full-time and one part-time dispatchers. These positions cost taxpayers $250,000.
The City studied whether to budget another $110,000 to have a full-time dispatch. As it did, four dispatchers resigned. To keep the police department operating, the City outsourced dispatch services to the City of Sansom Park. Now the City of Everman dispatches for the City. The Everman Public Safety Department dispatches Blue Mound police and fire services. The cost is $95,000 per year.
In the end, the outsourcing of the dispatch program saves the taxpayers over $300,000 per year.
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