Page 309 - Watauga FY21 Budget

September 14, 2020

To the Honorable Mayor Arthur L. Miner, Members of the City Council, and
Citizens of Watauga,

I am pleased to present the City of Watauga’s Personnel Improvement Plan (PIP)
for FY2021-2025. The purpose of this plan is to identify current and future
personnel needs, justify these needs and develop a plan to fund these positions.
The PIP provides a five (5) year staffing plan created as a result of Department
Directors’ requests. It is used as a tool for the annual budgeting process.

Many of the requests that were initially submitted for FY2020-21 have been
pushed back a year due to the financial impact the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
pandemic has had on the City of Watauga. To help balance the FY 2020-21
budget, the City has unfunded 8.75 FTE (Full Time Equivalent Employees)
vacant positions. 12 FTE were eliminated as a result of reorganizations within
the Finance, Public Works, Police and Parks and Community Services
Department. A total of 1.5 FTE have been added in the FY2020-21 budget for
the positions of Public Information Officer (FTE 0.5), Administrative Assistant –
Financial Services (FTE 0.5) and Police Records Clerk (FTE 0.5 increasing from
a part time to a full time position). The new position of Public Information Officer
is fully funded by the Watauga Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)
through a Staffing and Reimbursement Agreement with the City. The
Administrative Assistant – Financial Services position is necessary to replace a
higher salaried position that was lost to retirement in FY2019-2020. This position
is partially funded by the Watauga Economic Development Corporation. The
conversion from part time to full time of the Police Records Clerk was necessary
due to the elimination of a full time position in the General Fund during FY2019-
20. As a result of the aforementioned, the total FTE from FY2019-2020 has
reduced from 176.50 to 157.25 in FY 2020-21.

In addition, to the current pandemic, the budgeting process presented challenges
as a result of last year’s 86th legislative session. SB2, also known as the Texas
Property Reform and Transparency Act of 2019, has limited the “roll back rate”
now known as “voter-approval rate” from 8 percent to 3.5 percent for cities such
as Watauga. HB1631, which prohibited the use of red light cameras, resulted in
a revenue loss for the City requiring the need to discontinue the School Crossing
Guard Program which was absorbed by Birdville ISD and Keller ISD.

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