Title
Acceptance of the Quarterly Investment Report for the quarter ended March 31, 2025.
Body
Summary:
Chapter 2, Administration, Article VII (Finance), All of Division 2 (Investment Policy), Section 2-274 Reporting, of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Deer Park, requires the Investment Officers to prepare and submit to City Council an investment report no less than on a quarterly basis. This requirement is in compliance with the Texas Public Funds Investment Act, V.T.C.A., Government Code Ch. 2256 as amended (the "Act"). The City's Investment Officers have worked with the Investment Advisor to prepare this report for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 and each has signed the report.
At March 31, 2025, all City funds were held in various depository accounts or in accounts at TexPool, TexSTAR, or Texas CLASS, which are local government investment pools authorized by the Investment Policy. All three pools continue to maintain their AAAm rating by Standard & Poor's, which is the highest rating a local government investment pool can achieve.
Cash and investment activity included on the attached report is summarized below:
Cash in Wells Fargo (Depository Bank) $28,154,575.49
Money Market Accounts 2,421,345.22
Certificates of Deposit 20,580,648.82
Securities 27,992,832.49
TexPool 86,507,010.25
TexSTAR 3,308,784.39
Texas CLASS 22,295,741.32
Total Book Value $191,260,937.98
Working with the City's investment advisor, the City has diversified the portfolio during the last several years with current investments of $50,994,826.53 in various depository banks invested in money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and securities. At the end of the quarter, these investments represent about 27% of the portfolio. Cash balances held in the primary depository bank represent about 15% of the portfolio at March 31, 2025.
These depository investments are earning between .68% and 5.30%. Comparatively, rates in the investment pools averaged 4.34%, 4.34%, and 4.25% for the quarter in TexPool, TexSTAR, and Texas CLASS, respectively. The City also executed three trades in the second quarter, with yields averaging 4.33%. The City will continue to review and evaluate investment opportunities for safety, liquidity, and yield.
At the end of 2024-2025’s second quarter, investments in TexPool totaled $86,507,010.25, which is an increase of $8,369,915.00 from the previous quarter, representing the net of interest earnings and moving cash to and from Pooled Cash for construction projects. Investments in TexSTAR totaled $3,308,784.39, which includes an increase from the previous quarter for interest earnings. Investments in Texas CLASS totaled $22,295,741.32, which is a decrease of $3,615,706.00 from the previous quarter due to moving funds for construction costs.
The Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) has maintained the federal funds rate target range at 4.25% - 4.50% for the last several meetings. The market reacted strongly to the new tariff policy, causing rates to fall. As a result, three 25 basis-point cuts to the Fed Funds rate are expected by the end of 2025, presumably in July, September and December; however, the FOMC is watching and waiting to see the impact the new policy has before implementing dramatic rate changes.
Fiscal/Budgetary Impact:
N/A.
Recommended action
Accept the Investment Report for the Quarter Ended March 31, 2025.