City Council - Regular Meeting

HELP ME WHEN WE'RE READY TO BEGIN THE COUNCIL MEETING. GOOD EVENING. REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING FOR THE CITY OF COPPERS COVE HELD JULY 7, 2026 IS CALLED TO ORDER AT 6 PM. PLEASE RISE FOR THE IMPLICATION AND FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

Please pray with me. Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you this evening. We give you thanks and praise, God, and I pray that you help this governing body, Lord, that you guide them, that you direct them, Lord, that you lead each of us into positive and wholesome discussion for our community, City of Copperscope. I pray, God, that you give us all knowledge, wisdom, and discernment in advocating for and governing this city. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Amen. Please join me to pledge our nation's flag.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

And to the state flag. I pledge allegiance to the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to the Texas, one state under God, one indivisible. Please be seated. Madam Secretary, roll call.

Mayor Yancy?

Here.

Christina Strophos? Here. Rita Hogan? Here. Howard Hawk?

Here.

John Hale?

Here.

Del Chudway?

Here.

Vanya Hart? Jack Smith?

Here. All right. Thank you. We move to item D, announcements.

None for me, Mr. Mayor. None for me, sir.

None, Mr. Mayor.

Yes, sir. I have many announcements. So we are... receiving applications for the Citizens Leadership Academy, class three. The class actually begins on August 6th, which is a Thursday, and will be held every Thursday after that, all the way up in through October. There are three seats available. Applications are located on the city's website. Please, if you have any interest, fill out an application and submit it. We've also posted the notice of deadline to file an application for city council places six and seven. Filing dates are July 18 through August 17 of this year. Applications are not yet available, but they will be posted on the city website as soon as they are available. This Saturday, there's a couple of events. First is All Day. The Negrete Firefighter Foundation is hosting a fundraising event sponsored by Bubba's 33 Restaurant. Also, from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 11th, is Painting for a Cause Scholarship Fundraiser with Keep Copper's Cove Beautiful. It will be held at the Urban Ernie's Restaurant at 212 South Main Street. There are 10 spots available, $25 per spot. Next week on July 14th at the Civic Center is a town hall on reimagining Copper's Cove. There's three groups for the town hall. From 1 to 2.30 includes businesses, commercial interests, and development community. From 3 to 4.30 p.m. are civic groups, nonprofit organizations, and from 5.30 to 7 p.m. are citizens and residents of Copper's Cove. July 23rd is the Governor's Small Business Summit here in Coppers Cove. It'll be held at the Civic Center. There is a registration requirement, so go to the city's website, EDC's website, chamber website, and register if you wish to attend that summit. On July 25th from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. is the End of Summer Trash Bash with Keep Coppers Cove Beautiful, and the starting place will be at 914 South Main Street, which is City Hall. July 29th is the third annual regional hiring event sponsored by the Coppers Cove Economic Development Corporation that will be held at the Civic Center. And then August 1st, that's a Saturday from 11.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. at Ogletree Gap is Family Day, sponsored by the Copper Scope Parks and Recreation Department. Lots of activities to come and enjoy. Thank you.

And thank you, Ryan.

I have nothing, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Nothing, Mr. Mayor.

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 of 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. OK, here's how we're going to do this. We've got a lot of people here. 30 minutes is a lot for Citizens Forum. I'm going to let that go just a little bit longer, probably between 30 and 45 minutes. I want to give everybody an opportunity to speak, but you have a maximum of five minutes. So if you speak, and you can speak a little bit less than five minutes, then more people can come up and say what they want to say. Because I think we have somewhere around 15, 16 people that want to talk. And obviously, if they take the whole five minutes, that's only six people. And I would also everybody remember where you are. There's decorum here. There's no shouting. There's no yay. There's no boo. There's no this. There's no that. Be professional. And let's have a good citizens forum. With that, proceed. Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor, Council, and City Manager. Is that on?

Doesn't sound like that's on.

Oh, it says it's on. Can you hear me now? Okay. Good evening, Mayor and Council, City Manager. I am Sheena Tanner, 2405 Merle. Thank you for adding the Pride Proclamation item and allowing citizens to speak and for taking time to discuss this item. I appreciate that many people in our community hold sincere religious convictions. They have every right to do so. Our country was founded on that principle that every person is free to practice their faith. or to practice no faith at all. That freedom is one of our nation's greatest strengths. But that is precisely why our government cannot favor one religion interpretation over another. The oath taken by elected officials is not to uphold one denomination, one church, or one set of religious beliefs. It is to uphold the Constitution and to faithfully serve every resident of the city. The city of Copper's Cove represents Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, many people of other faiths, and people who have no religious affiliation at all. It also represents Republicans, Democrats, independents, veterans, military families, business owners, retirees, students, and LGBTQIA residents. Your responsibility is to all of us equally. A pride proclamation is not a law. It does not require anyone to change their beliefs. It does not compel any church to alter its teachings. It does not interfere with anyone's religious liberty. It simply acknowledges that LGBTQIA residents are a part of this community and deserve to know that their city values them as neighbors and constituents. Some have suggested that issuing a proclamation would mean the city is promoting an ideology. I respectfully disagree. Cities issue proclamations throughout the year recognizing veterans, first responders, small businesses, military service, historical observances, and countless community organizations. These proclamations are not endorsements of every belief held by those being recognized. They are acknowledgements that these members of our community matter. The same is true here. Copper's Cove has LGBTQIA residents who live here, work here, own businesses here, attend our schools, serve in our military, pay taxes, volunteer, worship in our churches, and continue to contribute to our local economy. They are not outsiders. They are your constituents. Six years ago, the Central Texas Pride Community Center was founded here because there was no organized support system for LGBTQIA people in this region. Before that, generations of young people went through our schools without ever seeing their city acknowledge that they belonged. Many still feel invisible today. A proclamation cannot solve every challenge facing LGBTQIA youth or adults, but symbols matter. When local government says you belong here, it sends a message that every resident deserves dignity, safety, and respect. That message strengthens communities. It encourages understanding instead of division. It reminds young people who may feel isolated that their hometown has not forgotten them. And it demonstrates that this council serves every citizen, not only those who share the majority's belief. This discussion is not about asking anyone to abandon their faith. People of faith should continue to live according to their convictions. But the role of the city government is different from the role of a church. Government exists to serve all people fairly regardless of their religion, political affiliation, race, or sexual orientation. That principle is what makes America strong. Tonight you have an opportunity to affirm that every resident of Copper's Cove matters. Not because we all believe the same things, but because we all call this city home. And to everybody that came to support, you matter, and thank you for coming. Thank you. Thank you.

Hi, good evening. I'm Sarah Schultz, 3004 Oak Hill Drive. Can you hear me? Yes. Yep. I am here this evening as my civic responsibility in support of this community and the Pride Proclamation H5. The importance of this proclamation is as important as our First Amendment, the freedom of speech, expression, press, and freedom of and from religion. Many claim scriptures have definitively defined what is acceptable as a family unit or marriage as one man married to one woman. However, in these modern times, many theologians have continuous debates over the accuracy of this morally deceiving belief because love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. This community was built on a foundation of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Copper's Cove was built as a city for family living, constructed on the Army's core values of honor, dignity, and respect. We owe all of our people the loyalty and integrity of self-realization and veneration. We are a government of the people, by the people, for the people. We the people means everyone. The weak, the hungry, the poor, the huddled masses of our brothers and sisters in every loving relationship. We the people in Copper's Cove love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Thank you.

