Fredericksburg City Council Regular Meeting – February 3, 2026

The Fredericksburg City Council met in regular session at 9:00 a.m. at New City Hall at East Campus, 2818 E. U.S. Hwy. 290. Mayor Jeryl Hoover presided, with Councilmembers Tony Klein, Emily Kirchner, Todd Eidson, and Bobby Watson. The council approved the consent agenda, called the May 2 general election, approved 2026 Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) allocations, received a Winter Storm Fern response update, reviewed future agenda items, and entered executive session.

Consent Calendar

• The council approved the minutes of the January 13 special meeting and January 20 regular meeting by voice vote, with no opposition.

Council Comments & Announcements

• Mayor Hoover apologized to HOT applicants for the previous postponement and thanked EMC, Emergency Management Coordinator Ashley Morris, the police and fire chiefs, first responders, and Public Works staff for Winter Storm Fern response.
• He reported 12 applicants for the new CEO position and said the Market Platz redevelopment group planned to meet in February or March.
• A councilmember noted attending the Fire and EMS installation ceremony; the airport egg drop is scheduled for March 28 at 1:00 p.m. with 15,000 eggs dropped from a helicopter.

Ordinance 2026-05 – General Election Call

• City Secretary Leticia Vacek presented the ordinance calling the May 2, 2026 general election for mayor and two council seats.
• City staff coordinated with Fredericksburg ISD and Gillespie County to use one voting location for early voting and election day at the elections office.
• Filing deadline for candidates is February 13, 2026; voter registration deadline is April 2, 2026.
• The council approved the ordinance by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Rory Cartier, CEO of the Admiral Nimitz Foundation, expressed concern that HOT allocations appeared arbitrary. He cited 140,728 visitors traveling more than 50 miles in the previous year and said a $160,000 request would cost 88 cents per visitor, compared with about $4.76 per visitor for some other recipients. He asked for clearer criteria in future.
• Mayor Hoover acknowledged the process was partly arbitrary and pledged to work on improving it. The council used the discussion to raise the Nimitz allocation placeholder from $125,000 to $150,000.

2026 Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) Allocation Discussion

• Finance Director Krista Wareham and the council reviewed applications with legal flags, past awards, county awards, and visitor data.
• The council noted the city was short about $170,000 (approximately 26%) compared with requests.
• Councilmembers stated a preference for limiting future HOT funding to nonprofit organizations and adding that restriction to policy, while keeping the current policy open for the 2026 application cycle.
• Applications flagged by legal or data review included St. Mary's (need for stronger heads-in-beds evidence), Lone Star Heritage Foundation (signage ineligible by statute), and two late applications, which were ruled ineligible.

Final allocations approved by the council totaled $458,000, leaving roughly $23,000 under budget:

• National Museum of the Pacific War: $150,000
• Church of the Colored People of Gillespie County: $45,000
• Chamber of Commerce Light and I Parade: $18,000
• Fredericksburg Community Orchestra / Fredericksburg Music Fest 2026: $4,000
• Fredericksburg Education Initiative / DVA Systems Go Rockets: $5,000
• Fredericksburg Farmers Market: $5,000
• Junior Chamber of Commerce Crawfish Festival: $15,000
• Rotary Club Foundation Craft Beer Festival: $10,000
• Friends of the Written Word Fredericksburg Book Festival (new event): $5,000
• Frontier History Company Living History Presentation: $5,000
• German Choirs of Fredericksburg: $2,500
• Historical Society Homes Tour / Pioneer Museum Market Plan: $10,000
• Jack and Adams Bicycles DOS Gravel Event: $10,000
• Meals for Vets Hill Country Vet Fest: $3,000
• OctoberFest: $15,000
• Rotary Club of Fredericksburg Morning Carfest: $2,000
• Rotary Club of Fredericksburg Morning Crowd Run: $2,000
• Stonewall Peach Jamboree and Rodeo: $10,000
• Texas Cellos: $10,000
• Classic: $5,000
• Farines Gield: $5,000

City Manager's Report – Winter Storm Fern Update

• City Manager Clinton Bailey praised the multi-agency response and new Emergency Management Coordinator Ashley Morris, who had been in her role about two and a half months.
• Fire Chief Lynn described 12-hour operational periods and a major fire fought during icy conditions; he credited public cooperation and countywide communication.
• Ashley Morris reported one shelter at United Methodist Church in partnership with Red Cross, housing four travelers after an I-10 fatal pileup; most residents stayed home, limiting impacts.
• Public Works/Electric staff explained that the Nimitz substation outage affected approximately 1,500 city connections and at least 1,500 CTEC connections. Power was restored by rolling loads, with all customers back on the Nimitz substation by about 6:30–7:00 p.m.; intermittent flickers were caused by crews breaking ice from equipment.
• The new radio system performed well, though some dead spots remain in the county.

Items for Future Agenda

• City Manager Bailey reviewed upcoming items: the February 17 meeting will include an ordinance on resubmittals, an amendment to the sexually oriented business ordinance, a unified development code contract, a Glockenspiel project agreement, a Market Square Redevelopment Commission request for unallocated Food and Wine Festival funds, a Texas Historical Commission amendment related to Fort Martin Scott, an election services contract, a conditional use permit for townhomes at 1032 South Milam, and a Lincoln Street road closure.
• March items include location ordinances for sexually oriented businesses, vape, and tattoo shops.
• The third Citizen University class kicked off that evening; Coffee with the City Manager is scheduled for the following Wednesday.

Key Outcomes

• Consent calendar approved.
• Ordinance 2026-05 approved by voice vote.
• The HOT allocations totaling $458,000 were approved by voice vote, with about $23,000 left under budget; the two late applications were ruled ineligible, and council members indicated they want to consider a nonprofit-only HOT policy for future years.
• The Winter Storm Fern update was received.
• The council entered executive session under Texas Government Code Sections 551.072 (water supply purchase/lease) and 551.071 (legal matters); after returning, the council adjourned with no further action reported.