Loading...
08-11-2026 MinutesMINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS August 11, 2026 The City Council of the City of Paris met for a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at the City Council Chamber, 107 Kaufman Street, Paris, Texas. 1. 2. Present: Mayor: Mihir Pankaj Mayor Pro -Tem: Gary Savage Council Members: Tim DeWitt, Alix Putnam & Tracy Attebury City Staff: Rose Beverly, City Manager; Stephanie Harris, City Attorney; Janice Ellis, City Clerk; M.A. Smith, Chief Operating Officer; Steve Marriott, Finance Director; Connie Lawman, Library Director; Thomas McMonigle, Fire Chief, Steve Hodges, Engineering Manager; and Myra Rogers, Assistant Finance Director Absent: Council Members: The matters to be discussed are: Call meeting to order. Stacy Ladell & Rebecca Norment Mayor Pankaj called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Receive a City Council Special Financial Presentation. Mayor Pankaj said tonight was not a vote but about the truth and full story, which was a timeline of how the City got to where it was, and setting the record straight on some persistent misperceptions about what this City spends, and what those choices have cost services and residents over the years. He also said the Council's duty was to lay out the needs of the City, determine what it cost to meet those needs and the trade-offs behind every choice. Then their job was to listen to the citizens and act on what they hear. Mayor Pankaj explained the budget presented in recent workshops called for a twenty - cent increase in the maintenance and operations rate — an increase that, by law, would go before the voters. Since that time, he said they had heard from many that it was a heavey lift, and Council listened. Mayor Pankaj said they would hear from the City Manager, Rose Beverly tonight, who would review the adjustments she and her staff had made which included additional reductions in services that preserved the most important changes on public safety, while further deferring other work this City genuinely needs. Mayor Pankaj reported even with those cuts, the revised budget still called for about a ten -cent increase and that, like the original, would require an approval by the citizens at the ballot box. He said in all honesty, a lower number comes by deferring more — not finding money that was never there. He said in the end, it is the decision Workshop Meeting August 11, 2026 Page 2 of the voters and if they tell us that it is more than they are willing to carry, the City Staff and City Council will make cuts accordingly. Ms. Beverly said there was a lot of energy in giving the information to Council so that they could make the best decision. She reported that the City Staff were behind on their work, they knew it, they were trying to catch up but the City did not have enough money. She said Staff was working hard but already had fewer employees. She brought up the fact that there were over 200 miles of City streets with only six employees taking care of them, and anyone that did not have a pothole on their street was lucky. Ms. Beverly reported there were calls coming in faster than Staff could get to, but they were continuing to work hard. She said everyday Staff received calls about the lack of services related to the time it took to get something done. Ms. Beverly said it was difficult to hire and retain employees when the wages were low, much lower than comparison cities. She said a combination of not having enough employees or equipment to do what was needed is why they were originally asking for a twenty -cent tax increase, but it became clear that would not pass, so they reworked the budget and reduced the increase to ten cents. Ms. Beverly said five positions were cut from the police and one position from the library. She said they had to make services match what the City could fund and balance the budget without going into reserves. She asked that everyone support the City. Consultant Shane Howard said every choice had consequences. He gave a detailed slide presentation explaining where the City is, how it got to the place, and what needed to be done to get back on track. He explained that deferring did not save money and gave the example of in 2016 when the water treatment plant was being discussed and a need to build a new one would have cost $30 million dollars, but it was deferred and in 2024, it could no longer be deferred, and the price tag was $113 million dollars. In summary he said you could pay for what you need now or pay a lot more later. Mr. Howard reported the increase of the workload for City Staff, but the workforce did not increase, and ultimately the City had to cut services. He said the new salary survey reflected that City Staff was paid 12.6% less than their peer groups. He said they needed to grow the base with new industry and homes, not the rate. He also touched on the fact that in the past the City adopted a "no new" revenue rate because property taxes were valued higher and this hurt the City. Mr. Howard said a ten -cent increase would hopefully stabilize the City and if it did not pass, the City was in trouble. He reported that Ms. Beverly would be conducting district meetings and encouraged citizens to come those meetings and have discussions. Next, Mr. Howard took questions from Jordan Harper and Mark Homer. 3. Adjournment. There being no filrth�— ,htl$ij)�,ss Mayor Pankaj adjourned the meeting at 7:04 p.ni� ..- .. 0 ' MMMANfAJ, MAYOR ANICE ELL I' C -E A •.