City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. The workshop council meeting for the city of Coppers Cove held April 7th, 2026 is called to order at 5:30 p.m. Madam Secretary, please call the role. Maryans here. Christina Strous here. Rita Hogan here. Howard Hawk here. John Hail here. Del Treadway here. Vana Hart here. Jack Smith here. We have a full house. We move to item C. Announcements. None for me, Mr. Mayor. None for me, sir. No, Mr. Mayor.

Yes, sir. have a few. Um, this afternoon we did a ribbon cutting for our animal care facility. It was great. Thank you all for attending that did and mayor and council, thank you all for attending that could make it as well. Uh, let's see. Saturday, April 11, uh, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. uh, at the Colleen Special Events Center is a household hazardous waste collection event which does include Copper Scope residents. Uh just a few things that cannot be taken are tires, electronics, fire alarms, smoke detectors, explosives. I don't I don't know. Don't take explosives. All right.

Uh April 11th at 6 PM, the Crusaders are challenging the first responders in a basketball game. So, if you want to see a hilarious game, go and watch. Just know uh first responders, they they they've got the they've got some pretty good fitness behind them. And then, uh April 18th from 8 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at City Park is the Great American Cleanup. Uh this is in conjunction with the Coppers Cove Police Department's Adopt a Highway Cleanup event. And then on uh later that afternoon on April 18th from 10 am to 2 pm at Ogle Tree Gap is the fifth annual Ronnie Vist Kids Day uh sponsored by the um Centex Exchange Club.

All right. I have nothing, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Nothing, Mr. Mayor. Yes. I just wanted to remind everyone that April is month of the military child. Um they have some free events that are happening on post including the family fest which is April 10th at 4:30 at the Bronco Youth Center. Also within our school districts there's recognizing this month as well um for uh purple up day which is April 15th. You wear your purple. Okay. No announcements. Okay. All right. We move to item D, public recognition. Item one, retirement recognition. Ryan Haval, city manager.

Thank you, Mrs. Wilson. Mayor and Council, uh tonight we get to recognize uh some really amazing individuals. Uh and we're going to start off by celebrating with two people uh who have uh now retired from the city of Coppers Cove. We're going to start with Roger Bicker, celebrating 25 years of service with the city. Roger, where you at? He's back there. Come on. You got to come up here. He's not used to being stood in front of a whole crowd of people. But we're going to celebrate with you, Roger. Roger, we really appreciate two and a half decades of service to our city. Thank you so much. I've got a few things to read here, mayor and counsel. And then we have actually got some gifts that we're going to present to Roger as well. Roger began his career with the city of Coppers Cove on September 25, 2000 as a mechanic in the fleet services department through his strong work ethic and technical expertise. He is promote he was promoted to lead mechanic in September 2010 and later to fleet services superintendent in February 2022. Roger proudly led his team in this role until his retirement on March 27, concluding an outstanding 25 years of service. And his previous boss is here, uh, Mike King, and he told me he came just to make sure that Roger actually retired. A highly skilled and respected mechanic, Roger consistently demonstrated an exceptional ability to diagnose, analyze, and resolve complex fleet issues. His thoughtful decision-making and innovative approach to repairs resulted in significant cost savings for the city over the years. In recognition

of his expertise, Roger earned the ASSE or Automotive Service Excellence Blue Seal of Excellence in January 2003. He was also commended by the fire chief for his critical assistance in repairing the department's aerial ladder during UL testing, ensuring the inspection could continue without delay. Roger further invested his leadership growth as a graduate of the city's development and leadership academy class number two. As noted in a recent evalu evaluation, Roger is industrious and consistent. He has demonstrated an initiative to strengthen interdep departmental communication and it has enhanced success, excuse me, succession planning to ensure his team's continued success. He is truly dedicated to his position in the city of Coppers Cove which is reflected in our wellf functioning fleet services department. Also want to point out, mayor and council, that Roger was is part of our capital outlay plan committee, which is a multi-million dollar plan to replace vehicles and equipment consistently over a five-year period and has uh provided expert advice during that process. Roger, we are so thankful for the service that you provided us. We wish you and your family the very best. I know you have great plans coming up. We wish you safety during those plans and an enjoyable remainder of all that you have planned for your family. Thank you very much for your service. So, mayor and council, we have a few things that we're going to present to Roger. Uh the first one being that uh

because he dedicated uh almost um half of his life to the city of Copper Cove, we're going to pay him to leave. And so we actually have a gift card for him based on the years of service that he provided to the city. We also have a picture and um we're going to present that to him as well. Get in the picture. Mayor and council, we also presented Roger previously during an internal celebration of his retirement a street sign with his own name on it. So, Roger, thank you for your years of service. And do you want to address the council?

No. All right. That's all you get, mayor and counsel. Next, we celebrate with Mr. Martin Ruiz, who provided 28 years of service and has retired. Martin, where are you at? There you go. You got to come up. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're special that way, sir. Thank you. Yes, you're welcome.

