Remarks by D. Lee Edwards
48 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 1 of 2
- Play at 8:39
“I'm city councilman David Edwards. I'll get it there. You're doing great. Edwards. I'm hard of hearing without my cochlear undeath. So on the I use closed caption. So anyway, if you understand why I don't look at you sometimes, I'm reading and listening at the same time. And sometimes I'm having to reread it to make sure I understood what I think you said.”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 9:35
“All right, so proclamation, whereas Deaf Awareness Month is recognized each September as an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of deaf and hard of hearing in our individuals and promote awareness that deaf culture and encourage great understanding and inclusion within our communities. whereas deaf and hard of hearing individuals are valued members of families, workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, civic institutions, contributing their talents, leadership, and service in countless ways. Whereas the City of New Braunfels is home to a vibrant deaf and hard of hearing community, including…”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 54:47
“I move to approve the consent agenda minus F and H, which will be moved to the regular session.”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 1:25:04
“Does NBU sit with this set aside of a half a man? Is that a line item inside their budget that they keep in there as a reoccurring pool?”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 1:25:23
“Once we get the paperwork issued online and so on, I think we're hearing methods of how to fund this to support it. We understand the need for this product because most tenants are being required to meet a criteria of three times revenue. In other words, if it's a $1,100 a month, they got to make $3,300 a month to qualify for it. This adjusts that so they're not as burdened in their percentage. Really, we want in housing 20% to 25%, 28%. of their income for housing. And so a lot of people in that 20 to 45,000 range can't afford it. And this is the only way to do it to where we're not building…”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 1:56:24
“All right. First of all, I want to clear up a few things. A, a Linden is not low income. It's an 80% product and a percentage of it. It's moderate. And when you talk 80% of the AMI being on the 70, we're talking someone that's making in the 50,000 range. So that's some of your school teachers. That's some of the people that work for us. When we start to talk about low income, Yes, there's a variety of it, but this project and projects like this are a hand up, not a hand out. They make them pay a percentage of their income so that they can support and move forward. It's not a permanent…”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 2:30:51
“So to dispel some of the stuff that's going out in the public, number one, We are seeing a lowering in the values of the homes and commercial. More and more people are fighting it using outside companies. And so we're seeing a dynamic impact across the board. So the reductions that we've seen in prior years wasn't us taking a reduction in the tax rate. because we were trying to reduce it. We were just stabilizing it because the values were going up, so the reductions were put in place. Is that not true?”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 2:31:31
“And the next thing is, this budget was hard fought between all of us here. We had proposals to take the rate up higher to get more things done because we definitely have shortages in some of our areas. The police department is having to put in a five-year plan for officers and so on to get things done. And even though we did get additional things for them, In order to get where we're going, we would have had to take the rate up higher to the public. And currently, the Attorney General's office is making a very dim view of any city going above the no new revenue rate and has really gone after…”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 2:33:51
“I make a motion, budget adoption. I move to approve the second and final reading of the ordinance number 2026-50, adopting the FY2027 operating budget and plan of municipal services including the budget order.”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 2:35:44
“Motion for ratification of the tax resolution, individual item E. I move to approve resolution number two, 2026R71, ratifying the property tax revenue increase reflected in the fiscal year 2027 operating budget and plan of municipal services.”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 2:47:54
“I think it's a good plan put together. I think we have some issues that we need to address in our policy and ordinances. School districts more and more are having a direct impact on our roadways and so on. Comal Independent with Highway 46, Oak Run, Veramendi, where we're getting backups. When we calculate parking and the need for traffic, We have to look at what is anticipated as the number of parents waiting in line to take their students. We've got, you know, as... The pollution issue moves toward us out of San Antonio. Idling vehicles that sit there long term, this is all a contributing…”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 3:04:51
“Yeah, I mean, we've exercised all due diligence up to this date. You know, it starts with negotiation. It goes back and forth. When that doesn't work, then you take it to the hearing between the commissioners. If they don't like it after the commissioners' hearing and don't agree with what the settlement issued, then that can go to the final process with the judicial side. So, I mean, we've been very diligent all the way down to get this accomplished. So there's been a protection of personal property rights at the same time. We're not being held up to try to get us to overpay for something…”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 3:07:40
“Wow. Remind me... Remind me, when we looked at it before, that really we're kind of cleaning the lines up and the layout of the utilities, where before we were really cutting across in another location, right? I mean, there was some realignment involved in this. Isn't that correct?”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 3:08:23
“Yeah, so this is kind of a cleanup too. And then after it's done, they still have the use of the surface except for the restricted area.”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 3:08:35
“So it's not a complete taking. It's just us getting to where we need to be with some restricted covenants on what they can do on the surface. That's correct.”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 3:12:07
“I'll make a motion to approve. I'll second it.”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 3:24:13
“In other cities, they don't make accommodations for those buses in their parking system. They have to go off-site or they have to go to private lot. They drop off their vans or crews. Now, in some cases, hotels, we will have... bus parking because of either tour bus or whatever. And a lot of times we're located near a civic center or bar. But I can tell you there's a lot of cities that don't make accommodations for entertainment buses.”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 3:24:58
“Yeah, you know, they have a unloading zone and then they go two, three blocks to put the bus where they are. I mean, a lot of tours have been done.”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 3:25:23
“Yeah. One of the things that's been a critical issue is trash collection. It's twofold, it's not just whether or not we use centralized, which would be the preference per block or per area, but that means acquisition of an area to do and a way to get transportation. But I think we have to look at the LDO or some where as we begin to redo downtown or older structures, We may have to look more like big cities, New York, Chicago, whatever, where if I take one of the buildings downtown and I renovate it, I have to look at making an indention or a setback or something inside that building to…”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 3:27:01
“Well, it goes along with what we talked about using central parking areas. You know, in Savannah and in Charleston, they cannibalized the backs of the businesses, like the ones on Seguin to Comel. And so the property owners would give us the property, and then we would install the parking lot and the lighting, which helped their business because they had direct parking, but it helped the off-streets. while the trash could be put in there because it was under our control. But here we don't have that agreement. One of the problems to get in lease is getting a landowner to grease the leases…”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 3:52:46
“Good explanation. And we're a political district, and this is a geographical district. Our districts can be changed, but for the purpose of the impact fee, you want that area to be stable. So we can be realigned, which we've done a couple of times in the last 20 years.”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 0:48
“Almighty God. We come before you with grateful hearts, asking for a voice of understanding in this council and throughout our city. Guide our words, steady our thoughts, and help us listen with humility so that every decision we make may serve the good of our neighbors. Lord, teach us patience when the work is difficult, courage when the path is unclear, and wisdom when choices carry great responsibility. Let our mission as a city be achieved with integrity, diligence, and a spirit that seeks what is right rather than what is easy. Help us make no unnecessary sacrifice, bear no unneeded…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 23:19
“Chairing doesn't have a lot of effect year one. But tearing, if it maintains long term, compression becomes inevitable because of certain things. That forces into what we call mandatory resets, or necessitated resets. Job averaging, when you look across the system, all of a sudden says this position is now either the lower position's higher than it because of the tearing, or you get a situation where we're out of kilter and that breaks how we do it with the COLA situation. And that's one of my concerns. The other thing, and this is just a side comment about government in general. I would…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 30:26
“How many positions are contract positions?”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 30:33
“Yes. In other words, they're not subject to COLA. We have a direct contract with city manager or the judge or whatever. We set the salary independent of the COLA. Just the three?”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026