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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Kerrville City Council Workshop: June 9, 2026

City Council & associated boards — Tuesday, June 9, 2026
BodyKerrville, Texas
SessionCity Council & associated boards
DateTuesday, June 9, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:26:59

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

7:05

9th, 2026.

Unassigned speaker

7:09

Do

Speaker 1

7:09

we have anybody signed up for public comments?

Speaker 2

7:11

No, sir.

Speaker 1

7:12

All right.

7:13

Information discussion.

7:14

Let's start with two A baseball firm.

7:16

And who's gonna present for your group?

7:19

Jay is.

Unassigned speaker

7:20

Are you gonna do that?

Speaker 3

7:20

No, I'm not gonna present.

7:22

I'm just gonna introduce these guys.

7:23

Please do.

7:24

I didn't uh I didn't bring my tap dancing shoes tonight.

Unassigned speaker

7:27

I

Speaker 3

7:27

don't think Nico did either, to be fair.

7:30

Got sandals on, but we're gonna make them tap tap dance regardless.

7:34

Uh just wanna sing the praises of these guys real quick before I introduce them.

7:38

Um it was shortly after uh the the flood last year that we started talking with um

Unassigned speaker

7:46

the

Speaker 3

7:46

group who managed uh the sports complex prior, and it was just negative this, negative that, negative the other.

7:52

Don't want

Unassigned speaker

7:53

to, you

Speaker 3

7:53

know, bad mouth them.

7:54

It's a tough business as these guys can attest.

7:57

However, we know it we have here, and uh we're happy to have these guys on board.

8:02

They're they're overperforming, and we want to see that continue.

8:06

Um but uh I've been told by John Junker, the tall guy sitting in the middle here that his two captains are gonna be presenting tonight.

8:14

So we have Nico Gonzalez and Jeff Gwinlin who are gonna come up and tell us a little bit about how it's going out at the sports complex.

8:21

You can tell these guys have been outside all day.

Speaker 4

8:24

Who's first?

Speaker 5

8:50

It's a beautiful picture.

8:51

And um it's one that we use on our Facebook and stuff like that to kind of show what Kerville really has to represent.

8:58

So um where's the slide thing?

9:01

Oh, here we

Unassigned speaker

9:02

go.

Speaker 5

9:04

So the Kerrville Sports Complex, obviously it's under new leadership.

9:07

We're the baseball firm.

9:09

Um I am not originally from Kerrville, but have been coming to this complex for a long time.

9:14

And since two thousand eighteen-ish, nineteen ish, since I saw it for the first time, I knew that this was one of the best sports complexes that I've seen traveling around the country.

9:24

And so when the opportunity came up to be a part of this, it was it was a no-brainer for me from the community to the fields to the the families in the outside communities that love to come here.

9:35

Um it's a pretty special place that we feel like is here in the city of Kerrville.

9:39

Um we've been fortunate to host the tournaments this spring so far that have fourteen and under.

Unassigned speaker

9:45

And

Speaker 5

9:45

so what that means, it's eighth graders down, because in the springtime you have UI L sports, tap sports going on, so the high school kids are obviously doing their stuff in the high school.

9:54

So just real quick, I'll kind of give you a an overview of how we look at

Unassigned speaker

9:58

it.

Unassigned speaker

10:00

If you've ever done select sports in baseball or softball, we kind of put our calendar together like you would for one of those type of businesses.

Speaker 5

10:07

Meaning from January through May, we're really gonna be able to go after the 14 and down kids because those are the ones who are playing, both boys and girls.

10:16

Once the summer starts, May through the end of July, maybe the first week of August is when you can really capture the high school kids, and a lot of the younger groups stop playing because of other things that they do, and it's just kind of the natural ebb and flow.

10:29

And then you come back.

10:30

Most people take August off because they're doing tryouts or they're kind of getting themselves ready to go.

10:34

And then September through November is when you can really go back to all ages because if they're not playing football at the high school level, or you know, uh young ladies that are playing just softball, you can get you can really capture all of them in the fall.

10:47

So it's kind of a three season tier whenever you're looking at the calendar for how it's run for us.

10:53

Okay.

10:53

Um so you want to talk about the mission?

Speaker 4

10:57

Yeah,

Unassigned speaker

10:58

yeah.

