Killeen City Council Regular Meeting – July 1, 2025
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Killeen City Council Regular Meeting – July 1, 2025
On Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at 3:00 PM in the City Council Chambers, the Killeen City Council held a combined work session and regular meeting. The meeting included an invocation, pledge, rodeo presentation, discussion of governing standards, citizen comments, approval of a consent agenda (with item RS-25-107 pulled for separate vote), and presentations on the FY2026 proposed budget, capital improvement program, and a conference report. Multiple motions of direction were passed to consider funding for specific community needs.
Consent Calendar
- Approved minutes of the June 3, 2025 regular and special meetings (MN-25-015, MN-25-016).
- Approved declaring a vacancy on the Senior Citizen Advisory Board and appointing Tamara Williams (RS-25-104).
- Accepted a $49,024 Homeland Security Grant for two mobile camera trailers with no local match (RS-25-105).
- Approved $624,581.93 in furniture and equipment purchases for the new Fire Station #4, EOC, training facilities, and police radios (RS-25-106).
- Approved setting July 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM as the date for the FY2026 budget public hearing (RS-25-108).
- Item RS-25-107 (Governing Standards) was pulled for separate vote and later approved (5-1) with amendments detailed below.
Public Comments & Testimony
- James Sills criticized the council for reducing citizen comment opportunities (from over 100 last year to 48 this year), moving meeting start time to 3 PM (limiting attendance for military and service workers), and for the proposal to cut public hearing time to 3 minutes. He urged a return to split meetings and 4-minute speaking times.
- Leo Gukaizen (who also identified as a disabled veteran) raised concerns about the budget, the disabled veterans exemption, and the proposed governance changes. He questioned who would monitor election cameras, criticized the “standard questions” for board applicants as potentially exclusionary, and called for more balanced treatment of tax exemptions. He also referenced legal limits on removing people from meetings.
Discussion Items
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2025 Killeen Rodeo Presentation – Brett Gordon reported the 78th annual rodeo saw record growth: 563 professional athletes (up 218 from 2024), 154% year-over-year increase, 133 hotel rooms booked, and $1.3 million in estimated economic impact. The rodeo collected 5,000 pounds of food for the food bank, hosted 88 special-needs participants, and offered military appreciation, employee, and educator nights. Council members thanked the committee and suggested expanding marketing for veteran support sponsorship.
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Governing Standards Amendments (RS-25-107) – Extensive discussion led to several changes: (a) Citizen comments sign-up deadline changed to “prior to start of meeting” instead of “in advance”; (b) Public hearing time reduced from 4 to 3 minutes (and citizen comments also reduced to 3 minutes, voted 4-2); (c) Clarified mayor may order a person to leave; (d) Incorporated travel/training policy; (e) Removed annual special workshop; (f) Allowed mayor/council to interview applicants for boards; (g) Added consideration of Citizen Academy or Police Academy completion for board appointments, as a priority factor. A motion to establish a general comment period (3 minutes, 2-week advance sign-up) failed. A motion to add an investigation procedure also failed.
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Compensation Survey Review – Staff presented the 2025 survey results. Classified employees averaged 8.99% below market; fire plan 5% below; police at market. Proposed adjustments (after 4% COLA) would cost ~$330,735 to bring groups within 5% of market. Council discussed retention and the tax rate impact.
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FY2026 Proposed Annual Budget – City Manager Cagle presented a $130 million general fund budget (4.1% increase). Key points: 4% COLA for employees; tax rate increase of 2.57 cents (to 68.3 cents per $100); water/sewer rates up ~1.85% average; solid waste, drainage, street funds unchanged. The budget is balanced. Cagle explained that the disabled veterans exemption now costs $15.8 million in lost revenue, with only ~$900,000 projected state reimbursement (down from $1.65 million this year). He criticized state legislation (HB 2894) that expanded the exemption without full reimbursement. Council members expressed strong concern. Motions of direction were passed to find $30,000 for a mental health crisis co-responder position (lost to Temple due to grant changes), up to $50,000 for IBCC (a community service organization), and end-of-year funding consideration for Killeen Economic Development Corporation and Children’s Advocacy Center of Central Texas.