Howdy, Fred Chavez, 1705 Joan Drive. I'm here to speak in favor of the proclamation, only for a couple of reasons, I'll be quick. Number one, to deny that these people exist is dehumanizing and cruel. That is not what this city was ever built for or to be about. Nobody says that you have to stop believing what you believe. Nobody says that your faith is being challenged, and if it is, If this is too challenging for you, the problem isn't with the proclamation, it's with your faith. And to project that onto other people, well, that's sad, pathetic, and mean. These people live in our community, they pay taxes, they obey the law. Last time I checked, that's all you needed to be. We don't have a religious test in this country, thank God. And I hope it always stays that way. And my final thing, the people showed up, thank you. The people showed up to be against it, thank you. Because in a democracy, we disagree respectfully, vigorously, and then we walk away as friends. And if that doesn't happen, it'll break my heart. Every person in this room matters to me as a friend, as a fellow citizen. We shouldn't be split over silly stuff like this. They exist. Just recognize them.

Thank you.

My name is Heather Barrington, 713 North 3rd Street.

Can you get a little closer to the mic? Thank you.

I'm here tonight to support Sheena and our community's efforts to have item H5 passed. I was born and raised here and spent much of my life afraid to come out as queer. And I don't want anyone else and their family to have the same fears that I had. Like many of you, I was also raised by Christians. One of the most important lessons I was taught was to love thy neighbor, and that means everyone, everyone in this room and everyone who isn't. I want to reiterate that this proclamation does not affect those who disagree with it. It does, however, uplift many people in this room and throughout our community, people who have been afraid, people who have been ignored, people who deserve to feel welcomed with open arms. I ask you to support item H5 and to show that our community is a place where everyone belongs.

My name is Shannon Dodd, 405 West Avenue E. I'm a veteran, I'm a small business owner, a Christian, and I am a proud member of the LGBTQ community. I want to begin by saying that I respect the fact that people have different beliefs, that freedom is one of the foundations of our country. I serve because I believe every person should have the right to live according to their conscience, practice their faith, and be treated with dignity. I also know that words matter. When LGBTQ plus people hear that they are sinful, evil, or somehow less deserving, those words can leave lasting wounds. For some, those messages come from strangers. For others, they come from people they love. That is why many people never find the courage to stand where I am standing today. Last year I struggled deeply with coming out. I carried the weight of believing that because I was a Christian and a part of the LGBTQ plus community, I had to choose between two important parts of who I am. That struggle did not come from the LGBTQ plus community telling me I could not have faith. It came from hearing the messages from some Christians that if I have lived honestly as myself, I could no longer serve within my Christian community. But here I am. I'm still serving. I'm still living my faith. I'm still trying to love others the way Jesus taught us to love. There were moments when the weight of all this became so heavy that I questioned whether my life had value. What helped me through that time was my best friend, who is now my partner. stood beside me when I felt completely torn. She reminded me that I was worthy of love, that my life mattered, and that I did not have to give up my faith or deny who I am. When I was at my lowest point, she chose love over judgment. That is why I'm standing here today. Coming out was not only personal. As a business owner in this community, I wondered if people would still support me, if they would still walk through my doors, and if being honest about who I would, would change how people saw me, but I am still here. I'm still serving this community, working hard, and treating every person who walks through my door with respect. That is why this proclamation matters to me. It is not about asking everyone to agree with me. It is not about changing anyone's belief. It is about recognition. It is about acknowledging that LGBTQ people are part of the community and that every person deserves to know they have value. It is about the young person who is afraid they won't be accepted. The person who loves God but feels they have to hide. The veteran who served the country but wonders if they truly belong. The person who simply needs to know they are seen. Sometimes a simple act of recognition can remind someone that their life matters. I love this community. I own a business here. I serve here. This is my home. When I read the Gospels, I see Jesus who led with love, reached out to those who felt forgotten, and reminded us to love God and love our neighbor. That example I strive to follow every day. I'm not asking anyone to change their beliefs. I'm asking that we recognize that people like me are a part of this community too. I'm a veteran, I'm a Christian, I'm a business owner, and I am part of the LGBTQ community. Those things do not cancel each other out. They are the story of my life. If this proclamation helps even one person feel seen, valued, and not alone, then it is worth supporting. I hope you will support this proclamation because every person in Copper's Cove deserves to know they matter, they belong, and they have a place in this community. If I could ask one thing of each of you council members tonight, it would be this. Please do not let fear, pressure, or threats from anyone in this room influence your decision. Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor and Council Members. My name is Stephanie Perdue. I live at 806 Hobby Road, and I have called Copperas home for eight years now. I am also a 58-year-old proud transgender woman who transitioned more than 35 years ago. I'm not here tonight to ask you to change your beliefs about people like me or to debate politics or ask for special rights. I'm simply asking you to remember something that was brought to you last month, that you represent all of us here. A pride proclamation is not a law. It does not create rights that don't exist. It doesn't require anybody to change their personal beliefs. It simply says that the city recognizes that people like me exist. That's all I'm asking for you tonight. To be seen, acknowledged, and know that my city recognizes that I am one of its citizens too. Whether you realize it or not, LGBTQIA people are already here. We are your neighbors. We are your coworkers. We're your business owners. We serve in the military. We teach your children. We work in grocery stores, restaurants, and hospitals, and police departments. We volunteer in our churches and our civic organizations. We pay taxes. We vote. And we also raise families. We are part of Copperas Cove. One thing that is often said these days is that we are trying to indoctrinate our youth. So I want to address that. I can only speak for myself. I don't want to indoctrinate anybody. I simply don't want children growing up feeling as alone as I did. I can take you back to 1978. I was probably seven or eight years old I already knew I didn't fit the molds that people were trying to put into me. I didn't have words for it. I knew the expectations everybody talked about that I did not fit. When a group came through my hometown in California at that time, preaching about people like me, I remember thinking they had somehow found out about me, that they had come to kill me. Looking back today, that sounds unimaginable. But the frightened little child that had never heard anybody explain what they were feeling, who thought they were the only person in the world like them, it felt very real. It took me another eight years to begin to understand and accept myself. And during those eight years, I can't tell you the number of times I thought about not wanting to be here any longer. No child deserves to feel that way. When people ask why recognition matters, that's why it matters. Not because a proclamation changes somebody's identity, not because it tells every young person who feels different, but because it tells every young person who feels that they're different that their city sees them, that they belong here too, and that they are not alone. When my husband and I chose to move to Copperas Cove eight years ago, one of the things that attracted me was the phrase, the city built for family living. I simply ask us to remember that families come in many forms. They are the single parent working two jobs to raise their children. They're the grandparents raising grandchildren. They're the adult children caring for their aging parents. They're widows and widowers, married couples and unmarried couples, military families and chosen families. And yes, some of those families include people like me. Whether you personally agree with me or not, I am still your constituent, I am still your neighbor, and I am still part of the city. A pride proclamation doesn't ask anybody to abandon their faith, their convictions, or their conscience. It simply says that the city recognizes all of the people it serves. I hope tonight you'll choose to let every resident know that they are seen. Thank you for your time.

