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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Kerrville City Council Meeting Summary - April 14, 2026

City Council & associated boards — Tuesday, April 14, 2026

BodyKerrville, Texas

SessionCity Council & associated boards

DateTuesday, April 14, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:04

I love that.

0:08

All right, it's 6 p.m.

0:10

and I'm going to call to order this city council meeting for April 14th, 2026.

0:15

Please rise for the invitation and pledge of allegiance, led by Councilmember Brenda Hughes.

Unassigned speaker

0:20

Bow

Speaker 2

0:21

your head with me, please.

0:23

Heavenly Father, we come before you with grateful hearts for this community, its people, and its resilience.

0:32

Thank you for the privilege of serving and for the responsibility to care for one another.

0:37

We ask for your guidance over this council.

0:40

Grant us wisdom in our decisions, patience in our discussions, and unity in our purpose.

0:48

Bless our law enforcement officers and first responders who serve with courage and deep commitment to protecting others.

0:56

We ask that you continue to watch over them and bless their families.

1:01

Father, we are grateful for the opportunity to serve and to be part of work that truly matters.

1:07

Remind us always that leadership is about serving others, doing what is right, and putting community above self.

1:14

May the good we do bless this place we all call home.

1:18

In your name we pray, Amen.

1:20

Amen.

Unassigned speaker

1:21

I

Speaker 2

1:21

pledge

Speaker 3

1:24

the United States of America.

1:26

And two public one under God with liberty and justice for all.

Speaker 4

1:38

I remember it in a few minutes.

Speaker 1

1:47

Who will be doing our announcements of community interest this evening?

Speaker 5

1:55

Sorry about that,

Speaker 6

1:55

Mayor.

Speaker 5

1:58

Um, I'm actually going to give some exciting news, and we are going to follow up with some of the announcements at a later time.

2:05

But as of uh today, really, effective yesterday.

2:08

Martin Greenwell has accepted the communications manager position, and so he is the wizard of oz back there, and you'll start seeing him uh transition more into the communications manager role.

2:21

Thank you.

Speaker 1

2:27

All right, does any council member have a

Unassigned speaker

2:30

uh

Speaker 1

2:30

community interview?

Speaker 4

2:31

Uh well, May 16th.

2:32

Uh the Smithsonian comes to town and we'll be here for six weeks.

2:37

It will be um an exhibit on our town and the fact that we are a place of innovation, and that's the name of it, Spark, a place of innovation.

2:46

From the 16th to June 28th, it's free.

2:49

It's at the Kerrville Arts and Cultural Center every day until the 28th, starting on May 16th.

Unassigned speaker

2:55

Thank you.

Speaker 7

2:55

Chap.

2:56

I do, yes, sir.

2:57

Uh, not from a council standpoint, but from a uh opportunity.

3:00

I had the opportunity I was able to take part in yesterday.

3:04

Um I just want to say thank you to Chief McCall, Chief Maloney, to you, sir, for coming out and leading us in our invocation.

3:12

Uh Robbery had their first responders fundraiser yesterday at River Hill.

3:18

And uh,

Unassigned speaker

3:19

you

Speaker 7

3:19

know, we had uh instead of a shotgun start, we had a siren start because the police sent us off.

3:24

Uh

Unassigned speaker

3:24

I

Speaker 7

3:24

thought one guy was gonna start running, but we told him it was okay.

3:28

Um, and Chief Maloney uh brought the ladder truck out with the American flag on it, which was a

Speaker 4

3:33

really

Speaker 7

3:34

nice touch.

3:35

Instead of giving a pledge to a small flag, we had a uh about a 20 by 60 flag to uh

Unassigned speaker

3:41

to

Speaker 7

3:42

do that too.

3:42

So but thank you for praying as well, sir.

3:47

Brenda?

Speaker 3

3:48

Um the county had a free rabies drive this last weekend, and Kerrville Pets Alive paid for 300 rabies vaccinations, so we have 300 Kerr County pets at least that got vaccinated this weekend.

Speaker 1

4:06

Great, thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Parks and Recreation█████████████████████21%

Flood Recovery█████████████13%

Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████13%

Parking Management█████████████13%

Procedural████████████12%

Environmental Protection█████████9%

Community Engagement█████5%

Public Safety████4%

Water And Wastewater Management███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Kerrville City Council Meeting - April 14, 2026

The Kerrville City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, April 14, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall. The meeting featured several presentations and recognitions, a detailed update on the parks system recovery from the flood, a public hearing on proposed zoning code amendments, and executive session discussions resulting in votes on city legal staff positions.

