City Council Special Meeting – July 22, 2025: Firefighter Bargaining Recognition and FY2026 Budget Public Hearing
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City Council Special Meeting – July 22, 2025
Date: July 22, 2025 Time: 3:00 PM Location: City Hall Council Chambers, 101 N. College Street, Killeen, Texas
A special meeting of the Killeen City Council was held to recognize the Killeen Professional Firefighters Association (IAFF Local 2505) as the exclusive bargaining agent for firefighters and to hold a public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Annual Budget. The council also discussed a reduction to the council travel budget, possible tax rate increases, and updates on a community grocery store initiative.
Consent Calendar
- No consent calendar items were listed on the agenda.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Melissa Brown (citizen comment on agenda item 1) expressed full support for recognizing the firefighters association, stating that firefighters know their own needs best and that the police department already has a meet-and-confer agreement in place.
- Alyssa Ryan (during public hearing on budget) expressed disappointment that there was no public hearing on the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and criticized the council for cutting its travel budget by about $100,000 without directing the funds elsewhere. She questioned the lack of follow-up on a previous motion to find money for community partners and argued that funding the Killeen Economic Development Corporation (KEDC) benefits other cities more than Killeen, calling the advertising for Wolf Technology Park “shameful.”
- Ronnie Russell (Innovation Black Chamber of Commerce – IBCC) spoke in favor of continued support for IBCC’s efforts to bring a grocery store to Killeen, highlighting achievements such as 26 new business grand openings in FY25 and three destination events. He urged the council to recognize these successes as validation of the shared vision.
Discussion Items
- Recognition of Firefighters Association (RS-25-122): The City Attorney presented background: Chapter 142 of the Texas Local Government Code allows a firefighters association to petition to be the exclusive bargaining agent. The petition required signatures from at least 133 firefighters (a majority); 155 signatures were submitted and 145 were verified, making the petition valid. The council had three options: grant recognition and authorize meet-and-confer, order a voter election, or order a certification election. Staff recommended the first option. Councilmember Adams moved to approve per staff recommendation; Councilmember Alvarez seconded. The motion passed 7-0.
- FY2026 Budget Presentation: Finance staff presented an overview of the proposed budget. Key data:
- Market value increased by 2.21%, taxable value by 2.26%.
- Adjusted taxable value: $10 billion for the calculated levy.
- Proposed tax rate: $0.6830 per $100 valuation, up from $0.6575 in FY2025 (an increase of $0.0257).
- General fund revenues: $56,000 (M&O levy), $18 million (I&S levy). M&O increase of $823,000 (1.47%), I&S increase of 2.9% due to 2025 CO adjustments for DV exemption reimbursement.
- Revenue loss from exemptions estimated at $15.8 million, with $900,000 expected state reimbursement.
- Proposed total budget expenditures: $326 million (including interfund activities and health insurance), with actual expenses at $294 million.
- Funds are balanced except for capital project funds, internal service funds, debt service fund, and some special revenue funds (e.g., golf course shows a deficit).
- Council Travel Budget Reduction: Mayor Nash-King proposed reducing the council’s travel budget from the requested $126,025 (a 30+% increase) back to the FY2023 level of $64,857. Councilmember Segarra made a motion to return to the FY2023 allocation of $6,000 per council member and $9,000 for the mayor. Councilmember Alvarez seconded. The motion of direction passed 7-0. Staff was directed to bring back a revised budget reflecting this reduction.
- Tax Rate Increase Discussion: City Manager Cagle suggested that if the council wanted to raise the tax rate above the proposed $0.6830, additional revenue should go first to employee compensation and then to public safety supplements. Councilmember Solomon made a motion of direction for staff to return with details on what a tax rate of $0.7200 would fund for compensation and public safety. Councilmember Gonzalez seconded. The motion passed 7-0. The Finance Director noted that each additional penny generates about $1 million in revenue, and the final no-new-revenue and voter-approval rates depend on the certified tax roll.
- IBCC Grocery Store Update: Mayor Nash-King inquired about a previous motion of direction related to Innovation Black Chamber of Commerce (IBCC) and a grocery store project. City Manager Cagle and staff reported that they have been in discussions with IBCC for a professional services agreement. Councilmember Cobb recalled a prior request for $50,000 for the grocery store. The Mayor expressed frustration that no agreement has been finalized after several months and directed that a proposal be brought to the next council meeting.