Good evening, Ray Payne, 604 North 17th Street. Mr. Mayor, Mr. Havilah, Council, thank you for giving the community the opportunity to voice our opinions regarding our proclamation potentially recognizing Pride Month in 2027. Copper's Cove is my hometown. The house that built me is a mile and a half from here. I attended Alpha Time Daycare, Fairview Elementary, Halstead, Cove Junior High, and graduated as a Bulldog with a W. During that time, I was fortunate enough to cross paths with dozens of influential town members, pillars of the community, some would say, avid volunteers and community advocates. They all had a hand shaping me into the man I am standing here today. Through the stories about mischievous Halloween participants passed down by Mr. Mick and the blacksmith, the work ethic displayed by Nelson Smitty Schmidt, this perseverance showed by Mr. Leonard at Ace Hardware, the determination hammered into us by these words. The K-E-Y is to T-R-Y. Who said that? Coach Hankey. This village instilled in me integrity, compassion, and courage. Since those early days growing up in Copper's Cove, I have tried my best to inspire the next generation and my own to live up to the virtues I absorbed from these prominent figures of my childhood through meaningful and selfless action. Whether or not they would sign on to this evolution of community is irrelevant. The virtues they possessed and impressed onto the next generation are being tailored to fit our growing town. We are extremely fortunate. Copper's Cove is unique in that it is a multi-everything community comprised of citizens from every corner of the U.S. and cultures from around the world, multi-ethnic, multicultural, multi-belief. This community isn't great because it's homogenous. It's great because it isn't. We live in a rural community that gets to borrow the best qualities from metropolises, music, art, food, entertainment, business practices. Our strength comes from the 40,000 plus community members that bring their individual talent and personality to the table, and trying to intentionally diminish any portion of it puts our community at a disadvantage. Often in these chambers, proclamations are read to recognize acknowledgement, read and acknowledge the achievements, the sacrifices, the struggles, and the successes of a myriad of different organizations, clubs, associations, events, and even days devoted to just drinking lemonade. A beverage gets more notoriety than contributing members of this community. I say all this not to shame anyone, not to force anyone, not to demand anyone do anything they're opposed to do. I say this because the Copper's Cove I know, the Copper's Cove I'm proud to say that I'm from, is one of the greatest places to raise a family, be a part of the community, feel welcomed, and have the opportunity to participate in making the city better. And we should be proud to honor anyone that wants to be a part of that. This proclamation isn't about raising a part of this community above another. It isn't about muting convictions. It isn't about claiming moral superiority. It's about honoring the activists that fought against systemic discrimination, highlighting the ongoing struggle for equality and civil rights, and raising awareness about the lives lost to direct violence and indirect violence due to the policies that exacerbated the massive death toll from HIV and AIDS. Please consider adding a Pride Month proclamation to the June 1st, 2027 council agenda. Thank you.

My name is Pastor Kirby Lack. I'm here speaking tonight on behalf of the Coryell County Republican Party, but respectfully, firmly oppose the LBG. I'm sorry, LGBTQ proclamation. Our position is rooted in Christian faith, traditional family values, moral convictions shared by many of the citizens of Copperas Cove and Coryell County. We believe the requirement of the government to celebrate, we believe it does not require the government to officially celebrate or endorse behavior or an ideology of the many residents beliefs are contrary to biblical faith. The Bible teaches that God created marriage as a sexual relationship between one man and one woman. These verses are not politically intended. They are deeply held biblical convictions by many Christians and families in this community. The question before the council is not whether a citizen deserves fair treatment under the law. Of course they do. We question whether the city of the Copperas Cove should be official voice to promote and celebrate proclamation that directly conflicts with Christian ethical and moral values of many of the citizens of this council represents. We believe the answer is no. City government should focus on the matters that unite the community, public safety, structure, economic growth, families, veterans, service members, and the community good. It should not be taken sides as deeply divisive cultural or moral issues using a proclamation that many of the residents do not support or cannot support in good conscience. For these reasons, the city of Coryell County Republican Party respectfully urges the Mayor's City Council to vote against the proclamation and to stand with faith Family, freedom, religious liberty, and the tradition of moral values. Thank you. I'm speaking on behalf of Chairman of the Republican Party, Norm Mitchell. Thank you.

if I could present these to the council members real quick. Sorry, to just pass around.

If you'll hand it to the city secretary, please. Thank you.

They're just photos related to what we're talking about. Forgive me, it's actually a bit off topic. I wasn't aware that this was a discussion tonight. We just took the opportunity because this was the next time that we could come to talk about this. Good evening, mayor, city manager, and council members. My name's Kevin Howell from 503 Veterans Avenue, and I'm here tonight with my wife on behalf of ourselves and our neighbors on the lower portion of Veterans Avenue. For years, our properties have repeatedly flooded because of the roadways have been built higher than the curb. This is not just our opinion. City staff have acknowledged that years of roadway overlays have caused portions of Veterans Avenue to sit higher than the curb, reducing its ability to contain storm water. There are also no storm drains on our section of Veterans Avenue to capture this water. Runoff from Rose Avenue and the streets connected to Rose Avenue all flows downhill towards our neighborhood. turning our properties into the collection point for water for a much larger drainage area with nowhere else to go. This has caused significant damage to our home and property. Our bedroom has flooded on multiple occasions. We were forced to build a porch simply to prevent rainwater from entering our home because every rainy season we were pulling up our bedroom carpet after flooding. Our shed suffered a major water damage. We had to re-level the shed, replace the flooring, and replace the bottom half of the walls because the water damaged the entire lower portion of the structure. Despite those repairs, continued pooling water and saturated ground have caused it to become unlevel again. Our house has now settled approximately three and a half inches on one side because of years of standing water against the foundation. During heavy rains, we get three large streams of water flowing from the street into our front yard. City Hall sits directly behind our property at a higher elevation, leaving the water with nowhere else to go except into our yard where it pools for days. The standing water has caused severe erosion and changed the grading of our property. Our chicken coop also floods regularly. We have had to move it multiple times trying to find the highest ground. Last May, standing water reached halfway up our shins. Without elevated roosting boxes, our chickens would have been standing in water nearly up to their necks. We have spent thousands of dollars trying to repair damage and create temporary solutions, but we cannot continue paying out of pocket to fix a problem caused by public infrastructure. We have repeatedly provided the city with pictures and videos showing the flooding, standing water, debris, erosion, and structural damage. So the city has been made aware of the severity of this issue and has seen the impact it has had on our property. My neighbors and I, we pay drainage fees and street maintenance fees, yet our properties have effectively become a drainage basin for the city. We requested records through the Texas Public Information Act regarding the street grading, drainage, and history of this area because we were trying to determine whether this flooding issue was a known condition before we purchased our home in 2022. Our seller disclosure stated there were no flooding issues, and we were trying to understand whether this problem had previously been documented. But instead of simply providing the records, the city requested a ruling from the Attorney General's office regarding whether those records could be withheld. We also, we did try to address this before coming here tonight directly. My wife and I, we personally emailed every city council member individually, I believe at least twice, asking for help. But we just haven't received any response from anyone yet. I understand y'all are very busy and preoccupied, but We just figured we'd at least take the opportunity to address y'all now. I'll yield whatever time I have left to my wife. She wants to come up and continue on what I have to say.

Good evening. My name is Madison Howell, and I will be continuing where my husband left off. It is true we received no response from all the city council members except city manager Ryan Haverlow. Forgive me if I mispronounced that. He eventually responded and stated, and I quote, I can confirm that some portions of Veterans Avenue will have Mill and Inley completed at some point. When the mill and inlay is completed, the height of the roadway will overall be lowered and will allow for more convenience of stormwater. However, I cannot confirm the project will be completed in 2029." Respectfully, his response was that there might be plans to address this issue around 2029. There was no guarantee that those improvements would start in 2029 or even happen at all. After years of flooding and damage, being told that there might be a solution several years from now is not enough. When speaking last year to the Assistant Director of Public Works, Christopher Altott, he suggested that our best course of action would be to construct a berm consisting of dirt, rocks, and foliage along the curb of our property. While we appreciate his efforts to help us find a solution, we simply cannot afford the cost of materials and labor to complete such a project. My husband and I would be willing to do it ourselves to cut out labor costs, but we are unable to since he works full time and I am seven months pregnant. Though even if we could, it feels a bit unjust for us to pay for the solution to this problem with our labor and hard-earned resources when we can clearly see the city's infrastructure is the root cause of this problem. Additionally, if we placed a berm only on our property, it could potentially divert more water onto our neighbor's property, causing further damage and making us liable for it. The city has placed us in an untenable position where we are unable to do anything and are solely reliant on the city for a solution they seem unwilling to provide with any needed expediency. Our structures cannot wait until 2029. We cannot guarantee our homes, sheds, fences, and foundation stability if this continues. We are also facing financial limits. I am due to give birth in September. We live solely on my husband's police officer salary, and we need to preserve our remaining funds for those medical expenses. We no longer have the ability to keep paying thousands of dollars to repair structural damage caused by an issue we did not create. We reviewed the capital improvement plan for 2027.

