The city of Conroe will meet Wednesday to cut $2.6 million from its proposed 2023 budget and trim another $25 million from its capital projects budget. Interim Finance Director Collin Boothe presented a list of items added to the budget during the council’s retreat.

The city of Conroe will meet Wednesday to cut $2.6 million from its proposed 2023 budget and trim another $25 million from its capital projects budget.

In July, the city’s finance department submitted a proposed budget of $305 million to the city council for the upcoming year. However, expenditures added during the city’s budget retreat July 21 and lower property tax revenue than the staff projected have left the council with the task to trim that number to achieve a better long-term outlook.

The council adopted a tax rate of 42.80 cents per $100 property valuation during Thursday’s regular council meeting. That’s a drop from the city’s current rate of 43.75 cents per $100 property valuation. A homeowner would pay $1,121 in property tax on the county’s 2022 average home value of $261,906.

The council will meet at 2 p.m. Wednesday for a special budget meeting.

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Interim Finance Director Collin Boothe presented a list of items added to the budget during the council’s retreat. The items include $800,000 to replace the self-contained breathing apparatus used by Conroe firefighters, $300,000 for the Montgomery County Veteran’s Memorial Park and $150,000 for historical preservation.

The 2023 budget also includes $150,000 to fund third-party audits and an additional $100,000 to specifically audit invoices associated with the new Hyatt Regency Hotel and Convention Center. The audit line items were requested by several council members following a July 14 meeting where the council balked at $7,000 in invoices from contractor DPR Construction.

Among the invoices were: more than $2,000 to Twin Peaks; $530.50 to Taco Veloz; $538.04 to Corkscrew BBQ; $347.34 to Chuy’s; $302.79 to Chick-Fil-A; $852.25 to Sam’s Club; $595.30 for Oakley Sunglasses; and $4,069.60 to Sportex Apparel for T-shirts.

“This submission of invoices is egregious,” Councilman Harry Hardman said during that July meeting. “If this is what is being submitted on a regular basis this is unconscionable.”

Catherine Dominguez is a reporter at the Conroe Courier.

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