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Record of Proceedings

Watauga City Council Regular Meeting - February 9, 2026

City Council — Monday, February 9, 2026
BodyWatauga, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, February 9, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Unassigned speaker

0:13

I

Speaker 1

0:14

call to order the Wataga City Council regular meeting Monday, February 9th, 2026.

0:20

City Hall Council Chambers at 6 30 p.m.

0:24

First item of business is roll call.

0:26

Place one.

0:29

Place two.

0:30

Chris Blackburn present.

0:32

Place three.

0:33

Lovey Downey present.

0:35

Place four.

Speaker 2

0:36

Andrew

Speaker 3

0:37

Neal present.

Speaker 1

0:38

Place five is vacant.

0:40

Place six.

Speaker 3

0:41

Mark Taylor, present.

Speaker 1

0:43

Place seven.

0:45

Jan Hill present.

0:47

And Mayor Art Minor present.

0:49

Next up will be the invocation.

0:51

Pastor Samuel of Elisu Church, if you would, sir.

Speaker 4

1:02

Father God, we want to thank you for this beautiful day and giving us this wonderful weather.

1:09

And we pray for each people of Waterloo Cities.

1:16

And Lord, we pray that they may have a good healthy life and safety.

1:21

Lord, we pray for their families at the same time.

1:24

Also, Lord, I pray today for City Council.

1:28

I pray that you may give them direction, strength, as unity.

1:36

May whatever they do for the city of Watoga and other people brings peace and benefits to each people or each person.

1:46

We give honor and glory to you.

1:48

We pray this all in Jesus' name.

1:51

Amen.

Speaker 5

2:21

One is

Speaker 1

2:33

all right.

2:33

Next up, announcements, place one.

Speaker 3

2:36

Not at this time, thank

Unassigned speaker

2:38

you.

Speaker 6

2:42

Thank you.

2:43

I do have an announcement.

2:47

There's a few uh beautiful dogs.

2:50

They had an adoption event yesterday at animal control at Perry's Pizza.

2:54

Um, there's several uh large breed dogs who could use good homes.

2:58

So if you're uh looking for a snuggle buddy, I would recommend that you go to the animal control here in Watauga and adopt your next best friend.

3:07

Place

Speaker 1

3:08

three.

Speaker 7

3:09

Not at this time, Mayor, but place four has all the notes.

Speaker 2

3:18

Such enthusiasm, it just makes me excited to be up here.

3:22

First and foremost, I want to uh say thank you to the city staff during the ice storm.

3:27

Uh y'all are out there working, keeping the streets clear, busting or fixing busted lines.

3:33

So appreciate the staff for what y'all did.

3:35

That was that was not a fun uh job to do.

3:38

But on another point with fun staff is Mayfest comes

Unassigned speaker

3:42

up

Speaker 2

3:42

May 14th.

3:44

I'm looking for is

Unassigned speaker

3:45

it

Speaker 2

3:46

Wataga Fest?

3:47

I don't know.

3:47

My brain just I'm gone.

Unassigned speaker

3:50

It's

Speaker 2

3:50

Wataga Fest.

3:51

I'm excited.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████48%
Personnel Matters██████████████████████████28%
Zoning Regulations██████████████████19%
Animal Welfare█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Watauga City Council Regular Meeting - February 9, 2026

The Watauga City Council met in regular session at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, February 9, 2026, in the City Hall Council Chamber at 7105 Whitley Road. Roll call showed Councilmembers Blackburn, Downey, Neal, Taylor, and Hill present, with Place 5 vacant; Mayor Arthur Miner presided. The council unanimously approved the consent agenda (as amended) and an ordinance consolidating the Board of Appeals into the Board of Adjustment. The meeting adjourned at 6:46 p.m.

