.png)
BASTROP COUNCIL BITES
BASTROP — City Council moved to cut taxes, preserve history and shape future growth last week, introducing a new heritage district in the process.
BUDGET NUMBERS
The adopted rate of 50.4 cents per $100 valuation is expected to keep most homeowners’ bills steady, compared with last year. The designated no-new-revenue rate was 51.79 cents, which would have added about $42 to the average tax bill, according to City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino.
“Keeping the tax rate low is of primary concern,” she said. “We continue to live within our means and strive once again for no change to the tax rate, living with only the new revenue that has been generated.”
The budget projects $18.1 million in total revenue and $18.8 million in expenses, requiring a draw from reserves to balance the general fund. It also includes $15 million in bonds for quality-of-life projects, which have yet to be finalized.
Tighter margins leave out some requests, including new police and firefighter positions. Employees will not receive cost-of-living raises but will still get their annual 2.5% step increases.
Council approved a one-time salary adjustment of $500 for full-time employees and $250 for parttime employees. That will add $138,017 to expenses, according to city figures.
The average home in Bastrop was valued at $335,116 last budget season. This year, the tax assessor estimated the average at $304,351, while the tax appraiser listed $309,839 as of Jan. 1.
The tax rate and budget faced final approval after press time Sept. 30.
EYES ON THE BELL TOWER
During public comment Sept. 23, the Rev. E.D. Johnson of Paul Quinn AME Church asked the council to help restore the church’s deteriorating bell tower, calling it a historic and cultural landmark.
“This request is not about religion, worship or church operation. It’s about the structure,” Johnson said. “The bell tower itself is a recognized historical landmark in Bastrop. Support for this project does not cross the line between church and state because the city’s role is to protect heritage, culture and community history.”
According to Johnson, the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s topper is severely unstable. He said he fears a nearby power line could cause a power outage if the tower is knocked over by winds.
“Every season of delay brings greater risks of collapse and higher repair costs,” Johnson said. “Acting now protects both our history and our resources. Waiting will only cost the city more.”
The city attorney said the project could qualify for public funds if safeguards were in place.
Council members ultimately directed staff to prepare an amendment dedicating $100,000 from Hotel Occupancy Tax funds, spread over five years, toward the restoration.
The church was founded in 1876 and remains active.
SOUTH END DISTRICT
A new district will honor Bastrop’s Black heritage, focusing on the historic south side where many families first settled and built the city’s oldest churches.
“The South End District is really creating a sense of space and place, and giving it a name,” Carrillo- Trevino said. “It’s already called that name, this is just making that official. It’s creating some works of art and creating places for folks to gather.”
The district will not have a historic overlay or design standards. Carrillo-Trevino emphasized that restrictions such as approved paint colors would not apply.
The area is generally between Water Street, Chestnut Street, Texas 95 and Gutierrez Street. Council asked that the boundaries be expanded to include more historic family homes on the south end.
The district already includes a new park on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, and the 2026 bond list calls for improvements to Kerr Park. Beautification efforts could include murals and artwork on buildings and underpasses on Water Street and near Ferry Park, according to the council.
HOTEL AND HOSPITAL TALK
The growing area around Texas 71 and FM 20 is being considered for development of a hotel and convention center, along with a regional hospital. An item to authorize a feasibility study was listed on last week’s council agenda but was postponed.
The proposed development would be part of a 400-acre master-planned commercial project called Bastrop West, owned by Kazem Khonshari under Palms Property LLC, as reported by the Austin Business Journal.
The resolution would allow Carrillo-Trevino to sign a $96,000 contract with Place Designers Inc. for a study funded through hotel occupancy taxes and the general fund. She said the study would examine factors such as population growth, housing, transportation upgrades, power grid capacity, restaurants and entertainment venues.
The final report would include recommendations to meet projected medical and hotel needs over the next five, 10 and 20 years.
Plans for Bastrop West also call for entertainment, commercial, mixed-use and recreation districts.
