New Braunfels City Council Regular Meeting – April 13, 2026

The New Braunfels City Council met on Monday, April 13, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included proclamations for three awareness months/days, approval of a large consent agenda, a resolution supporting New Braunfels Utilities' headquarters financing, and a presentation on towing ordinance revisions. The council entered executive session to discuss litigation, economic development, and a right-of-way acquisition, but did not reconvene for further action.

Proclamations

• Apraxia Awareness Day (May 14, 2026): Mayor Linnartz read the proclamation. Volunteers from Apraxia Kids accepted and a family member spoke about their child's journey. Approximately 1 in 1,000 children are affected by childhood apraxia of speech.
• Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month (April 2026): Mayor Linnartz read the proclamation. Representatives from CASA of Central Texas and the Children's Advocacy Center of Comal County spoke. Stacey Dofer (Executive Director, CAC) reported 2,691 reports of child abuse in Comal County in 2025, with 346 children receiving forensic interviews or counseling. Jade Dimitri (CASA Communications Manager) noted 239 confirmed victims and that CASA served 86% of the 191 children who entered foster care.
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April 2026): Mayor Linnartz read the proclamation. Julie Strength (CEO, Crisis Center of Comal County) reported serving 1,373 survivors through more than 36,000 services in 2025—a 49% increase—and providing over 8,000 safe nights of shelter, with 83% leaving for stable housing. The center’s new building will serve over 90 people per day by June 2026.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda included 25 items (Action items A–J, Resolutions K–P, Ordinances Q–Y). All were approved unanimously by a motion from Mayor Pro Tem Spradley, seconded by Councilmember Capizzi, with the exception of Item I (Kohlenberg Road right-of-way expenditure up to $600,000), which was pulled by staff and moved to the executive session.

Discussion Items

• NBU Headquarters Reimbursement Resolution: Jessica Williams, CFO of New Braunfels Utilities, presented a resolution declaring the city's expectation to reimburse its general fund for up to $190 million in expenditures for the new NBU headquarters building, using proceeds from future debt. She emphasized this does not authorize debt issuance—only satisfies IRS requirements to reimburse invoices from the prior 60 days. Councilmember Edwards moved to approve, Councilmember Capizzi seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
• Towing Ordinance Revisions Presentation: Chief Osbaldo Flores presented a proposed update to the city's towing ordinance, the first since 2015. He highlighted that 93% of incident management tows are light-duty, and proposed rate increases (32% for light duty, 18% for medium, 56% for heavy) based on comparable cities and a 14% annual growth in insurance premiums for local tow companies. Proposed rates include increasing light-duty crash and arrest tows from $190/$160 to $250, and adding major incident fees. Council directed staff to research adjustable fuel rates or surcharges, add an electric vehicle tow section, and implement a two-year review cycle. No action was taken; staff will return with an amended ordinance.
• Public Comment on Towing Ordinance: Two speakers addressed the item:
  • Javier Hernandez (Interstate Towing & Recovery, resident) supported rate increases and requested a $300 arrest tow rate and $100 additional for flatbed/all-wheel drive/electric vehicles, citing increased costs and difficulty towing electric vehicles.
  • Jocelyn McClellan (resident) asked about fairness in rotation and expressed concern about high charges after her daughter's stolen car was recovered.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved unanimously, minus Item I (moved to executive session).
• NBU reimbursement resolution approved unanimously.
• No action was taken on the towing ordinance; staff will incorporate council feedback and present a final ordinance at a future meeting.
• Executive session was held to discuss litigation (City of New Braunfels v. Joe Henry Tays), economic development negotiations (Project Casa), the City Attorney’s evaluation, and the pulled consent item (Kohlenberg Road right-of-way). Council did not reconvene into open session, so no further actions were taken.