No Pitchforks and Torches Yet

1st Council Meeting after Fathom announcement

The Council:
Mayor Bradi Diaz- Present
Joann Courtland-Present
Fred Chavez-Present
Dan Yancey-Present Swearing-In Video
Jay Manning-Present Swearing-In Video
Dianne Campbell-Present Swearing-In Video
Marc Payne-Present
Jack Smith-Present Swearing-In Video

The Workshop Agenda

Recycling and Parks Workshop Video

Council Agenda

Fathom Update Video

Newly seated Copperas Cove City Council

Good evening Copperas Cove. Today's council workshop and meeting went from 5:00pm to 9:45pm. During the workshop all four election winners were sworn into office. Place 3, 4, 5 are for three years and Place 7 will have to run for reelection next year because it was an unexpired term. Place t is Jack Smith. There were a lot of people in attendance this evening.

Besides the swearing in ceremony the workshop had to two briefing in it. Scott Osburn gave a very detailed brief on the city's recycle program and it's future. The second was a brief on the Park's Master Plan by the contracted engineer firm MRB (BSG was merged into this firm but the same people are there). Please watch the the attached video which is linked above for the entire discussion. It is worth it especially with the recycling program.

Workshop summary:
Larry Scott was announced as Copperas Cove's Solid Waste Director.
1993-2013, Copperas Cove curbside recycling sorting in effect with no cost to customers
2013, Transition began to the Single Stream program.
All our recycles are sent to Taylor, Texas, to Wilco. Wilco would then begin the process of sending it to China. China controls the world's recycling industry. China has now stopped accepting recycle waste.
The city worked out an agreement with Fort Hood for us to take our recycles to them for disposal. This has been in the works for several years now. It has to go through congress for approval. It is now in Conference because it was passed in the House but not included in the Senate version. Watch the video.

There were no attached slides for the Parks Plan but it is discussed in the video.

Council Meeting

The council immediately went into Executive Session as soon as the meeting started for 20 minutes about Fathom so that the council was up to date with Fathom before the meeting went forward. When it returned to open session, the City Manager gave everyone a full briefing on what we are facing with Fathom closing up. See the video link, above.

Citizen's Forum:
Sylvia Rhodes spoke out in favor of continuing the recycle program.
Terri Deans spoke out about about Fathom and the future afterward. She said it shows that outsourcing does not work in Copperas Cove.

Consent Agenda:
All items on the Consent Agenda passed 7-0, to include the purchase of new vehicles for Public Works.

The were no Public Hearings

Action Items:
H1. Dir Keith Sledd from the Heart Of Texas Defense Alliance gave their quarterly briefing and the request the payment of $4250. It passed 7-0

H2. The Chamber Of Commerce came to the council with a briefing and to request a payment of $11,750. The vote passed 6-0-1, with Jack Smith abstaining.
Summary of briefing:
$11,750 was for payroll and staff expenses.
All employee hours are logged and are 28 hours a week.
They are designing a new logo to include tourism.
All Tourism funds are kept separate from CoC funds.

H3, The Chamber of Commerce is requesting that the city pay it's membership dues of $1000. This would include the entire city, in the membership. This passed by a vote of 7-0. 
Summary of discussion:
Fir this to be legal, the following criteria must be met:
1. Public purpose
2. Retain public funds
3. Return on investment
CoC reassured the city that all three requirement will be met.
The City Attorney said that the governing body determines public purpose.

H4. The council appointed three people to the three vacancies to Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful. Councilman Payne continued to insist that if a person wants to be on a board they should be present for their vote. There are now only two vacancies.
Diana Lentz, 6-1 passed
Samantha Peck, 7-0 passed
Robert Thompson, 6-1 passed

H5. The council appointed one person to the Cemetery Advisory Board. Ronnie Viss owns Scott Funeral Home and was not present. There is still one vacancy on the board.
Ronnie Viss, 6-1 passed

H6. The council appointed nine teenagers to the Youth Advisory Council (YAC). After the vote there are 22 vacancies on YAC. Most of the applicants were present and Payne voted for all them. Vote to appoint all applicants was 7-0
Kacy Carter
Jonathan Daley
Audrey Martin
Olivia Martin
Myranda Mayfield
Deceia Montoya
Haley Wang
Taylor Welch
Taylor Flores

H7. Jimmy Clarke and Wes Atkinson brought to council a Ft Hood land swap deal. By law, private entities can not do this with the Federal Government but can with the city. So Clarke and Atkinson will transfer to the city, then the city will transfer to Ft Hood, then in reverse. Clark and Atkinson will pay all fees for the transfers. Vote passed 7-0

H8. This is for prioritising street maintence in FY20 for Copperas Cove. Scott Osburn briefed the council for 30 minutes on this. He was extremely detailed and was hard to take notes on. Please review the slides on the agenda for this. The council setteled on the $708,000 package and it passed by a vote 7-0. Ray Payne asked that the city assess the roads for pipes before work is done.

