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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Watauga City Council Approves FY 2026-27 Budget and Tax Rate; Denies Tire Shop SUP (Aug. 24, 2026)

City Council — Monday, August 24, 2026

BodyWatauga, Texas

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, August 24, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:13:16

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Unassigned speaker

0:49

Yes, sir.

Unassigned speaker

0:57

I

Speaker 1

0:58

call to order the Watagha City Council regular meeting Monday, August 24th, 2026.

1:04

City Hall Council Chambers at 6 30 p.m.

1:08

First item of business is roll call, place one.

Unassigned speaker

1:11

I

Speaker 2

1:12

had Shellborne present.

Speaker 1

1:13

Place two.

Unassigned speaker

1:15

Chris

Speaker 1

1:15

Lacron present.

1:17

Place three.

Speaker 3

1:18

Love you down here, present.

Speaker 1

1:20

Place four.

1:22

Andrew Neal, present.

1:24

Place five.

Speaker 4

1:26

Stephen Welch, present.

Speaker 1

1:27

Place six.

Speaker 5

1:29

Mark Taylor, present.

Speaker 1

1:31

Place seven.

1:33

Jan Hill, present.

1:34

And Mayor Art Minor present.

1:36

Next up will be invocation.

1:39

Pastor Dennis Hester of Wataga First Pastors Church, if you would, sir.

Unassigned speaker

1:45

Thank

Speaker 6

1:46

you, Mayor.

1:46

Let's pray together.

1:47

Father, as we uh come to this uh meeting tonight, we uh just humble ourselves before you and uh continue to ask that as our uh city workers uh face this oppressive heat that especially you watch over them and protect those that are working uh out there on our streets and on our roads, our

Unassigned speaker

2:05

uh

Speaker 6

2:05

first responders that are called out into the heat oftentimes in the worst part of the day for accidents and various things.

2:12

Just ask that you watch over them, protect them uh during this time.

2:16

Lord, for our uh our fellow uh citizens who are serving us overseas right now in an active war situation, we ask that you watch over them and protect them as well.

2:26

Lord, I pray for this council as they make decisions tonight that affect everybody's everyday life here in Wataga, that they would do so with wisdom, or with selflessness, and or that they would uh seek to serve as as I know they do, this community for the very best of this city.

2:43

We ask these things in Jesus' name.

2:45

Amen.

Unassigned speaker

2:59

One mission, under God, individual with

Speaker 7 · Possibly Joseph Jarbo

3:03

energy

Speaker 8

3:03

and justice

Unassigned speaker

3:04

for all.

Speaker 8

3:14

One individual.

Speaker 1

3:30

All right, let's kick off announcements.

Unassigned speaker

3:35

Uh

Speaker 2

3:35

none at this time, thank you.

Speaker 1

3:37

Place two.

Speaker 9

3:39

I do have an announcement.

3:41

We had clear the shelters going on uh for the city of Wataga, and they did a mega event in downtown Fort Worth, and I think they took eleven dogs to this mega event because our shelter's pretty full on big dogs right

Unassigned speaker

3:53

now,

Speaker 9

3:54

and out of all the dogs that went to that event, not one single dog got adopted, and every single one of them got to watch other dogs get adopted and petted and stuff, but they had to come back to the shelter.

4:08

So if you have it in your heart, the best thing you can do is go adopt a dog, and if you don't have room to adopt one, then you can just do a share, a like, you know, put it on your feed for social media.

4:21

The more coverage that these animals get, the more chances they have to find a home.

4:26

I my heart broke that they had to bring all of those dogs back home.

4:30

Our animal control officers sit at that facility all day long trying to do engagement enrichment, networking, try to rescue infrared that to happen.

4:39

It was just unbelievably heartbreaking.

4:42

So if you got a chance, go to their page, go to the adoptable dogs and share.

4:46

That's the least that we can do as citizens here.

4:48

Thank you.

Speaker 1

4:51

Place three.

Speaker 10

4:52

Not at this time, but I'm sure place four has it covered.

Speaker 1

4:57

Okay, place four.

4:59

You're

Unassigned speaker

4:59

up.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Zoning Regulations█████████████████████████████29%

Economic Development█████████████████████21%

Budget Management██████████████████18%

Procedural████████████████16%

Public Safety████4%

Animal Welfare███3%

Water And Wastewater Management███3%

Public Engagement███3%

Community Engagement██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Watauga City Council Regular Meeting — August 24, 2026

The Watauga City Council met in regular session on Monday, August 24, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall Council Chamber, 7105 Whitley Road. All seven council members were present. The Council approved the FY 2026-27 budget and tax rate, the EDC budget, and replacement outdoor warning sirens, and denied a specific use permit for a tire/auto repair shop after a 5-2 vote failed to reach the required supermajority. The meeting recessed for executive session and adjourned at 9:42 p.m.