Lieutenant Martin Ruiz began his career with the city of Coppers Cove on April 7, 1997 as a patrol officer in the police department. He later promoted to sergeant in November 2002, a position which was later reclassified to lieutenant in October 2019. While he spent the vast majority of his his career serving the patrol division, Martin also briefly served as a detective and administrative sergeant/public information officer. He was selected to oversee the personnel and training division in October 2017 where he served with distinction until his retirement. Known for his approachable demeanor and strong communication skills, Martin built meaningful relationships across the department. He was frequently sought out for his insight and steady guidance, serving as a trusted voice for many. His commitment to continuous improvement was evident in his efforts to strengthen training programs, keeping them effective, efficient, and aligned with evolving standards. Throughout his career, Lieutenant Ruiz earned a reputation as a knowledgeable, dependable, and respected leader. He served as a SWAT team on the SWAT team from May 2009, excuse me, 1998 to January 2002, reflecting his dedication to specialized service and later achieved his master peace officer certification through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. As a field training officer and later training and personnel lieutenant, Martin played a vital role ro role in developing new hires, helping shape well-prepared officers and communication operators who continue to serve the community today. As noted in an evaluation, Lieutenant Lieutenant Lu

Ruiza's greatest strength is his ability to communicate. He provides the first impression of our department to all potential candidates for hire. His dedication to the department and the police profession also serves the department well. I'll also say that Martin, it says here that he has strong communication skills. Um, I've seen some of those in the not greatest way that he and I have had some personal conversations about. Uh, but we're not going to talk about those today, Martin. We're going to talk about all the great things. Martin, we really appreciate your 28 years of service to this city, this community, to the family that you have worked with for almost three decades. I wish you the very best to you and your family. Thank you, sir. It's not.

Okay. So, we did not provide this anytime. Mark also has You want He's next. I do actually. I just want to say thank you to the council.

Hey, don't forget your picture. anytime. Okay. You want to go to the next move to item D2,

employee service awards, April 2026. Ryan Havlless, city manager.

So, mayor and council, we're going to just continue. It's the first meeting of the month and we recognize uh some of our amazing team members that have served with our organization in increments of five years. First, we get to celebrate with Nicholas Davis known as Nick or goes by Nick. Uh and we're going to celebrate with him for five years of service within our fire department. Nick began his career with the city of Coppers Cove on April 19, 2021. and as a firefighter one in the fire department. He was promoted to firefighter two in March 2023 and continues to serve with pride. Nick has demonstrated a strong and growing knowledge of fire and EMS operations with a solid understanding of policies, procedures, and equipment. His recent life-saving commendation reflects his ability to perform effectively under pressure. Handling a high stakes situation with professionalism and contributing directly to a successful outcome. Dependable and self-motivated, Nick consistently completes his responsibilities without the need for reminder and remains committed to the standards of the department. As noted in a recent evaluation, Nick consistently shows genuine care for his work and for those around him with a clear desire to see his peers succeed. His dedication, reliability, and commitment to service make him a valued member of the Coppers Cove Fire Department. Nick, thank you for your five years of service to our city and community. Chief, come on up. Next we celebrate with Shawn Simmons with our animal control department celebrating five years of service as

well. Shawn began his career with the city of Coppers Cove on April 12, 2021 as an animal control officer too in the animal control department where he continues to serve with care and dedication. Shawn demonstrates strong situational awareness and consistently performs his duties safely and independently. He is opening open to learning new techniques, recalls important details about animals and addresses, and works effectively with both the public and other departments. Shawn actively patrols when not at the shelter, communicates confidently, and follows procedures with minimal guidance. Through his efforts, 69 cats were adopted via the partnership with Pet Supplies Plus, and 29 cats were placed in rescue organizations. Shaun's professionalism, skill, and commitment to the welfare of the animals and the community continue to make a meaningful impact in Coppers Cove. As noted by his supervisor, Shawn works well independently and with his peers. He knows his limitations and when to call for assistance. His knowledge of laws, regulations, and ordinances along with his approachable demeanor makes him a valued member of the department. Sean, thank you for five years of service. It actually feels longer than that. Thank you very much. Next we celebrate with Velia Key. Yeah, she she deserves an applause before we even read anything. Absolutely. I I just want to say even before I read this uh that Velia and I

started almost at the same time. We were a month apart. Um and it was a uh it was really beneficial for us to start together. uh we learned how to work together over the years and we have become in my opinion a very strong team together uh for the financial benefit of the city. Um and so thank you just even before I read all this thank you for your partnership. Valia began her career with the city of Coppers Cove on April 1, 2011 as director of financial services where she continues to serve with excellence. Throughout her tenure, Velia has demonstrated exceptional competence and deep knowledge in all areas of financial management. Her leadership is evident in consistently clean audit opinions and the timely completion of annual audits. She remains focused on responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars while supporting departments in achieving their goals. Velia has a has built a highly efficient, productive department, ensuring continuity, accountability, and strong performance with her outstanding team. Her expertise in managing the city's bond funds, leading the audit committee, and serving on the budget committee is invaluable and sincerely appreciated. And let's not forget payroll management. On behalf of all of our team members, we say thank you, Velia. As noted in her uh recent evaluation, Velia's accuracy consistently exceeds expectations, and the volume of work managed by her and her team is substantial. Under her leadership, the city has received the Governmental Finance Officers Association Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting for 14 consecutive years. Velia's dedication, precision, and unwavering commitment to

