Mission Releases Draft Budget for Public Comment
The City of Mission unveiled its proposed new $68 million dollar budget and workshops scheduled each day next week will allow the public to listen in while the council finalizes the figures.
City Manager Mike Perez rolled out a first draft of the budget at Monday’s council meeting that he said was balanced as required by law. Paper copies of the 2025-2026 budget can be viewed at Speer Memorial Library or the city secretary’s office; the draft budget is also available online, as it was part of the council’s agenda packet for its July 25 meeting.
“Anyone can take a look at the hard copies at the city secretary’s office, the library or online,” Perez said. “We will have a series of workshops starting on August 4 and we will have the budget hopefully adopted before the end of September.”
Budget workshops will be held next week, Monday through Thursday, August 4-7 at 4:30 pm at city hall. The workshops are open to the public, to observe as the council reviews the line items in detail.
The public hearing for the budget is set for Monday, August 11, at 4:30 pm, also at city hall. The required hearing allows for the public to voice concerns to the council, and each speaker is limited to three minutes.
Perez told the Progress Times that no pay raises are included in the proposed budget, and he does not expect big changes to occur during next week’s workshops.
“There are no raises for department heads, no raises for anyone,” Perez said. “As the city council meets with key department heads, something may come up that needs addressing. That is the reason for elected officials to meet with them.”
The balanced budget is a far cry from the cash flow problems experienced by the city in 2023, resulting in the city withholding $2.7 million in sales tax money it owed to the Mission Economic Development Corporation. The city eventually transferred the funds, Perez was brought in to help right the ship, and the city implemented a hiring freeze and conducted layoffs. Mission then raised its tax rate by 5.76 percent, and now plans to hold it steady.
Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza is not surprised by the financial progress.
“The city’s financial position has significantly improved as anticipated from last year,” she said. “Our finance department, with direction of our city manager Mike Perez and our assistant city manager Andy Garcia, has worked tirelessly to upgrade our accounting systems and protocols insuring transparency and efficiency.”
Perez said the city will finish the current fiscal year with about $1.3 million added to its reserves.
“We have our expected revenues next year at $69,369,865,” Perez reported. “Our expected expenditures are $68,256,892, which gives us an estimated fund balance increase of $1,112,973.”
Last summer, Perez introduced a five-year plan to get the city’s finances back on track, and it appears he is still using that plan as a guide, as he makes his way through his second year.
“The utility fund, we are going to end the year in the negative of $496,359,” Perez said. “I know that doesn’t sound really good, but we had estimated about $100,000 more under our five-year plan, and we ended up with some savings in employee vacancies.”
The biggest chunks of the budget are dedicated to the police and fire departments, with $23.9 million earmarked for the blue line and $13.7 million for firefighters.
Perez said the police department is gaining two more officers through a mental health grant, while the fire department gained three employees this year.
It’s been about 18 months since the city canceled its contract with a private ambulance service and opted to provide emergency services through the Mission Fire Department. Previously the city paid MedCare about $312,000 for three dedicated ambulances; now Mission Fire Chief Mike Silva manages a fleet of four ambulances, and two more units are expected to arrive shortly.
Garza has said the city’s EMS department adds to the quality of life services that Mission residents deserve and respect.
“The department has exceeded our expectations including the collection rates,” Garza said. “The department is expected to increase revenue as it expands services.”
Perez acknowledge that while the city has collected about $1.8 million in EMS fees, about $3.2 million remains uncollected.
“EMS service is a quality of life issue just like parks, library, or streets,” Perez said. “We make no money from those areas, but it is an issue of quality of life.
“Look across Texas, anyone that has an ambulance service, no one is collecting 100 percent,” Perez said. “If you think you’re going to make money off an ambulance, you’re not, by the time you pay for labor and equipment.”
Mission firefighters take on a double duty as emergency medical technicians (EMT).
“Other cities have only EMTs,” Perez said. “And they don’t pay EMTs the same amount that they pay firefighters. Our EMTs are also firefighters, and you have to pay well to attract and retain them.”
The Mission Historical Museum will receive a budget of $432,612, with about $60,000 dedicated to a possible survey that would support the creation of a historical district.
“We might do the study of historical buildings if it works for us,” Perez said. “Otherwise, we won’t spend the $60,000.”
Speer Memorial Library, which is facing foundation issues and roof leaks, received a budget of $1.6 million. About $335,000 is needed to maintain and operate Bannworth Pool, while the Mayberry Pool needs about $478,000 to stay afloat.
The streets department is expected to receive a budget of $4.7 million, while animal control efforts will cost over $1 million. Facility maintenance takes about $1.7 million of the budget.
Perez said the financial situation at Shary Golf Course is expected to improve, with projections of $358,921 in increased revenue for a project in progress: night play. The course’s greens and fairways are also being improved.
“The reason we’re going to have an increase in revenue there is we’re going to open night golf starting in October and we expect that to generate a lot of interest,” Perez said.
