By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Bowie City Councilors accepted a proposed tax rate for 2024 and conducted the public hearing on the 2024-25 budget this week.
Those items were just part of a lengthy agenda that spanned the topics of calling an election, trash collection prices and natural gas rates.
There were no public comments in the hearing on the budget. The overall projected operational expenses total $23,296,885 with nearly comparable revenues of $23,306,568 for a closely balanced budget.
Some of the budget highlights include a 5% pay increase for hourly workers and 3% for department heads. The insurance increase is 4.9% and there are a little more than $600,000 in capital expenses for four pieces of equipment, park equipment and a 10% match for fencing at the airport. The utility fund will transfer in about $1.350,000 into the general fund and ad valorem taxes estimated at $2,587.483.
This budget’s tax rate is proposed at .5430 cents per $100 in property value. City Manager Bert Cunningham noted this is the third year for the rate to remain at this level. The public hearing for the rate and budget adoption will be on Aug. 26.

Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.