Presentations & Recognitions

Firefighter of the Year: Fire Chief Maloney presented Matthew Wimkey with the 2025 Firefighter of the Year award. Wimkey was recognized for his growth since joining in 2021, his paramedic certification, service as a Field Training Officer, and earning a Citation of Valor for rescuing citizens on G Street on July 4th.
Parks and Recreation Advisory Board: The Council honored outgoing members Lisa Nye Saladin and Russell Nempke for their years of dedicated service to the board.
International Dark Sky Week Proclamation: Mayor Herring read a proclamation declaring April 13-20, 2026, as International Dark Sky Week. Members of the Kerr County Friends of the Night Sky spoke about the importance of preserving night skies for astronomy, ecology, and quality of life.
Parks System Recovery Update: Parks Director Jay Brimhall presented a comprehensive update on recovery and future projects. Key updates included: the Guadalupe Park project is roughly 50% complete with an NBA skills clinic delaying the ribbon cutting; a master plan for Louise Hays Park ($15 million) featuring a new playground, splash pad, and dog park; a bridge replacement at Kerrville-Schreiner Park currently out for bid; beach cleanup nearing completion; and the closure of the city pool for the season with alternative swimming programming being developed.

Public Comments & Testimony

Citizens Forum: George Rudy (1616 Glenn Road) argued that the city's proposed water reuse program is not scalable and that the city should secure permits before proceeding with design. He stated the cost of growth from developments like Whiskey Canyon and Lenar is not being covered by current incentive structures and urged the council to stop giving away water resources and impact fees.
Public Hearing (Ordinance 2026-07): George Rudigan advocated for removing parking minimums entirely to let the market dictate land use. He suggested allowing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in all residential zones to increase housing supply and lower costs, and recommended renaming 'farmers markets' to 'open air markets' in the code to reflect current operations.

Discussion Items

Zoning Code Amendments (Ordinance 2026-07, First Reading): Planning Director Paxton presented a series of code updates, including new definitions for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and data centers, reduced setbacks for corner lots, reduced parking requirements for ADUs, and a new multi-tenant parking ratio.
- Council Concerns: Several council members voiced strong concerns. Councilmember Hughes expressed opposition to adding BESS and data centers as permitted uses, citing fire risk and water usage. Multiple members questioned whether reducing multi-tenant and ADU parking requirements would shift the burden to surrounding neighborhoods and lower development standards. Councilmember Hughes explicitly stated, "I would like to not even have it offered" regarding BESS facilities. The council collectively agreed to tabling the item to hold a workshop for further deliberation before the second reading.

Key Outcomes

Hiring of City Attorney (Item 6A): Following executive session, the Council voted 4-1 to hire William Tosh as the full-time City Attorney.
Assistant City Attorney Position (Item 6B): The Council voted 5-0 to rescind its previous action regarding the Assistant City Attorney position, with the Mayor stating the council lacked the charter authority to eliminate the position.
Consent Agenda: The Council unanimously approved the minutes from four previous meetings.
Future Agenda Items: A workshop will be scheduled to further discuss the proposed zoning code amendments.

Meeting Transcript

I love that. All right, it's 6 p.m. and I'm going to call to order this city council meeting for April 14th, 2026. Please rise for the invitation and pledge of allegiance, led by Councilmember Brenda Hughes. Bow your head with me, please. Heavenly Father, we come before you with grateful hearts for this community, its people, and its resilience. Thank you for the privilege of serving and for the responsibility to care for one another. We ask for your guidance over this council. Grant us wisdom in our decisions, patience in our discussions, and unity in our purpose. Bless our law enforcement officers and first responders who serve with courage and deep commitment to protecting others. We ask that you continue to watch over them and bless their families. Father, we are grateful for the opportunity to serve and to be part of work that truly matters. Remind us always that leadership is about serving others, doing what is right, and putting community above self. May the good we do bless this place we all call home. In your name we pray, Amen. Amen. I pledge the United States of America. And two public one under God with liberty and justice for all. I remember it in a few minutes. Who will be doing our announcements of community interest this evening? Sorry about that, Mayor. Um, I'm actually going to give some exciting news, and we are going to follow up with some of the announcements at a later time. But as of uh today, really, effective yesterday. Martin Greenwell has accepted the communications manager position, and so he is the wizard of oz back there, and you'll start seeing him uh transition more into the communications manager role. Thank you. All right, does any council member have a uh community interview? Uh well, May 16th. Uh the Smithsonian comes to town and we'll be here for six weeks. It will be um an exhibit on our town and the fact that we are a place of innovation, and that's the name of it, Spark, a place of innovation. From the 16th to June 28th, it's free. It's at the Kerrville Arts and Cultural Center every day until the 28th, starting on May 16th. Thank you. Chap. I do, yes, sir. Uh, not from a council standpoint, but from a uh opportunity. I had the opportunity I was able to take part in yesterday. Um I just want to say thank you to Chief McCall, Chief Maloney, to you, sir, for coming out and leading us in our invocation. Uh Robbery had their first responders fundraiser yesterday at River Hill. And uh, you know, we had uh instead of a shotgun start, we had a siren start because the police sent us off. Uh I thought one guy was gonna start running, but we told him it was okay.

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