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Record of Proceedings

Watauga City Council Regular Meeting - April 13, 2026

City Council — Monday, April 13, 2026
BodyWatauga, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, April 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Unassigned speaker

0:20

All

Speaker 1

0:20

right, everybody signed in.

0:21

Here we go.

Unassigned speaker

0:26

I

Speaker 1

0:26

call to order the Wataga City Council regular meeting Monday, April 13th, 2026, City Hall Council Chambers at 6 30 p.m.

0:37

First item of business is roll call, place one.

Unassigned speaker

0:40

Pat

Speaker 2

0:41

Shelborn, prison.

Speaker 1

0:43

Place two.

Speaker 3

0:44

Chris Blackburn present.

Speaker 1

0:46

Place three.

Speaker 4

0:47

Lovey Downey present.

Speaker 1

0:49

Place four.

Speaker 5

0:51

Andrew

Speaker 6

0:51

Neal, present.

Speaker 1

0:53

Place five is vacant.

0:54

Place six.

Speaker 5

0:56

Mark Taylor, present.

Speaker 1

0:58

Place seven.

0:59

Jan Hill, present.

Unassigned speaker

1:02

And

Speaker 1

1:02

Mayor Art Minor present.

1:04

Before I move on to announcements, I'll just uh ask everybody to please silence your cell phones.

1:11

It's been a while since we had a group this size in here.

1:13

So if you would please silence them.

1:16

And next up is the invocation.

1:19

Associate Pastor Matthew Hearst of the First Baptist Church of Watauga.

Speaker 7

1:30

Let's pray.

1:32

Heavenly Father, thank you for today.

1:35

And Lord, thank you for the life we get to live.

1:39

Lord, as we go about the city council meeting, we recognize that all authorities are established by you.

Unassigned speaker

1:45

And

Speaker 7

1:46

Lord, you've called them to do what is good.

1:47

And so Lord, by your spirit, guide the meeting so that the city council will do what is good to honor those who deserve honor, and Lord, to bless your holy name.

1:57

Lord, just thank you so much for the city we get to live in.

2:01

Lord, may uh by your hand, Lord, would you uh empower all those uh our police officers, our firefighters, and all those there in the city who uh work, Lord, to do work well uh for the betterment of the city of Watauga and ultimately, Lord, for your glory.

2:16

We love you, Lord.

2:17

We pray and ask these things in Jesus' name.

2:20

Amen.

Speaker 1

3:00

All right, moving right along.

3:02

Announcements, place one.

Speaker 5

3:05

Not at this time, thank you.

Speaker 1

3:07

Place two,

Unassigned speaker

3:09

just

Speaker 3

3:09

a small announcement.

3:12

It is kitten season again, you guys.

3:15

Um, so if you are out there and you find a litter of kittens that are being attended by a mother cat that might have stepped away from there, please don't pick them up and remove them.

3:25

There is not a group of older ladies at the animal control to bottle feed kittens for 24 hours a day, seven days a week until they're winged.

3:34

We're very limited on volunteer, so I would ask if you would just you know give it a minute if it's absolutely they're in peril, and you need to remove them, then reach out to animal control before doing so just to get the next steps.

3:46

But yeah, um, if y'all could please just take in mind kitten seasons really hitting hard this year, and I'm tired.

3:53

So thank

Unassigned speaker

3:54

you.

Speaker 1

3:56

Place three.

Speaker 4

3:57

None at this time, mayor.

3:59

I'll let DJ place four do everything.

Speaker 1

4:03

Place four.

Speaker 8

4:04

Man, after that announcement, you gotta be kidding

Unassigned speaker

4:07

me.

Speaker 8

4:07

So congrats to NASA and the Artemis Space program.

4:14

That was awesome to see.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning Regulations█████████████████████████████████████37%
Procedural████████████████16%
Public Safety██████████████14%
Water And Wastewater Management████████8%
Economic Development██████6%
Animal Welfare████4%
Community Engagement████4%
Personnel Matters███3%
Environmental Protection███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Watauga City Council Regular Meeting - April 13, 2026

The Watauga City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, April 13, 2026, at City Hall Council Chambers from 6:30 PM to 8:29 PM. The meeting featured life-saving awards, the unanimous approval of a zoning change and plat for the 26.8-acre 'Saddlecrest' development on Chapman Road, and the adoption of several administrative and utility-related ordinances. (Note: The agenda lists the Mayor as Arthur Miner, while the spoken transcript refers to him as Art Minor).

Consent Calendar

  • Items passed unanimously included resolutions for the Green Ribbon Program (TxDot landscape agreement and Advance Funding Agreement), appointment of Municipal Court Judge J. Stewart Bass and Alternate Judge Lorraine Irby, a contract with Overhead Door Company of Fort Worth for fire station security doors, approval of Strategic Planning Workshop Minutes (February 21, 2026), and the Monthly Financial Report (February 2026).

