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Record of Proceedings

Watauga City Council Regular Meeting | May 11, 2026

City Council — Monday, May 11, 2026
BodyWatauga, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, May 11, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Speaker 1

1:51

Call to order Wataga City Council regular meeting Monday, May eleventh, two thousand twenty-six.

1:57

City Hall Council Chambers at six forty-one PM.

Unassigned speaker

2:07

First

Speaker 1

2:07

item of business is roll call, place one.

2:13

Place two.

Speaker 2

2:15

Chris Blackburn present.

Speaker 1

2:17

Place three.

Speaker 2

2:18

Lovey Downey present.

Speaker 1

2:20

Place four.

2:22

Andrew

Speaker 3

2:22

Neal present.

Speaker 1

2:24

Place five is vacant for another six or seven minutes.

2:41

Yeah, go ahead.

Speaker 4

2:45

I'm not I'm sure I don't understand how you could miss me.

2:50

Uh Mark Taylor present.

Unassigned speaker

2:52

And

Speaker 1

2:53

Mayor Art Minor present.

2:56

Next up will be the invocation, Deacon Darrell Fapp from the Victory Tabernacle Church, if you would, sir.

Speaker 5

3:09

Father God, we honor you for your gifts of grace and mercy each day.

3:15

You have been good to us in our city.

3:18

And we say thank you in on the way.

3:21

We ask that you grant wisdom and guidance to Mayor Minor, leading our city community, also our city council in creating and implementing policies that benefit our city.

3:33

Protect our police, the first responders as they risk their safety for those suffering adversity.

3:39

Grant unity among our city and their neighboring communities as well.

3:44

Lead each of us that daily we may honor and glorify your name.

Speaker 6

4:05

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for

Speaker 2

4:11

all.

Speaker 1

5:04

Place four.

Speaker 7

5:06

So exciting.

5:07

I mean, I'm I'm pumped.

5:08

I'm gonna have somebody sitting next to me now after I don't know, a year, it seems

Unassigned speaker

5:11

like but

Speaker 7

5:12

if we look at Cap Smith, you see the rides coming in, you know what that means?

5:16

That means Watoga Fest is here.

5:18

It's Thursday.

5:20

Go out there and get all kinds of goodies and ride rides.

5:23

You're gonna have crafts and people selling things.

5:26

I mean, who doesn't need more useless stuff for their house?

5:30

But you know, maybe that's not your thing.

5:34

Maybe it's a little hot and you're just like, how do I co-op?

5:36

Well, the splash pads open.

5:38

Yay.

5:40

And coming June 6th, erect center, it's gonna be field day.

5:44

It's gonna be awesome.

5:45

Are they doing the don't take Mayor?

Unassigned speaker

5:46

Yeah.

Speaker 7

5:48

Oh, yeah.

5:52

Yes,

Speaker 1

5:52

I'll be doing the dunk tank.

Speaker 7

5:53

I'm sorry, I had the date wrong, it's the fifth.

5:55

But there'll be a dunk take there.

5:57

Come out there, throw some balls and don't go.

5:59

And finally, yesterday was Mother's Day.

6:03

And you know, maybe if you forgot to get your mom something, you can go down the animal shelter.

6:07

They got lots of dogs and cats.

6:09

That makes up for not remembering Mother's Day, because everybody needs

Unassigned speaker

6:13

a

Speaker 7

6:13

fluffy little kitten or a doggo.

Speaker 1

6:20

Place six.

Speaker 4

6:23

Yeah, I just want to know.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████████████35%
Parks and Recreation████████████████████████24%
Disability Rights█████████9%
Budget Management█████████9%
Public Engagement████████8%
Affordable Housing████████8%
Personnel Matters███3%
Pending Litigation██2%
Animal Welfare█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Watauga City Council Regular Meeting | May 11, 2026

The Watauga City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, May 11, 2026, at 6:41 PM in the City Hall Council Chambers. Mayor Art Miner presided. The meeting included the swearing-in of new and returning council members, a proclamation, service awards, and a detailed presentation on the Capp Smith Food Truck Park. The council approved a 30% delinquent account collection fee, updated the rules of procedure, appointed a new Mayor Pro Tem, and renewed participation in the Tarrant County HOME program. No public comments or testimony were offered.

Oaths of Office

  • Judge Stewart Bass administered oaths to newly elected Place 5 Council Member Stephen Welch and reelected Place 1 Pat Shelbourne, Place 2 Cris Blackburn, Place 6 Mark Taylor, and Place 7 Jan Hill.

