City of Killeen State of the City Address - February 18, 2025
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City of Killeen State of the City Address - February 18, 2025
Mayor Debbie Nash King delivered the annual State of the City address on February 18, 2025, highlighting the city's achievements over the past year and outlining future priorities aligned with the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The mayor emphasized transparency, public safety, downtown revitalization, and community partnerships while addressing misinformation about city governance.
Discussion Items
- Comprehensive Plan 2040: The mayor described the plan as a working blueprint developed with input from residents, colleges, KISD, Fort Cavazos, military leaders, and community partners. The plan guides growth and resource allocation.
- Budget Priorities: 60% of the $271.5 million budget is dedicated to public safety, including first responders. The mayor noted a 4% cost-of-living allowance for city employees and an affordable health insurance plan selected in June 2024 with no additional cost to employees.
- Downtown Revitalization: The mayor reported 62 new businesses, 162 new jobs, and 27 historical buildings renovated in downtown Killeen. She emphasized that the current all-minority council invested OPA funding on the north side, addressing past complaints of neglect.
- New Facilities: The Rosa Hereford Community Center and Bob Gilmore Senior Center are expected to open by end of 2025. The Reunification Center for unsheltered individuals will open this year, staffed by an outside agency, and will serve as a transitional center offering services like GED assistance and vocational training.
- Public Safety: The Real Time Crime Center, Fire Station 4, and the Emergency Operations Center on 9200 Trimmier Road are operational. New fire engines were also invested.
- Growth and Recognition: Killeen was ranked the second fastest growing city in the U.S. and the 10th best place to live in Texas by U.S. News & World Report. Population is forecast to exceed 160,000. Senior center participation increased 121% and youth sports participation increased 15% from 2023 to 2024.
- Economic Development: Dave & Busters and Southern Roots Brewing are expected to open by year-end. Bell County Annex will bring 400 employees. Other businesses breaking ground include MGC Pure Chemicals, Bell County Glass, and USAM. The city also launched a downtown directory at www.killeentexas.gov/shop.
- Infrastructure: The mayor acknowledged road projects such as Willow Springs, Zephyr Row, Feather Line, Bunny Trail, and Chaparral Road, noting that funding and coordination with Bell County are ongoing. She credited Councilmembers Cobb and Solomon for initiating town halls that led to improvements.
- Partnerships: The mayor highlighted monthly meetings with Fort Cavazos commanders, collaboration with KISD, Central Texas College, the Black Chamber of Commerce, NAACP, AUSA, and Central Texas Council of Governments. She also noted she will travel to Seattle in April at no cost to the city.
- Transparency: The mayor urged residents to verify information via the city's website (www.killeentexas.gov) and to attend council meetings or watch live streams. She stated the council cannot steal money and that an independent auditor, Mr. Grady, reports directly to council.
- Animal Center: A new animal center on Rancier Avenue was opened.
- Employment: Two new hires were introduced: Kate McDaniel as HR Director (promoted from within) and Mr. Murphy as Executive Director of Parks and Recreation.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes or decisions were taken during the address. The mayor provided a comprehensive update on ongoing and completed projects, reaffirmed council priorities, and encouraged public engagement. The address served as an informational report to citizens.
- The mayor reiterated that the council's actions are recorded and available for public review, and that the city is actively seeking new businesses and investment.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good afternoon, good afternoon, everyone. I'm the technical director of communications for the city of Kaleen, and each year we come together to look at the accomplishments and successes of the previous year are also looking ahead to the challenges and opportunities and all that is good and great for the year ahead. We want to make sure that everything we're doing is for the citizens of Kleene and it benefits you. So we are going to in turn to our state of the city address. Before that, we just want to let you know that there's no formal portion where you will have a QA, but if you have questions, you can just like each year you can write them down. We have uh paper uh right here um handles out, and each year we decide to sit right questions, and we turn it into our team, and we turn right into me, and we will respond to those questions as we do every year. Um but we'll go ahead and introduce our mayor, Dave Nash King for the 2025 State City Pressure. And we want to make sure that everyone knows you are literally this as well, and we do have a scientist interpreter, Mr. John McDonald. Thank you. Thank you so much, Janelle. Thank you all for coming. It is indeed an honor and a pleasure to stand before you today. As I bring to you our state of the city from a mayor's perspective, I will be highlighting some of the great things this city has done and also opportunities that we have in the future. By lining it up with our comprehensive plan 2040 moving forward, and as you all know, especially for the residents at home and the individuals that this may be your first time coming into our chambers, that our comprehensive plan is just a working document. That is what it is. That things will shift. Because we got input from residents, the colleges and uh uh leadership, we also KISD, Fort Cavassos, military leaders, our community partners, excuse me, I'm trying to fight a cold, our community partners. So that is what makes this comprehensive plan so significant. In downtown Colleen, they call me downtown Debbie. I take ownership in that because five, ten, fifteen years from now, when our downtown, just like any other downtown, start to grow and boom, I want my name to be on that because we took OPA funding, and we put that money to work on our north side of town. We have so many complaints that we do nothing for the north side. They say genocides. We just try to take them out. And the moment this particular all-minority council with their mayor being me, along with our staff. Not that councils before us did not want downtown Kleene to grow, but we were truly blessed to have those resources to make it happen. And we put our money where our mouth was. You never know, depending on who running. I might be back. But that's not my intent. But I want to ensure that we do the right thing for all people, regardless of how they look, regardless of their income, we should take care of our home. Somebody said, take care of your own. We are taking care of our home. It's not that the council did anything wrong. Because every council before us had a choice, and the council that comes after us will have a choice. But as long as we're within that comprehensive plan, then we're doing what the majority of the people of Kaleen wanted, and our partners and the entities that work with us. I want to lay that foundation because everything I say today will be surrounded by our comprehensive plan. The city of Kaleen, we're growing. And these are the items that I want to overview. Now I brought my own personal notes because there are some things that this is a teachable moment for individuals that don't attend our meetings. And the reason I'm saying this, you're getting a lot of information. And a lot of that information that's been put out, it's not correct information. One, the council cannot steal money. It's virtually impossible. We don't even touch money. We make money decisions, it's gonna be right here from this dais. That's one thing. We have an auditor, Mr. Grady, who does a tremendous job. He works directly for the council.
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