Good afternoon, everyone.

Um we're gonna have public comment first if there is any.

So um this welcome to our uh City of Mesquite uh budget work session Tuesday, April 7th, 2026.

We're gonna start off with opening public comment if there is any.

I may not have another opportunity.

Rick McIntyre.

Uh I may not have another opportunity.

So really quick.

Um, I think you did a beautiful job of appointing the committee to go over the short-term rental thing.

I loved every one of them.

Every one of your appointments was so good.

Uh great committee.

I thought we worked very well together as a group and came to some conclusions we're done with that.

It'll be coming to you in a couple of weeks.

Uh, but uh Vanessa Giebink, David Newfeld, Sherry Hollenbeck, Natalie Hafen, and Amy Gardner, terrific people.

Thank you for the wisdom you put forward to put a group of people together that were, I thought, really, really good.

Also, Marco Aguilar from the clerk's office and uh Jesslyn uh from uh Public Works or from Jesslin Levitt were absolutely amazing, terrific people.

Uh they were super good, great good sense of humor, and at the same time very professional about everything, and they did a fabulous job for us.

So, anyway, it's all good.

Thank you very much for the great work you did to put such a good committee together.

Thank you.

Thanks, Rick.

Okay.

Seeing no one else come forward, we're gonna turn the time over to Becca and Bryce.

Oh did you come on?

Uh it's public comment.

You can talk about whatever you want.

Um, the the when we actually talk about it will be next Tuesday at the regular city council meeting, but if you have something to say about it, yeah, go right ahead.

Um I know a lot of people have concerns.

Oh, Brandon Grimes.

Uh Grimes.

Um I there is a waterway that runs through that property, and and I don't know if it's being addressed as far as contaminants that will likely get leached into it.

Um I I have vast concerns about the storm drainage and the wildlife and everything that's gonna come off from from the pavement.

So I hope that that is a consideration.

Um as well as the roundabouts.

I mean, a triple trailer truck going through there.

It's it's not gonna be good, but I trust you guys are all considering all that.

Thank you.

Thank you, Brandon.

Don Swanson, 1008 Hapsway.

Uh I'm here for the truck stop thing.

I've talked to tons of neighbors in Coyote Willows, and we're definitely against that because of the roundabout.

We're just concerned that that's gonna clog it up and the big semis coming through there.

I know it's not as big a concern going south northbound on it as it is southbound, because they don't have to go through the completely underneath the interstate, but the people that I've talked to are definitely against the truck stop going in that thing.

And I just want to let you know.

Thanks, John.

Jennifer MacDeff.

It is really hard to typically render me speechless, but after learning about this information over the course of the last 48 hours or so, it is mind-bending to me as a resident of Sunset Greens to even have to consider a large-scale truck stop like QT is proposing and putting in the noise, the noise pollution, the exhaust pollution.

If I were a homeowner that had just built a home directly across the street from there, a brand new home, I would do everything in my power to file a lawsuit to impede this whole transaction.

And you can be rest assured.

I may not live there, but I live in Sunset Greens, and I this is the hill I will die on.

This cannot happen.

This is a residential community, and to have something that large scale placed into that crammed little space to affect all of the new homeowners as well as those who have lived there for 25 years.

You know, propose this up in Sun City and see how they respond.

Because I've seen pitchforks and and torches from the members of them on the other side of the hill.

And I feel like everything that we do, we're asked to just you know take it in the shorts and deal with it because that's what it is.

No, no, no, thank you.

Please take into consideration what truck stops bring to a community.

I'm from the Midwest.

I've traveled along the I-80 corridor.

I know exactly what types of activities happen in those in those areas.

Yes, there is crime.

I will present data, I'll do whatever.

I'm a very data-driven and factual-based person, and I will be at every meeting I possibly can to make sure that this does not happen or that there are some real conversations that take place regarding this proposal.

I mean, it sickens me to think that my investment goes down the toilet because they want to put a truck stop in a relatively residential area.

Seriously, my mind is just melting over this proposal.

It's unbelievable to me.

It's unconscionable to me.

Thank you, Jennifer.

Mayor, point of order.

Yes.

This is a budget meeting.

This is not a discussion about the truck stop.

I'm sorry, but I would like the council to vote on that.

Um I'm sorry, but I believe opening public comment is whatever it opened, whatever it is.

So it can be anything that's not on the agenda.

