Remarks by Dave Covington
31 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 1 of 2
- Play at 0:34
“Please join me in the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 5:49
“The increase that you're talking about, the specific one with flat reviews is not, we were not breakeven at $150. We were bleeding at $150. And I think we're still losing money, correct me if I'm wrong, at $1,000 fee there. Did anybody from staff hear from TABBA on this item? I know that they attended public hearings and I didn't know if Michael Smith with TABBA was here. He didn't speak at the public hearing, but I didn't know if you might've heard from him.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 7:22
“I make a motion to adopt the B&R schedule as presented.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 24:23
“Anyone else? This item is not about the tax rate and it's not to adopt the budget. It's simply to ratify that the budget that's been proposed would raise more revenue. Okay. I make a motion to ratify the increase in total property tax revenues reported in the 2027 budget. Second.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 29:33
“And this tax rate would be a decrease in both the average and the median homestead taxpayers' tax bill.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 26:39
“This lies within the TERS boundaries, right?”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 26:44
“That seems like it might be a good funding source because you've got city-county partnership funds going into the TERS.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 31:26
“I, I intend to vote no on the motion. Um, if the motion fails, I would intend to make another motion to fund the 40,000. Uh, in hopes of maybe going to the territory to look for the other 45,000. I think that could be a good way to to slice the pie here. And if we find the 40,000 tonight. That gets them started on the study and assessment.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 31:52
“Are you saying I'm telling you what my intentions are here? uh and it's again it's not that i think the as everybody has said i think the museum is fantastic and i think that uh we can find a way to fund this um but i think uh invoking the partnership from teres would would be probably more meaningful so all right so that's where i'm at everybody loves a good motion to amend the motion just saying can we amend the motion you can all right here we go I make a motion to amend the motion to fund $40,000 in fiscal year 26 only.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 33:56
“I think we're not... The item that we're discussing is not a tourism strategic plan. I think that... The suggestion is about as, uh, about as deep as we can get on. Yeah, that's correct because it's not an agenda timeline. I think we're getting out of that. That's correct.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 36:57
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 42:53
“I think I understand the concerns. I guess I lean toward that liability of what might happen and the necessary due diligence for figuring out what might happen. I feel like that burden lies on the property owner more than it does us. I'm inclined to allow the zoning change with a proceed at your own risk cautionary word there. I don't think that something like this is inconsistent with what's down there and with what's likely coming, but we don't know.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 44:34
“i'm i'm going to make a motion to approve agenda item 11 with the clarification that it is. 10 five duplex lots 10 total dwelling units.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 49:19
“But I'll verify the floor plans. Whenever they are connected, it has to be able to be closed off because there's restricted operating hours. um there was some concern from the from the resident next door about um events and car shows and that kind of stuff have have we received any police calls or anything like that with stuff going on we've shared the information with deputy chief for gary and he's here chief would you address that situation”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 50:53
“Open consumption is illegal. You can't. Yeah, they can't.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 1:01:27
“Well, with 120 feet of existing right-of-way, there's plenty of room to do that if it has to be done.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 1:27:45
“I'll go first, if that's okay, Stephanie. I will contradict you, David. I started with an opinion, and every time we met, I changed my opinion. And I just waffled back and forth between both of them, honestly. Every time they would show a different image, you know, this one with this image or this one with that image. Oh, yeah, I like that. Oh, yeah, I like that. So... I've gone back and forth a lot. Just want to give a sincere thank you to the folks that served on the committee. We had several meetings and lots of time spent together doing this. And like you said, I think we came up with two…”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 1:38:13
“I may surprise those of you who were in the room with me during the committee stuff. I feel like I was pushing pretty hard for option one during the... Especially the last committee meeting. And I really... What was... What I loved about option one was really like the red background that we were talking about with the guitar behind it, with the long horn behind it. I think that would look great on a billboard, on a banner downtown. But the more I thought about this, option two is, I think, more useful on more things. It can be dropped into a blank space and carry more meaning than option one…”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 1:54:11
“I do think that part of this, what will happen over the next year with the strategic plan on this specific item is that we will narrow the focus. We will figure out what's... do we think the need is for the space and i think that this time next year you and your neighbors will will feel like there's some clear direction set um so i think that we've got to go through the process and get the data so that we can make an informed decision but yeah and actually timing is good with the pipeline absolutely”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 2:10:04
“That doesn't get anywhere near our cost, does it?”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 2:27:28
“Can you go back to the meter size? Yeah. I'd be interested to know what increasing the commercial volumetric rate would do to this slide as far as revenue goes.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 2:30:21
“I don't like option three. Yeah, I like option three. No.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 2:30:29
“I also seem to recall that we got a rate study done and then the seven of us rewrote all the results from the rate study that we had. So I do feel like we've sort of set ourselves up for continuing to sing the second verse here.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 2:32:22
“Back on the base rate, well, and this, if we go with proposed option two on the volumetric rate, we've tried year after year to keep the lowest user, their costs as low as possible to the point that I think it's been flat for several years now. just going forward, I don't know that it's realistic to expect that to be flat forever. I think at some point, we're going to have to be okay with going up a dollar at a time or whatever it is on that. So, while I think it looks like we can do it this year, I don't think it would be reasonable for the seven of us to expect that that's going to be that…”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 2:43:32
“You good? Yeah. One of the items that I saw in there was the parkland dedication fee or the fee in lieu of parkland dedication. We've been at $200 per lot for 20 years. There's a recommendation to go to, was it 250 or 250? Georgetown, I think, is at almost $800 on single family one lot. Killeen's at $1,200 on a single family one lot. I think we're I think we're substantially low on that personally. You know we just adopted a parks master plan that talks about all the all the great parks that we have and ways to improve them. And I don't think that I don't think that the that the goal of…”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026