Speaker 4

10:59

Um

Unassigned speaker

11:00

so

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Flood Recovery██████████████████████████████████████████42%
Parks and Recreation████████████████████20%
Public Safety███████████████15%
Community Engagement███████████11%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Capital Projects████4%
Economic Development███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Kerrville City Council Workshop – June 9, 2026

The Kerrville City Council held a workshop on June 9, 2026, at 4:15 PM in City Hall. The meeting featured updates on the Kerrville Sports Complex lease, the Kerr Together long-term flood recovery effort, emergency management improvements, and the status of the Lois Street water tank project. Council also selected liaison assignments and interview teams. No public comments were made, and no executive session was held. The meeting adjourned at 5:35 PM.

Discussion Items

2.A – The Baseball Firm Operational Update (Kerrville Sports Complex)

  • Jay (of The Baseball Firm) introduced Nico Gonzalez and Jeff Gwinlin, who presented on the first six months of the lease effective January 1, 2026. They reported that 407 teams and 4,675 players have participated so far, exceeding the annual goal of 400 teams. The complex hosts baseball and softball tournaments primarily for 14-and-under age groups in spring, with high school tournaments planned for summer after field improvements. They noted the complex currently has only two usable high school fields; two additional softball fields need upgrades to host high-school events. They are working on installing AI-based automated ball-strike camera systems (becoming the second facility in Texas to do so), improving parking (currently capped at ~54 teams), adding shade structures, and refreshing signage. They are also negotiating with local hotels for better pricing and plan to use sponsorships to fund improvements and give back to the community (e.g., supporting Kerrville Little League).
  • Council members praised the team for turning around the facility, noting previous underutilization. Councilwoman Delaney asked about fundraising and sponsor signage; presenters confirmed they use sponsor revenue for park improvements and local givebacks. Mayor Herring noted the 407 teams already exceed the 2026 annual goal of 400.

2.B – Kerr Together Legislative Update (William Whitson)

  • William Whitson presented on long-term recovery efforts since the July 4, 2025 flood. He highlighted accomplishments: creation of a one-stop recovery shop (Club 98), winning a $14.7 million Texas Middle Mile grant for flood warning system data backbone, removal of over 31,000 pounds of debris from the river by dive teams, a tree-seed initiative (850,000 seeds collected), and public education campaigns. He then outlined a four-pillar legislative proposal:
    1. Flood Warning System – Estimated total cost $29.4 million; currently 54% funded ($15.9 million); remaining 45% needed (~$13.5 million). This includes sirens: state guidance suggests 134 sirens, but technical team recommends 20–30; no maintenance funds were allocated. Capital for additional sirens estimated at $2.4 million already in progress; maintenance would be ~10% of capital annually.
    2. Emergency Response Capacity – Expanding the Shriner University model and upgrading the county EOC.
    3. Environmental Mitigation – A 2–3 year study of river sediment moved by the flood, plus habitat restoration.
    4. Policy Improvements – Extend SB3 timelines, layer warning systems (weather radios, ACU, roadway flashers), improve cell coverage via public-private partnership (estimated $3 million), and create a seasonal economic stabilization fund for impacted camps and small businesses.
  • Total ask: approximately $85.4 million (excluding maintenance). Whitson noted that the team has met with Senator Flores and Representative Riddell. Councilwoman Delaney asked about maintenance cost; Whitson clarified it's not included and will depend on final siren count. Council expressed strong support and gratitude for the work.

2.C – Emergency Management Update (Chief E Maloney)

  • Chief Maloney and Emergency Management Coordinator Casey Goodman reported on improvements since the flood. Key initiatives:
    • Revised the Emergency Management Basic Plan and are consolidating 22 annexes into 15 FEMA-recognized emergency support functions.
    • Conducted an annual council review (June 2, 2026) of roles and expectations.
    • Created the Public Safety Flood Working Group with city and county agencies (Kerrville Fire/Police, Kerr County Sheriff, volunteer fire departments, UGRA). Focus on six primary objectives with 13 sub-objectives.
    • Enhancing flood notification: developing MOUs with Jam Broadcasting and Ranch Radio; using Active 911 alerting for first responders; implementing multilanguage alerts.
    • Drafting a flood-specific Emergency Action Plan (EAP) with Waterway Engineering; final review meeting scheduled for next day.
    • Developing a flood response SOP with situational awareness guidelines from each agency.
    • Testing the River Hub dashboard (public version now live) for real-time rainfall, gauge, and low-water crossing data.
    • Conducted mass communication training (RAVE IPAL system) for dispatchers, giving them authority to issue alerts without waiting for chiefs.
    • Planning a functional exercise in spring 2027 with outside facilitators.
    • Designing the new EOC at the public safety facility with expanded capacity and streamlined staffing.
  • Council praised the progress, noting improved communication with the county emergency coordinator (formerly state liaison). Mayor Herring emphasized that the 9-1-1 center now has authority to push alerts overnight.