Um I mean, I know we don't want to get into the mayor.

There was open public comment uh for our technical review, which every resident had a uh voice, they could say whatever they wanted during the technical review meeting.

This is a budget meeting.

I defer to the attorney.

I'm sorry to always be the bad guy, but I think the public comment should be allowed.

Yeah.

And the I'm not saying it shouldn't be allowed, Adam.

I'm just saying.

I I totally understand your point.

This isn't the meeting, we're not discussing it.

We're here for a budget, but exactly.

That's what I'm trying to say.

We have that three minutes, then they can give their three minutes of public comment.

Good afternoon, uh, Mr.

Mayor, Council members.

My name is Tony Celeste.

I represent Quick Trips, so I'm happy to meet with all the residents that are here outside of chambers and discuss our proposed application, obviously, prior to next week's hearing when you hear it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, seeing no one else step forward, we're gonna turn over to Rice and Becker.

All right, good afternoon.

Um, obviously, we're doing things a little bit different than it's been done previously.

Uh, just wanted to give a quick presentation on and just uh give a high overall uh just a budget overview, and then we'll open it up to discussion based on our recommendations on what we should do with the tentative budget.

And again, this is the tentative budget.

Anything uh we do have to have this approved and sent off to Department of Taxation by April 15th.

Anything and between that and the final budget submission, which is due June 1st, any anything can change.

This is just the tentative budget as of right now.

Um if you want to go to the next slide, Frank.

Uh just to kind of give a uh just to give an overview on how we did the budget.

Um we met with department uh uh departments made requests for the new fiscal year.

Uh city manager and finance director met with all department heads to discuss expenses.

Uh expenses were higher than current year revenues, city manager and finance director.

Again, um and finance director made operational budget cuts based on past year spending.

Oh next one.

Oh, no, you're fine.

Um, when we met with department heads, uh we had um we uh there were budget cuts that we asked department heads to make based on um our initial five our initial gathering, and then after that we did go line by line to look at uh line items that had normally high requests and talked with department heads, and we did make budget cuts from there.

Um next one uh sorry, go back.

Uh projected revenue assumptions.

Um, this year we're projected to get about four 14.9 million dollars in C tax.

Uh that's just an increase over last year of 115,942.

Uh property tax is projected at 7.6 million, an increase of this current year's uh projection of 487,012.

Uh fiscal year 26 and 27 revenue assumptions may maintain a fiscally conservative stance with total projected revenues of 35.5 million dollars.

Just to kind of give a little glimpse, these are some of our biggest revenue sources, and they are not keeping pace with the amounts of increases of salaries, with just operational costs in general.

So I did just want to point that out.

And these revenues actually come in closer to what we received in fiscal year 25.

And then you can go to the next slide.

Right here's just uh currently our general fund revenue versus expenses forecast.

The red lines just kind of project where we're at right now.

Um so this year uh we're projected to have about a 200,000 dollar surplus at the end of this year, and then uh next year we have an actual we have a right now, currently have a general fund deficit of about 200,000, not a total deficit, but just budget our revenues to expenses.

And then you can go to the next slide.

Uh this one is just to kind of illustrate the general fund balance on kind of where we're at.

So uh 2025 we ended at about 4.6.

Uh this current year we're projecting to end around 4.8, and then next year uh as everything that we've put into the budget, we're anticipating at a ending at about 4.6 million dollars in the general fund.

And then you can go on the next slide, Frank.

Uh this one is just to give a uh just a picture on how the general fund funding sources work out.

So uh most of them come from intergovernment intergovernmental revenue, um, CTACs, RTC reimbursements grants.

That is majority of what we how we get funded.

Um you can see the amounts there on how much we're anticipating to bring in this year with each funding source.

Uh and then you can go to the next one, Frank.

Yeah, thank you.

Uh general fund expenses based on function.

This is where we're anticipating on spending uh the general fund this year.

Uh general um public safety is about 52 percent of the general fund budget.

Uh follow, and then we have uh public works 11 percent, uh general government 17, judicial two, public works 11, and health and sanitation is seven percent.

Then you can go to the next one, Frank.

Uh this is just to give an illustration on the head count.

Um, this year uh we're projecting to increase that number by five five full-time equivalents.

Uh general fund, these are some of the outstanding issues that we have right now, and uh items that have gone into the budget.