H9. Scott Osburn brought to council on awarding a bid for the Northeast Waste Water Treatment Plant UV Disinfection Improvements including Alternate 1. The cost will be $734,650 for the project. Shauna Holmes asked the council about the size of the crane that will be used to move 24 inch valves. She was a crane operator in the Army. Vote passed 7-0

H10. Ms Beckman brought several changes for the FY20 Personnel Improvement Plan. Vote passed to 7-0
Summary of discussion:
4 new positions for Utility Department for upcoming changes.

H11. The council awarded 75 votes for Manning and 834 votes for Mayor Diaz for the Coryell Central Appraisal District. Vote 7-0

H12. The council awarded 75 votes for MIke Kriegal for the Lampasas Central Appraisal District. Vote 7-0

City Manager report:
The search for a city engineer is ongoing. Three interviews conducted, 1 person was offered position but declined due to salary.
The search for a Parks and Recreation Director is ongoing. Two rounds of interviews conducted, 1 offer was made to applicant, the city is waiting on a reply.
The search for IS Director is ongoing. There have been several rounds of interviews. There have been several offers made but all declined due to salary.

Business 190 Median Project update:
Near 100% design completion
Will present to council on Decemeber 3, 2019
Out for bids in March 2020
The idea was brought up to TxDOT about burying all cables was brought up. TxDOT said that it must be done before the Median Project or after it.

Fathom Town Hall at Civic Center on November 22

Fathom Town Hall at Civic Center on November 22

This letter was just put out by the city at 9:24PM. It includes the original statement, update 1, update 2, and the Fathom email from November 9, 2019.

The Town Hall will be on November 22, 2019 at 6PM, at the Civic Center. YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO ASK QUESTIONS. "Speak Up!!! Copperas Cove" will be there.

Here is the letter:

City of Copperas Cove and FATHOM to Separate – Update #2

Tuesday, November 12, 2019:

Copperas Cove, Texas – The City of Copperas Cove received email notification from FATHOM this past Saturday, November 9, 2019, that they will be going out of business. The email stated in part that “Despite a massive effort this year, we [FATHOM] have not been able to secure an investment or additional debt to save our business”. The City of Copperas Cove and FATHOM entered into a partnership on May 17, 2016.

FATHOM hosted a webinar early Tuesday morning with clients throughout the nation to provide further details on the situation, leading City administration to believe FATHOM will discontinue all contracted services as early as the end of November 2019. To say we are astounded by this announcement is an understatement. While City administration was aware of and understood the day-to-day challenges faced over the past 3½ years, we are disappointed that FATHOM representatives not once spoke of or alluded to this possibility.

We are sharing this information with our citizens and customers in an effort to be transparent about this situation and will continue to provide updates as new information is available. At this point, we are privy to very limited information and continue to seek answers to questions. Calls or visits to Utility Administration to verify or ask questions about the matter, while important, will only slow down local day-to-day operations so please be patient and know updates will be provided as soon as possible.

Regarding account payments, until further notice customers are encouraged to continue making regularly scheduled payments on utility accounts. The revenues received through bill payments will continue to be received by the City of Copperas Cove.

Lastly, FATHOM representatives will meet face-to-face with City administration early next week to further discuss the situation. We will continue to evaluate our options in an effort to develop a transition plan and way forward. City administration anticipates hosting a Town Hall meeting late next week to provide an update and receive questions from our citizens. Further information on that event will be released later this week.

###

Wednesday, November 13, 2019: (Update #1)

Copperas Cove, Texas – City staff has reviewed the many comments and messages that were left on our social media page and wish to provide some answers to common questions and concerns which many of you have. We also conducted several media interviews today, with both print and TV media outlets, and will share some of their stories over to social media for additional info. We will continue to provide more updates as they become available:

1. Will I have an interruption in water service? There will be NO interruption in water service to our customers resulting from Fathom’s decision to close their business. The City receives its water from Belton Lake, through a contract with Bell County WCID #1, and we maintain the city’s water system. The water meters and Neptune meter readers, which were installed during the transition in 2016 and 2017, are owned by the City. FATHOM does NOT have the capability to turn water on/off to your residence, this must be done by City staff.

2. How do I make bill payments, where does the money go, and what happens to my account deposit? Until further notice, we recommend customers continue to make payments via the current options available. All money that is collected by FATHOM on behalf of the City by any method is applied to the appropriate customer account and remitted to the City. The option to make in person payments to City staff is also available by visiting Utility Administration at City Hall, 914 S. Main Street, Suite A. Account deposits are also in possession of the City, not FATHOM.