financial excellence continues to play a critical role in the city's success. Velia, thank you for 15 years of service to this organization and this city. And finally, mayor and council, we celebrate with Kevin Keller, celebrating 25 years of service with the city. His writeup is not as clean as everybody else's, but we're gonna we're gonna make it through it.

Yeah, you can.

Kevin began his service with the city of Coppers on April 9, 2001 as a patrol officer with the police department. He was promoted to corporal in February 2005 and to sergeant in February 2011. In October 2013, Kevin transitioned to city hall as public information officer, a role later reclassified to director of public relations in October 2020, where he continues to serve today. In his current role, Kevin leads the city's communications, working closely with media, residents, and departments to foster transparency and trust. He manages media relations, social media, city calendars, and special events while also overseeing the Keep Copper Cove beautiful commission. Known for his broad knowledge of city operations and approachability, Kevin is a trusted go-to resource for city council, staff, community partners, and residents. In his free time, what free time? In his free time, he serves on the employees employee activities, wellness, and state of the city committees and recently led the city logo redesign committee. His contributions have been recognized by the morning exchange club as employee, excuse me, city employee of the quarter in January 2021 and by mount Hyram Lodge with the community builder award in June 2023, which is a significant award. Uh, one of the things he didn't put on here is that he also leads the Citizens Leadership Academy, which has built trust and transparency within the community, a very successful uh, venture and academy that we hold.

That's on page two.

Page Oh my gosh. In a recent evaluation, Kevin say stated that Kevin consistently builds and maintains strong positive relationships through open communication, active listening, and timely responsiveness, always with the best interests of the city and its citizens at heart. Kevin's dedication, professionalism, and steady leadership continued to make a lasting impact on the city of Coppers Cove. uh mayor and council. I also want to say that uh Kevin when he came to city hall uh he and I uh began to build a much deeper relationship uh than just a professional work relationship and I can say that Kevin is considered a good friend of mine. Um, I will also say that Kevin has committed numerous hours that are never seen or recorded to serve this community. Facebook is not managed by the city manager. Facebook for the city of Coppers Cove is managed primarily by Kevin Keller and his team, Anna, and they do a phenomenal job. He is always available. He's been available to you. He's been available to many of our team members as well. And I just can't say how much I really, really appreciate all of that. Kevin, well done. 25 years. Mayor and council, that concludes our recognitions.

Thank you. We'll move on to item D3,

proclamation, animal care and control appreciation week. Dan Deansy, Mayor Whereas the National Animal Control Association, NACA, is committed to setting the standard of professionalism in animal welfare and public safety through training, networking, and advocacy. And whereas NACA has designated the second full week of April of each year as animal care and control appreciation week. And whereas animal care and control professionals dedicate their lives to the health and safety of at risk helpless animals and work to rescue and protect animals from injury, disease, abuse, and starvation. And whereas federal, state, and local government officials throughout the country take this time to recognize, thank and commend all animal care and control professionals and staff for the dedicated service they provide for their citizens. Whereas animal control officers and staff dedicates many long hours of service to this community and fulfill the animal control department's commitment to providing the highest and most efficient level of customer service. And now therefore, I, Dan Yansy, mayor of City of Coppers Cove, do hereby proclaim the week of April 12th through 18, 2026, shall be observed as animal care and control appreciation week in the city of Coppers Cove, Texas. And I urge each and every citizen to extend their appreciation to animal control officers and staff for their outstanding service and dedication.

Good evening. I'll make this very very short. Um, as I stated earlier for our grand opening, I work with an amazing amazing set of people. Um, my team is very very dedicated. We put in a lot of hours. Uh, we do a lot of behind the the scene things that the public is not aware of, but it is all in the best interest of the pets that come into our care as well as the volunteers that we work with. um they are part of our backbone and I would like to say um thank you for everything that the city has done for us and we will continue to bring pride to y'all. Thank you.

Item four, proclamation public safety telecommunicators week. Dandy, mayor.