I'm afraid we have to cut you off.

Is it not five minutes and then five minutes per person?

Well, you said that you were continuing with the same discussion.

I'm the next speaker on the list, though. Does that not continue?

Okay. Go ahead. Yeah, I thought we were two separate. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

Okay. We reviewed the capital improvement plan for 2027 to 2031 and did not see our street included. However, we did see drainage improvements planned for City Hall, which is directly behind our home because the building is experiencing flooding just as we are. If flooding at City Hall requires action, then the residents directly below and behind it deserve the same urgency. We are asking for an immediate temporary flood barriers or mitigation before the next rainy season. We cannot go through another year of this. We are also asking that correcting the roadway grade, installing proper storm drainage, and fixing this issue on the lower portion of Veterans Avenue become a priority. We are not asking for a special treatment. We are asking the city to address a public infrastructure problem that has caused years of preventable damage to our homes and our neighbors homes and our quality of life. Again, I am asking for an immediate temporary solution and that this be put on your next agenda to find a permanent solution before the next rainy season. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Dave Skett, I live up on Skyline Drive. I wanted to just say real quick, no on the field, because we can't afford to do the roads. We had to throw a tax on everybody. So how are we going to afford $47 million more for baseball fields? I suggest that we use the school fields more effectively, and we can look for extras there, maybe combined fields. You can use a football field as a baseball field during off seasons. So whatever. As for the proclamation, everybody has a right to live their own life. But your own life is lived at your house. You come out in public, as we all do. Nobody has the right to push their life onto us. It's none of the city's business. It's none of our business. City doesn't need to make a proclamation for this because it's their business. They can live however they want to. Nobody's telling them they can't. But don't try to force it on us. That's what we're already being upset about, because it's being forced on our children in some cases. Maybe not all, but in some cases. And that's wrong. You'll get a fight from us. Thank you. Have a good day.

Andy Remedies, 2402 Griffin Drive. On behalf of all the small business owners, people that have lived here our entire lives, I encourage you to approve this proclamation for an often unseen and marginalized community who are filled with some amazing people. Like, you've heard countless stories and We're just here to support them because they're our customers, they're our neighbors. The lady that cuts my hair is right over there. The people that rent from the theater are right behind me. They're valuable pieces of our community. I don't understand why we can't recognize them. Second, and more selfishly, I would like the council to consider some of the fee schedules that were proposed at some of the workshops, most notably the health inspection fee because it is about to almost triple And I don't have that kind of money unless everybody wants to pay more for pancakes and waffles at Herb and Ernie's. It seems to be a little bit excessive on this. The proposed fee was going from $100 for a yearly health inspection to $260 based on neighboring counties, which includes Williamson County, which includes Round Rock and Georgetown, which has a much higher average income per household than Copper's Cove. So we're just asking the city council to maybe reevaluate the degree in which it increases to help the little guy out. Not only Herb and Ernie's, but the little place like the Thai Kitchen who has one dude and one cook. That's a lot to impose on a small business. No offense to those that work for Chick-fil-A, but there's like 17 people that are really pleased to hand me my milkshake, so they have more people that can help with the sanitation and stuff. Or they have more people that can kind of screw it up, as we've seen from bigger chain restaurants here in Cove lately. So if I was on city council, if I had to suggest, and I would suggest that maybe you raise the penalty for those that fail their inspections and maybe not kind of hit the little guy so hard. But more importantly than that, please, please approve that proclamation. Like, it's the right thing to do. Do the right thing. Thank you. Thank you.

I'm Christine Littlefield, 11th Street, Copper's Cove. I have lived here since 1967, and I just have a little difficulty. But the proclamation for recognition usually means that there has been something extraordinary done for the community, something beneficial for all in the community. How is the petitioning party benefited this whole community. All people contribute to this city. That's just life. You go to work. You come back home. We're all contributing. There is a Veterans Day. I would like to see a Veterans Month of recognition. The whole month? Oh, sorry. Sorry. But all right, well, so the question that I have also, because I'm eliminating this part about veterans, will there be any taxpayer money on this type of proclamation promotion? If that's even a consideration, I would like to see at least 21,000 signatures on a petition saying they agree to spend taxpayer city funds. Hoppers Cove, the city built for family living. I remember seeing that when I was five years old. Well, it's patriotic, right? Some lifestyles go strictly against my beliefs, and I will never, not be able to ever jump ship to the other side. You may agree or disagree with what I'm saying, but as this is citizens speaking time, so I'm speaking as the rest of everybody else has. I have much difficulty believing that proclamation for this is the majority of the copper scope citizens and usually the majority rules. So thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it. Thank you.

Okay, I'm just getting over a cough. First off,

We are not trying to change you. DAVID BURRAGE.

Ma'am, would you state your name, address, for the record? MARTHA TIPTON. Oh, I'm sorry.

Martha Tipton, 2405 Merle Drive. DAVID BURRAGE. Thank you. MARTHA TIPTON. OK. We're not trying to convert anybody. DAVID BURRAGE. Ma'am, ma'am. MARTHA TIPTON. There are no taxes that will be used towards it.

DAVID BURRAGE. Ma'am, ma'am, address the council.

MARTHA TIPTON. OK. DAVID BURRAGE. Thank you. MARTHA TIPTON. OK. So I just want her to know that no tax money will be used for this at all. It's a piece of paper, a piece of paper that acknowledges citizens of this community We shop here, we work here, we live here, we have schools. I mean, if you look in the audience, you see young people that attend schools or homeschool. Most of them are almost 18 or are 18 and will be voting. So you set an example of, yes, we want you here. We acknowledge you and we accept you. I don't understand why there is such a big, we're not asking anybody to change their ideology or anything like that. We just wanna be recognized and have our opportunity to say, yes, I live here, I live in a good community that accepts me and allows me to be a part of the community. And that's just, it's all we're asking, that's it. You've got people like Nolanville, small little Nolanville has made a proclamation. I mean, how? How is that and our community cannot support the other individuals in this community? It's like you don't, when I say support, it's just giving us freedom and rights. as they already have said, we all have freedoms. We all have rights. We're not asking to come out in the streets and flaunt our sexuality and have sex in the streets. We're not trying to put this big rainbow decoration or have a parade. It's a piece of paper saying, we see you. That's it. Thank you.

Teresa Deans, thank you.

Jonathan Owens, 1303 Elky Circle, Copper's Cove. First I wanna say, I am so grateful that I've had the opportunity to serve with y'all in so many different capacities. I think there's not a single person up here that I've not picked up trash with through KCCB, gotten paint on myself by doing a mural, or some other thing like that. And much of what I had written already was said much more eloquently from other people. So what I do wanna do is, I do wanna address two things that y'all have heard tonight. Y'all have heard one thing, which is that the Republican County group has a statement going around. And one of the things that they said in that is that every person deserves dignity and respect. They actually say that in their quote. And I completely agree with them on that. Every person completely deserves dignity and respect. And that's what we're doing here. We're bringing dignity and respect to a people that have served our community so well. You've heard what does the LGBTQIA plus community do to make it an extraordinary measure worthy of having a proclamation. The things that I just mentioned to y'all, how many times have you seen our friends, our community members standing there besides you when nobody else was doing these projects for our community because they love their neighbors? We love our neighbors, man. My wife and I both want to have this as something that we can celebrate, something that we can say our city did the right thing. So with all my heart, please, please approve this proclamation. Okay.