3. Who will handle my billing and customer service needs? Until further notice, FATHOM is still handling billing and customer care needs through the end of November 2019. City administration has a scheduled meeting with FATHOM representatives the week of November 18^th to discuss options moving forward. All options will be evaluated, such as needed service agreements, software, and personnel. One such option is to bring full-service in-house utility billing needs of our community back to Copperas Cove.

4. Will FATHOM be required to pay any money back and/or be sued by the City? The City’s Attorney, DNRBZ, is currently reviewing the contract and will provide a legal opinion on their findings at next week’s City Council Regular Meeting on Tuesday, November 19^th, at 6pm during an Executive Session. As this item is sensitive and may require future litigation, this portion of the meeting will not be open to the public. Any legal action the City might take would be initiated at the direction of City Council.

5. How can I find out more? City Manager Ryan Haverlah will make a brief statement referencing the situation during next week’s City Council Regular Meeting, on Tuesday, November 19^th beginning at 6pm in the Council Chambers, 508 S. 2^nd Street. A Town Hall Meeting is also being coordinated for late next week and details will be released very soon. The meeting will be open to the public to attend and allow opportunities for questions to be asked and answered.

###

Thursday, November 14, 2019: (Update #2)

Copperas Cove, Texas – City administration continues to gather information in effort to develop a transition plan suitable for our community and citizens. A Utilities Administration Town Hall Meeting has been scheduled for Friday, November 22, 2019 at 6pm at the Copperas Cove Civic Center, located at 1206 W Avenue B. City Manager Ryan Haverlah will give a presentation and provide a factual overview of the situation. The meeting will allow ample time for a Q&A session so public questions may be received and answered. This event will be streamed via Facebook Live, we encourage those unable to attend to view on the City’s Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/cityofcopperascove/

Additionally, the City has recently processed an Open Records Requests for the email which was received by the City from FATHOM. We thought this would be a good opportunity to share that document with our citizens as well to ensure transparency:

                                                                                      ###

Kevin A. Keller

Public Information Officer/

Interim Parks & Recreation Director

City of Copperas Cove

508 South 2^nd Street

254.547.4221 ext. 6243

mailto:kkeller@copperascovetx.gov

    

This message may contain information which may be confidential and privileged if stated as such in the subject line of the email. Unless you are the addressee (or authorized to receive for the addressee), you may not use, copy or disclose to anyone the message or any information contained in the message. If you have received the message in error, please advise the sender by reply e-mail and delete the message.

***ATTENTION TO PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND OFFICIALS WITH OTHER INSTITUTIONS SUBJECT TO THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT ***

A "REPLY TO ALL" OF THIS EMAIL COULD LEAD TO VIOLATIONS OF THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT.  PLEASE REPLY ONLY TO SENDER.

...

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Twas the day of the election and there is a council meeting!

Twas the day of the election and there is a council meeting!

The Council:
Mayor Bradi Diaz- Present

Joann Courtland-Present
Fred Chavez-Present
Dan Yancey-Present
Jay Manning-Present
Kirby Lack-Present
Marc Payne-Present

Place 3 Candidates
Jayme Sigler- Absent
Dario Eubank-Absent

Place 4 Candidates
Matt Russell- Absent
Benjamin Beck- Absent

                                                                                                                                                                    Place 5 Candidates                                                                         

Dianne Campbell- Absent                  
Gary Kent- Absent

Place 7 (Unexpired Term) Candidates
Jack Smith-Present
Terri Deans-Absent

Workshop Agenda
Workshop Video

Council Agenda

Well, we made it to election day. We definitely will have two newly elected council members tonight and then Place 3 and 4 have three candidates in them. If neither winner has over 50% in them then there will be a runoff election. Update: Dan Yancey, Jay Manning, Dianne Campbell, and Jack Smith won their election races.

Be sure to watch the Workshop video. The HOP gave a three person very detailed briefing and our Fire Chief gave a presentation on open burning inside the city limits.

Councilman Lack announced that the Copperas Cove Veteran's Day parade will be November 9 at 10AM

Citizens Forum:
Charolette Brown spoke about the Blue Santa program and that it is in it's 20th year, in Copperas Cove.
Yolanda Clem spoke about a petition that is being passed around the Heartwood Park area concerning a .7 mile stretch of Courtney Rd. They want it widened and have sidewalks on both sides. They want the builders to absorb most of the cost like in other communities across the US.
Sheri Butler spoke about BNSF continually blocking Bradford road (off of 1113). Bradford Rd is the only entry/exit point for that community. BNSF trains have been stopping for extended amounts of time.
Chamber of Commerce spoke about the Visitor's Bureau and some upcoming events.