Whereas the men and women who serve as public safety telecommunicators are invaluable to the city of Coppers Cove. And whereas 911 operators and dispatchers are dedicated to saving lives, frequently responding to citizens in our great need. And whereas throughout Texas, the Commission on State Emergency Communications works with local and state governments to ensure reliable access to emergency telecommunication services. To highlight the invaluable role of public safety telecommunicators, the commission designates a week in April for the awareness campaign. And now therefore, I Dan Yansy, mayor of the city of Coppers Co. Do hereby proclaim the week of April 12th through 18, 2026 shall be observed as public safety telecommunicators week in the city of Coppers Cove, Texas. And I urge each and every citizen to extend their appreciation to public safety telecommunicators. They serve with distinction placing their fellow citizens first. Together, their expertise and commitment highlight the best of the city of Coppers Cove. Mayor and council, we we appreciate this from the police department and from the the uh telecommunicators that work in the dispatch office. Really, in the grand scheme of things, the people that wear this uniform are nothing. The telecommunicators that actually know exactly where each officer is and know what calls they're going to and what they're going to need out there on the road. That's who we're acknowledging

today. The people that are are truly the hard workers of the the profession. And I would bet you that you could ask any single police officer within our community if they wanted to be a dispatcher and they will all tell you no, I can't do that job. So I this means a lot to them. So thank you very much. All right, we move to item E. Workshop items.

Discussion and direction on the future use of 101 MLK Junior Drive intended to be fire station number four. Ryan Haval, city manager.

Thank you, Mrs. Wilson. uh mayor and council. Uh today we just want to have a conversation uh and kind of talk through uh a building that we purchased uh for fire station 4. This is a a map that really shows where that address is. Uh the the specific facility or building that we're talking about is right here at this location. And oh my goodness, it is uh what was commonly known as the uh previous heart of Texas Federal Credit Union. The city purchased it uh a number of years ago with the purpose of it being fire station 4. Uh at that time uh the previous fire chief made the recommendation provided uh a number of uh data points that show that this location would be quite uh appropriate for fire station 4 and city council agreed with that. I provided a recommendation of agreement with that and we purchased it. Uh we do own that building. We also own uh the drive that comes down into that building from business 190 as well as that uh green space uh just to the east of that drive. So accessibility from this building was quite appealing uh onto business 190 onto Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Um and uh it has sat vacant since we purchased it. The reason it sat vacant since we purchased it is we can do the physical improvements to the building. So, city council received a report from our financial advisor uh on the 24th stating that we had plenty of capacity

to issue sufficient debt to provide the funding for any projects that city council had on the capital improvement plan. The reason we haven't done the capital improvement for this building is once it is done, we need to staff that facility. Staffing that facility is the constraint that we have of making this fire station number four. We do not have the financial resources as we've talked every year during the budget process midy year during our financial planning and we just went through that with city council illustrating that we are not seeing sufficient growth in tax revenues to bring on 12 new fire professionals and EMS professionals to staff fire station 4. we don't have those annual revenues available. With that being said, we have a building that our fire department has done some work to in order for us to obtain a certificate of occupancy. So, we have a certificate of occupancy. We can occupy that building. They have used it for some training in the past. Uh we've used it for some internal events out there as well at that location, but other than that, it is not in active daily use. And that is a concern for the longevity of that building, especially if we eventually plan to convert it into a functional 24hour facility. With that being said, uh tonight's direction I'm looking for council from is should we do a feasibility study on this facility? And I think there are two directions that we should ask this feasibility study to consider. One is converting it into fire station for what

is the cost to do that? When we purchased this building, the idea was it would cost significantly less to convert this facility into a fire station versus building a brand new fire facility. Is that the case? It might still be. Another option I would like city council to consider in in that feasibility study is changing this facility from what the intended use of fire station 4 could be to the utility administration building. So I'm going to take you on the map a little drive down to our utility administration building which currently sits at uh the corner of West Avenue F and Main Street. and it is this building right there in the middle of the screen. Uh, and you can see I haven't changed the zoom on it at all. That is a significantly smaller building. As we as a community have grown, we have needed to add staff to utility administration both within our customer service departments, our billing divisions within that department as well as our meter technicians also. So with that being said, uh this building was utility administration for the last couple of decades. We moved out of that building when is Kevin Keller in here?

Okay, tell them to listen to this. When when we transitioned to Fathoms Services, we moved out of that building into city hall into an even smaller space. Um, as everybody knows, Fathom went bankrupt. We ended up bringing those services back in house at city council's direction. And our utility administration team has provided phenomenal customer service ever since that time. And not only has it been phenomenal to begin with, it improved over the time. and our current leadership and the team that's over there is serving our community at the highest level it has ever served our community. With that being said, as you can see, and I'm going to zoom in on that facility, parking is greatly constrained as well as vehicular movements at that location. And with the staff that we've added, the ability to work in that building has caused the utility administration team to become very creative and how they functional function efficiently. Our community is not stopping in terms of growth. We are continuing to grow. We have almost 10,000 planned residential units within the city in different development stages. They're not all going to be built tomorrow. They won't be built over the next 10 years, but there are plans to build those. As we continue to grow in our community, this department will need to continue to expand. We only have one drive-thru uh window. That one drive-through window is kind of constrained in terms of vehicular movements. We also have a capital improvement plan that was or project that was submitted to council. As you can see this uh concrete wall

that's at the back, it is an a retaining wall. That retaining wall is failing and just the engineering estimates to repair that is $300,000. With all of that being said, we're going to go back over to uh the facility that we purchased. And my question for council that I'm seeking direction on Oh, I should pass it. Thank you, Jack. I saw you look at me. I'm looking for council's direction on is would you direct me to work on a feasibility study for this facility as fire station 4 and as a utility administration facility? And then we as staff can provide city council a recommendation on what direction we should go and then you can say yes or no and then we will start the planning process to move in that direction.

