Revenue loss may flatten Longview city budget

Longview, TX — Faced with a projected $1 million decline in property values, city officials developing the 2012-13 budget say they are prepared to hold the line on spending.

Preliminary appraised values for property inside Longview city limits, which includes portions of Gregg and Harrison counties, indicate city revenue will be down because of an approximate 4 percent decrease in mineral values, said City Manager David Willard.

Though that figure could change when certified appraised values are released by the Gregg County Appraisal District in late July, Willard said the city will proceed as if there will be no change in the projected decline.

“Right now, we are working toward a balanced budget that will be very flat,” he said. “We are waiting on the revenue numbers and trying to be conservative.”

This past week, Willard and department heads began preliminary steps in the budget-making process. All departments were asked to plan for next year’s budget with no change from the current year.

Read more from the Longview News-Journal here [1].