Kempner City Council unanimously has approved the city's fiscal year 2008-09 budget. The action came following a public hearing at which no citizens expressed their opinion of the budget.

The budget was accepted with one minor change. Mayor Gene Isenhour said the estimated revenue from ad valorem tax was reduced by $2,044. This lowered the property tax revenue to $85,879.

The change also reduced the city's total revenue and expenditures to $296,851, however that represents an approximate 25 percent increase from the 2007-08 budget.

Isenhour said in order to balance the budget, the $2,044 was taken from the Parks Department, which lowers the budget item to $44,998.

In a separate called meeting, the council also adopted a tax rate of 22.37 cents per $100 valuation of taxable property to support the 2008-09 budget. Isenhour reviewed the history of the tax rate.

"After the city was incorporated, the initial tax rate was 23 cents in 2000, and for several years increased to 25.2 cents in 2005," the mayor said. "The proposed tax rate of 22.37 cents will be the lowest in the city's history."

Kempner will generate more revenue in the coming year due to increased property appraisals and the addition of new properties and businesses, said Isenhour.

"The estimated sales and use tax is also expected to almost double during the upcoming fiscal year," he added. "The city has been and will continue to be very conservative in spending taxpayers' money."

Now that the budget has been adopted, the mayor said City Secretary Frances Spinney could begin the process of acquiring bids for street repairs. "We need to complete street paving before cold weather arrives," Isenhour said.

In other business, the council tabled action on submitting a nominee to fill a vacancy on the Lampasas County Appraisal District board. Council members will select a nominee at their next meeting.

Several members of the Kempner Boy Scout troop were in attendance, and one Scout asked what are the major problems facing the city. Isenhour replied it is the lack of funds to do everything the city wanted, such as repairing all the streets in a short period of time, installation of street lights throughout Kempner, establishment of a city park and a full-time police department.

The mayor also encouraged the Scouts' parents and Kempner citizens to attend council meetings and express their opinions on how the city operates.

The next regular council meeting will be Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers.