Special City Council Workshop on Legislative Priorities with Schlueter Group - August 18, 2026

The Killeen City Council held a special workshop at 3:00 PM on August 18, 2026, to discuss the city's legislative priorities for the 2027-2028 state legislative session with representatives from the Schlueter Group, the city's legislative consulting firm. The session included citizen comments questioning the firm's performance and contract, a presentation by John Cagle of the Schlueter Group, and extended council deliberation on key issues like the disabled veterans property tax exemption, data centers, and legislative strategy.

Public Comments & Testimony

• First Speaker (name not given, identified by comment ID 494): Urged the council to require the Schlueter Group to document their work using five industrial-standard metrics: official bill authorship, Texas Ethics Commission filings, meeting logs, white papers/impact reports, and monthly milestone matrices. Argued that without such transparency, the firm is not providing active service but excuses. Asked the council to tie future contract renewals to these deliverables.
• Dr. Cameron Cochran: Expressed support for canceling the contract with the Schlueter Group, citing sole sourcing and a no-bid process since December 2015. Noted the current three-year contract (August 2025 to 2028) can be extended to 2030, and that the contract includes a 30-day cancellation clause. Called the arrangement a "monopoly" with "lackluster performance."

Discussion Items

• Motion to Suspend Rules for Council Discussion: Councilmember Brown moved to suspend rules to allow council members to speak two times for three minutes each during the discussion. The motion was amended (five to one in favor) and then passed (five to one). Councilmember Williams voted against.
• Presentation by John Cagle (Schlueter Group): Cagle provided background on his 50-year involvement in Texas politics, his personal ties to Killeen, and defended the firm's value. He argued that lobbying is a 365-day-a-year effort, cannot be based on success fees (a third-degree felony in Texas), and that the firm's strategy is not discussed publicly to avoid giving opponents information. He highlighted interim legislative issues: school finance lawsuit, the governor's push to abolish local energy companies, AI regulation, land use, electric grid sufficiency, highway funding, vouchers, and property tax reforms (including a proposed two-thirds vote requirement for tax increases). He emphasized that the disabled veterans exemption reimbursement is the top priority but faces Senate opposition.
• Council Responses and Questions:
  • Councilmember Gonzalez: Stated strong disagreement with many of Cagle's remarks but expressed eagerness to work with the Schlueter Group on the 90th Texas Legislature. She asked for a specific strategy to increase funding for the disabled veterans exemption, questioned the viability of Representative Hicklin's proposed state investment fund, and asked how council members can participate in legislative advocacy. Cagle responded that the budget play is the most practical method but refused to detail strategy publicly, stating that strategy is never discussed in open session. Gonzalez expressed astonishment at the refusal.
  • Councilmember Nash-King: Proposed forming a coalition of Texas cities significantly impacted by the disabled veterans exemption (such as El Paso and Bell County) to unify lobbying efforts. Cagle agreed this is a viable strategy and noted that the Senate, particularly Senator Flores, must be engaged. Councilmember Nash-King offered to lead the coalition effort.
  • Councilmember Brown: Mentioned the new business personal property tax exemption (approximately $1 million impact on Killeen) and the senior property tax freeze as additional revenue concerns. Asked about the Texas Public Policy Foundation's recommendation to include fee increases in property tax calculations. Also questioned the status of the bullet train; Cagle confirmed Texas Central is still pursuing the Houston-Dallas line but not near I-35. Councilmember Brown suggested pushing for I-14 (east-west highway) instead.
  • Councilmember Kimble: Thanked the firm for their work. Asked whether the city is required to bid out consulting services (Cagle confirmed not required, but an RFP process would be needed in future). Requested research on how Killeen can benefit from data centers, especially regarding zoning and revenue. Suggested framing the veterans exemption issue around military readiness to gain support from Senator Flores and Senator Fluger.
  • Councilmember Kendrick: Supported the idea of forming a coalition but emphasized the need for checks and balances on multiple exemptions claimed by veterans (noting that appraisal districts resist sharing data). Argued that the state mandate is voter-mandated, not legislative, and that the messaging should be reframed accordingly.
  • Councilmember Williams: Asked about data center locations within city limits and clarified that large data centers require substantial land, which Killeen lacks. Discussed the governor's moratorium and ongoing audits.
  • Councilmember Bass: Questioned whether the city's 11-12 action priorities are too many; suggested focusing on three (DV exemption, AI/data centers, and another). Asked the firm to provide updates on which priorities are actionable as bills versus funding requests.
• Additional Discussion on Data Centers: Multiple council members expressed the need to prepare for data center development to capture revenue. Cagle noted that the House State Affairs Committee was meeting the next day on data centers and that the governor's moratorium is still in place for new applicants, but about 50-60 projects are pending approval.

Key Outcomes

• No formal vote on contract cancellation or renewal; the discussion was informational.
• Council informally agreed to explore forming a coalition of impacted cities to advocate for disabled veterans exemption reimbursement, with Councilmember Nash-King leading the effort.
• Council expressed intent to request a private strategy session with the Schlueter Group to discuss sensitive legislative approaches (permitted under open meetings exceptions).
• Council directed the Schlueter Group to provide more specific updates on actionable legislative priorities and to research data center best practices from West Texas communities.
• The meeting adjourned without further action.