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FY2026 Capital Improvement Program – Staff presented a 5-year CIP with $61.5 million in proposed FY2026 projects, including Zephyr Road reconstruction, traffic signals, underpass painting, water/sewer rehabilitation, fire apparatus, and facility improvements. The public hearing is set for July 22, 2025.
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Councilmember Request – Women in Municipal Government Conference – Councilmember Cobb reported on the conference, highlighting new focus on supporting women in municipal workforces.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda (excluding RS-25-107) approved unanimously (6-0).
- Governing Standards (RS-25-107) approved as amended (5-1). Amendments included: 3-minute limit for citizen comments and public hearings; interview option for board applicants; priority for citizen academy graduates; mayor’s authority to remove disruptive persons; other administrative clarifications.
- Budget direction: Motions of direction passed: (a) Find $30,000 for mental health co-responder position (5-0); (b) Consider up to $50,000 for IBCC after meeting (5-0); (c) Explore end-of-year funding for KEDC (5-0); (d) Explore end-of-year funding for Children’s Advocacy Center (4-1). No changes to the proposed tax rate or budget totals were made at this meeting.
- Future agenda item: Women in Municipal Government Conference report to be added as a discussion item (4-1).
- Upcoming dates: FY2026 budget public hearing set for July 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM; final budget adoption scheduled for September 2, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for coming out this afternoon. Let the record show that Council Waming Cobb, Councilman Avarez is absent, and Councilmember Solomon is on Zoom. Council, if one of you get up to leave, we will have to stop the meeting unless we have another person present. Let us bow our heads. With these and all other blessings, we ask in your name. Amen. Amen. A good one. Good catch. So that's five to zero. Thank you, Madam Secretary. PR twenty-five zero one four twenty twenty-five clean rodeo presentation. Mr. Brett Gordon. Good afternoon, sir. Good afternoon, honorable mayor, esteemed council members, uh, Mr. Cagle. Uh first let me say on behalf of the board of officers and rodeo clean members, thank you for allowing me to be here today. Uh, to speak to you about the seventy-eighth uh rodeo cleaner. Okay, I think I got it figured out now. So we just uh concluded the seventy-eighth annual rodeo clean, show showcasing the Western heritage while highlighting our community and serving our community. Maybe I don't have it figured out. You want to do it? Okay. Next. Okay, this year's rodeo is one of our best and largest in our history. We saw a huge growth this year in competitors and visitors, with both coming from out of town, out of state, and out of out of country. Within Pro Rodeo, we have transitioned from being a medium rodeo to a large category of rodeo. Significant is our year over year growth of 154% over previous years. This year we had 563 professional rodeo athletes compete, which was an increase of 218 over 2024. This is a direct result of the prize money we added and getting clean noticed at a higher level in the professional sport of rodeo. And that has taken place due to several things that we've done, as well as your support from the council and from the clean city employees. This year we experienced a significant increase in airport travel. We had multiple hits of uh contestants coming in by air travel to the local to the various uh regional and uh international airports. Uh we received a lot of feedback from PRCA or the professional rodeo cowboys association and from professional cowboys that this rodeo that what Kleen puts on has been noticed by the sport nationwide, and it is indicative of the number and quality of professional athletes that are coming here. And and again, I tie this to us raising the prize money and bringing those top level competitors. We provided over five thousand pounds of food to the local food bank, uh, which was a thousand pounds more than last year. As you uh probably know, in lieu of purchasing a ticket, if you bring in six cans of food, you get a free uh ticket or entry into the rodeo. Uh, this has been a very popular uh thing we've been doing for several years now, and really does goes a long ways to bringing that food to our community bank. The global talent that was brought in this year stretched far and wide. We had 18 former world champions here. Um throughout the US, Australia, Canada, Brazil. And then this year we did our third year of awarding a scholarship to deserving youth. This year's recipient was uh Delaney Newman attending Charleston State University, who she's pursuing a degree in agriculture. Okay, so we had our special hearts rodeo. This was our second year to host this special hearts of rodeo event. It's hosted by mainly by Maxdale Cowboy Church as well as Rodeo Colleen. We had 88 uh individuals with special needs come out there to enjoy what we call the rodeo experience. Um had them doing several different things from riding horses to petting horses, learning how to rope, uh face painting. Uh just a great morning for the kids on that Saturday morning and for their parents as well.
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