I'm just looking for council's consensus and direction. Council J. You wanted to see a feasibility study?

Okay. All right. Yes. Yes. Agreed. Okay. Okay. Direction received. Thank you, mayor and council. Appreciate it. Okay. All right. The time is 6:10. We will adjourn the workshop and we will begin the regular meeting at 6:20. 620.

He thinks I'm leaving. very rare.

Good evening. Regular council meeting for the city of Coppers Cove held April 7th, 2026 is called to order at 6:20 p.m. Please stand for the invocation. Invocation by Miss Hart, followed by the pledge of allegiance. If you could please bow with me in prayer. Dear heavenly father, we are just so thankful for all that you do for our community and our city, our families. We are so grateful for our new animal care facility. We ask for blessings and covering over that in our public safety and all the entities here in Cove. If anyone is hurting, Father, could we just ask you to um be there with them providing peace and comfort and thank you for all your blessings in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Amen. Please join me. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. And to the state flag to the Texas one. Please be seated. Madam Secretary, please call the role. Mayor Yansy here. Christina Strous here. Rita Hogan here. Howard Hawk here. John Hail here. Dale Chudway here. Vana Hart here.

Jack Smith here. Okay, we have a full house. We move to item D, announcements. None for me, Mr. Mayor. None for me, sir. None, Mr. Mayor. Okay. Right.

Yes, sir. Uh we did a ribbon cutting this afternoon for our new animal care facility. Please go check it out. See the animals. Take some animals home with you. Few other things. Saturday, April 11th from 9:00 a.m. to 2 pm, uh Colleen is hosting a household hazardous waste collection event and Copper Cove residents are eligible to drop off hazardous materials. There are a few things that are not allowed and so I'm going to read just a few of those. Tires, electronics, smoke detectors, fire alarms, and explosives. No explosives. Don't take those there. April 17th, beginning at 7 p.m., the Crusaders will be challenging our first responders in a basketball game. This will be at the Coppers Cove Junior High School. So go out and support both of those organizations. And then on April 18th from 8:00 am to 10:00 a.m. at City Park is the Great American Cleanup. And this is in conjunction with the Coppers Cove Police Department's Adopt a Highway. And later that day from 10:00 a.m. to 2 PM at Ogal Tree Gap is the fifth annual Ronnie Vis Kids Day hosted by the Sentinex Exchange Club.

Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, John. I have nothing, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Nothing. Mr. Mayor Ba. Yes, Mr. Mayor. I just wanted to remind everyone that April is month of the military child. Um they will be holding events on Fort Hood, including the family fest that will be there um on at the Bronco Youth Center. April 10th at 4:30. Also, our school district um within the schools, they're recognizing it as well as uh April 15th is purple up day, so you can be able to wear your favorite purple colors. Thank you. Okay, Jack. No announcements. All right, we move to item E, citizens forum.

At this time, citizens will be allowed to speak for a length of time not to exceed five minutes per person on any item which is listed on the agenda and items not listed on the agenda. 30 minutes total has been allotted for this section. Pursuant to section 551.042 042 the Texas Open Meetings Act. Any deliberation or decision about the subject of inquiry which is not listed on the agenda shall be limited to a proposal to place the subject on the agenda for a subsequent meeting. All right. Is there anyone to speak in citizens forum?

Hi, I'm Jack Griffin. I live on Big Divide Road and my subject is Big Divide Road. Uh there's some major changes that are going to be happening on Big Divide Road due to all the construction and all the people and all the traffic. One of the things we undeniable fact is we need to widen Big Divide Road. I think we're all in agreement on that. I don't think there's anything uh according to reliable sources and I'll tell you who he was. He go real good friend of mine. He go says that uh when they first started platting the phase one of the settlement, the Goper, they allowed 80 feet from the road to the where they're going to put the fences and other thing for their houses. This is great, but unfortunately they figured out that 80 is not a good number. They need more. Uh and the uh what he said was the plan is to go for is to add more feed to his side and push back fage on the opposite side, east side. Uh in my opinion, this is a huge mistake and because I do live on the east side and and I will be affected by this and I'll tell you exactly why. Uh if you take five 10 feet on my side, what it's going to do, it's going to alter our uh driveway aprons, which can be, you know, pretty costly. They go for it will uh change. It could possibly push back where the hydrants would have to be removed and and change their locations. It will also mess up a whole lot of mailboxes as you well know. Uh it you you involve around 30 to 35 homes that will be affected by this. So, and and when you do the landings or the approaches for these houses, the uh back in 25 years ago when they were put in, they go up here, they were just basically a drainage ditch, throw a tin horn down, put some dirt on top, and