Presentations & Announcements

  • Mayor Miner and staff presented the February Employee of the Month Award to Police Sergeant Danielle Bannock, a city employee since October 2011, cited for leadership, mentoring, and work on a major animal cruelty case.
  • Brad Harston received a 20-year service award for his work as a utility billing representative; he began as a meter reader. His supervisor, Morgan Roper, praised his commitment and customer service.
  • The mayor announced the Watauga Public Library received the Achievement of Excellence in Libraries Award from the Texas Municipal Library Directors Association, noting the library placed in the top 8% of roughly 250 libraries.
  • The mayor also thanked public works staff for road preparation during the recent ice storm/polar vortex, acknowledged a thank-you letter from a neighboring city's mayor regarding the Watauga Fire Department, and promoted adoptable dogs at the city animal shelter.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 1 - the Atmos Energy Corporation franchise ordinance for constructing, maintaining, and operating pipelines and equipment - was pulled from the consent agenda and deferred to the March 9, 2026 meeting.
  • The remaining consent items were approved unanimously, including:
    • TxDOT Advanced Funding Agreement for railroad crossing maintenance at US 377 (Denton Hwy) and Watauga Road.
    • Ordinance extending the deadline for ballot applications for the May 2, 2026 special election to fill the Place 5 City Council vacancy.
    • Franchise ordinance and agreement with Tri-County Electric Cooperative for electric services.
    • Grant application (#5687201) for federal funds to purchase a 3D laser scanner for the Watauga Police Department.
    • Appointment of Crystal Morgan to Place 1 on the Animal Advisory Board.
    • Quarterly Investment Report and Monthly Financial Report for the period ending December 31, 2025.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No requests for public comment or public testimony were made.

Discussion Items

  • The council considered an ordinance repealing provisions for the Board of Appeals, replacing Board of Appeals references with the Board of Adjustment, and empowering the Board of Adjustment to serve as the Building Standards Commission.
  • Council questions focused on whether the Board of Appeals' legal authority under the building codes would carry over. City staff explained that the ordinance consolidates all quasi-judicial appellate authority into the Board of Adjustment, and the same members will serve in different capacities depending on the matter.
  • A motion to approve the ordinance was made and seconded, with Councilmember Downey seconding; the motion passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda as amended passed 6-0 (0 opposed, 0 abstentions).
  • Ordinance consolidating Board of Appeals into Board of Adjustment passed 6-0.
  • Atmos Energy franchise item will return on March 9, 2026.
  • No items were proposed for future agendas.
  • Meeting adjourned at 6:46 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

I call to order the Wataga City Council regular meeting Monday, February 9th, 2026. City Hall Council Chambers at 6 30 p.m. First item of business is roll call. Place one. Place two. Chris Blackburn present. Place three. Lovey Downey present. Place four. Andrew Neal present. Place five is vacant. Place six. Mark Taylor, present. Place seven. Jan Hill present. And Mayor Art Minor present. Next up will be the invocation. Pastor Samuel of Elisu Church, if you would, sir. Father God, we want to thank you for this beautiful day and giving us this wonderful weather. And we pray for each people of Waterloo Cities. And Lord, we pray that they may have a good healthy life and safety. Lord, we pray for their families at the same time. Also, Lord, I pray today for City Council. I pray that you may give them direction, strength, as unity. May whatever they do for the city of Watoga and other people brings peace and benefits to each people or each person. We give honor and glory to you. We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen. One is all right. Next up, announcements, place one. Not at this time, thank you. Thank you. I do have an announcement. There's a few uh beautiful dogs. They had an adoption event yesterday at animal control at Perry's Pizza. Um, there's several uh large breed dogs who could use good homes. So if you're uh looking for a snuggle buddy, I would recommend that you go to the animal control here in Watauga and adopt your next best friend. Place three. Not at this time, Mayor, but place four has all the notes. Such enthusiasm, it just makes me excited to be up here. First and foremost, I want to uh say thank you to the city staff during the ice storm. Uh y'all are out there working, keeping the streets clear, busting or fixing busted lines. So appreciate the staff for what y'all did. That was that was not a fun uh job to do. But on another point with fun staff is Mayfest comes

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