Key Outcomes
- RS-25-122 – Recognition of Firefighters Association: Approved 7-0. The Killeen Professional Firefighters Association (IAFF Local 2505) is recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for Killeen firefighters, and the city is authorized to engage in meet-and-confer negotiations.
- Council Travel Budget Reduction: Motion of direction passed 7-0 to reduce the FY2026 council travel budget to the FY2023 level ($6,000 per council member, $9,000 for mayor). Staff will revise the budget accordingly.
- Tax Rate Exploration: Motion of direction passed 7-0 for staff to model the impact of a $0.7200 tax rate and report back on how it could fund compensation and public safety.
- Public Hearing Date for Budget Adoption: The council set September 2, 2025, at 3:00 PM as the date, time, and location to consider adoption of the FY2026 Annual Budget. Motion passed 7-0.
- IBCC Grocery Store: Staff committed to meeting with IBCC the next day and to bring a professional services agreement to the next council agenda for consideration.
- Adjournment: The meeting adjourned after the final vote.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you all for coming out to a special city council meeting this afternoon. Let the record show that all council members are present. Can I get a motion to approve the agenda? Councilmember Avarest. Mayor, I'm moving to approve the agenda as presented. Thank you, Councilmember Solomon. Second. All in favor, yes, all appolis no. Okay, raise your hand, please. Motion carries six to zero. Citizen comments. Melissa Brown, you have three minutes. Is uh Ms. Gonzalez invisible or in the back or on Zoom? Just wondering. Got a six-to-zero vote that can't all be present. Okay. Uh in regard to the um meet and confer for the IAFF. I think that this makes nothing but sense. There is nobody else who knows the needs of the individuals within that profession besides those individuals. No one up here on the dias got the experience or the background to know what's best for the safety and the health and the welfare of not just our city as far as fire and emergency response, but also the health and safety of those firefighters and EMTs. Um our police department has had meet and confer for three or four years now. So I think it only makes sense to extend this out to the um fire department also. Thank you, Queen. RS twenty-five one two two. Consider a memorandum resolution recognizing the clean professional firefighters association. As the exclusive bargaining agent for clean firefighters and authorizing the city to meet and confer. Thank you. All right, this is the meet and confer item for the firefighters association. Give you a little bit of background on this. Chapter 142 of the of the Texas Local Government Code allows firefighters association to file a petition with the governing body requesting that the association be recognized as the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for all. And I'm sorry, there's a typo firefighters in the city uh and adopting a meeting meet and confer. The petition must be signed by a majority of all firefighters. The city and the firefighters association can negotiate wages, hours of employment, and other terms of employment. There's no requirement to meet and confer on any particular issue or to reach an agreement, and the agreement must be in writing and approved by the council and a majority of the firefighters. So on July 3rd of this year, the city received a petition from the Clean Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF 2505 requesting recog recognition and to begin the meet and confer process. This does not include the chief or the uh or the the chief, the assistant chief appointed by the chief. The required majority for this petition to be heard is uh 133. There were 155 signatures submitted, 145 of which were verified, and that means that the petition is valid. So the statutory term alternatives at this point are to grant recognition of the firefighters association and determined that the city may meet and confer, or you can order an election of the city's voters to determine whether the city city may meet and confer or order a certification election of the firefighters to determine whether the associate the association represents the majority of the city's firefighters. Um we have staff has no reason um to recommend the the second and third option, and so the recommendation is that city council grant recognition of the Kleen Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF 2505 as the sole and exclusive bargaining unit for all firefighters employed by the city of Killeen and authorize the city to meet and confer with with that group without conducting an election of the voters or certification of the firefighters. I do want to let you know that Captain Jansen is here from the Firefighters Association if you have any questions of him, and I'm certainly here for any questions you may have about the process. Yes, ma'am, thank you. Um the Colleen uh professional firefighter association have been working on this for a long time. I know council is aware of that, and we also know that our police department also have this in place. So uh I think it's a great idea. But since we have you here, sir, if anybody would like to speak, please feel free. Captain Jensen, sir, the floor is your oh, would you like to speak? Oh no. Oh no, sir.
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