Uh police department, uh, police salaries have not been finalized for fiscal year 2526, so this current year, and um our current are in and and they have not, and because of that, they have not been finalized for 2627 either.

Uh fire department, one of the increases that we had to put into the budget was because of uh SB 170 required additional health screenings for firefighters.

That was about $20,000, a little over $20,000 for that.

Um IT professional and technical services budget has a steady increase due to continued contraction contracted software costs and software software implemented in 25-26.

Most everyone will have a 2.6% uh cost of living adjustment on top of any possible step increase.

Uh what we have right now is just unforeseen fuel cost increase.

Um they've spiked up quite a bit, and depending on how long that goes for, that could increase expenditures heading into next year as well, and how we end this year.

And uh also uh increased attorney fees with uh uh human resources, um, union negotiations, and no in-house attorney.

Uh special fund, this one has to deal with more cops.

Um, one of the asks that we have put into the budget is uh granting six additional patrol officers to be paid out of the more cops fund.

Uh there's over five million dollars in that fund, and there is just questions on how we're using those funds because that fund balance continues to grow each year.

So we do want to hire a lot of officers and begin to get that fund balance spent down capital projects with these with these capital projects that we've put in uh into the budget, and these are all the ones that we that are included in the budget.

Uh with with all of these going in, we're projecting at the end of June 2027 to have about 3.5 million dollars, and that's not including any additional transfers from the general fund.

And then listed below are the capital projects that are in the budget.

Um, and Travis is here if he can if anyone has any questions, and we can just go through the presentation and ask those questions on if we want more details on those projects.

Um, but it's it's just important to note that the airport one we are responsible for the work that is being done outside of the 3.1 million dollar FAA grant, and we've estimated that at 775,000, and then uh the rest of these down below are projects that'll be reimbursed by RTC or RFCD.

Wanna go to the next one, Frank?

Thank you.

Um, currently not in the budget, but ones that we would look to put in new landfill design is about a cost of 275,000 dollars.

Uh, this would come out of those capital project fund reserves.

Pioneer park field wire replacement and the MRED retaining wall replacement uh plan to talk with economic development committee.

This may not fit under those funds, but those are just different funding sources that we're looking to do outside of the capital projects fund, and also the Jensen Park playground to and look at the park fund for that one.

Then you go to the last one, Frank.

Uh recommendations.

Right now, the fund balance is projected to decrease by roughly 200,000.

Uh no additional general fund.

Um, our recommendations are no additional general fund projects or personnel changes.

This maintains the current service current service levels.

Staff will reassess as financial conditions evolve and then explore new sources of revenue with grants, um, visiting a fee schedule or increased um services provided by the city, and then possible lease agreements as well.

All right, questions.

I know there's gonna be a lot.

Uh councilman Fielding, you still had your light on.

Is that from I've got all that councilman parrish?

Um, so this sheet here yes is included in all that you just talked about.

Is that correct?

No, and Paul is asking me before the meeting.

There are projects that uh mainly the capital projects ones, Travis listed on there.

Uh, there was one before that we didn't know was being reimbursed by RTC, so that one was on there, and then also the FAA grant one.

He did put that on there.

So right now, those are the only two in the budget from that full list.

I'll just pull one out as an example.

Um Jensen Park Playground, you got in here at 200,000.

Yes.

And you've already you just said that that's gonna be put on the wait list.

Is that correct?

That is correct.

Uh we would look to do um main part of this goal is to alleviate any expenses that are hitting the capital projects, or um, and that one currently is funded by the general fund on doing transfers from there.

Previously, the economic development funds when there was the 7525 split, 75 percent of that those sales were going to the capital projects fund, then there was a resolution to change that.

So I guess being a being of simple mind and matter here.

Um what on this sheet is included in what you just presented to us, and what on this sheet is not.

I guess that's what I need to know.

The ones that are on the sheet that are included are all are the airport project, canyon crest boulevard, uh, Virginia River Levy Project, Casablanca Travic Signal, John Deere Drive construction, um, the rectangular I I don't believe that one was on there, um, but the Hawk signal at Bertha Howe and Falcon Ridge, and then also the six additional police officers for the from the more cops fund.

Okay, so the two additional fighter-fighters emps, and that's not in there.

No.

Holy cow.

So you got 10, you got 10 million dollars listed on here.

No, it's uh 9.9.