This would be the last person.

Thank you so much, Council. My name is Justin Early, and I'm the Democratic nominee for Texas 31st Congressional District. And I was asked to be here today to support the community in this proclamation. And I've heard a lot of different perspectives of this, the perspectives of being, you know, love thy neighbor, these people are here, you know, and I respect all of that. I think that's great. But I think as a council, it's really important for you to understand that you are here to To protect the least of us. Just like Matthew 25 states is that you're here to protect the least of us. When people are hungry, when they're needing homes, this is your job to do that. And this is what people are asking for. A proclamation in the negative does not say that they won't go away or won't be here. But imagine how it can happen and help your community. We see a lot of towns in Texas that actually try to do these things. And we see them actually go away. Over 100 years ago, we've seen towns that had things like sundown town policies. And where are these towns today? They've actually gone away. And so now we actually see today where we have states such as Missouri who have an anti-LGBTQ policy losing hundreds of millions of dollars. And so what I want to see as a council for you guys is to grow this community. And by asking the community to come through and just have a simple proclamation of Pride Month, it's not going to smite your community. Frogs are not going to rain from the sky. But what it will do is grow your economic base. It'll allow companies to understand that you welcome people, and that's what you want to do as a council. You want to grow everybody's economic base and bring people here. The last point I want to give on this is that there are so many people who came here to support and to fight against it. And I respect that because democracy is absolutely what we need to have. We need to fight for that. And I'm glad that you guys are listening. I'm glad that you guys are attentive. And I'm very thankful that you're here to do that. But at the same time, the positives from doing this are going to be seen to you tenfold. And the negatives from not doing this is actually going to come back as well. And so we want to make sure that we respect those who are here, let them know that they are wanted, let them know they are loved, but then also, as a selfish reason, you want to grow the economic base here in Copper's Cove. Because I want nothing more than this city to be a great, bright, shining spot on the hill, because a third of your land is owned by a military installation in Coryell County. So what other better ways do you have to build that economic base than to tell people everyone is welcome here? And so, again, my name is Justin Early. I'm the Democratic nominee for Texas 31st District, and I want to say thank you for your time, and I appreciate it. Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, we will close Citizens Forum and move to 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 for June 16th, 2026. Lisa Wilson, city secretary. Item two, consideration and action on approval of city council regular meeting minutes for June 16th, 2026. Lisa Wilson, city secretary. Item three, consideration and action on approval of city council special workshop meeting minutes for June 23rd, 2026. Lisa Wilson, city secretary. Item four, consideration and action on approval of city council special workshop meeting minutes for June 25th, 2026. Lisa Wilson, city secretary. Item five, consideration and action on authorizing the city manager to execute a ground lease agreement with Hill Country Community Action Association in the city of Copper's Cove for operation of the federally funded Head Start program. Jeff Stoddard, Director of Parks and Recreation. Item six, consideration and action on authorizing the city manager to execute a lease agreement with Hill Country Community Action Association for 1008 North Drive and 1202 West Avenue B, Coppers Cove, Texas. Jeff Stoddard, Director of Parks and Recreation. Item seven, consideration and action on resolution number 2026-19, authorizing and supporting the city manager in the submission of a grant application and required documents to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services for the FY26 Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act Program. Gabriel Cardona, Police Captain. Item 8, Consideration and Action on Granting Mayor Dandy Yancey an excused absence. Dandy Yancey, Mayor. Item nine, consideration and action on granting Council Member Christina Strophus an excused absence. Christina Strophus, place one. And item 10, consideration and action on granting Council Member Jack Smith an excused absence. Jack Smith, place seven.

All right, council, you have 10 consent agenda items. Is there any item you wish to pull and consider separately? If not, is there a motion to approve the consent agenda?

Mr. Mayor, I make a motion that we approve consent agenda item F1 through 10. I'll second.

Second, Rita. OK. All right. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The motion carries. Normally, we would go to item G, public hearings in action. But we're going to skip around a little bit. And we're going to go to. item H action items and specifically item H five. I know that's what you're all waiting for.

Discussion and direction on the proclamation related to LGBTQ, Howard Hawk, place three.

Good evening, Mayor, council member, city manager. At the last city council meeting, I asked for the proclamation for the LGBTQ community to be put on the next city council meeting. So I heard a lot tonight, and it's well deserved, but elected officials shall openly discuss LGBTQ plus proclamation to represent all residents. These symbolic documents simply state that every person matters. Discussing them build trust, promote civic equality, and help prevent marginalized group from feeling left out. Why these discussions matter? Proclamation is an official public statement from a city leader. It does not create new laws or force anyone to agree. Instead, it works like a welcome sign. Here is why local government is to talk about these issues. A proclamation is an official public statement from a city leader. And the reason here's why local government talk about these issues. Respect, they show that the LGBTQ community is a valuable part of the town. Safety, they provide that city leaders stand against unfair treatment. History, they celebrate civil rights progress. That's all I have, Mr. Mayor. I'll yield to any council members that have comments. DAVID BURRAGE.

All right.

Rather than I'll let you all talk after, I've got a statement I'll go ahead and read. The city received a request to issue a proclamation recognizing the LGBTQ community. I appreciate the request and recognize the passion and desire from those who requested this specific recognition. You've been heard and respected and are a vital part of this community. Based on the general application of the city's charter and state law, the issuance of proclamations are primarily ceremonial in nature and as such lacks any binding authority. Not to diminish the importance of the celebration of the LGBTQ community, I do not feel such proclamation provides benefit to the greater good of the community and will not issue the request of proclamation. committed and dedicated to serving every resident, business owner, and visitor with fairness, professionalism, and respect, regardless of background or demographic, in providing excellent municipal services to all members of our community. Anybody else?

Mr. Mayor, if I may, everyone's been here tonight to speak either for or against. I appreciate everyone that spoke up and participated in your democracy rights to speak. I really do appreciate that. But I've been trying to find the right word to use all night. And I really don't want to use the word fair because the system's not always fair. I want to use the word equity. What is right for the entire community? We as elected officials among, I'm speaking for myself, we either represent a city, the county, a district, whatever, and then all the way up to federal. With that being said, again, we represent everyone. And what I would recommend or ask for, again, this is just my opinion, the mayor has the right to either approve or disapprove a proclamation. And I understand that. And that's his right as a mayor. And I also have to support that. But I would ask for maybe will you come up with a policy letter, no more than two pages. We don't need a 50-page policy letter. And maybe go from there. That's just my suggestion, Mr. Mayor. Thank you.

All right. Anybody else? Did you have something, Jack?

I was just going to make the point that the prerogative is with the mayor, and I've been on the council for six years, and I've never made a proclamation, asked for a proclamation, or it's not in our purview as far as city council.

Anybody else?

Okay. Okay. I know that disappoints a lot of people in the room. It's a tough deal, and I'm in a no-win situation regardless. But I feel that I am here to represent the best interests of the entire community. And I want to say that I appreciate everybody's professionalism, decorum. You have all conducted yourselves, and you all make the City of Copperas Cove proud for what you do. And I really, really appreciate everything that you do. Thank you. All right. Do we want to take a second? If you want to leave, you can do that. I'll give you a second to do that, and then we can go back to our regular meeting.

I revised the agenda, and I forgot to put the revise once. That's my question.

Thank you.

We're getting ready to start back, so if you do want to leave, if you go ahead quietly. Appreciate everything.

Do what? Thank you. Thank you.

We're going to start back in about one minute.