Consent Agenda:
There were 17 items on the Consent Agenda this evening. There are items considered routine. Items 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 16, and 17 should have been discussed so that the community understands about spending inside the city. Vote to pass 6-0

Public Hearing:
Deputy Police Chief Wyers briefed the council and public on the city adopting a 3 year rabies vaccine in Copperas Cove. Currently we are the only city in the region that has a rabies vaccine valid for one year. There were no public speakers. Vote to pass 6-0

Action Items:
Jonas Titus, Executive Director EDC, brought proposed By-Law changes to the council. The changes include the following: Vote to pass 6-0
Delete the requirement of the one week training requirements that new EDC appointees must have after appointment. The training can be attained by other means.
Reduce the requirement to one signer on checks for routine purchases not to exceed $1000.
The EDC annual meeting will be held at 502 S 2nd Street in Copperas Cove.

Animal Shelter Advisory Committee appointees:
Marcie Lowery approved by a vote of 4-2 (Chavez and Payne voted against her and gave no reason)
Pat Thomas appointed by a vote of 6-0

Board of Adjustments appointees:
Howard Hawk approved by a vote of 5-1 (Payne voted against)
For some reason, Bobby Lewis informed the council that there was no conflict of interest because he serves on multiple city boards. Councilman Payne started asking about why none of the nominees were present at council meeting.

Quality of Life appointees:
Cheryl Kielman Place 2, approved by a vote of 5-1 (Payne voted against)
Billie Pederson Place 3, approved by a vote of 5-1 (Payne voted against)
Adam Redmond Place 4, approved by a vote of 5-1 (Payne voted against)
Shawn Alzona Place 5, approved by a vote of 5-1 (Payne voted against)
Amy Williams Place 6 (Unexpired), approved by a vote of 5-1 (Payne voted against)

The Fire Chief brought the updated Mobile Food Vendor ordinance back to the council. It would go into effect on January 1, 2020. He said that the Chamber of Commerce holds an insurance binder that covers their events. Vote to pass 4-2 (Manning and I believe Lack voted against)
These are a few of the changes in the ordinance:

• Chapter 609 defines where commercial cooking hoods are required and refer construction standards to the International Mechanical Code.
• Chapter 904 defines the standards for automatic fire-extinguishing systems, system types, where they are required, maintenance, testing, and Class “K” fire extinguishers.
• The verbiage “and other specific sections of this code” refers to portions throughout the code that impact required locations, maintenance, testing, installation, alarms, monitoring, and applicability of automatic fire-extinguishing systems and hoods not covered under Chapters 904 or 609. For example, Chapter 906.4-Cooking grease fires: “Fire extinguishers provided for the protection of cooking grease fires shall be of an approved type compatible with the automatic fire-extinguishing system agent and in accordance with Section 904.12.5”.
• Specifically, 904.2.2 as mentioned in the proposed Ordinance indicates Type I hoods shall be protected with an approved automatic fire-extinguishing system because they are used for handling grease-laden vapors or smoke, whereas Type II hoods handle fumes, steam, heat and odors. However, due to the expense of an automatic fire-extinguishing system, the fire department is compromising to substitute an automatic fire-extinguishing system for the appropriate number of Class “K” fire extinguishers. 904.2.2 is referenced in the Ordinance because if a vendor already has a ventilation hood installed, then it must comply with the Code.

Jay Manning stated the government should not be telling small business how to operate. 

The Fire Chief again came to council with a request to purchase 3 Zoll defibrillators in order to replace 2 existing and give the department 1 replacement. The equipment is proprietary. The cost is $89.999.99 for the total price. Vote to pass 6-0

City Council and CCISD Election Winners

City Council and CCISD Contested Election Winners

Congratulations to the election winners this evening. Only just over 2000 citizens voted in our city council elections. There are several things to take from the results: never stop trying, get out and campaign if you want to win, signs do count, and you must raise and spend money. Next year Place 6 Councilman Marc Payne is up for reelection and so will Place 7 Councilman-elect Jack Smith. Start your planning now if you want to challenge them.

Place 3 Candidates
Dan Yancey     57.92%  1163 votes
Jayme Sigler    22.36%    449 votes
Dario Eubank  19.72%    396 votes

Place 4 Candidates
Jay Manning       56.11%   1143 votes
Matt Russell       27.34%     557 votes
Benjamin Beck   16.54%    337  votes

                                                                                                                                                                    Place 5 Candidates                                                                         

Dianne Campbell  69.09%  1415 votes                   
Gary Kent             30.91%    633 votes

Place 7 (Unexpired Term) Candidates
Jack Smith           52.73%   1071 votes
Terri Deans          47.27%     960 votes

CCISD Trustee Place 5
Jeff Gorres            50%        1146 votes
Harry Byrd           50%         1143 votes

The Forums on video before Election Day

The Forums before Election Day

If you have not voted yet and are still doing research on the candidates, we are posting both of the candidate forum videos. So here they are and don't forget to vote.