Awards & Recognitions

  • Service Awards: Mary Hewitt (Library) was recognized for her five-year milestone anniversary.
  • Employee of the Month: Brian Pierce (Parks and Recreation) was recognized for dependability and mentoring.
  • HERO Award: Awarded to Alex Schneider, a private contractor who performed CPR on Scott Kennedy after a cardiac arrest led to a vehicle crash on September 19, 2025. Mr. Kennedy and his wife Janet attended to thank everyone involved.
  • Life Saving Award: Presented to Firefighter Paramedics Mason Doyle, Caden Wallace, Derek Plunkett, Tyler Smith, and Lieutenant James V Oak (Medic 311 and Engine 311). Officials stressed that fewer than 10% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests result in survival, highlighting the significance of bystander intervention and the crew's advanced care. Jacob White (Medical City North Hills) and Dr. Johnson (Medical Director) also spoke, urging citizens to learn hands-only CPR.

Public Comments & Testimony (Public Hearing Z.26-01)

  • Merle Waite (6900 Quail Meadow Drive): Opposed the Saddlecrest development. Presented a petition, expressed frustration with the process stating it is 'dysfunctional,' and cited traffic congestion, floodplain concerns, and a preference for commercial development to lower property taxes.
  • Unnamed resident (since 1978): Opposed the project, raising concerns about increased flooding downstream due to impervious cover, displacement of wildlife (skunks, raccoons), and difficulty exiting onto Chapman Road due to added traffic. He urged the council to 'vote for the citizens of Watauga.'
  • The public hearing opened at 7:19 PM and closed at 7:26 PM.

Discussion Items

  • Z.26-01 (Zoning Change) & P.26-01 (Preliminary Plat): Staff (Jeannette Garcia, Paul Hackleman) presented the request to rezone 6401 Chapman Road from SF-6 to Planned Development (PD) and approve the preliminary plat for 'Saddlecrest,' a 96-lot subdivision by Sandlin Homes. Key features include 35.53% open space (largely floodplain managed by an HOA), 5,500 sq ft minimum lots, and 100% masonry requirement. A Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) covering 12 intersections was underway. Staff argued the PD provides the city with superior control over design and maintenance compared to standard SF-6 zoning.
    • Council discussion centered on the benefits of the PD, property rights, and fiscal impact. Councilman Mark Taylor (who lives in the adjacent neighborhood) supported it as following the comprehensive plan and respecting the property owner's rights. Councilwoman Lovey Downey (a third-generation Watauga resident) supported it for its contribution to the tax base (projected $44 million in taxable value and $255,000 in annual property tax revenue to the city) and the enhanced regulatory leverage a PD provides over residential construction.
  • Water Conservation Ordinance (Art. III, Ch. 42): Taylor Alvarez (Utility Superintendent) presented an amendment to align with Fort Worth's wholesale water agreement and strengthen enforcement. The amendment adds fines up to $2,000 for violations related to public health and safety, utilizing smart meter data and code enforcement for compliance.
  • Hometown Heroes: Council nominated three entities for the Northeast Tarrant Chamber award: Alex Snyder, the Animal Control officers who handled a major dog hoarding case, and City Manager Sandra Gibson.
  • Training & Travel Budget Procedures: Council approved directing staff to revise the Rules of Procedure so that individual council members can request additional funds from the full council once their individual budget allocation is exhausted.

Key Outcomes

  • Zoning Change (Z.26-01): Approved unanimously (6-0). Property rezoned from SF-6 to PD for residential development (Saddlecrest).
  • Preliminary Plat (P.26-01): Approved unanimously (6-0). Plat for the Saddlecrest subdivision accepted.
  • Water Ordinance: Approved unanimously (6-0). Amended to include $2,000 fines and enhanced enforcement tools for irrigation violations.
  • Hometown Heroes Nominees: Approved unanimously (6-0). Nominees submitted to the Chamber.
  • Training & Travel Rules: Approved unanimously (6-0). Staff directed to formalize the amendment to the Council Rules of Procedure.

Meeting Transcript

All right, everybody signed in. Here we go. I call to order the Wataga City Council regular meeting Monday, April 13th, 2026, City Hall Council Chambers at 6 30 p.m. First item of business is roll call, place one. Pat Shelborn, prison. 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. Before I move on to announcements, I'll just uh ask everybody to please silence your cell phones. It's been a while since we had a group this size in here. So if you would please silence them. And next up is the invocation. Associate Pastor Matthew Hearst of the First Baptist Church of Watauga. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for today. And Lord, thank you for the life we get to live. Lord, as we go about the city council meeting, we recognize that all authorities are established by you. And Lord, you've called them to do what is good. And so Lord, by your spirit, guide the meeting so that the city council will do what is good to honor those who deserve honor, and Lord, to bless your holy name. Lord, just thank you so much for the city we get to live in. Lord, may uh by your hand, Lord, would you uh empower all those uh our police officers, our firefighters, and all those there in the city who uh work, Lord, to do work well uh for the betterment of the city of Watauga and ultimately, Lord, for your glory. We love you, Lord. We pray and ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, moving right along. Announcements, place one. Not at this time, thank you. Place two, just a small announcement. It is kitten season again, you guys. Um, so if you are out there and you find a litter of kittens that are being attended by a mother cat that might have stepped away from there, please don't pick them up and remove them. There is not a group of older ladies at the animal control to bottle feed kittens for 24 hours a day, seven days a week until they're winged. We're very limited on volunteer, so I would ask if you would just you know give it a minute if it's absolutely they're in peril, and you need to remove them, then reach out to animal control before doing so just to get the next steps. But yeah, um, if y'all could please just take in mind kitten seasons really hitting hard this year, and I'm tired.

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