Mansfield City Council Regular Meeting – August 24, 2026

The Mansfield City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, August 24, 2026, beginning at 2:00 p.m. at Council Chambers, 1200 E. Broad St., Mansfield, TX. All seven council members were present, with Council Member Brent Newsom arriving at 2:09 p.m. The council held a work session on consent agenda items, recessed into executive session from 2:10 p.m. to 5:47 p.m. for legal, real property, personnel, and economic development matters, and reconvened at 6:01 p.m. for the regular business session. The meeting adjourned at 7:56 p.m. No action was taken pursuant to executive session.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the August 10, 2026 Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone #4 Board meeting minutes by a 7-0 vote.
• Approved the consent agenda as a whole by a 7-0 vote, including:
  • A resolution denying SiEnergy Gas, LLC's statement of intent to increase rates and requiring the company to reimburse the city's reasonable rate case expenses.
  • A construction contract with CGC General Contractors, Inc. for the James McKnight Park disc golf course in an amount not to exceed $876,449.12, funded through the MPFDC fund and a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant. Staff noted 25 bids were received.
  • A professional services contract with LJA Engineering, Inc. for Forest Brook Linear Trail landscape architecture and engineering design services in an amount not to exceed $406,250.
  • Amendment No. 2 to the Tarrant County interlocal agreement for Dick Price Road improvements in an amount not to exceed $1,584,500.
  • Amendment No. 2 to the Tarrant County interlocal agreement for Heritage Parkway improvements in an amount not to exceed $2,807,000.
  • Approval of the August 10, 2026 regular City Council meeting minutes.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Terrhonda Hillman of 1202 Killian Drive addressed the council during citizen comments. She described herself as a Mansfield resident, a Mansfield ISD parent and grandparent, a small business owner, a cultural arts partner, and a city contractor. She said the city canceled her stage play "The Porch, The History of Mansfield" 45 days before opening and terminated her Mansfield Commission for the Arts Incubator Partnership. She also said two separate city cleaning contracts she held for five years were terminated in the same meeting, preventing her from bidding on future city contracts. She alleged that the reasons given were "manufactured," that she has documentation, and that the actions were "unethical, irresponsible, negligent, and outright sloppy." She connected her comments to the 70th anniversary of the attempt to desegregate Mansfield High School.
• No members of the public spoke at the public hearings for the budget, tax rate, or the two specific use permits.

Presentations and Staff Updates

• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) partnership: Rachel Bagley, Assistant Director of Economic Development, announced that TTUHSC will establish a long-term presence at the Mansfield Innovation Community (MIC) within the Link Innovation District, occupying approximately 33,000 square feet on the third floor for the School of Nursing, simulation labs, classrooms, and collaborative spaces. Dr. Lori Rice-Spearman and Dr. Holly Wei spoke about strengthening the nursing pipeline; Dr. Rice-Spearman noted that more than 5,000 School of Nursing alumni live and work in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Mayor Evans welcomed the partnership and said health care is one of Mansfield's fastest-growing sectors.
• Geyer Commons update: Ann Beck, Parks and Recreation Marketing and Communications Manager, reported on the inaugural spring cottage market season. Highlights included: 12 cottage vendors recorded combined gross sales of just over $570,000 in 22 weeks; 199 unique vendors participated through pop-ups or food trucks; about $13,000 in vendor fees was collected; the site drew 95,000 visitors, an 800% increase in activity; average stay was 49 minutes; 58% of visitors were non-residents; 49% showed loyalty by visiting more than twice; 198 events were held, 102 of which were partner events; the city received more than $91,000 in sponsorships, donations, or partnership support; 15,000 people attended events; and the summer program logged a record 57,000 hours of screen-free fun. The fall season begins September 4, 2026, with two new vendors.

Budget and Tax Rate Public Hearings (First Readings)

• Troy Lestina, Deputy City Manager/CFO, presented the proposed FY 2026-27 budget and the 2026 tax rate. The proposed budget raises less property tax revenue than the prior year by $4,410,936, a 6.63% decrease, while including $3,070,641 in revenue from new property added to the tax roll. The budget adds 15 new FTEs citywide and includes $7 million in capital equipment across all funds.
• The proposed tax rate is $0.639000 per $100 of assessed valuation, the same rate as the prior year. The no-new-revenue tax rate is $0.603794, and the voter-approval rate was reported as approximately $0.73. The 20% homestead exemption reduced the median taxable homestead value to $296,999, with an estimated city property tax bill of $1,897.82, a savings of about $222.89 compared with the prior year's $2,120.71 on the median homestead.
• The public hearings were opened and closed with no speakers. The council approved first reading of both the budget ordinance and the tax rate ordinance by 7-0 votes. The second public hearing and final adoption are scheduled for September 14, 2026.

Public Hearings and Zoning Actions

• Stillwater Capital zoning request (ZC24-016): This requested a change from PD to PD for commercial, residential, and institutional uses on 153.073 acres bounded by E. Broad St., Matlock Rd., Heritage Pkwy., and Regency Pkwy. The applicant had requested to table the item indefinitely. A motion to table indefinitely passed 7-0.
• SUP26-003 (351 Matlock Rd.): Approved a Specific Use Permit for an eating establishment with drive-through beverage service on 0.78 acre. The planning and zoning commission had recommended approval 5-0. The approval included conditions related to revised building elevations, additional landscaping along Matlock Road and the drive-through lane, three total wall signs, and removal of the proposed mural. The public hearing had no speakers; the vote was 7-0.
• SUP26-004 (2431 E. Broad St.): Approved a Specific Use Permit for an eating establishment with drive-through service on 0.97 acre. Applicant representatives described a proposed building of about 3,100 square feet. The public hearing had no speakers; the vote was 7-0.

New Business

• Alcohol variance request (26-2659): Blazing Hospitality, LLC requested a variance from the 300-foot minimum distance for on-premise alcohol sales for a proposed Gloria's Latin Cuisine restaurant on about 2.927 acres at 2041 and 2081 E. Broad St. Staff reported the closest property-line distance to Mansfield ISD's Willie Brown Academy is about 164.48 feet. Staff recommended conditions including a TABC food and beverage certificate, TABC-aligned hours, no bar or nightclub use, and applicability tied to the property and use. Council members asked for additional site, entrance/exit, and school-zone information. A motion to table the item passed 7-0.
• Staybolt Public Improvement District (26-2660): Approved the 2026 annual update to the service and assessment plan and assessment roll, including collection of 2026 annual installments. Staff described it as routine, with no lot sales, no new assessments, and no plats filed. Vote was 7-0.
• Municipal Court presiding judge (26-2662): City Attorney Victor Flores recommended no action on the ordinance to appoint a presiding judge, stating he would bring back an updated presentation at a future council meeting. No appointment was made.

Key Outcomes

• All votes were 7-0 with all seven council members present.
• TIRZ #4 minutes and regular City Council minutes approved.
• SiEnergy rate case resolution, disc golf construction contract, Forest Brook Linear Trail design contract, and two Tarrant County interlocal amendments approved as part of the consent agenda.
• First readings of the FY 2026-27 budget ordinance and the 2026 ad valorem tax rate ordinance approved; second hearing and final adoption set for September 14, 2026.
• Stillwater Capital zoning case tabled indefinitely.
• Two specific use permits for drive-through eating establishments approved.
• Alcohol sales distance variance tabled.
• Staybolt PID 2026 annual update approved.
• No action taken on municipal court judge appointment; no action was taken under executive session.