You got 9.9 million dollars listed on here that's not even in the budget.

Is that what you're saying to me right now?

Sorry, yes, that's correct, because we were short 200,000 having to pull from the fund balance.

So we didn't have enough revenues to cover expenses of just what we have to operate currently.

Okay, okay.

So how much money can we add to stay under the 200,000 dollars?

None zero, zero on this.

We're already under you're already under 200,000.

Okay, but so if we add one thing off this, we're gonna go over the 200,000, basically.

Is that what you're telling me?

Go farther into your fund balance, yes.

So if we had two firefighters EMTs, we're gonna go over budget.

We're gonna be a depth, or we're gonna be in a deficit situation.

Is that what you're saying?

We already are looking at a deficit situation for next year.

So we would just go farther into it.

Okay, well, this is not even close.

Um, I don't know what we're gonna do, but uh councilwoman Gellow.

Okay, so um you just said no personnel changes, and then previously you said that we would we were going you add police officers, so that's a little confusing.

So are we or aren't we?

Out of the general fund, there is no personnel changes.

Um, because to because we were talking about per police officer per population.

Um so based on our region, uh, we should be at 1.5.

Um, I just looked this up.

It said Mesquite uh police department is at 108% of police officers per capita.

So according to uh the numbers that I saw, we are already over police officers.

Um it says musquite where the national averages um the state average is at 90%, we're at 108.

Um, so I think it's something we're talking about.

Where were we gonna get the money?

Those additional officers were being funded out of the more cops fund that that that is specifically to hire more cops.

So that's not our money.

It I mean, it is, but it's not our general fund.

And we have to use it for that, or we have to do that.

Okay, so this so we do have the money then to do for those.

That's what I needed to know.

Is because we're we're okay there, but if the money is there, there's no reason to not okay.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Fielding.

Thank you, Mayor.

So I'll be honest, this is really different way that we've done it before.

Um, and unfortunately, I don't know where our funds went.

I mean, from last year now we're in a deficit starting our budget, and we have 9.9 million dollars that people want.

And to be honest with you, the city of Mesquite needs some of these things.

So I Bryce, you're in a fun position right now.

Yes.

Um, coming in and and taking this on.

Um, I mean, looking at this, a few of these things, you know.

First of all, we're gonna need firefighters EMTs.

We just we're finishing up a new fire station, and we need to man it.

And it makes no sense to me that we build this.

We don't have personnel there, but we're gonna pull from the other two departments to help in that area.

So we built it just to give service up on that side of the freeway.

So that makes no sense to me that we won't hire um to um please.

I I do like that the more cops.

I mean, that if that's not coming out of ours, then why on I mean, and it's right there, it's not in the 9.9 million.

I I get that.

Um Jensen Park, I'm okay with not doing the play station over there right now.

Um, and when it comes down to public works and Hunter Park turf replacement, um, 3.65 million dollars, there's got to be another place where we can get that.

Um, and I did ask Mr.

Anderson about the turf replacement up at the SEC, and he said that came from um COVID money.

But I mean, we have a parks fund, we have RDA funds.

I mean, if this is a money maker for us, because we rent those fields a lot, then we should probably find a way to do something and other funds.

And I know when we spoke last week that you were talking about um having uh Mr.

Lobb, you know, versus grass and watering, and to me, grass and watering and mowing, it probably is gonna be about the same.

I mean, I'm not sure, but it I mean to water it, and we don't water the turf over there now.

So those are a few things that that stick out to me.

Um more cops by all means, firefighters is to me a priority.

So that's my two cents.

Okay, Councilman Wallace.

The past three years we've done this.

We sat in an area where we were closer together, and it wasn't like a council meeting, it was more like old home week.

I don't know.

But we got to sit down with every manager and talk to them about their needs, and and we we could talk one on one and let them know why we could or couldn't do anything.

And I was really looking forward to doing this this year because Judge Toon sent a Christmas card out where there were six pictures, but there were only five locations.

I'm sure the one was a missionary, but I was just wondering if two of your kids live in the same state, or if one of them live in the same state you do, and I won't have that opportunity to ask him that question now.

We also get to talk to every department head and see how they feel.

As far as police go, what Miss Gallo just said, I I always heard it was 2.5 officers, not 1.5.

That's in uh urban areas, so that's in the east, so they break.

Okay, even if we went 1.5, we're at 1.3.