Presentations & Reports

  • Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes Awareness Month: A speaker with EDS provided a personal testimony on the challenges of the condition and its management, expressing gratitude for the city's recognition and proclamation.
  • Service Awards: Clint James, Utility Supervisor, was recognized for five years of service. Employee of the Month Madeline Ford (Animal Control Center) was recognized for her work improving shelter adoption rates.
  • Capp Smith Food Truck Park Schematic Design Update: Timothy Hamilton presented updated designs. The project budget is $1.5 million from EDC funds. Construction is anticipated from August 2026 through May 2027, with a target opening for Watauga Fest. Designs include a comfort station with concession stand, artificial turf near the splash pad, permeable food truck driveways, an approximately 1,200 sq ft shade pavilion for live music, and power/water hookups to eliminate generator noise. Council members discussed the potential for a memorial/sponsorship tree program (Taylor, Blackburn), the stability of decomposed granite pathways (Downey), inclusion of bicycle racks (Neal), protection of existing trees during construction (Neal), and the elimination of generator noise as a major improvement (Neal).

Consent Calendar

  • The council approved items 1–6, 8, and 9 with one motion. Item 7 was pulled for separate discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • None were offered.

Discussion Items

  • Delinquent Account Collection Fee: Finance Director Calvert proposed an ordinance to add a 30% collection fee on delinquent utility and EMS accounts sent to a collection agency. Discussion clarified the fee is added on top of the original debt as a cost recovery measure, not a revenue generator, and aligns with existing practices for court costs and property tax collections. Council members discussed customer payment plans and relief mechanisms.
  • Council Rules of Procedure and Code of Conduct: Mayor Miner presented amendments, including a new travel training section and a clarified agenda structure. Council member Hill confirmed the rules apply to boards and commissions. Council member Taylor verified announcements were removed from workshop agendas.
  • Appointment of Mayor Pro Tem: Council member Hill nominated Mark Taylor. Council member Downey noted the informal tradition of rotating the position annually to provide experience for newer members.
  • Tarrant County HOME Program: Pulled from the consent agenda by Council member Taylor, Planner Jeannette Garcia detailed the program which provides home repair assistance for income-qualifying homeowners. Eligibility criteria include owning and living in the home for at least one year, being current on taxes, and having a household income below limits (e.g., $59,750 for one person, $68,300 for two, $85,350 for four). The city has unspent funds allocated to the program. Garcia encouraged citizens to apply through the county's community development department.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda Items (1-6, 8, 9): Approved unanimously (7-0).
  • Delinquent Account Fee (Action Item 1): Ordinance approved unanimously (7-0).
  • Council Rules of Procedure (Action Item 2): Amended manual approved unanimously (7-0).
  • Mayor Pro Tem (Action Item 3): Mark Taylor appointed Mayor Pro Tem unanimously (7-0).
  • HOME Program Resolution (Action Item 4): Renewed participation in the Tarrant County HOME Program approved unanimously (7-0).
  • Executive Session (US Department of Labor): Council met in executive session to consult with legal counsel regarding correspondence from the US Department of Labor. Upon reconvening, council took no action on the item.
  • Items for Future Agendas: None were raised by council members.
  • Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 8:38 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Call to order Wataga City Council regular meeting Monday, May eleventh, two thousand twenty-six. City Hall Council Chambers at six forty-one PM. 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 for another six or seven minutes. Yeah, go ahead. I'm not I'm sure I don't understand how you could miss me. Uh Mark Taylor present. And Mayor Art Minor present. Next up will be the invocation, Deacon Darrell Fapp from the Victory Tabernacle Church, if you would, sir. Father God, we honor you for your gifts of grace and mercy each day. You have been good to us in our city. And we say thank you in on the way. We ask that you grant wisdom and guidance to Mayor Minor, leading our city community, also our city council in creating and implementing policies that benefit our city. Protect our police, the first responders as they risk their safety for those suffering adversity. Grant unity among our city and their neighboring communities as well. Lead each of us that daily we may honor and glorify your name. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Place four. So exciting. I mean, I'm I'm pumped. I'm gonna have somebody sitting next to me now after I don't know, a year, it seems like but if we look at Cap Smith, you see the rides coming in, you know what that means? That means Watoga Fest is here. It's Thursday. Go out there and get all kinds of goodies and ride rides. You're gonna have crafts and people selling things. I mean, who doesn't need more useless stuff for their house? But you know, maybe that's not your thing. Maybe it's a little hot and you're just like, how do I co-op? Well, the splash pads open. Yay. And coming June 6th, erect center, it's gonna be field day. It's gonna be awesome. Are they doing the don't take Mayor? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yes, I'll be doing the dunk tank. I'm sorry, I had the date wrong, it's the fifth.

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