1st Forum

2nd Forum

VFW Voter Forum video

VFW Voter Forum video

City Council

Place 3:
Dan Yancey- Present
Dario Eubank- Present
Jayme Sigler- Present

Place 4:
Jay Manning- Present
Matt Russell- Present
Benjamin Beck- Absent

Place 5:
Dianne Yoho Campbell- Present
Gary Kent- Absent

Place 7 (Special):
Terri Deans- Present
Jack Smith- Present

CCISD

Mike Wilburn (Unopposed)- Absent

Joan Manning (Unopposed)- Present

Place 5:
Harry Byrd- Present
Jeff Gorres- Present

Thank you to the approximately 60 people that came out to listen to the candidates today. Thank you to the VFW 8577 for allowing this forum to happen. Sometimes it is hard to find out information on local candidates. "Speak Up!!! Copperas Cove", Killeen Daily Herald, Copperas Cove Leader Press, and Cove Banner were all present representing the press. Ben Beck and Gary Kent were not at the forum and Mike Wilburn was not able to make it either. He let the VFW know in advance.

FYI, I learned that cameras that do video stop recording at 28 minutes, so I spliced 4 videos together. I am pretty sure I got about 98% of the forum.

FORUM VIDEO

Question 1 was about the preservation of Copperas Cove society and using the Allen House to help in doing so.

Question 2 was about transparency during the resent search for our city manager in relation to the recent search for a city manager in Killeen (both cities used the same firm and used different processes).

Question 3 was how they would help the Economic Development Corporation on development on the west side of town.

Question 4 was for the CCISD candidates dealt with trustee packets and preparing for board meetings.

Question 5 was about transparency of transportation plans for the north side of Copperas Cove because of traffic congestion.

The Digital Sign And More Vacancies At The EDC

The Digital Sign And More Vacancies At The EDC

The Board:
Adam Martin-Present
Joey Acfalle-Present
Jay Jackson-Present
Rick Kirkpatrick-Absent
Jeremy Tate- Absent (This is before we were told that he had resigned)

Council Liaison:
Marc Payne-Absent 

Candidates for Council 3, 4, 5, 7:
There were no candidates present

Citizen's Forum:
No speakers

Consent Agenda:
The minutes from September 25 were approved by a vote of 3-0.

Action Items:

Every October the EDC Board of Directors must re-elected the leadership of the current board. Here are the results:
Chair- Adam Martin Vote 3-0
Vice Chair- Joey Acfalle Vote 3-0
Secretary- Jay Jackson Vote 3-0

The monthly meeting as per their bylaws state that the EDC will meet on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Thanksgiving and Christmas will interfere with that schedule. The BoD voted 3-0 to adjust the meetings. The meeting in November will be changed to the 20th and the meeting in December will be on the 18th.

Two weeks ago the Copperas Cove EDC received notification from Jeremy Tate of his request to resign from the board. It was accepted by a vote of 3-0. The city has already posted the vacancy,

For several years there has been a non-functioning digital sign over by Chick-Fil-A. It is owned by the CCEDC. There have been many attempts to repair it and after we found out that the parts were not repairable and propitiatory there was an attempt to litigate it for the loss. All of that fell through and a few months ago, Endevour offered to by the sign and the little plot of land that goes with it. The final sale price was $25,000 and was approved by a vote of 3-0.

There was an executive session with nothing to report.

Bathrooms at the Parks update

Quality of Life Advisory Board meeting for October 17, 2019

QOL Board members:
Adam Redmond-Present
Marcie Lowery-Absent
Cheryl Keilman-Present
Robert Sizemore-Present
Craig Foster-Present
Dustin Phipps-Absent
Rachel Baker-Present

Council Liaison:
Fred Chavez-Absent

Council Candidates present:
Dianne Campbell

The Agenda

Citizen's Forum:
No speakers

Consent Agenda:
The Board approved the minutes from the last meeting.

The Agenda:
1. Discussion and update on the 2019 Fall-O-Ween Festival. Ashley Wilson briefed the board on the upcoming event for the city. This is the first event for the city after the Tourism Department was moved to the Chamber of Commerce. It will be on October 19 from 5pm-8pm at the City Park. Parking is $5 per car. She said there will be 9 food trucks, including the the winning food truck at this year's Food Truck Festival, "Gringos Locos Tacos". Also, there will, be a costume contest and LOTS of candy. At 830pm, there will be a showing of "Hocus Pocus". 

Parks and Rec events Facebook site

Mr Keller asked us to put out that if you have children ages 14-18 and want to help volunteer in the city, there is the Youth Activities Council (YAC). They have over 20 openings to fill. Parks and Rec at the Civic Center have application.