guess what? You got a driveway. Since then, the state has changed the requirements for such things. I can tell you by firsthand because my uh apron was actually ran into by a car, did some damage. I was going to get it all redone and I was told that I had to go to new state standards. Cost almost $30,000 just to fix that. But the homeowner could fix it. I fixed mine. So, and you can consult this with your city attorney to confirm what I'm trying to say. I think this would be a really costly mistake if you try to push it back this far. You'd have to be changing all these different things. It's going to cost a lot of money. in my opinion around $1.5 to2 million dollars when you change out every one of these landings and these entry aprons. I think that's a huge mistake. Uh so I brought you a problem. So I brought you a solution also. Uh when the developers and they go and and Wes Atinson said he's a very nice man and he's very easy to get along with. I had a long lengthy conversation with him recently. He'll work with you if you if currently he wants he's going to you're going to push back from big divide over his developments 80 feet. That's what they agreed on. Then they discovered that ain't enough. So they now they need more footage. If you'll talk with him, I believe you can talk to him and convince him to go a little further. Maybe pull back maybe to 100 feet. What that would do is these things right here. You wouldn't have to go there and spend the millions of dollars to do everything on the east side. you already have it taken care of and you have plenty of room on Big Divide. The good things about that is it gives you room to put sidewalks in. It gives you rooms to put bus stops in and think of all the kids that have to walk to school and back. These sidewalks are going to be critical. It's a good idea to push this back and they go for and and allow for this. It'll work good for

everybody. Uh, and you're also not going to have to deal with about 30 of me coming in here and saying, "You're not going to go and take my driveway. You're not going to take my mailbox and all that." You're going to save a lot of hassle on your end and a lot of aggravation on our end. And then I believe in the the future council five years from now will look back at this council and said, "Hey, they did a real good thing. They saved us a lot of hassle, a lot of money, and a lot of aggravation. Thank you. Thank you.

All right. Anyone else to speak during citizens forum? Okay. Well, then we will close that portion and move on to item F, consent agenda.

All matters listed under this item are considered to be routine by the city council and will be enacted by one motion. There will not be separate discussion of these items. If discussion is desired, that item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately. Item one, consideration and action on approval of city council workshop meeting minutes from March 17, 2026. Ashley Osborne, deputy city secretary. Item two, consideration and action on approval of city council regular meeting minutes from March 17, 2026. Lisa Wilson, city secretary. Item three, consideration and action on approval of city council special meeting minutes for March 24, 2026. Lisa Wilson, city secretary. Item four, consideration and action on authorizing the city manager to execute a memorandum of understanding with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, TDM, for the Texas Emergency Management Assistance Teams, T-MAT, to activate state resources for the purpose of T-MAT programs. Jeremy Alber, Deputy Chief of Police. Item five, consideration and action on awarding a bid and authorizing the city manager to execute a contract with Tatum Contracting Services LLC for the award of bid number PW20260183 wastewater collection portable generator project. Scott Osbborne, assistant city manager, director of public works.

All right, council, is there any item you wish to pull and consider separately? If not, is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Mr. Mayor. Yes. I make a motion that we approve consent agenda item F1 through five. A second. Motion made by Mr. Hog. Second by Miss Hogan. Okay. All those in favor say I. I.

Any oppose. The motion carries. We move to item G, public hearings and action. A governmental body shall allow each member of the public who desires to address the body regarding an item on an agenda for an open meeting of the body to address the body regarding the item at the meeting before or during the body's consideration of the item. Item one, consideration and action on approving ordinance number 2026-10 adopting new and revised standards of care for the city's youth recreation program. Jeff Stoddard, director of parks and recreation. All right, the time is 6:31. We'll open the public hearing.

Thank you, Mr. Thank you, Lisa. Um, Parks and Recreation holds a a summer camp uh every year. We've done this for the past several years. It was a program previously offered by Parks and Recreation, but was some for some reason suspended at some point in time. So, it was reinstated this past uh year uh summer 2025. We were notified by the Texas Health and Human Services that the city is required to pass an ordinance establishing the standards of conduct and care uh for or in order to operate without a state child care license. The ordinance requires a minimum staffing ratios, minimum staff qualifications, minimum facility health and safety standards, and notice to parents. Uh, city staff has prepared ordinance number 2026-10 establishing the standards of care for the city's youth recreation program, Camp Cove. Uh, city staff recommends the city council hold the public hearing and approve ordinance number 2026-10 adopting the new and revised standards of care for the city's youth recreation program.

