Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The Mansfield City Council held a regular meeting on July 13, 2026, spanning a work session on the FY 2026-2027 budget and a regular business session where the council heard public comments and voted on a consent agenda, bond issuances, a fire logistics building contract, and a development agreement for the Smith & Elm downtown site. Council members Michael Evans, Todd Tonore, Tamera Bounds, Juan Fresquez, Todd Simmons, and Jim Vaszauskas were present; Brent Newsom was absent.
FY '26-'27 Budget and Capital Requests Deputy City Manager Troy Lestina presented the draft budget, noting an estimated $1.5 million imbalance. Property tax revenues are declining while sales tax grew roughly 5% over the prior month. Placeholders exist for a cost of living adjustment, health insurance increases, and $3 million in capital requests. Police Chief Tracy Aaron discussed requests for a $580,000 radio encryption system and a $170,000 training simulator. Fire Chief Mike Ross discussed replacement requests for a heavy rescue unit, ambulance, battalion vehicle, and covered parking at Station 5. Both chiefs noted improved supply chains.
Wastewater Class Surcharge Program and Inspection Fees Adam Stark, Interim Executive Director of Public Works, presented a proposed three-tier surcharge program. The city incurs approximately $1.4 million annually in wastewater surcharges from the Trinity River Authority but recovers only $230,000 from significant industrial users. Council directed staff to proceed with a tiered program: a strength-based surcharge for industrial users, a class-based system for commercial users, and no change for residential customers. For inspection fees, council directed staff to implement a $2.50 per month backflow device fee ($30 annually), a $200 annual interceptor/waste hauler fee, and a $100 customer service inspection fee.
Mansfield Fire Logistics Building (Item 26-2383) Capital Projects Manager Kristen Petree presented a revised plan after previous council feedback. The total project budget is $4 million. The council approved a $245,000 pre-construction services fee with Crossland Construction for a design-build contract, shifting storage from expensive station space to a dedicated, lower-cost logistics facility on the public safety complex.
Smith & Elm TIRZ Development Agreement (Item 26-2477) Executive Project Manager Casey Lewis presented the development agreement for Reinvestment Zone Number Two. The city will sell the 4-acre site at Smith and Elm to Smith & Elm Mansfield LLC (Bridgeview) for $1.5 million. The developer will invest roughly $60 million in a project including 253 multifamily units and 13,000 square feet of new commercial space. Up to $5.5 million in reimbursements from the tax increment will be paid over an estimated 15.5 years, starting upon project completion. Construction is expected to begin in August 2027.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We're going to call the order. And we're going to now recess into executive session. All right. We're going to uh reconvene back into our work session at uh three fifteen. And at this time we're going to um move into our work session. FY twenty-six twenty-seven budget updates. Now is the time. Thank you, Mayor and Council. Yes, sir. Uh as we've done, we'll show you the calendar, we'll uh give you some updates on our uh property and sales tax, and then um as discussed previously on the calendar, we're to the point where we'll talk about public safety personnel and and capital request, and then our future work sessions. Uh so this is the calendar we've seen uh the entire time. Uh we're at the July 13th uh regular council meeting uh here in approximately two weeks uh on a Saturday, uh July the twenty-fifth, we'll receive the certified property tax rolls. Now, whether we receive those on Friday or on Monday is yet to be seen. Uh history tells us, however, though that we will not necessarily receive those all on Friday, that they will be sometime on Monday, and then oftentimes they often come with corrections as well. And so what we would propose at that July 27th meeting is not to necessarily have the July 30th special council meeting. Um we will submit a balanced budget on July the 27th per the city's charter. Uh we'll actually be a few days ahead. And uh and we know that uh a couple council members can't attend the July 30th meeting anyway, and so on July the 27th, we will submit a balanced budget per the city charter, however, knowing that there will be some changes uh inside that budget when we get to the August 10th meeting as well. So, but we will present a balanced budget as per the charter. August the tenth, we'll have our next meeting. Uh, there will also be a vote on the proposed tax rate. We'll have that information by then, working with the assessor collector's office. They actually prepare the TNT forms for us that calculates the tax rate. So we'll know that information by August the tenth, we'll have that vote on the proposed tax rate. And then you can see the rest of the time there. Those are statutory requirements of publishing the notice of the of the public hearing, and then publishing um, I should say 2026. Apologize they're not 2024 tax year and uh on the proposed tax rate, and then August the twenty-fourth, we'll have the first public hearing, and then on September the 14th, we'll have the uh second public hearing. Now that's all contingent on where our tax rate falls. It could be possible that the tax rate uh falls below, and we don't necessarily need to have a public hearing, but we'll just we'll know those a little bit later when we get to that to that August meeting for sure. So this is what's included in the 27 draft budget. We have the cost of living adjustment for all of the non-sworn personnel. You can see the police and fire step plans adjustments have been included in this budget. There's a tiny increase or decrease to TMRS, and then there's an approximate uh eight percent, just a little above eight percent health insurance. Next at our regularly scheduled meeting at the end of July, we'll have our health insurance consultants here. Uh we've met with them. The proposed number in there was about nine percent, just a little bit above nine percent. They're still working on that to try to get us down to the eight, but we will have them here as well for a brief presentation to y'all, like we've done for the past few years. Uh that'll be our consultants from USI. We currently have a placeholder in this budget for three million dollars. We had one for four million dollars because our revenues, especially in the ad velorum are moving backwards. We'll see that here in just a little bit, not moving in our favor. We've lowered that uh in attempts to balance the budget. Currently, there are no new positions in the general fund. Our compensation study adjustments are to be determined. We know that number, it's anywhere between two and three hundred thousand dollars. We haven't finalized that number, so that number is to be determined as well. Excuse me.