2. The board will send to the City Council a change in their bylaws allowing them to fill unexpected vacancies with their alternates. As of now, the three alternates were only used by Alt 1 filling seats 1-3, Alt 2 filling seats 4-6, and Alt 3 filling seats 7-8. 

3. CIP Update. 
Phase I is almost complete with the Rhode Park parking lot scheduled to include the entryway. Improved drainage at Heritage park will be completed. Change 11 was just passed by the city council, it provided Phase III funds ($120,728) to reconstruct the existing parking lot which had no base and 1 inch of asphalt on it with 8 inch base and 2 inches of asphalt. This is TxDOT standard.
The bathrooms are finally about to be done. There will be three new bathrooms at City Park (Field 4, Field 8, and by the playground). The bathroom at South Park will be completely renovated. Bids will be accepted from October 18-22 and will be at the council for the second meeting in November. The chosen contractor must start within 10 days and be complete in 60-90 days. The total cost will be $378,000.
Phase III discussions will begin soon.

HEB recently started talks with the city about how they can help with projects in the parks. Talks are ongoing. This will be a real help to the city.

There are currently 5 openings on the Quality Of Life Advisory board (4 expiring and 1 vacancy). Applications are due to the city by October 21. See the city secretary and apply online at the following link: Application

City Council meeting for October 15, 2019

City Council meeting for October 15, 2019

The Council:
Mayor Bradi Diaz-Absent (Sick)
Joann Courtland-Present
Fred Chavez-Present
Dan Yancey-Present
Jay Manning-Present
Kirby Lack-Present
Marc Payne-Present

Place 3 Candidates
Jayme Sigler- Absent
Dario Eubank-Absent

Place 4 Candidates
Matt Russell- Present
Benjamin Beck- Absent

                                                                                                                                                                    Place 5 Candidates                                                                         

Dianne Campbell- Present                       
Gary Kent- Absent

Place 7 (Unexpired Term) Candidates
Jack Smith-Present
Terri Deans-Absent (Husband sick)

Good evening, Copperas Cove! This is the last council meeting prior to the November 5, 2019 elections. Early voting starts on October 21 and all early voting will take place at the Coryell County annex. Do your research, write the candidates, call them on the phone. This is your responsibility. Remember that just being an incumbent doesn't mean you are the best for the job. There is always someone better but good luck to all. You will not see any endorsements here. Here is the video from the 1st Voter's Forum. The 2nd one will be at the VFW at 1pm, on October 26.

Council Agenda

Citizens Forum:
Lynn Golden- She is the Manager of Patriot Cache Storage wanted to tell the council how they manage big rig truck parking. They started in 2016 with 20 parking spots along with 28 vehicles on a wait list. The charge is $117 per month or $10 per night.
Clyde Glossom- He congratulated the city and staff on their work with the 2019 city budget.
Alyssa Maynard- She wanted to thank the city for their partnership with the Military Affairs Committee and the last dinner of the year at the Civic Center.
George McMaster- George thanked the city for the increased waterflow on Oakhill Dr.

Consent Agenda:
There were two items for meeting minutes. Item 3 is for an agreement for Copperas Cove Athletic Officials Association and Parks and Recreation. Item 4 is for allowing C and C Sporting Goods to supply sports uniforms. Vote to pass 6-0.

Public Hearing:
Bobby Lewis brought to the the council a newly revised update for the Comprehensive Plan Update that would amend the 2007 Comprehensive Plan. This was tabled last month and was tabled again tonight. The city manager said the plan shows the city 20-25 in the future and the update is done every 5-7 years. Lewis said the he had received some comments from citizens but did not say how many or read any of them to the council. Jay Manning dove into section 4.5, which deals with downtown Copperas Cove. He said the plan will not work until the downtown section is properly revised. He recommended the they hold a workshop to fix all the issues before there is a vote. The city manager that it needed to be done soon but if it takes a workshop to move forward then he is for it. Dan Yancey recommended ELECTION night. Councilman Fred Chavez said that it was a bad day for him because he was going to be an "Election Worker" during that time. Editorial Comment: It is illegal for and elected person to do this, see Qualifying Voters on Election Day ( Section C, Paragraph 2, Subsection C, Page 15). Everyone settled for November 7 at 7PM. The item was tabled.

Action Items:
H1. This item is to allow the city manager to execute a Developer Participation Agreement with 4JC Partners to construct a roadway as part of the Southwest Water Improvement Project and facilitate the future development of the Valley at Great Hills subdivision. 4JC Partners will maintain the road until Phase 2 of the project is started and save the city about $160,000. The subdivision will be located at US 190 and Big Divide. Vote to pass 6-0.

H2. This item goes with H1 and provides design services with Trihydro for the Southwest Water Improvement, Phase II and III. Vote to Pass 6-0.