All right. Thank you, Jeff. Council, you have questions for Mr. Stoddard? All right. This is a public hearing. Is there anybody in the audience that wishes to speak on this matter? All right, the time is 6:33. We will close the public hearing. Uh we can take action on this item. Council, what's your pleasure? Mr. Mr. Mayor, I make a motion to approve ordinance number 2026-10 adopting the new and revised standards of care for the city's youth recreation program. Second. Second.

Motion made by Mr. Treadway, second by Mr. Smith. That correct? Yes. Okay. All right. Any other questions, comments, rude remarks? Okay. All those in favor say I. I. Any oppose? Motion carries. Thank you, mayor. Thank you, Jeff. All right, we move on to item H, action items. Item one, consideration and action on declaring personal property of the city as surplus property and authorizing the city manager to donate two fire department ambulances to Coppers Cove ISD and Lampasses ISD. Douglas Mataggets, Fire Chief.

Good evening, council. Douglas Matagjets, Fire Chief. We're the Coppers Cove Fire Department has received requests from the Coppers Cove ISD and Lampassis ISD for a surplus or decommissioned ambulance which their students in their EMT programs could use uh for instructional use as part of their programs. uh ambulance would allow students to train in a re more realistic environment while practicing patient assessment, lifting and moving techniques, equipment familiar familiarity and communication and coordinated emergency response scenarios. It's a lot different in a classroom compared to when you get put in a little box trying to get everything done. So, um gives a more realistic feel of it all. So this this resource would help ensure that students are better prepared to meet certification standards and enter the emergency services workforce with confidence and competence. Uh the Lampasses ISD has had their their EMT programs already been in progress and been established and their students actually spend clinical time on our ambulances within the city. and Coppers Cove ISD is beginning their program for EMTs uh this next school year and we'll be working on an agreement with them to allow their students to spend clinical time in on the ambulances in the uh at at our fire department. Um this the two ambulances that we're looking at donating they're um they've met the end of life for for us. We've replaced those with with new units and it's they're 2018 Dodge units. One of them has 124,000 miles and the other one has 112,000 miles plus the hours of constant, you know, just when they're sitting on scenes and at the hospital. So, the hours are even greater than that. So, um the u we we've looked at value estimates using Renee Bates auctioneers which provided with you in your packet uh for similar types of ambulances and what they have sold for

via auction. And these values range from anywhere from $5,000 to $9,000 based upon several variables as far as the condition that they're in, the mileage they have, the location that you're, you know, putting them in, and things like that. So, these can all affect the price. So, um, what we're looking uh for you to this evening is to take action is to declare surplus property and donate the ambulances to the Coppers Cove and Lampasses ISDs. Um there are some other options that we could look at which have provided that we could uh potentially auction them off if they met a se certain level or certain price threshold. You could set that price and then we could say if it's above it we'll auction it off and if not then we'll we'll donate it. We could that that could be a potential option. So, uh, we recommend taking action to declare the fire department ambulance as a surplus property of the city and donate them and authorize the city manager to donate them to the ISDs. Uh, I think there will be a lot more value in donating to the school districts and, you know, potentially have students come work for Copper School Fire Department one day or, you know, another area community within these communities and and serve their public. There's more value in that than the the money we could possibly get out of the ambulances. So,

agree with that assessment. Council, you have any questions? Chief, I would just like to ask if there's um anyone who would like to speak on this item um from the Coppers Cove ISD or Lampasses ISD. If not, that's okay, too. I think it will.

Yes, please. Thank you. Students are welcome, too. Good evening. I'm squad a little bit here. My name is Liz Havlin and I'm the CTE director at Lancastes High School and I have with me Austin Barber and he's actually you're the lieutenant of operations correct with our fire group. Um and I just want to say thank you so much for consider even considering it. Um, we have actually doubled our numbers in our EMT program and we're also working those numbers up on our fire department program. So, this could really benefit our kids. Um, just like Chief said, you know, giving them that real life scenario, we're able to do that on campus if we were able to get this ambulance. And so, I just thank you for even considering it. I just want to say thank you for letting us speak. I appreciate that. We're excited to see this as an action item uh tonight for the city council. I'm Amanda Cwley. I'm the deputy superintendent for instruction in Copper Coved. I know so many of you and um so great to be here. But um I want to just say we we did previously have a partnership with CTC. We had been offering EMT, but our our CT program has grown so much. We have so much interest now for our staff and our students, and we're able to offer that program inhouse. So, if you were to approve this tonight, it would allow us to have the proper equipment to train our students uh so that they could have that industry standard and be uh equipped to uh serve the city and serve in other communities as well as ours. and so investing in our own and uh I think that's such a great uh thing that

you guys are considering tonight. So I appreciate that. I did want to also just say we have our teacher here tonight uh and this is Miss Mcdow and she would be our EMT teacher and she brought some students with her tonight from our EMT program and so these two students are here and just to show support and advocacy for this um really great uh thing that you guys are considering. So, thank you very much and we appreciate your consideration. I had a wonderful meeting with the chief and I appreciate him thinking of us in this way. So, thank you. Thank you. All right, council. Any other questions or comments?