Thank you. All right.

All right, thank you. We will jump back up and go to item G, public hearings in 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, public hearing and action on ordinance number 2026-17, designating a geographic area within the city of Coppers Cove as a reinvestment zone for tax increment financing purposes. Pursuant to chapter 311 of the Texas tax code, to be known as tax increment reinvestment zone number two, city of Copper's Cove, describing the boundaries of the zone, creating a board of directors for the zone, and establishing a tax increment fund for the zone. Ryan Havilah, city manager. Thank you.

All right, time is 7.06. We'll begin the public hearing.

Thank you, Mrs. Wilson. Mayor and Council, this is a continuation of a discussion that we've had over the last several months about a tax reinvestment zone, increment reinvestment zone. We are in partnership with the Copper's Cove Economic Development Corporation on the creation of the study and the zone. We contracted with Bill Calderon, who has helped us prepare all of the information before you. Mr. Calderon is here, and so if you have any very detailed questions, I'm gonna ask that he come up and kind of share in this presentation. Overall, this zone, is a recommendation from the Economic Development Corporation's strategic plan, and so we have moved through the entire process. We did the feasibility, and city council agreed, said proceed. We are now at the creation phase, and it is the tax increment reinvestment zone number two, so for short, TERS, TERS number two. We did have to publish a notice in the newspaper. That notice was published on June 26th. Overall, the zone itself encompasses over 2,500 acres in the entirety of the city of Copper Scope. and just outside of the city of Coppersco in some of the extraterritorial jurisdiction. That area outside in the ETJ is not an area where city council can actually allocate any funds property tax revenue towards the TURs unless it is annexed. And so the plan does envision and expect that those properties would eventually be annexed into the city as to be part of the TURs. Attached to the agenda item is not only the ordinance which creates the TURs and establishes it, but a number of exhibits also exist. Those exhibits include the map and the property description, which is quite lengthy. But that map, just to show council very quickly, I lost the map. We're gonna get back to the map. So you can see where all of those areas are. You can see on the screen, all of the areas encompassed or bordered in purple are those areas that are going to be included in the TERS. So just to kind of walk through all of this very quickly, all the areas within the orange boundary or yellowish boundary are those within the city limits already, so those are exempt those properties that are within our city limits those that are outside of that orange area and just to point out a few of those that's one of the properties up here at the north and then we have a property on the south side of town and then we do have a small property that's over here which at this point we've gone through that annexation process and brought that into the city limits and So with everything that you see on this map, all those areas in purple, they would be encompassed into the tax increment reinvestment zone. The second exhibit that's on there is the preliminary plan. That document really highlights and details what the properties are, what the intended use of the property tax revenues once those properties are increased in value. And that's a really important part of this is the increment that is included in the TERS or the plan. You can see over a Over the 2200 acres plus the 620 acres, which are developed as residential properties, we expect that the total value of that property reinvestment zone is currently at $68 million. Over the course of the plan itself and moving down into the calculations of the values, and of course,

There we go, had to rotate it.

Looking at overall a value of all the properties within the TERS being at a 50% split, and I'm gonna have to ask Bill to come up here and kinda walk us through the spreadsheet real quick on where these percentages are. I apologize, Bill.

Thank you. It should be a 50-50.

That is correct.

Bill Calderon with Calderon Economic Development Strategies. Mayor, Council, good to be back with you again. The short and the sweet is that in the statute, there is a requirement that you do this plan. You put the plan together and it's Basically two pieces one what's happening to the land itself and the other is the finance section And part of that finance section of the plan requires two things number one a capital budget and in this case based on a compilation of all of the estimated costs and the city's capital project associated with many of the city's short and long-term planned expenditures, many of which are in these 20 non-contiguous parcels. There's a total estimated cost of about $416 million that might be spent on capital improvements over the life of the reinvestment zone. 50 million of that was basically lump sum segregated for residential development negotiations for those parcels that are outside but would be petitioned for annexation in. We had to put some money in there because we didn't really know what it was, so that's basically a placeholder. But the short and the sweet on the finance, and there's a tremendous amount of detail in the schedule before you. It's impossible to see, I know. It's driven by an assumed participation rate between the city and the city. Coryell and Lampasas counties collectively at 50% each of the jurisdictions current approved tax rate. When you combine those three jurisdictions at 50%, it renders a 61 cent per $100 value, a factor for computing the amount of income that might be generated within this reinvestment zone and over a 30-year period based on some very conservative assumed growths and assumed developments in these parcels. We're estimating just over $620 million could be contributed between the three jurisdictions. for project costs. Given that you have a 419 million or so estimated list of project costs and a 620 plus million estimated output, we're finding that there is feasibility and that the reinvestment zone, based on the conservative assumptions that we've laid into this plan, should it play out as we expect, would render a reinvestment zone that could cover essentially all of the costs and hopefully have some surplus revenues available for other projects at some point in time. I will emphasize that all of the estimates are what I would call hyper conservative. We do that very intentionally so that we don't over project. I fully expect that this reinvestment zone will in all likelihood, if utilized aggressively by the city and the EDC team to catalyze and make things happen by cutting deals with developers, will actually render a significant tax base expansion. You've got a little over a billion dollars in your tax base right now. We're expecting this reinvestment zone could quadruple that within a 30-year period. Yes, that's it.

I do have a question. It just hit me. You're adding all three up, but none of the properties are in Coryell and Lampasas County. They're all in Copper's Cove. But if you add the three together, the 61 cents is on each property.

No, no, no. Thank you for the question. I add them up so that you can see what the financial revenue impact would be in total. But the reality is that as far as how the revenue comes into the tourist pot, that section of the southwest portion of the reinvestment zone that is in Lampasas County would receive 50% of the city's tax rate and 50% of Lampasas. In that instance, it's gonna be less than 61 cents. You have to segregate the Lampasas piece. And the same would apply for Corio. which is probably, I wanna say, just roughly about 87 or so percent of the overall reinvestment zone as configured right now is in Coryell County. So your comment is correct. It's not 61 across the board, but I wanted to emphasize that when you look at the application of the 50% rule, if you will, it totals 61 cents. Sure.

Council Member Smith, each of the individual parcels that was identified and shown on the map is calculated individually in all of the schedules. So while Mr. Calderon just talked about a kind of an aggregate summary of all of those, the document itself considers every parcel individually in those calculations.

Are there any other questions or comments that I can address?

Excuse me, any questions? Okay.

So, Mayor and Council, one of the great purposes of this is we've talked about the need for economic growth in the city. This is a tool. It's not the tool. It's not the only tool. It's a tool that our Economic Development Corporation and you as the governing body of the city can help, can actually utilize in order to grow the financial and the commercial and residential, not the residential, the retail base of our community. which in turn reduces the reliance on residential property tax receipts. Doesn't mean that residential taxes go away. It means that as a governing body, you are now governing your community and the expectations of services and projects needed based on a broader commercial base which helps alleviate the reliance on residential taxes. So it's staff's recommendation you hold the public hearing and then take action on the attached ordinance.

All right. Is there anyone in the audience that wishes to speak on this public hearing matter? All right. Then the time is 719. We will close the public hearing. Council, is there action to be taken on this item?

Mr. Mayor?

Yes.

I make a motion that we approve ordinance number 2026-17, designating a geographic area within the city of Copper's Cove as a reinvestment zone for tax increment financing purposes pursuant to chapter 311 of the Texas tax code to be known as the tax increment reinvestment zone number two, city of Copper's Cove.

I second. OK. Motion made by Ms. Strophos, seconded by Mr. Hawk. Any other discussion? Yes, sir.

