Council: Budgeting for a Return

City Council returns next Thursday from summer break, but Mayor Steve Adler appears already engaged in a full sprint – except at the State Insurance Building, where he's been barred on Wednesday and Thursday (today) from joining in a series of meetings Gov. Greg Abbott has called with certain state mayors. Mayors from Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Ft. Worth have also been kept out. Hmmm ...

Adler has instead spent his time getting involved where he's permitted. On Tuesday, he joined law enforcement leaders from around the state to denounce the state Senate's deliberations on a bathroom bill. He teamed with 52 other mayors aligned through the United States Conference of Mayors to urge the U.S. Senate to reconsider plans to overhaul the country's health care system. And he's been busy pushing his own agenda locally, continuing to promote his recently announced solution to the Down­town Puzzle, which expects to get underway in earnest when Council gets its groove back in the coming weeks. (Adler also appeared at Cap Metro's transportation-centric ice cream social at Huston-Tillotson as this issue went to press.)

Of course, all of that plays collective second fiddle to Council's primary challenge in the coming weeks: setting a budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year. On Tuesday, Adler posted to Council's online forum a plan for how that process should work, based on recommendations from his colleagues along the dais. The plan at present calls for getting a proposed budget from the city manager on Aug. 2, followed by three budget work sessions (Aug. 9, Aug. 16, and Aug. 23) and a deadline for CMs' proposed budget concepts set for Aug. 23. Adler suggested the deadline should "allow our staff to have time to provide cost and relevant information related to our budget concept proposals ... so that concepts can be daylighted for the community to see and engage." He also declared hopes that Council "do a better job" managing the concept menu, and he's presented a "fist-to-five" form of governance for what stays or gets chopped off the annual wish list. That is, CMs are heretofore advised to indicate their level of support for a certain item by grading each on a scale – from a "fist," or staunch objection, up to five fingers, indicating avid support. Adler anticipates public hearings on Aug. 17 and Aug. 31, with the final budget readings running Sept. 11-13.

The posted agenda for the Aug. 3 meeting is still coming together, but by now has already grown to 120 Items, few of which are particularly interesting. The city is beginning to throw serious money at the initiatives made possible through November's passage of the mobility bond: nearly $9.5 million on engineering services with three firms, and $350,000 for a shared use pathway between West Gate Boulevard and Pillow Road in Sunset Valley, part of an interlocal agreement with the tiny city.

Elsewhere, the real fun(?) comes via an Item concerning the allocation of an additional $75,000 to attorney Renea Hicks, who's representing the city in its legal battle against former Council Member Don Zim­mer­man, who sued the city over campaign finance rules while he was still on Council, lost, and has since appealed.

And you thought we were done with him.

Check next week's issue for a full rundown of the revised agenda.