We have 31 officers and 24,000 people, so we don't hit that requirement, we're below it.

Not it's that's not according, but the good news is there's money.

That was the main thing, is that there is money that we can use.

And and that is that is a good thing, but there's no structure to the police department right now either.

There's no what?

There's no structure.

You talk military, you talk city, you talk industry, you have rank, and you have file.

And right now there's no rank in the police department.

You have three captains, you have no deputy chief, have zero lieutenants, you have very few sergeants, and you have a lot of file.

Who's in charge on shifts?

Who do they ask questions to?

How do they get those answers?

The fire station, I see them back here.

They have an opportunity if they get two more personnel to staff that new fire station with two crews, which means if you happen to fall down and you live in Sun City, and that's the first call, you get helped up.

But the second call is your neighbor who just had a heart attack, and they're coming from station one because you now have two crews at station two, that person might die because it takes too long to get to that person.

These these aren't things we can these aren't things we can feel good about as council members making these decisions because we I'm not an accountant, I'm a water boy by trade.

I worked in water for over 30 years, albeit it was for the state of Utah, and it was a big water agency, and we had big budgets, a lot bigger than this city does, but we found ways to make the things that are important work and still stay on top of the game.

And three years ago, I came to this council and I told them after the first time I sat through a budget session.

If we don't do something right now, we're gonna come to this day.

Imp fees and rates on sewer and garbage.

And if we started back then, or if they would have started 10 or 15 years ago, we wouldn't be in this position because the city would have steadily been getting more and more and more money into the city.

And I felt like I was sitting in a pack of hyenas when I said that, because everyone laughed at me and said, absolutely not.

Well, council, guess what?

We're at our worst day, and we need to figure out how to make this all work, and we have things that people need to make the city function and function correctly.

So we'll go through this and we'll we can pass whatever, but when we get to the end result, make it doable and make it make sense for the city because that's who we're here to represent.

And if the field turf doesn't get changed in one spot, I'm sorry.

But maybe after we do some other things to start getting more money, the next year will says it's his turn, so I'm turning it over.

Councilman Ennis.

I definitely agree with everything that Councilman Wanless said.

Um in my past life, I handled budgets up to 4.6 billion dollars.

And when I first sit down and looked at this budget, you're basically saying we're broke.

And we have nothing to get all of this nice stuff here.

Um nice to have is what I call them.

Um and I agree with Councilman Wandless, we need fire.

That gentleman back there needs those people up at the new fire station.

And to be honest with you, I could care less about turf on a baseball field.

To be honest, it's it's gonna be it's gonna last another year.

Sorry, Randy.

It's gonna last another year.

Okay, and I do and I do, and I've done my research on this, saw it is cheaper, and I know the what the water issue and all that, everybody's gonna be squawking about that.

But um we you know, we're always talking about transparency, and this is where we need to, you know, we cut to the chase here and say that we don't have the money to fund all this stuff here.

And so we get like councilman wonless said, we we we fund what we need to fund.

PD has got their five gentlemen or their five officers, not gentlemen, their five officers out of cops.

We need people up at Station 2.

And so if we need to cut, you know, John Deere Drive, Jimmy Hughes's campus roof.

I'll put tarps on the roof or something, I don't care, but I'm just saying we need to make that back there work.

And so, and again uh supporting councilman wandless, he you should run again where you just presented that.

Um is this is something that I've talked about all this year to different people, and especially to him, we need to do something to bring more money in by raising fees, revenues, and stuff like that.

When you know city manager made a good point, we've kicked this, they somebody's kicked this can down the road too long, and now the cans come up empty, and that's a sad day.

I agree with I agree.

It's a sad day.

You know, last thing I wanted to do is a brand new city councilman to come up here and say, holy crap, we're out of money.

That's that's not good.

And so my quote, my one question, and I don't know if you have the answer to this, and you don't need to tell me we'll talk later on it, but uh councilman Fielding said this: where did the freegan money go?

Last year, we had tons of money according to what was presented to us.

Where did it go in one year?

That's my that's my question.

Uh a lot of those were the American rescue funds that funded a bunch of the capital projects.

Uh the Capital Projects Fund before that was sitting at a substantially higher uh balance, and then also just kind of what we're talking about with these is uh was uh getting creative with or with the RDA funds as well on spending those 25-year old RDA funds down the I as a retired police officer and all that, I don't like the word creative because that makes me especially when you're talking money.