Yes. Mr. Mayor. I feel like this, I'm for a TERS, but I feel like the same thing I said last time, this is too much land and too many different properties involved. And I think that some of these areas are already gonna develop without a TERS. For instance, the land where, excuse me, the land where the VA hospital is going is in this TERS. And we're already getting the, we're gonna be getting the taxes from there. And now we're going to turn them over to a tourist board that's going to be staffed by, of course, we can appoint the members of the tourist board, but also Coryell County and Lampasas County get to appoint those same, they get to appoint members too. And instead of having the money for operations and, you know, the general fund, it's going to go to a fund to fund increase infrastructure for these areas. Again, I'm for a TERS but I just think this one is too large and it covers too much area. And already three of the properties that I can identify just from the map are already being developed and we would already be receiving tax money from them within a year.

Ryan, did you have a question or comment?

No, Mr. Smith, in terms of specifically the VA clinic facility, we did talk about that previously in a meeting where the document and the incentive 380 agreement that city council has approved can be assigned to the local government corporation, which will fall under the TERS. So that means specifically the TERS is actually paying for the incentives for that development which comes from the incremental growth of that development as well does not address all of your concerns you have with operations but very specifically a lot of the growth in our tax rate is a result of those capital projects and where we're issuing debt, which has a tax rate implication on it. Instead of having to issue that debt and pay interest on it, the TERS can actually finance a lot of those improvements so that it does not impact the property tax rate in a way that is causing the rate to increase or grow because of those projects. Again, it's just a tool. Definitely understand that there's a lot of properties included in this, but those properties all work together and build upon the utilization of the TERS so that the growth of those properties can actually be developed potentially quicker than they would have without it. Okay.

Mr. Mayor, I do have one question. On appointment of the board members, will this city council have 100% to vote on each board member, or will it also, as Council Member Smith said, Cordell County and Lampasas County?

So, Bill, you want to answer that question? Sure.

The way the creation ordinance is set up, the council has to create a board. We have a five member board, as I recall, we put in this ordinance. And so it would be three appointed by the city, and two, one for each county participating. So the city controls, since it's a creating entity and it has the maximum number of members. And when the local government corporation is created, those same directors will also serve on that LGC. So the city retains control in both instances.

Okay, thank you, sir. Any other questions? All right, there's been a motion and a second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Aye. Roll call.

Christina Strofus? Aye. Rita Hogan?

Yes.

Howard Hawk?

Aye.

John Hale?

Nay.

Dale Chudway?

Aye.

Jack Smith?

Nay.

5-1. 5-1.

4-2. 4-2. Didn't you say nay? I said nay. Okay.

Oh, you said nay?

Nay. Okay.

I'm sorry, Mr. Hale. 4-2.

4-2, the motion carries. All right, thank you, sir. All right, we move to, now we're into action items. Action item H-1.

Consideration and action on the appointment of members to the Keep Coppers Co-Beautiful Commission. Anna Rodriguez, Executive Director of Keep Coppers Co-Beautiful.

Good evening, Mayor, Council, and City Manager, Mr. Havilah. The Keep Coppers Code Beautiful allows for 15 members to be approved by City Council. Positions vacancies were advertised on March 16th, in which we received three applications, Ms. Crystal Wellborn, who is here present, Vijay Brown, and Ms. Dana Anderson, who is also present, and one other application was received by a current board member whose term will expire. Staff recommends that the city council review the application submitted for appointment and to fill the appropriate action, to fill the appropriate spots, four spots available.

All right. Council, you have any questions for Anna? All right, is there action to be taken on this item?

Mr. Mayor, I'd like to nominate all four.

OK. We need to say the names for the record. They're already in there. It's already on the agenda. OK. All right. Motion made by Mr. Hale, seconded by Ms. Hogan. Any other discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. We move to item H2.

Consideration and action on appointment to the Planning and Zoning Commission to fill position seven. Bobby Lewis, Development Services Director.

Thank you, Lisa, Mayor, Council. On June 15th, 2026, staff confirmed that Angela Lee Robertson is requesting to be considered for appointment to the Planning and Zoning Commission in position seven. With that, staff recommends City Council review the application submitted for appointment to the Planning and Zoning Commission to fill position seven.

Council, any questions for Mr. Lewis? All right. Is there action to be taken on this item?

Mr. Mayor, I make a motion to postpone this appointment until August till we'll get a few more applicants.

I'll second that.

OK. To what?

To postpone.

Well, would it be appropriate second meeting or first meeting? Probably this.

Mr. List, first meeting or second meeting in August?

We can do it the first meeting in August. That'd be fine. All right.

OK. Motion made to postpone this, fill this position until the first meeting in August. OK. Everybody good with that? All right. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed?

motion carries thank you thank you thank you bobby move to item h3 consideration action to authorize the city manager to execute a standard purchasing agreement with kya services llc james neely parks superintendent afternoon mayor council city manager thank you miss lisa

Back last fall, city staff met with our Quality of Life Advisory Board to identify two play structures that would need to be replaced in accordance with our COP and CIP. Those structures were located in City Park. One is north of the pool, the other is by the dog park. Early spring of this year, city staff, we met with Coyote Services and Game Time to provide pricing to replace those play structures and add in a pour-in-place surfacing for fall protection. We received two estimates back, one from Kaya Services, which was a TIPS contract number in the amount of $306,872.99, and then Game Time, which was a by-board contract of $395,446.56. With that, city staff recommends that the city council authorize city manager to execute a standard purchasing agreement with Coyote Services in the amount of $306,872.99. And with that, I'll take questions.

All right. Questions for James? All right. Excuse me. Hearing none, is there a motion on this item?

Mr. Mayor?

Yes.

I make a motion that we authorize the city manager to execute a standard purchasing agreement with Kai Services LLC in the amount of $306,872.99. Second. Sounds right. Second.

Motion made by Mr. Office. Did you second, Rita? OK. She beat you. I couldn't tell. Any other questions? Comments? OK. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The motion carries. Thank you. Thank you, James. We move to item H4.

Consideration and action on authorizing the City Manager to execute a new lease agreement for 202 South 4th Street between the City of Copper's Cove and Star Group Veterans Help and Veterans. Ryan Havilah, City Manager.

Thank you, Mrs. Wilson. Mayor and City Council, the city has leased 202 South 4th Street to the Star Group Veterans, helping veterans for, at this point, more than a decade. Last year, there was damage to the building that occurred from a hailstorm. We did, we do have the building insured. We received an insurance check. for the repair work to be done on the roof. The cost to repair the roof was going to exceed or will exceed the insurance proceeds that would be received and so had a conversation with the Star Group leadership. about what I just told you and that I would not make a recommendation to council to spend additional or allocate additional funding on this building when the long-term plan is to demolish and remove this building. In talking with the leadership at Star Group, they came back with a proposal that said if we would provide them the insurance proceeds we received and any future proceeds related to that same claim to the Star Group, not only would they do the repairs, but then they would do a host of additional improvements to the building and those improvements are included as an attachment to this agenda item. In addition to that, they requested to be able to use the entire building because currently the lease does exclude the jail area from their use and in order to use that additional area, we've just asked that they remove the doors. We don't need anybody locked in the jail that's back there. With that being said, we've kind of drafted an entirely new lease with the Star Group. The previous lease was more than a decade old. The leases, one, state law has changed significantly over time. But our new leases kind of mirror the existing or the lease that is attached to the agenda item. and it provides all the same accommodations, expectations that the previous lease does, it's just in a different form, with the exception that we are authorizing them to do the repairs that are listed in the exhibit. We are required to provide all of the insurance proceeds for this claim and any subsequent proceeds we may receive as a result of this claim to Star Group and it does maintain the two-year lease cycle but adds five additional extensions which in total would extend the lease to 2038. The current leases would go through 2031 before a new lease would need to be written. And it asks that the Star Group or requires the Star Group report to the council annually on the services that they provide to the community and to the region, which is very similar to all of the other most recent leases city council has considered as well. With that being said, it is my recommendation that you authorize me to sign the new lease and proceed with all of the requirements that the city as well as the Star Group have listed in that agreement.

