Page 26 - Hurst FY19 Approved Budget

overhead costs, payable to the General Fund, will be reduced by the amount of
the salary adjustment. The city’s policy is to utilize General Fund dollars to cover
the cost of pay increases in the Anti-Crime Fund. This policy is appropriate given
economic variations in sales tax revenues and staff’s desire to maintain capacity in
the Anti-Crime Fund for equipment purchases to support community-based law
enforcement activities. Anti-Crime programs benefiting the community are: gang
intervention, crime prevention community-based policing, domestic violence,
and neighborhood and business crime watch.

During FY 2017-2018 the city made the final payment on our capital lease for the
city’s first digital radio system. The system is used by police officers, firefighters, and
public works employees and allows connectivity with surrounding communities
in case of a regional emergency. The digital radios also solve past issues with
“dead spots” in certain buildings where radios were inoperable. In 2015, additional
equipment was added to the radio system to enhance quality and to make radios
available to more departments within the city. The city now owns and will be
required to maintain all related equipment. The radio system was purchased with
a planned allocation of the strategic reserves within the Anti-Crime Fund. The
city continues to maintain a healthy reserve balance to support future capital
purchases and protect against economic challenges.

The Anti-Crime Fund continues to be funded by a ½% tax on retail sales within
the city. In 2010, voters renewed the Crime Control and Prevention sales tax for
an additional 20 years. Sales tax revenues are projected at $5.48 million for 2018-
2019. If this revenue source were unavailable, the property tax rate would need
to be raised approximately 17 cents to fund the 2018-2019 budgeted programs.
Information on the Anti-Crime Tax Fund is in the Other Funds section of this
document.

Budgetary Objectives to Maintain and Improve City Services

For fiscal year 2018-2019 staff continued to place emphasis on maintaining existing
services while looking for efficiencies to improve services or reduce costs. The following
short-term organizational objectives were achieved during the budget process and
contribute to the city’s financial sustainability.

Maintain city services at the current level and enhance services if justified,
and if funding is available. Funding is provided for city services such as public
safety, streets/drainage, community services, neighborhood services and water/
wastewater systems. City services expanded over the last two decades largely
due to two separate half-cent sales tax revenue sources approved by voters and
dedicated to Community Services projects and Police expenditures. Another
significant special revenue source, the storm water management fee, provides

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