Uh and I and I know you weren't here, Bryce.

I get that, and I understand that, but I'm just saying that's you know, we had and I I I was under the impression that maybe I I was wrong, or maybe I thought wrong, but I was under the impression that most of those funds had already expired or run out before last year.

Yeah, there was the uh interest earnings that we had that those were sitting in interest bearing accounts, and we were allowed to use that as general fund, so the actual grant itself was spent, but that's where a lot of those projects and the RDA covered a ton.

Okay, well, I agree with Councilman Wandless.

We need to come up and with Councilman Fielding, we need to come up with something to uh help out the chief back there to get his station manned up.

Um if we need to cut turf roof, whatever the case may be, we need to do that.

Okay, councilman Pirish.

So I know we have all these other quote-unquote funds.

We got the more cops fund, we got um big Martin has some real estate money.

I mean, we got all these special funds.

Okay, this sounds like to me, this is the year we need to tap into those funds.

Yes.

So I think you two might need to sit down and do a little homework between now and next Tuesday and say, okay, we've got six million dollars that we can spend on this sheet.

You guys can spend six million dollars out of this 9.9.

We need some direction because we're sitting up here, as Paul says, non-accountants, we're water boys, and we need some direction from you folks and say, okay, Kevin, I found six point five million dollars we can spend on this 9.9.

Then we can make some serious decisions that we can move the city forward and keep it going without falling into a big budget deficit.

Thanks.

So I think one of the questions we got to ask ourselves is so you give all these raises, you hire that many cops, you go that far into the deficit funds.

How are you gonna pay for them next year?

So that's the question.

So if we pull out of that six million dollars, it can't be just for this year.

We've got to be planning on pulling out next year and the next year and the next year and the next year.

Hence, Paul's suggestion that we need to raise fees this coming year so we have more money to to pay for these things for fiscal year 27-28.

So Adam.

How long is that process?

So we wanted to raise sewer fees or impact fees.

How long is that process?

How does that work?

No, off the top of my head.

I can okay.

Dump fees.

There's lots of fees we can raise.

I mean, so yes, and we plan on visiting all those.

Some of them do get restricted to certain accounts, but so our main focus ones would be ones affecting the general fund and really being able to shift personnel costs as well to other funding sources off of the general fund.

Uh Councilwoman Geller.

Uh you just uh can't thank you, um, Mayor Whipple, because that was exactly my question was if with the more cops, can you explain that a little bit to us?

Because if we add more police, which is great, what do we do next year?

Um, is this a continuing fund?

It's so it's continually so it will always pay for those officers.

Yeah.

So we don't have to worry about that in the budget.

To begin with, the more cops funds were was a temporary funding source, and then once they got made a permanent funding source as it's funded off a sales tax.

That's when they started using the funds.

And but because of that lag time between not because the the one thing they didn't want to do was bring officers on, and then also the funding runs out, they have to move them to the general fund.

So they waited that fund balance built, and then once it got made permanent, the fund balance at that point had been built, and every year it just continues to get bigger.

And so the idea behind it is we can't subplant the general fund with that funding, so it's not as if we can just pull all of our current officers and the general fund and move them over to more cops.

We have to hire new ones while continuing to keep our and growing our budget in the and is that it's strictly for police, not we we couldn't use any of that for fire that's correct, right?

Any other safety.

Which the fire do have they do they do what's it called, chief?

They they have the safer grant.

Safer grant, yeah.

So that pays for part of our firefighters.

And and where are we with that?

I mean, would that help us bring on some six new firefighters?

Yep.

And that's what we're currently funding right now is six firefighters out of that grant.

And there's no more to do any.

No, not right now.

Uh Councilwoman Philly Thank you.

Um, I remember sitting at that budget meeting.

It was our first year.

Yeah, you guys all laughed.

On council, I don't think we laughed at you.

But at that time, but at that time we didn't think that we were gonna be here today at this budget meeting saying we are in a deficit.

Um, it appeared back then we had funds, and I know a lot of the funds that we had were the government funds and the you know, the COVID funds and all that, and we had plenty of money to put here and here and there.

But looking back now, you know, it does take a while to increase our funds or our impact fees and increase our fees to get to next year.

So it is something, and I hate to say that, but sitting here today looking at this here in your presentation, we're there.