Okay. Is there a motion to be made on this item? Mr. Mayor? Yes. I make a rec I make a motion to um recommend the city council take action to declare the fire department ambulances as surplus property of the city and authorize the city manager to donate the ambulances to this Coppers Cove and Limpasses ISDs which will not yield significant revenue to the city. Second. Okay. Motion made by Miss Hart, second by Mr. Treadway. Any other discussion? All right. All those in favor say I. I. Any oppose? Motion carries. Thank you, chief.

We move on to item H2, consideration and action on authorizing the city manager to enter into the first amendment to the agreement with Michelle Morrison for concession operations at the Hills of Cove Golf Golf Course Pro Shop. Jeff Stodd, director of parks and recreation.

Thank you, Liz. Good evening, Mayor Council. In September 3rd, 2024, city council authorized city managers to enter into agreement with Michelle Morrison to provide concessions at the Hills of Cove Golf Course. Um, that agreement is now expired. U, we have not brought this to you uh yet or as of yet because Miss Morrison was uh involved in a serious car accident that uh put her out for some time. She is ready to come back. So, we're here with the first amendment to that agreement. Uh, city staff supports the execution of this first amendment to the agreement to provide concessions operations at the Hills of Cove Golf Course Pro Shop beginning April 7th, 2026 for a period of two years. City staff recommends that city council authorizes city manager to enter into the first amendment to the agreement with Michelle Morrison for contestants operations at the Hillsov Golf Course Pro Shop for a period of two years.

All right. Thank you, Jeff. Council, any questions for Mr. Stoddard? Okay. What is your desires on this matter? Mr. Mayor, I make a motion that we approve item H2 consideration and action on authorizing city manager to enter a first amendment to the agreement with Michelle Morrison for concession operation at the Hills of Cold Golf Course Pro Shop. Jeff Stodder, director of parks and recreation. for a period of two years. For a period of two years. Okay. All right.

Second. Motion made by Mr. Hog, seconded by Mr. Hail. Any other discussion? All right. All those in favor say I. I. Any oppose? Motion carries. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Jeff. We'll move to item H3. Consideration and action on approving resolution number 2026-12 joining the state of Texas as a party in the national and Texas opioid settlement agreements secured by the office of the attorney general and authorizing the city manager to execute the six remnant defendants opioid settlement participation form. Ryan Havala, city manager.

Thank you, Mrs. Wilson. Mayor and Council, this item is apparently not the last item that I told you it would be last time. In 2023, the state of Texas began uh settlements with opioid manufacturers, distributors, and a number of other related organizations. You took action last year to approve the secondary manufacturers and distributors and at that time it was provided notice that that should be the last one. Well, lo and behold, the national settlement process has generated six additional settlements known as the six remnant settlement. And this is the from what I've been told possibly the final. I'm not going to say it's final this time, though. This one is the smallest of all of them. It's a $96 million settlement that those settlement payments occur over the next 15 to 20 years. It's nationwide, which means the state of Texas receives a portion of that. State of Texas then holds half of that and then allocates the other half to participating organizations such as the city of Coppers Cove. You as a council have approved the initial settlement with the attorney general's office in 2022. Through that resolution that you approved back then, you are now authorized to also participate in every other settlement that occurs after that. And the settlement form is attached. is something that I can sign. You have authorized me to sign those in the past. And so staff's recommendation is that we participate uh and join in the settlement. It would provide the city of Coppers Cove a very small amount over the period of 10 to 15 years more than

likely. Um but it is just a continuation of all the other previous settlements. All right, council. Any questions for Ryan? Okay. Is there action be taken on this item?

Mr. Say so. Okay. Here we go. I make a motion that we approve resolution number 2026-12 authorizing the city manager to execute the six remnant defendant settlement participation form. Second that. Motion made by M. Trophus second by Miss Hogan. Any other discussion all right hearing none. All those in favor say I. I.

Any oppose? Motion carries. That is all the action items for tonight. There are no reports from staff, outside entities, advisory committees, and boards. We move to item J. Items for future agendas. Nothing for me, Mr. Mayor. None for me, sir. No, Mr. Mayor. I have nothing, sir. Nothing, Mr. Mayor. I don't have anything, sir. No, sir. Okay. All right. We do have two items for executive session.

Item one, pursuant to subsection 551.087 087 of Texas Government Code. City Council will meet in executive session for deliberation regarding the offer of a financial or other incentive to a business prospect reference as Project Hometown Hero. And item two, discussion of personnel matters pursuant to chapter 551.074, the Texas Government Code regarding the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee. City Manager Ryan Haval. All right, the time is 6:47. We will adjourn into executive session.

The time is 7:56. We reconvene into open session for possible action resulting from any items legally posted and discussed in executive session. There is no item to take action on. Oh, at 7:56 we stand adjourned.