H3. Change Order 11 came before the council for the existing parking lot at Ogletree Gap. The vote is needed because this contract will surpass the $25,000 above the original contract and needed council approval. After the new parking lot was poured at the back end of the old parking lot it was noticed the the old lot had failed. Nobody new that the old lot did not have a base and the asphalt was only one inch thick. The new lot will be two inches thick. The cost to taxpayers will be $120,728. Marc Payne asked why did this happen? Vote to pass 6-0.

H4.  With the vacancy of Place 7 several committee spots came open. Marc Payne will be the liaison at the EDC, Fred Chavez will be on the Audit committee, the Mayor will be the liaison on the Housing Authority, and Jay Manning will be on the Sign Ordinance Committee. No vote was taken.

There was no action taken for any items in Executive Session:
1. Personnel matter with legal counsel
2. Lawsuit with Maverick Music
3. Legal advise for a possible panhandling ordinance.

Chamber of Commerce City Council Voter Forum

Chamber of Commerce City Council Voter Forum

Candidates Present:

Place 3
Dan Yancey
Jayme Sigler
Dario Eubank

Place 4
Jay Manning
Matt Russell

Place 5
Dianne Campbell
Gary Kent

Place 7
Jack Smith
Terri Deans

We would like to thank all the candidates that sacrificed their time and came out tonight.

Place 4 candidate Ben Beck did not show up to the forum and has not been to any meetings or functions since he filed for election.

Thank you to the 95 citizens that came out for the forum on Wednesday. It shows there is a lot of interest in the upcoming election. Copperas Cove has of 19,000 registered voters. If we have a 25 percent turn-out there would be 4,750 voters to direct Copperas Cove which direction it needs to go. Our next forum will be at 1PM, on October 26, at the VFW 8577.

Candidates Forum Link

Rough notes from questions and answers. The question and corresponding answers are color-coded.

1 History and Infrastructure make a priority
2 Making priority for small business
3 Changing city current direction
4 Support economic
5 Want better parks how do we pay
6 Feeling on fathom and city manager
7 Have a function community central and senior center
8 Factory for 18 and older for people who don't want to go to college and military
9 Experience with planning and zoning

Terri Deans- Place 7
1 Yes but build infrastructure cleaned up first.
2 Support, take a look at ordinance, and not grant exception be fair across the board
3 Right direction, let past go, admit mistakes support city give but listening to the people and must work together.
4 Headed in right direction,
5 Want to see better stuff but not raising taxing, grants, sponsors ships,
6 Renegotiate the contract. Make them do right by us and move forward
7 Senior have paid their dues they deserve a place of their own
.8 Trades school are available, we must take care of younger people. And tone their skills
9 None but will seek council and will learn

Dario Eubank- Place 3
1 Don't put off
2- Look at EDC and Titus, look at the closed business.
3 Council must stick to a blueprint, and must talk to the citizens
4 Deregulation, being a cheerleader for cove, stop taxing business
5 Council must prioritize the items we have money, grants.
6 Keep it in-house and make it a regulation
7 Yes, re-purposed a building and create one.
8 Put a industry in cove
9 None, learn and will seek answers

Jack Smith- Place 7
1 Put a museum, have city council help fund it
2 Didn't really say
3 City going in right direction. Park must be priority, kids must get out to park,
4 Support the EDC and chamber work with the council to make council write better regulations
5 Grow revenue or taxes, paying more taxes
6 Just work with them,
7 Yes the are important,
8 You can go to any company you can get hired.
9 Served on board of cadence, been to to planning and zoning meeting

Dan Yancey- Place 3
1 Is very important, but money is involved find which way to go then go,
2 Taking care of rules and regulations
3 City going in right direction everything is going good.
4 Rewriting regulations, work with partners in region,
5 Agree with several, but proper growth.
6 Fathom has best interested in
7 Yes important, he is their,
8 Its a big shortages not enough of the trades, they must be help to learn.
9 Working with customers to be things zoned, have no problem seeking info

Dianne Campbell- Place 5
1 People want to come in to a community that's quaint and charming, bring back tourism,
2 Make business friendly cultural
3 Agreed with Yancey everyone came together and was making city better
4 Look at ordinance to bring in business shop in cove we all have a part, write. Plans
5 Not in favor of raising taxes bring in more business, grants, bringing in revenue
6 Hold them to the fire,
7 Yes support it, they need a sense of purpose and this will help that.
8 Constructions there is a lot of opportunities for a job,
9 None known for digging deep and getting guidance

Jay Manning- Place 4
1 Works on it everyday,
2 Writing good rules
3 City and school and EDC didn't work together. Now we must find common ground
4 Business take care of themselves.5
 No single answer,
6 Moving on,
7 Believe all segments are important,
8 There are many jobs and few people to do it, and show up on time, the opportunity out there
9 2 terms served on planning and zoning