We we were there months ago.

Um we should have decades ago.

Decades, Paul says, you know, and nobody wants to raise taxes, nobody wants to run a campaign, right?

Raising taxes.

So but people aren't sitting up here seeing what we know.

Yeah.

So anyhow, so I'm I'm okay with that.

So that's just something that we need to start looking into and see what fees we can raise.

Okay.

Thank you.

Councilman Wandless.

Councilwoman Gallo Gallo.

If if my information is correct, the more cop funds come comes from a liquor tax.

So that that tax now goes to fund more cops, and it's broken down between within the county between the cities and things.

So that's a revenue source that will continue.

Not only is the city need to look at raising all their fees, and I'm talking building permits.

We're at a this I know we're gonna be the bad guys, and I'm okay with that, but this should have been done a decade ago or 15 years ago.

When you look at how long it's been or how far behind we are every other municipality in rates and fees, it makes me sick to my stomach to know we're at this position and we haven't done anything for this long.

Seriously.

We need to start looking at ways to figure out to write grants, find somebody who's good at that.

Talk to some of the committees or the commissions we work with and see if we can work with the grant what writers to get money for the city.

The city isn't destitute, but three years from now, if we do nothing, we will be.

So let's get the upper hand when negotiations come out, and yeah, I can't I can't even talk about that here, but some of the things we've heard in the last six months are mind-boggling to me.

What's mind-boggling to me is no one's seen it until now to be honest with you, Bryce.

I think this is the first time we've been told the truth since I've sat up here.

Thank you.

It's the first time I was scared too.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Gallow.

I agree.

This is kind of different um in the way that we're doing this because we used to be able to actually talk to the department heads and ask them questions.

Um of the things that had was brought up a while back when we were building the the uh animal shelter.

Uh one of the, and this is great if we have uh police department money, because one of the things that came up was that they were going to put in another ACO to help cover the extension because we're doubling the building, but we haven't done anything with personnel.

So one of the one of the discussions was that we were going to add an extra ACO as well to the police department to help cover that building uh to cover the front desk and to be there because we like I said, we got we have double the size of the building, yet we haven't had any personnel.

So that's something I would like to put in there because of the more police.

I didn't say anything earlier because I didn't think there was any money, and we know we need police officers.

So I don't think it can be I don't think you can go for ammo animal control, it can just come for officers.

Even though they're they are oh, even though they are police I guess we sworn officers I think is that oh yeah, I believe it would have to be patrol.

No, no, that's good.

I don't know what we're gonna do.

I mean, we've added this building, we don't have anybody.

I would have to look at it for a certain day.

But I don't want to, I mean, I obviously we don't have the money for uh yeah, yeah.

Councilman Ennis Captain Rowley, you're your ACOs or cat too, correct?

Or they they're not cat ones, are they?

I don't think they're post-certified, yeah.

Yeah, and the cops and the research I'd gone to the cops fund grant, whatever you want to call it, is for post-certified cat one officers.

Okay.

So I think I really like what Councilman Wandless says is we need to figure out our own sources.

Part of the problem we're having is two or three years ago we had the Super Bowl.

And then we had F1.

And so the C tax revenues were really high.

And I think we reaped the benefits of that.

And now that they're not this past year, we're not seeing what we see a hundred thousand dollar increase, which could have been you know, a million dollar increase if it would have been those years.

We do have final four, NCA championship, Super Bowls coming back.

So that is something to look forward to, maybe on that C tax, but I don't think we want to count on that.

I think we need to do we need to take care of ourselves in-house as much as we can without counting on those outside sources that's gonna maybe balloon up.

Maybe they won't, but the problem right now with CTACs is we're in a depression or where fuel costs are up, everything's up, people aren't traveling.

Every visitor that doesn't go to Las Vegas or doesn't come to Mesquite or go somewhere else, or doesn't spend money.

That's a person we don't get part of that combined tax for I sit on two different commissions, and I sit here.

I've been through three different budget meetings, and every one of them said the same thing.

They're projecting about a one to one point one percent growth, but it could be exactly that in the negative because nobody has any idea with everything going on right now if we're going to even get as much as we got last year.

Councilman Parish.

Okay, there's one other thing that we could just keep dancing around, and I'm I'm gonna be the bad guy and bring it up.

Um the city of Mesquite has not had a property tax increase since 2003.

