Killeen City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting – September 15, 2026

This combined work session and regular meeting of the Killeen City Council was held Tuesday, September 15, 2026, beginning at 5:00 PM at Killeen City Hall, 101 N College Street, Killeen, Texas. Mayor Joseph Solomon presided with all council members present: Jessica Gonzalez, Debbie Nash-King, Charles Kimble, Mellisa Brown, David Bass, Beverly Ann Williams, and Anthony Kendrick. The meeting included a Killeen Star Award nomination, a citizen comments period, a consent agenda, individual consideration of multiple resolutions, a public hearing on a rezoning request, and discussion of a date conflict between the October 6, 2026 regular meeting and National Night Out.

Consent Calendar

• The council unanimously approved the consent agenda, including the minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting of July 7, 2026, and other routine items.

Public Comments & Testimony

• A speaker (name not clearly stated) commented on non-agenda items, requesting that the city change its policy to allow remote participation via Zoom for Planning and Zoning meetings. The speaker stated they had requested Zoom access for a public hearing affecting their property but were informed Zoom was approved only for city council meetings, not P&Z. The speaker thanked Councilwoman Brown for allowing them to call in on her phone, and asked the council to change the policy so citizens who cannot attend public hearings in person can participate.
• A speaker praised code enforcement for quickly working on solutions to issues raised through the city's "Citizens See Click Fix" system, and thanked the council for finally allowing non-agenda items to be addressed during citizen comments.
• Joseph Smukowski spoke during citizen comments, stating that a figure of $11,500 represented the amount people spend every time they go to a show at VLA in Killeen, and expressed concern about what that spending means for the organization's ability to produce, reach audiences, and continue thriving.

Discussion Items

• Killeen Star Award (PR-26-019): Mayor Solomon read a nomination letter submitted for Carolyn Brown for the Killeen Star Award.
• Agenda Items 9–15 Overview: The council discussed multiple items to be carried into the regular session, including board appointments and a stop-loss insurance item (RS 26-148). Councilmember Nash-King made a motion to approve RS 26-148, seconded by Councilmember Williams; the motion passed 7–0.
• Board and Commission Appointments: The council considered four nominations for three positions on the Main Street Board. Councilmembers noted that one board member position required owning a business in downtown, and discussion included the knowledge and family history of a nominee. Subcommittees were also discussed, including the Bell County Board of Health (Councilmembers Williams and Bass) and the Senior Citizen Advisory Board (Councilmembers Nash-King and Williams).
• Postponement of RS 26-031: Councilmember Kendrick moved to postpone RS 26-031 until the next regular council meeting. Councilmembers discussed whether the item should be postponed to the next regular meeting, especially given a separate agenda item discussing a possible time/date change for the October 6, 2026 meeting. It was clarified that a public hearing could be held and then action postponed or tabled.
• Data Center Regulations (DS-26-081): Staff proposed breaking data centers into three categories—small, medium, and large—with conditional use permit requirements and the ability to revoke permits if water or electricity usage thresholds were not met. Councilmembers discussed how state regulations might limit local land use authority. One councilmember stated that the notice said data centers would be "permitted by right," but other sources read did not recommend permitting by right. Another councilmember stated that as far as size, the city could only regulate between small and medium.
• National Night Out Conflict (October 6, 2026): The council discussed the conflict between the regular council meeting and National Night Out on October 6, 2026. A councilmember noted that if the meeting is held at the regular time, council members would not be able to attend National Night Out. A proposal was made to move the meeting to 2:00 PM so the meeting could finish in time for National Night Out at 5:00 PM without disrupting already scheduled days off.

Public Hearing

• PH-26-003 – Rezoning Request: A public hearing was held on a request submitted by Rachel Shanks. Staff presented a map showing that all three adjacent property owners had submitted letters in opposition, and three adjacent property owners spoke in opposition during the public hearing. Councilmembers expressed concern about requiring a private citizen to share their driveway with a fuel station. One councilmember noted they could only recall one other developer in their time on council since 2017 who postponed a project when residents were unhappy, and that developer postponed until they received 100% resident support. After the public hearing, discussion centered on whether to postpone action on the item until the next regular council meeting. The public hearing was closed with no additional speakers.

Key Outcomes

• The consent agenda was approved unanimously.
• RS 26-148 (stop-loss insurance) was approved by a vote of 7–0.
• The council discussed postponing RS 26-031 until the next regular council meeting; the public hearing was closed, and the item was set for further action at the next regular meeting.
• The council discussed but did not take a final recorded vote on moving the October 6, 2026 regular meeting to 2:00 PM to avoid conflict with National Night Out.
• Four nominations were considered for three Main Street Board positions; no final appointment vote was recorded in the transcript excerpt.
• The public hearing on the rezoning request (PH-26-003) was closed; no final decision on the request was recorded in the transcript excerpt.