— City transportation employees are getting a raise and 32 new co-workers — mostly bus drivers — after the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) approved its new budget this week. The RTA increased across-the-board cost-of-living raises from 2 to 3 percent, while reducing merit raises to 2-4 percent from 3-6 percent.
More bus drivers are needed because an area-wide demand for commercial drivers has caused so many to transfer the city to higher paying private jobs, said the board at its Dec. 11 meeting. The newly approved $38.9 million 2014 budget is 9 percent higher than the 2013 budget.
The budget is higher because revenues are higher, mostly thanks to the growth in its primary source of funding: sales tax revenue. RTA predicts an 11 percent increase in sales tax collections for 2014.
Tax collections up statewide
Corpus Christi RTA is not the only government seeing its budget revenues rise. The increased oil and gas revenues pushing economic recovery in the Coastal Bend region has increased state coffers as well. State Comptroller Susan Combs announced a $2.5 billion positive balance for the 2014-2015 budget.
“The economic forecast underlying this estimate projects Texas will continue adding jobs in fiscal years 2014 and 2015, although not at the pace of 2011, 2012 or 2013,” Combs said in a report released earlier this week.
Increased oil and gas revenues have lead to higher sales tax collections as the state’s — and the Coastal Bend’s — economy moves from bust to boom. Corpus Christi was recently named among the top 24 Best Performing Cities nationwide, coming in at number 17 on the list.
