Remarks by David K. Leigh
244 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 4 of 10
- Play at 26:54
“We have a motion and a second to adopt the fiscal year 2027 annual budget for the city of Belton.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 27:01
“Yeah. Any comments or questions before we do a roll call?”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 27:24
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 27:45
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 28:41
“All right. Again, we've discussed this. This is primarily a calculation based on what the budget is. And again, like my colleague here, John, had said was, you know, if we end up getting more revenues from, you know, interest rates or what Daniel said, more expenses. We don't know what that is, but this is a calculation based on the budget. So any comments, questions or the chair would entertain a motion.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 30:27
“Not the value of the home. Whether they went up in appraisals or down in appraisals, it's just our rate goes up. So therefore, the total number.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 30:36
“It's just a math question. Just like the first one was just a math question. Did it go up? Yes or no? Okay. And this one is a math answer.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 32:29
“The budget is the tension of how much to tax versus how much to give in services. And you increase services.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 35:32
“We have a motion and a second to adopt the tax rate of $56.19 per 100. Any other comments or questions before we vote?”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 36:54
“Yeah, I will say when I joined the council, we were 82, 83 cents per 100. We've gone from 82 or 83, also one of the highest in the regions to now being one of the lowest in the regions, if not the lowest. I think Harker Heights may win that this year. And so one of the things we've always said as we've gone down on the tax rate is that if we have to, we'll go up if we need to. From a secure your position, if you want to just keep doing the same rate year after year, it would be easier because you could always say, hey, we've always kept our tax rate the same. But as Luke mentioned, our…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 39:45
“Aye. All right. That passes again. Vote of 6-1. And that concludes our council meeting at 6-10. We're adjourned.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 0:00
“It was 109 or not, but the grass seemed to agree with me. It was all brown, so everything's dying. Before we get started with our regular agenda, we are going to first say that Councilmember Stephanie O'Banion is joining us remotely. You can see her on the screen from Santa Fe, New Mexico. I just want to make sure that she can hear us and we can hear her. Can you hear us?”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 0:26
“Yes. Yep. We can hear you. All right. Also just going to ask you for your permission that if you were to drop off or lose connection, that we would be able to continue the meeting without you.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 0:37
“All right. Official arm twisting done. She will let us proceed if she has to drop off or if the connection is severed. Also, we're going to do a couple of things first. First is a Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Daniel Booker. That's to the U.S. flag. We will then have the Texas Pledge led by City Clerk Amy Casey. And then John Holmes will give our invocation. So if you would please stand. 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.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 2:02
“All right. With that, we will call our meeting of August 25th to order at 5.32 p.m. The first item on our agenda is public comments. note on public comments as well as public hearing, which will also have public comments, but on agenda items, this is for non-agenda items. Again, the note is that we have a three minute time limit. Council member Dave Covington is the timekeeper and he will just raise his hand when you have 20 seconds, not 20 minutes, 20 seconds to land the plane. If you don't land the plane, someone will shoot you down. And so anyway, just giving you a warning. on that. So I…”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 5:19
“Thanks for the three minutes you paid for. Yeah, and just for educational purposes, if you go to protest your taxes, you can do that. As Woody said, you're welcome to. We encourage you to make sure you get the right value on your home because that's what's used for the rate that we set. We set the rate, not the appraised value. It's the combined both that sets your bill. And I would also encourage everyone to educate themselves on what we can control in this body is our tax rate and what it has done over the last two decades compared to our neighbors. Once you educate yourself on that, we…”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 9:05
“Right next on the list is our consent agenda items 4 through 10 can be enacted by a single motion. I believe we will be. probably removing one or more of these for separate consideration. I will read them all into the record. And if a council member wishes to remove one, they may do so at the end of reading these. So for the record, item four is adopting the minutes of the July 28th council workshop and the July 28th council meeting. Item five is adopting a resolution canceling the November 10th city council meeting because we are going to the Texas Municipal League meeting. Item 6 is…”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 11:12
“Okay. Yes, Stephanie, same item. Thank you.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 11:23
“A motion and a second to adopt a consent agenda items 4 through 10 without 7 or sans 7. All in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed. All right. So, Sam, you want to?”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 13:46
“All right. Thank you. Any questions for Sam? Any comments?”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 17:37
“The total cost of the project is $85,000. Correct. And so they'll fund the full project, and then we will reimburse those fundings over the next two years. Or they'll wait until the two years and then fund the project.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 17:57
“And then as we move in the next year, we'll provide the two sides of the equation. There's the cost of doing the renovations and then there's the payment that we're making. I think that's the question.”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 20:33
“Thank you. Okay. Any other comments or questions?”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 27:25
“The current motion is to approve the full 85 and Yeah, so I've held my comment. So we've got several things flowing together. And when multiple rivers, bodies of water flow together, there's typically a little turbulence. So that's why you're hearing a little turbulence. I think the number one that I'll start with is there's still a group, I think it's the Belton Women's Club. That's a book club. And they hearken back to the day when they wrote letters to the Carnegie Foundation to allow for us to have a small public library in this small little town. and so we got one of the Carnegie…”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 31:49
“So, was that a mail in ballot? Like, are we cheating already?”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026