New Braunfels City Council Regular Meeting - August 10, 2026

The New Braunfels City Council held a regular meeting on August 10, 2026, lasting from 6:00 PM to 11:40 PM. Major actions included a contentious consent agenda, the first reading of stricter drought surcharges and water rates, the denial of a major park fee appeal from Lennar Corporation, and significant public comment on police surveillance and animal shelter funding.

Consent Calendar

• Procedure Dispute: Mayor French attempted to pull Items B-F from the consent agenda. Councilmember Spradley objected. A two-thirds majority vote (5 of 7) required to remove the items failed (3 in favor, 4 opposed). Items B-F remained on the consent agenda but were discussed individually before voting.
• Item A: Approved the July 27, 2026 meeting minutes with a correction.
• Item B (Fire Trucks): Authorized the purchase of a pumper truck and an aerial truck, pricing locked until Oct 2026 subject to CPI.
• Item C (Routine Expenditures): Approved contract expenditures for FY2026, including an additional $652,000 for aviation fuel costs offset by higher sales revenue.
• Item D (Budget Amendment): Approved a $946,000 budget amendment for the Cemetery Improvement Fund, Child Safety Fund, Facilities Maintenance Fund (PD sewer repairs), CDBG, and EAHCP Fund.
• Item E (Humane Society): Approved a one-year contract for FY2027 with the Humane Society for approximately $1.4 million (a 13% increase).
• Item F (Airport Grant): Authorized applying for an Airport Infrastructure Grant for pavement rehabilitation.
• Item G: Approved a 10-year historic rehabilitation tax incentive for 941 Lee Street.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Tribute to Wayne Rudolph: Citizens David Warmke, Jim Holster, and George Green honored the late Dr. Wayne Rudolph, a prominent community activist, advocating for a room in City Hall to be named in his memory.
• ALPRs & Privacy: A speaker from the Texas Privacy Coalition and resident Eli Isbill opposed the city's use of Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) by Flock Safety, citing Fourth Amendment violations, a lack of transparency, and the recent termination of a similar contract by Guadalupe County.
• Transparency: Angela Keller urged the council to provide full transparency in its decision-making processes.
• Police HQ Investigation: Lee Brown criticized the city for pulling the Police Department Headquarters presentation from the agenda and questioned the transparency of an independent investigation into the project.
• Humane Society: Stephanie Maddox, Nicole Bodelay, and others described severe overcrowding, critical maintenance needs, and low staff pay at the shelter, urging a funding increase beyond the proposed 13%.
• Divine Way Parking: Multiple residents from Dove Crossing and Fayette Drive described a dangerous intersection where a child was recently hit by a car, blaming sight-line obstructions caused by parked vehicles and high speeds.
• Drought Plan: Lee Brown spoke in support of the drought surcharges, arguing the cost should fall on the highest water users rather than the general rate base.

Discussion Items

• Divine Way Parking Ordinance (Unanimous): Garry Ford (Transportation Director) recommended against a full parking ban, advocating instead for a 20-foot restricted zone and a traffic study. Following emotional public testimony about safety, the council unanimously approved an amendment for no parking within 60 feet on all four corners of Fayette Drive and Divine Way and directed staff to initiate a traffic calming study.
• Drought Surcharges / Water Rates (First Reading, Passed 4-3): Ryan Kelso (NBU) proposed major updates to the drought contingency plan, including triggers for new Stage 4 and 5 surcharges, an increase in surcharges from $1/$2 to $4.18/$4.89 per 1,000 gallons, and a reduction in the usage threshold from 7,500 to 6,000 gallons. An amendment to delay the billing until October 2027 failed (6-1). The original ordinance passed its first reading 4-3, with Councilmembers Carter and Shaw and Mayor French dissenting.
• Lennar Corporation Park Fee Appeal (Denied Unanimously): Deputy City Manager Jordan Matney presented the appeal against the denial of a ~$2 million park fee reimbursement for the Navarro Subdivision. The developer's request for a postponement was denied. Staff detailed non-compliance with the parkland ordinance (drainage easements, non-contiguous land, failure to plat park first). The council unanimously denied the appeal.
• Rezoning for Short-Term Rental (256 E. Austin St., Passed 4-3): The second reading to rezone the property from R-2 to C-O SUP for a short-term rental passed 4-3, with Councilmembers Carter, Shaw, and Mayor French opposing.
• Gruene Area Multimodal Improvements (Unanimous): Council approved a resolution from the EDC for a $1.4 million project expenditure and a $1.36 million contract with Pape-Dawson Engineers for final design of the Gruene Multimodal Improvements Project.

Key Outcomes

• Divine Way Safety: No parking within 60 feet of the intersection of Fayette and Divine. Traffic calming study ordered.
• Drought Plan: First reading of stricter drought surcharges and water rate structure approved (4-3).
• Lennar Appeal: Denied unaminously. Developer must pay full park fees.
• Short-Term Rental: Approved for 256 East Austin Street (4-3).
• Gruene Project: Design contract and funding approved.
• Executive Session: Council met in closed session to discuss personnel matters (City Attorney and City Manager) and real estate (Connections Lease). No action was taken in open session following the executive session.