All right. Star Group, do you have any comments you want to say? We agree. We agree. OK. All right. Council, any questions for Ryan?

Mr. Mayor, I just have a few comments. First of all, of course, I'll support this. But Star Group's been around for a few years. And bless Jonathan Haywood, one of the founding members of this organization. went out and did a lot of good for this community. Started out, correct me if I'm wrong, somewhere over at Harker Heights and Clean, and eventually migrated this way. I mean, from giving back the backpacks to kids, what they do for Thanksgiving, what they do for Christmas, and other events throughout the year. I just think this is a great organization.

DAVID BURRAGE. All right. Any other comments? All right, is there action to be taken on this item?

Mr. Mayor, I make a motion that we approve item H4, consideration and action, on authorizing the city manager to execute a new lease agreement for 202 South 4th Street between the City of Coppice Cove and Star Group Veteran Helping Veteran, Ron Havlop, city manager. Second.

OK. Motion made by Mr. Hawk, seconded by Mr. Treadway. Any other discussion? All right. Hearing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you very much for your service that you do for the community. Very much. You had to wait a while to get to that point, didn't you? It was a learning experience. All right, that concludes all the action items for tonight. We move to item I, reports from staff, outside entities, advisory committees, and boards.

Item one, update and report on the activities of the Kopperskove Economic Development Corporation. Fred Welch, Executive Director of the Kopperskove Economic Development Corporation.

Thank you, Lisa, Mayor, City Council. I'd also like to acknowledge our board chairman, Brady Diaz, back here tonight. And so she's going to keep me honest, I hope. There are two items that I really wanted to bring to council's attention because they are coming up on us like right now. One being, of course, the VA clinic project. Just an update on that. Our board did approve what was basically option three of the original option. It started almost four years ago when this project got going. What that does is it moved the closing date to October. August 1st, because the original option expired like on June 30th. I will tell you that they have open title. There are documents going back and forth, mainly between the lawyers, but hopefully we will have a closing on that property between July 15th and August 1st. Also, the general contractor and developer are working with City staff in terms of that ground disturbance permit and I believe there'll be some action in a not too distant future relative to a temporary lease either on either on land owned by the city or owned by the EDC it's on Tillman there are two different parcels under under consideration by the general contractor but that is that is all moving along doing very well at our board meeting Last week, the board did also, we went out for an RFP in June to look at how we might do comprehensive land planning in that area. It's about 100 acres if we include the land that's owned still under development by Endeavor and going on down through the balance of what would be the existing Narrows Park and some land that's owned by, I believe it's Mr. Clark, adjacent to that by the truck driving center. The intent there is to look at compatible uses, whatever they might be and really to kind of help paint a vision which potentially is gonna require or for the city and planning staff to consider some adjustments into land uses which could also involve the zoning. But we just see this as a six month process as this project has started to kind of help paint the picture and make sure we're not just doing one-off sales for clinics or purchases or so forth. And that work will begin the end of August. The consultant team will be here for five days as a kickoff to meeting with city staff, meeting with the city, and talking about that visioning, and it'll extend through approximately April of next year. So it's moving very well. The other project that we've been involved with for quite some time is kind of twofold, but basically the Niceburn Drive as we went through the annexation process of the 22 acres that the EDC owns with an option on about 28 more. We have gone through with that economic development administration grant process of obtaining bids to do the whole project. Those bids were opened this afternoon. We are still just waiting to verify everybody's math and where the contracts are, but in essence, The contract that we hope to take to our board and the council will allow us to do that whole project along its entirety. At this point, we just have some preliminary numbers, but it will involve the issuances of debt by the Economic Development Corporation. How we are proposing to do that, and this has to come to council, is we have an existing bond that was issued in 2012. The board did authorize based on what we have in our reserves to basically redeem or retire that debt. when it comes due on August 15th. In very short numbers, there's about $805,000 left on the principle. It was originally about a $1.2 million bond. So we'll be retiring that debt six years early, paying the interest due. At the same time, once we have the numbers of what this construction cost would be the intent would be subject to our board approval and council approval the issuance of bonds for the balance of that which appear to be somewhere between 2.8 and 3.1 billion dollars what that means in a budget process that's coming forward is we had put that bond debt into our budget that you'll be seeing in public hearing on July 31st, or July 30th, I stand corrected. So it will take that. bond payment plus whatever the difference would be, I would guess what we're paying, about $147,000 a year, probably go up to a little over $300,000 per year. It'd be a 15-year note, that's what, because this would be what we call a private placement through a bank or financial institution. Until the bond council goes out for sale, we could only take a stab at where we think interest rates would be, but the neighborhood of 4% is not uncommon for a tax-free issue. So it'll be in that note. Why I bring that date to council is on August 4th, We will have a presentation by Bond Council on what that actual cost would be. It'll come to the EDC Board first, probably in a special meeting that afternoon. That is a scheduled meeting for City Council. And then the City Council, which is our Bond Council, will then be presenting that same offering to Council for approval that night. And at that point, we'll have the more concrete numbers of where we are with debt service and so forth. But it's moving along very well. The bids were very competitive that we had this afternoon and as I said, I can't get to final numbers till everybody checks quantities and math and so forth and that'll take another few days but it's looking very good. It's just more economical to try to do that project all at once, get it in. Uh, we, we are continuing to, uh, to promote the property. Uh, I, I can say that there is at least one project, uh, in, in the mill, but, uh, we're still at a very confidential stage on that, uh, that, that could potentially, uh, assist. Uh, and there's another sitting in the wing. So we just have to kind of wait and see there's, there's interest. Um, the other, uh, major endeavors that we've been involved with i mean you heard about uh... from announcements we've we've got it we've got our job career fair coming up we've got uh... the the uh... small business summit coming up this month also uh... staff and then we continue to work with uh... the projects reported and i just say that uh... even though this land exchange has been uh... an effort over time. We continue to work with it and I will be able to report out to council later. There are some appraisals process. That's all I can say right now. We'll have to see where all that ends up. I really don't want to go into a lot more detail. Uh, I wanted to just bring those two items, uh, before council to, to, because, uh, July 31st, we'll be here with a joint public hearing for the city's budget and, and, and our ADC budget. And I believe it's August 18th, uh, will be the adoption of, uh, The city's budget and our budget kind of rolls into the council budget for the benefit of council members that maybe haven't been through that process before. And really just to address any questions that council might have right now.

Council, you have any questions for Fred? Good report.

Thank you. Once we get things closed, they'll probably start moving dirt right away, I'm going to be honest, but we'll work some sort of a groundbreaking out, and that has to be coordinated not only with the developer but also with the folks at the VA and so forth. So it'll take a few weeks to get that organized, but we'll certainly advise council and the community when that happens. Okay?

Great. Thank you, Fred. Okay, we move to item J, items for future agendas.

Nothing from me, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, I'd like to request an excused absence for the June 25th budget workshop that I missed.

Chair Greg Musil. Support. Chair Greg Musil. Thank you. Chair Greg Musil.

It took a while. We checked the charter. It is not necessary or a requirement to be excused from a special council meeting.

Got it. Only for regular. Got it. Okay. So it's not needed. Mr. Hawk? Nothing, Mr. Mayor. Okay. John?

I have nothing, sir. Thank you.

Nothing, Mr. Mayor.

Jack? I have nothing. Okay. All right, we have no executive session for tonight. So the time is 7.46. We stand adjourned.