By Michelle Berry
Reporter
The 2008-09 City of Borger Operating Budget has been received.

During the regular meeting of the Borger City Council Tuesday, action was taken to receive the budget and schedule a public hearing for Sept. 2, 2008.
The proposed 2008-09 Operating Budget totals $20,604,641, which is $545,718 lower than the current 2007-08 operating budget. The amount includes all funds and infrastructure items.
Assistant City Manager Eddie Edwards said the budget process begins in June of each other and goes through the middle of September. He said the budget is at the point now that it needs to be received and the public hearing set.
Edwards said a full presentation outlining the various departments and funds in this year’s budget will be presented at the time of the public hearing.
He said the budget is balanced as of right now, but is still changeable and will not go into effect until the final ordinance on it passes. Consideration on budget passage will take place at a special meeting on Sept. 9, 2008.
The general fund and water/sewer fund are proposed to be $14,994,799 in the new budget, as compared to $13,947,174 in the current operating budget.
In other business, the council also approved a proposal to adopt a combined tax rate of 0.59206 cents per $100 valuation be placed on its agenda for the Sept. 16, 2008 regular meeting.
Edwards said state law requires anytime a tax rate is assessed that will raise more taxes than the previous year, the council must take action to place the item on its agenda. It is not a vote on the tax rate, which will not take place until two public hearings have been held.
The current tax rate is 0.57997 cents per $100 valuation, which breaks down into a maintenance and operations (M&O) rate of 0.38957 cents per $100 valuation and a debt service (I&S) rate of 0.19040 cents per $100 valuation. Based on the 2007 city valuation of $377,624,187, these rates generated a total of $2,190,407.
The city received its 2008 certified values from the Hutchinson County Appraisal District. Property values have increased by $34,164,930 over the 2007 certified values. The city’s total taxable value for 2008 is $412,107,000, as compared with $377,942,790 for 2007.
Edwards said the new proposed combined tax rate would generate a total of $2,394,538 excluding revenue from new property added to the tax roll this year and $2,439,921 when new property added to the tax roll is included. The proposed rate represents an increase of 0.01209 cents per $100 valuation over the current rate.
Additional action was taken to schedule two public hearings on the proposed tax rate, which will take place at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 2, 2008, and Sept. 9, 2008, both at Borger City Hall.
In other business, the council took action on monthly reports under its consent items, which included emergency management, financial, fire, municipal court, planning and zoning, police, and animal control, public works, and utilities.
Council members attending the meeting were Charles Gillingham, who presided, Robert Vinyard, and Bubba Dickson. Mayor Jeff Brain and Mayor Pro-Tem Leon DeWeese were not in attendance at the meeting.