This is the fourth and final article on the 2011-2012 City of Brady Budget.

The Brady Special Fund is the smallest of the funds in the city budget, accounting for about $3.1 million (16%) of the total budget. Three City Departments (Pass-Through Dept, Senior Citizens Dept and Community Development Dept)  operate under the Special Fund.

The activities funded by the Special Fund do not fit neatly into the normal public services people expect from small city government. Much of the Special Fund revenue is derived from state and federal grants.

This is not “free” money since the granting agency dictates how the money will be spent and what the city must do to comply with the terms of the specific grant. As a result, the City of Brady transfers about $241,000 cash from the Utility Fund into the Special Fund. The current budget does not detail what expenditures for maintenance and operation might be required in the future.

The Pass-Through Department expects to receive $150,000 in Motel Tax, $180,000 in special EDC sales tax and $5,000 in donations for the CVCOG van driver for total revenues of $335,000.

The Pass-Through Fund Recipients are:

• Economic Development Corp (EDC) - $180,000
• Brady Chamber of Commerce - $132,000
• Heart of Texas Museum – $12,000
• Hillbilly Hits Museum - $6,000
• Concho Valley Council of Governments (CVCOG) - $5,000

The current city budget does not contain any information about how these public funds from the Pass-Through Dept are ultimately spent.

The Senior Citizens Department receives about $132,000 transferred in from the city Utility Fund, $10,000 from McCulloch County, $114,000 from CVCOG and $30,000 from participants who pay for services.

Major expenses for the Senior Citizen Dept are payroll ($177,000), Food ($52,000) and Fuel ($28,000).

The Community Development Department administers six grants from various state and federal agencies. The budget does not disclose the terms of these grants, only the dollar amount.

The largest project by far is a City Warehouse funded by two grants. One is from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the amount of $1,676,000. The other is from the Texas Department of Rural Affairs (TDRA) in the amount of $350,000.

The Brady Trail project is funded by a Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) grant for $200,000.

A $200,000 TDRA grant for an unspecified water project is also listed.

Smaller grants include $18,000 from the CVCOG for a recycling building and a $5,000 Emergency Medical Service (EMS) grant.

Administering these grants will require the city to transfer $109,000 cash into the Community Development Fund from the Utility Fund and provide $183,000 of “in-kind” contributions. As mentioned above, this is not “free” money. Future operation and maintenance costs may be city responsibility, depending on the terms of each specific grant.