The Nocona City Council was putting the final touches on its 2023-24 budget during its Tuesday night meeting, along with discussing plans for a new school resource officer and opening bids for solid waste proposals.
Councilors are working with the Nocona Independent School District to hire and share the costs of a school resource officer. A state directive requires districts to have a certain number of officers based on the number of students and the state will provide up to $15,000 per campus to help pay for the SRO. NISD is expecting to receive $45,000.
City Secretary Revell Hardison said applications are still being taken for the position and applicants are in short supply as districts across the state search for certified officers. Nocona will help fund part of the salary.
The 2023-24 budget proposal is wrapped up and will be presented in a budget hearing at 5 p.m. on Sept. 12. In an 8 a.m. meeting on Sept. 13 the tax hearing and tax rate adoption will be considered.
This budget draft is based on a proposed tax rate of .3724 cents per $100 in property value, which breaks down into .3329 cents for maintenance and operation and .0395 for debt service. Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.