Matt Russell- Place 4
1 Cove was known for a lot now we are not we don't honor tradition,
2 Standardize building ordinance, EDC must get involved, 75 vacant business
3 EDC hasn't done anything,
4 Agree with manning, but EDC must step up
5 Agree with manning, EDC has to approve projects. And voters must approve
6 Push Fathom farther,
7 We must take care of seniors, value we can't lose that
8 CCISD need to change mindset  from it to college isn't for everyone.
9 Yes been around it,

Gary Kent- Place 5
1 Will make it one priority but build the infrastructures
2 Most was said but support, be a partnership.
3 Bring in business.we need to good to great we must work harder. We must work together with the citizens.
4 Agree with manning, don't tell a business how to run a business,
5 Pay with grants, citizens must come together to help.
6 Monitor the deal if not good then make a better deal to the city. Do what's best for Copperas Cove.
7 Yes and yes we will be there one day
8 We need to do more in school to help make those career and objects can be met. You will have to do some type of study.
9 Have listened to P&Z so yes

Jayme Sigler- Place 4
1 History must be preserved must have a link to the past
2 Bringing new business, listening to current, and listen to the business owners.
3 Want people to feel unity with the government and more from the people, public safety a priority and sidewalks
4 Speak with people who do know, don't know much
5 Sales tax reduce spending on money that's not important citizens can pay for it
6 Work with the company and hold them account able, get rid of the council members who did vote for it.
7 Yes we all need to be community and not be isolated. Family is community- city motto
8
9 None but will seek council

Rough quotes from the candidates:

Dan Yancey
Proper growth through orderly development

Jayme Sigler
Bring, keep, and support small business
Sidewalks need to be a priority
I don't have the experience but will seek out counsel by those who do

Dario Eubank
We have to attract business to Cove
We must prioritize projects on a 5 year plan and go after grants

Jay Manning
Sign Ordinance is a problem
Subdivision Ordinance is a problem
We need to be a family and work together
All segments of society are important

Matt Russell
75 vacant business building in Cove
EDC needs to place quality of life projects on the ballot yearly
Senior Citizens need a place to enjoy and be worth while

Dianne Campbell
Make Cove more business friendly
We need to work together to make Cove better
Not in favor of raising property taxes
I would support a Senior Citizen Center

Gary Kent
Go from good to great

Jack Smith
We either grow the revenue or raise taxes
We have a great Development Services person for city named Bobby Lewis

Terri Deans
Infrastructure should be cleaned up before history preservation starts
If we support small business, they will stay and more will come
Leave the past behind and move forward
Yall know how I feel about Fathom

These are the questions submitted but not chosen in the draw (We encourage any candidates reading this to submit their answers to as many of these as they would like, and we will share them):

1. How will you work to increase job opportunities for our community?
2. What are your plans to attract and retain new business?
3. What do you believe is the role of a council member? What unique qualities would you bring to that role?
4. What are the most important challenges facing our community and how do you propose to address them?
5. Do you think our Main St/ downtown is healthy? If not, what will you do to help change it?
6.Why do you think we need a median in Business 190?
7. If you don't get get elected, would you consider serving on a municipal committee such as Board of Adjustments, P&Z, Cemetery, Quality of Life, Etc?
8. Between Fathom and the 190 Median Project, citizens didn't want these projects. The current city council members approved these projects anyways. Thanks to this there is mistrust and the citizens feel like their voices aren't being heard, anymore. How would you gain the citizens trust back and make us feel like we are being heard?
9. There was a lot of talk about bringing business and deregulating for business. What would you do to bring in and keep residents to Copperas Cove and how would you propose looking out for the residents?
10. How important is transparency about city matters between you as city government and the citizens that you represent?
11. If there is an ordinance requiring homeowners to maintain sidewalks in front of homes, is there some sort of reimbursement for the expense, considering cost for concrete and cost of labor? Shouldn't repairs be the city's responsibility since the sidewalks are considered a public route? Or can I have a no trespassing sign posted?
12. In 60 seconds or less give your platform on what you stand for?
13. How do you plan to sustain the current housing boom without adding family oriented entertainment and additional shopping options?
14. How do you anticipate assisting the Chamber of Commerce expand tourism?
15. Would you work to rebuild the downtown like Temple and Waco (Chip and Jo Silos)? Older buildings like the Silos, the revitalized grain silos in Gatesville or old Lampasas are tourist attractions.
16. Did you vote for Ave D redo?
17. How would you, while on council, make it possible for small business to excel and succeed? Chapter 20-28 in the City Ordinance says a home based business in an R-1 can't have any employees at the house but most small business' have less than 5 employees and can't afford a storefront yet and do not sell or manufacture from the residence. Most small business are veteran owned!