By Moses Leos III
Buda’s FY 2013-14 budget has several key expenditures.
The Buda Police Department will purchase two new police cars and equipment at a cost of $100,814. The library will receive year-round part-time help, at a cost of $11,500, as well as a security system for $5,976 and a website upgrade for $8,000.
Tourism has budgeted $40,000 for general tourism advertising, $48,000 for billboards and $55,000 specifically for events at Circuit of the Americas and other major events.
Main Street will get an overlay at a cost of $285,000. The first phase of upgrading the Garlic Creek Force Main will begin, at a cost of $1.15 million, which was a carry over from a Certificate of Obligation in 2011.
A new effluent water irrigation system will be installed in City Park – a project with a $50,000 price tag. The Bradfield Park Trail Project will cost $570,000 dollars.
However, still unresolved was how to allocate $25,000 in nonprofit funding.
On Aug. 28, Buda City Council asked nonprofits to provide additional information to get the money. Council wanted concrete information such as how many cases did the organization serve in Buda last year, how much did it cost per case, and what is the anticipated caseload for the budget year?
Based on what they obtained, a scoring committee was established, comprised of Director of Planning Chance Sparks, Assistant City Manager Brian LaBorde and Finance Director Sidonna Faust. The committee scored each non-profit based on a 0-100 scale.
The city revealed the results on Sept. 17. The highest scoring was Hays/Caldwell Women’s Center with 93. CASA followed with a 91. The Greater San Marcos Youth Council scored an 87, while Early Childhood Intervention got a 77. The Onion Creek Senior Citizens Center averaged a 50 - 58 for general services and 43 for their parking lot.
Council discussed several options on how to divvy up the funds. Council member Ron Fletcher posed the idea of giving funds based on the percent scored by the committee – a favorite among several members.
No true consensus was reached on dispersing funds. Council decided to table discussion for the future.
