It was either the TPTNT hearing or the TDTNT hearing Monday night at the Austin Municipal Building.

Tuesday, November 30, 1999

It was either the TPTNT hearing or the TDTNT hearing Monday night at the Austin Municipal Building.

Tom Purcell and Tom Dankert, hence the "TPTNT" and "TDTNT" labels, were the focus of attention.

The Austin City Council and Mayor Bonnie Rietz held the required Truth In Taxation hearing to unveil the city’s proposed year 2000 budget of $20,277,794 and an eighth consecutive unchanged proposed year 2000 property tax levy of $2,163,795.

No objections were heard, but Tom Purcell was. The former Austin City Council Member at-large repeatedly asked questions and made comments.

Only Austin businessman Knowles Dougherty remained for the full two-hours of the hearing. Dougherty asked one question at the end of the hearing.

Tom Dankert, the city’s director of finance, conducted the hearing and won the council’s and the mayor’s praise for a thorough presentation of the city’s financial picture.

Both the proposed budget and levy were unanimously approved by the council members (only Mickey Jorgenson, 1st Ward, was absent).

They will likely be adopted at the 5:30 p.m. Monday regular meeting of the council.

The proposed year 2000 city budget increases by a scant 2.5 percent over 1999’s actual budget of $19,785,067.

Monday night’s hearing culminated a seven-month process, according to Dankert.

Holding the city’s share of the property tax levy at the same $2,163,795 level for eight years is a point of pride for city staff and officials.

The city’s general fund is slated to get the lion’s share of the proposed levy, $1,233,232, while Austin Public Library will get $406,551 and the Austin Port Authority, $21,890.

Debt service (general obligation improvement bonds) will receive $320,791.

The Austin Municipal Airport Fund will receive $77,625 of the levy and the capital improvement fund, $103,707.

The city’s work force will increase in 2000 with a half-time employee at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center moved to full-time equivalence and an Austin Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department administrative employee added to the payroll, according to Dankert’s presentation.

Another employment change prompted Purcell’s first question. At the suggestion that a single employee was needed to set up and maintain the city’s new web site, Purcell objected. However, Dankert dispelled Purcell’s concerns, saying the new person who will maintain the web page will also perform other computer services for city staff.

Austin Utilities will make a payment of $1.4 million in lieu of taxes, according to Dankert.

In all, general government services claims the largest single share of the expenditure budget, $11,893,327 of $20,277,794.

Enterprise funds claims $4,258,679 and internal service funds, $3,301,409.

The city’s Tax Increment Financing pool will need $532,379 and capital projects, $292,000.

In addition to the property tax levy, the city will receive revenues from intergovernmental, $6,854,862, charges for services, $399,995, licenses and permits, $245,400, miscellaneous, $2,357,160, other taxes $121,875, and fines and forfeits, $42,240.

From the general fund alone, public safety will receive the most, $3,501,106, while highways and streets, $2,755,602, parks and recreation, $1,866,144, and general administration, $1,155,726.

Some highlights of the hearing included:

– Council member Todd Penske forecasts the day to come, when deregulation of the nation’s utilities could force Austin Utilities, which has a monopoly on the electric, gas and water utilities in the city, to