So that is 23 years, the City of Mesquite has not had a property tax increase.

We need to really look at what we need to do.

Now I know you're gonna be busy for the next two weeks getting this budget thing, but we need to get a property tax increase in place by next January, February, I think is the cutoff date.

So we as a council we need to pass a budget that'll get us by this year, then we can go and try to get a property tax increase.

Um I believe it's uh I think we can go to the ceiling of eight percent, and I think we're at 765.

So we can go up.35%, which generates a as of right now, it generates a little over 900,000.

So you can do some more research on it.

I know we chatted about it last week, but if we need to go to the legislature and get a 1% increase or whatever we need to do, we can't keep doing a budget in a deficit situation.

And I think one of the other fees that we can raise is property taxes.

23 years is a long time.

We're not living back in the the 2000s, we're in 2026 with all the price increases, labor increases, fuel increases.

We need to cover this city.

Yeah, so with the uh there is the cap of the three percent assessed value that existing properties can go up.

We're also capped at an 8%.

Um, when given the forms from department of taxation, they have an abatement column that actually shows amounts that we are taxing for, but we do not get, so we are actually right now cap.

So I'm not saying it wouldn't bring in additional revenue because there would be the initial new homes that are being built that because they would be new properties as opposed to existing homes, and then after that they fall on under that three percent cap, but they they do it to monitor in case there are down years to help with those abatement amounts to help it so we don't see just a dramatic drop in property taxes.

I hope that makes sense, but uh but we can chat more about it as well.

Councilman Ennis Quick question.

Um I I know you already have, so I know the answer probably, but I just want to make my brain happy.

Um you guys have all sat down with the chiefs and department heads on this budget, this what you're presenting us today, yes, and told Dan that we're broke.

I hate to keep saying that, but you know, where we're at where is where we're at.

Yeah, yeah, there was the initial talks on everyone did their submissions, and then they gave us things they would like to add to the budgets as well.

And then after we went through it, we sat down with most of them that we needed to make majority uh bigger cuts, because there are ones, I mean Judge Toon, for instance, his his doesn't change about a penny.

So um gold star might yeah, I we we have not sat down and said we we were going to propose no ass.

I have talked to a couple of them, but we have we have not sat down and really had that conversation with all of the department heads, no.

Uh so again, like everybody else has said, this is this is a new format for me, also.

I mean, we're used to just sitting down and having them yell at us and we yell back, and then we go, this is how it's gonna be.

And they say, well, fine.

Um, but uh sort of but uh so are is that something you're gonna plan on doing to sit down with them before okay, all right.

I okay.

Yeah, I just wondering because if I was a department header or chief and I hadn't been talked to yet, I'd be sort of red in the face.

Any other questions from council?

Okay, thank you guys.

Um do we have any public comment?

Okay, seeing none, we'll turn around and we'll go to our final public comment period.

Actually, scratch that.

Do we have a motion?

Interject consideration of introduction and review and discussion of is there any action we need to take on that?

No.

Didn't we already add it to the agenda for next week?

Yeah, yeah, I didn't know.

Oh, come on, not even it just has discussion and possible action on ears.

So all right, councilman Wallace, make a motion.

Well, I can't actually make a motion, but after listening to everyone here and looking at all of them and seeing their their faces going, gosh, we don't even get a chance to talk.

Put us in a room, and and yeah, and and the next paper you get us, make sure it makes sense so that we're not underwater.

And general fund and other funds, and like I said, I'm a water boy, I don't get all that.

I just want to know the bottom line.

And as I look down this line, I don't think there's one person up here that doesn't want to know the exact same thing.

So tell us where the money's coming from, where it's going, how we're still going to be solvent and do everything we need to do.

And if if we can't do everything we need to do, where we have to make those hard decisions.

And if you if you do that, and I'll make a motion to say this was a great presentation.

It was different than we've ever seen before.

But I again I thank you for actually being honest with us because I don't I honestly don't believe.

Well, I take that back during COVID.

If they the city wouldn't have got an influx of money, I think this would have happened about six years ago.

And and it would have been worse than it is today.

So thank the federal government.

And I pray there's not another COVID, and we don't get the money that way, so let's figure out how to do this our way.

Okay.

Thanks, Paul.

Um, with that, we're gonna go to our final public comment.

Okay, seeing none, this meeting is adjourned.