Tensions between City Council members boiled over Wednesday as they considered an 8.4% property tax rate increase over the next two years to balance the city’s $158 million budget deficit.
City Manager Erik Walsh and his team are trying to avert a worst-case scenario in which state law forces him to make $75 million in cuts and increase fees and fines. That would happen if seven council members are unable to approve a property tax increase — the majority required under Texas law.
To avoid that, Walsh and his team proposed a $6 million spending package that would save some programs council members expressed interest in preserving during Tuesday’s work session. The proposal was intended to build consensus on the dais before Thursday’s meeting…