City of Marble Falls hears from citizens, gets solid audit report

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Marble Falls City Council on Tuesday night, March 1, received a solid report from Pattillo, Brown & Hill, the company that audited city finances for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2015.

"We are very glad to havereceived an unqualified opinion," said Margie Cardenas, city financial director.

"The city's net assets exceeded liabilities by $24.7 million for Fiscal Year 2015 (FY 2015)," said Chris Pruitt, C.P.A. for the auditing firm. "Your general fund is up $220,591. The increase was due mainly to an increase in sales taxes and property taxes for FY 2015."

"The city's largest source of revenue in the general fund is sales tax," Pruitt said. "The city realized an increase of six perdent from the prior year's revenue--from $5,399,759 to $5,577124. The 2016 estimate is conservatively projected at $5,744,437."

The report records that, at the end of the fiscal year, the city had total bonded debt and notes payable of $54,505,000.

Much of the meeting concerned major projects underway, and Eric Belaj, city engineer reviewed the details in a report on the Capital Improvement Plan. Those projects include the realignment of Avenue N, a topic that again drew comment from merchants near the street's current intersection with Ranch to Market Road 1431. 

Jeff Ford of Ford & Crew True Value expressed gratitude to the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce for efforts through social media to inform customers on detours to reach his business and to the city for efforts to keep Avenue N to Ninth Street open as long as possible.

"Our family and employees are all for progress," Ford said, emphasizing that any customer visits lost to a detour via Avenue Q were unacceptable. "We are happy to invest in the community, but only to the extent we can afford."

Bernie Sachs of Mustang Lube told the council he was still recovering from an estimated 800 customers lost when the prospect of the H-E-B re-development pushed his business from the north to the south side of Ranch to Market Road 1431.

"Mr. Ford is going to suffer a loss," he said. "There is a way for everyone to come out a winner. If the city and the developercome together to cover the loss, it would be peanuts...I think the community would applaud you."

In his review of other capital improvements, Belaj said completion of Phase 3 of water plant improvements--a $1.5 million project--is expected on schedule by March 10. Wastewater plant expansion, a $7.5 million project begun in January, is scheduled for completion in November.

See the story in the Friday, March 4, edition of The Highlander.