The Lubbock City Council meets for a regular meeting on Tuesday with a packed agenda. Among the dozens of agenda items are several topics that have caught the attention of Lubbock residents in recent weeks.
Council will meet in closed session at 1 p.m., followed by a work session at 1:30 p.m. before the regular meeting at 2 p.m. in Citizens Tower. The work session and meeting are open to the public and will also be live-streamed on the city’s website at mylubbock.us. The Avalanche-Journal will be on hand to bring readers the latest news from the council chambers.
Here are five important agenda items that Lubbock residents should pay attention to.
The Council discusses the budget and sets the upper limit for the tax rate
In a working session before the regular meeting, the city council will once again discuss the budget for the coming year.
The council heard budget presentations from City Manager Jarrett Atkinson during a series of workshops last week. The proposed $930 million budget includes a 4 percent raise for all city employees, increased funding for street maintenance, five new patrol officers, new firefighting equipment and more.
The budget would also fund the renewal of the lease for the Godeke branch of the library and repairs to the Clapp swimming pool. However, Atkinson said he could not predict how long the “band-aid” solution would last and could not guarantee that the money would be used wisely.
Atkinson’s budget proposal calls for a lower tax rate but higher revenues, which equates to a property tax increase of about $47 for the average homeowner.
On Tuesday, the council will set the maximum limit for the tax rate, a rate that the council cannot exceed when it sets the final rate at a later meeting. The council could later decide on a lower rate, but not a higher one.
Mayor Mark McBrayer and several council members have previously expressed a desire to reduce the tax rate to the “no new revenue rate” level for the upcoming fiscal year, which could mean cuts in the proposed budget. The council may direct Atkinson and city staff to make changes to the budget during Tuesday’s workshop.
Council to decide whether to hold street bond elections in November
After hearing a progress report on the street bond that Lubbock voters approved in 2022, the City Council will decide whether to call another bond election in November of that year.
A citizens’ advisory committee presented its recommendations to the council last week for a $110 million bond package that includes 10 projects and an inflation buffer. The proposals include a reconstruction of the downtown section of Broadway and neighborhood projects in South Overton.
Other projects include reconstruction of University Avenue from 50th Street to Loop 289, repairs to Quaker Avenue from Fourth to 19th Streets, and several sections of road in south and southwest Lubbock.
More: Another road bond? Lubbock Citizens Committee proposes $110 million package
The Council may follow the recommendations of the Committee, modify them or refrain from calling a bond election.
36 amendments to the Unified Development Code are up for review
The Council will consider 36 amendments to the Unified Development Code on first reading – 35 of which were recommended to the Council for approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
This followed a public hearing last month where these and other changes were discussed. At the time, these changes were described as minor adjustments and “clean-up measures.”
More: Citizens are concerned about missing provisions in the UDC due to an “oversight” by the planning director
For the full list of changes, see the agenda at mylubbock.us.
Extension of the lease of the Godeke branch library is planned
The City Council will consider a new lease for the Godeke Branch Library at 5034 Frankford Avenue. The current lease between the city and Luskey Brothers Investments expires at the end of the month.
The council may accept the new three-year lease, which calls for rent of $176,820 in the first year and a 5 percent increase annually. If approved, city staff would work to find a permanent, city-owned location for the library.
If the council rejects the lease, the branch would close on August 31 until the city finds another solution.
Discussions on funding for the First Friday Art Trail continue
Mayor Christy Martinez-Garcia and Councilman Gordon Harris recommend that the Council reconsider its decision to end grant funding for the First Friday Art Trail.
During a July meeting, City Councilman David Glasheen successfully pushed to cut the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts’ hotel occupancy tax funding for the popular program by $30,000 over concerns that the arts trail promoted what he viewed as an inappropriate “LGBT agenda.” The backlash was not long in coming.
More: Lubbock City Council cuts funding to First Friday Art Trail because of LGBT events and drag shows
Martinez-Garcia and Harris’ proposal would give the art trail $25,600 back for marketing, security and a trolley service. The council is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to adopt the resolution.