2.D – Lois Street Tank Update (K Burow, Director of Engineering)

  • Burow reported that the water storage tank project, initiated in 2020, received funding assistance approval from the Texas Water Development Board in 2023, which required a one-year review. Design is complete; bids are due July 1, 2026. Award expected at the second council meeting in July or first in August. Construction to begin early September 2026 and finish by December 2027. Mayor Herring noted that persistence and help from state representatives/senators moved the project forward.

Key Outcomes

  • Sports Complex – Council acknowledged the strong performance and encouraged continued improvements; no formal action required.
  • Kerr Together Legislative Proposal – Council expressed support for the overall ask and directed staff to continue collaborating with the recovery team.
  • Lois Street Tank – Bid opening scheduled for July 1; staff to bring contract for award in July/August.
  • Council Liaison and Interview Team Selections – Mayor Herring assigned committee liaisons based on seniority:
    • Mayor Herring: Kerr Economic Development Corporation, Kate Pump, Public Facility Corporation.
    • Councilman Harris: Playhouse 2000, Planning & Zoning liaison, Parks & Recreation liaison.
    • Councilman McKinney: Airport Board, Recovery Community Coalition (continuing).
    • Councilwoman Siegerman: Recovery Community Coalition, Cultural Arts District, Downtown Advisory Committee (continuing).
    • Councilwoman Smith: TERS #1 (Economic Development), Food Service Advisory Board, Library Advisory Board (new).
    • Interview teams were confirmed as previously established. Mayor will formalize assignments in a memo.

No executive session was needed, and the workshop adjourned at 5:35 PM.

Meeting Transcript

9th, 2026. Do we have anybody signed up for public comments? No, sir. All right. Information discussion. Let's start with two A baseball firm. And who's gonna present for your group? Jay is. Are you gonna do that? No, I'm not gonna present. I'm just gonna introduce these guys. Please do. I didn't uh I didn't bring my tap dancing shoes tonight. I don't think Nico did either, to be fair. Got sandals on, but we're gonna make them tap tap dance regardless. Uh just wanna sing the praises of these guys real quick before I introduce them. Um it was shortly after uh the the flood last year that we started talking with um the group who managed uh the sports complex prior, and it was just negative this, negative that, negative the other. Don't want to, you know, bad mouth them. It's a tough business as these guys can attest. However, we know it we have here, and uh we're happy to have these guys on board. They're they're overperforming, and we want to see that continue. Um but uh I've been told by John Junker, the tall guy sitting in the middle here that his two captains are gonna be presenting tonight. So we have Nico Gonzalez and Jeff Gwinlin who are gonna come up and tell us a little bit about how it's going out at the sports complex. You can tell these guys have been outside all day. Who's first? It's a beautiful picture. And um it's one that we use on our Facebook and stuff like that to kind of show what Kerville really has to represent. So um where's the slide thing? Oh, here we go. So the Kerrville Sports Complex, obviously it's under new leadership. We're the baseball firm. Um I am not originally from Kerrville, but have been coming to this complex for a long time. And since two thousand eighteen-ish, nineteen ish, since I saw it for the first time, I knew that this was one of the best sports complexes that I've seen traveling around the country. And so when the opportunity came up to be a part of this, it was it was a no-brainer for me from the community to the fields to the the families in the outside communities that love to come here. Um it's a pretty special place that we feel like is here in the city of Kerrville. Um we've been fortunate to host the tournaments this spring so far that have fourteen and under. And so what that means, it's eighth graders down, because in the springtime you have UI L sports, tap sports going on, so the high school kids are obviously doing their stuff in the high school. So just real quick, I'll kind of give you a an overview of how we look at it. If you've ever done select sports in baseball or softball, we kind of put our calendar together like you would for one of those type of businesses. Meaning from January through May, we're really gonna be able to go after the 14 and down kids because those are the ones who are playing, both boys and girls. Once the summer starts, May through the end of July, maybe the first week of August is when you can really capture the high school kids, and a lot of the younger groups stop playing because of other things that they do, and it's just kind of the natural ebb and flow.

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