Kerrville City Council Meeting - August 11, 2026

The Kerrville City Council met on August 11, 2026, at 6:00 PM at City Hall. The meeting included a proclamation designating Kerr Together as the official disaster relief organization for the July 2026 flood, public comments from five citizens regarding flock cameras and flood recovery, and unanimous approval of a zoning change, a utility rate increase, adoption of new building codes, a conditional use permit for a daycare, employee benefit fund transfer, and a tax rate resolution.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the July 22 emergency-called meeting, July 24 budget workshop, and July 28 workshop and regular meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Steve Thompson (Ingram resident) expressed concerns about Flock cameras, including liability and privacy violations. Mayor Joe Herring responded that the city has no contract with Flock but uses license plate readers in city vehicles.
• Clay Bennett (Kerrville resident) called Flock cameras unconstitutional warrantless searches and urged their removal from city property.
• Kevin Morales (Kerrville resident) opposed Flock cameras and license plate readers, calling them warrantless tracking.
• Arthur Gonzalez spoke on behalf of Monterey and West Riner residents, describing inadequate flood recovery assistance and the need for more FEMA support. He criticized debris removal vouchers as insufficient for construction materials.
• Kimber Malcolm (Hunt resident) opposed Flock cameras, citing constitutional rights and stating crime in Kerrville has decreased over five years.

Presentations

• Mayor Joe Herring read a proclamation recognizing the Kerr Together Long-Term Recovery Group as the Official Disaster Relief Organization for the July 2026 flood disaster. A representative of the group thanked the council and noted ongoing recovery efforts with limited capacity.

Discussion Items

• Zoning Change (Ordinance 2026-13): Director of Development D Paxton presented a request to rezone 1273 Bandera Highway from Mixed Use (MU) to General Commercial (C-3). Planning and Zoning recommended approval. Council approved on first reading.
• KPUB Residential Rate Increase (Ordinance 2026-19): KPUB General Manager Mike Whittler and Assistant General Manager Amy Dozier proposed a 5% increase effective November 2026, based on a cost-of-service study. The KPUB board approved the increase on July 15, 2026, and sought council approval. Dozier presented a rate comparison showing KPUB rates would remain among the lowest in the region. The increase does not affect the 3% transfer to the city. Council approved on first reading.
• Building Code Adoption (Ordinances 2026-14 through 2026-18): Director Paxton presented the adoption of 2024 International Codes and the National Electrical Code, with local amendments, replacing the current 2018 editions. A delayed effective date of January 1, 2027, allows projects in progress to proceed. Council approved all five ordinances on first reading.
• Conditional Use Permit (Resolution 32-2026): Director Paxton presented a request for after-school daycare at 813 Clay Street for Zion Lutheran Church, with conditions including an eight-foot solid screening fence and operating hours from 2:00 PM to 6:30 PM. Larry Catron, church board president, spoke in support, stating the program would serve 15 children. Public speaker Jacob Shivley questioned the fence height requirement. Paxton clarified the screening fence is required only adjacent to residential property. Council approved.
• Employee Benefit Trust (Resolution 34-2026): Assistant City Manager K Meismer presented the resolution authorizing the transfer of funds for FY2027 employee benefits, following trustee approval. Council approved.
• Tax Rate Resolution (Resolution 35-2026): Finance Director J Behrens presented the resolution to authorize the Kerr County Tax Assessor-Collector to calculate the voter-approval tax rate as a special taxing unit (8 percent) due to the disaster declaration. She emphasized the resolution only allows calculation, not adoption, and is subject to new state provisions requiring reporting to the Texas Department of Emergency Management. Councilmember Jeff asked about the previous year's disaster rate; Behrens explained the law prevents consecutive use if property values increase. Council approved.

Key Outcomes

• All agenda items received unanimous approval.
• The consent agenda (Item 4) was approved collectively.
• The zoning change (Item 5A) and KPUB rate increase (Item 5B) were approved on first reading.
• The five building code ordinances (Item 6A) were approved on first reading; second reading is scheduled for August 25, 2026, with an effective date of January 1, 2027.
• The conditional use permit (Item 7A), employee benefit trust resolution (Item 8A), and tax rate resolution (Item 8B) were approved.
• No executive session was held; the meeting adjourned at 7:00 PM.