Consent Calendar

The Council approved the 16-item consent agenda by a single 6-1 vote (one opposed, none abstaining). Items included the FY 2026-27 Park Vista Public Improvement District service plan and assessment roll, FY 2025-26 classification plan amendment, FY 2027-2031 Capital Outlay Plan, EDC staffing reimbursement agreement, audit services renewal with Weaver & Tidwell LLP, an interlocal agreement with Tarrant County for pavement striping, Aug. 10, 2026 meeting minutes, numerous board and commission reappointments, and appointment of an Interim Presiding Municipal Court Judge.

Public Comments & Testimony

Eric Crow, a Tarrant Appraisal District Board member, said the appraisal district's two-year reappraisal cycle has created non-uniform assessments: homes near the average value in Watauga are assessed at about 91% of sales-based value, while homes over $1 million are assessed at about 71%, shifting more burden to lower-value homes. He urged annual appraisals to equalize the burden.
Annie Webster, 6325 Watauga Road, said her home had been covered in sewage from a public works overflow and that she and her family had been unable to live in the house for nearly four months; she asked the Council for support. This address matched the later executive session claim item.
During public testimony on SUP 26-01, multiple Durham Farms-area residents opposed the permit. DeAndre Jarbo, Crystal Bell, Joseph Jarbo, Tara McKinney, and Vanessa Camacho each cited noise, traffic, proximity to homes (about 15 feet in some cases), code enforcement, existing tire shops in the city, and better economic development alternatives. Crystal Bell noted 13 auto service businesses within four miles and asked the Council to preserve the corner for cohesive retail/restaurant development. Vanessa Camacho said this was the fifth time since May residents had returned for the same item and asked for a final decision and a "no" vote.

Public Hearings

A public hearing on the proposed FY 2026-27 ad valorem tax rate was opened and closed at 7:21 p.m. with no speakers. Finance Director Jennifer Calvert reviewed the proposed rate of $0.605800 per $100 assessed value — $0.448391 for maintenance and operations and $0.157409 for debt service — and noted it was below the no-new-revenue rate of $0.605860 but above the voter-approval rate.
A public hearing on the Watauga Economic Development Corporation FY 2026-27 proposed budget was opened and closed at 7:23 p.m. with no speakers.

Action Items

EDC Budget: The Council unanimously approved the FY 2026-27 Watauga EDC budget (7-0).
Tax Rate: The Council unanimously approved the two components of the FY 2026-27 ad valorem tax rate: $0.157409 per $100 for the interest and sinking (debt) fund and $0.448391 per $100 for maintenance and operations, for a total rate of $0.605800 per $100 (both votes 7-0).
City Budget: The Council unanimously adopted the FY 2026-27 budget ordinance with total appropriations of $74,839,321 (7-0).
SUP 26-01 (6600 Bursey Road): The Council considered a specific use permit for Bright Bay 2 Investments LLC to allow retail tire sales and light auto repair in a General Business district. The building had been vacant for eight years; the applicant estimated $750,000 in renovations and pledged to comply with any conditions. Staff recommended approval with a revised Exhibit B. The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended denial 5-0, triggering a six-vote supermajority requirement. After debate, a motion to approve with staff-recommended Exhibit B failed 5-2 (0 abstentions) because it lacked the required sixth affirmative vote.
Outdoor Warning Sirens: The Council unanimously approved purchasing and installing two replacement outdoor warning sirens and modernizing the city's siren system through the HGACBuy cooperative purchasing program (7-0). Fire Chief Randy Barkley said two sirens are over 20 years old and unserviceable; replacement is expected before the next storm season.

Executive Session

The Council recessed at 8:40 p.m. and reconvened at 9:41 p.m. after a closed executive session under Texas Government Code Section 551.071 to consult with the City Attorney about a wastewater system overflow damage claim relating to 6325 Watauga Road. No action was taken on that item.

Key Outcomes

FY 2026-27 EDC budget approved (7-0).
FY 2026-27 tax rate set at $0.605800 per $100 (two unanimous votes).
FY 2026-27 budget adopted with $74,839,321 in appropriations (7-0).
SUP 26-01 denied because the 5-2 approval motion fell short of the required six votes.
Siren replacement/modernization approved (7-0).
Executive session claim item: no action taken.

Meeting Transcript

Yes, sir. I call to order the Watagha City Council regular meeting Monday, August 24th, 2026. City Hall Council Chambers at 6 30 p.m. First item of business is roll call, place one. I had Shellborne present. Place two. Chris Lacron present. Place three. Love you down here, present. Place four. Andrew Neal, present. Place five. Stephen Welch, present. Place six. Mark Taylor, present. Place seven. Jan Hill, present. And Mayor Art Minor present. Next up will be invocation. Pastor Dennis Hester of Wataga First Pastors Church, if you would, sir. Thank you, Mayor. Let's pray together. Father, as we uh come to this uh meeting tonight, we uh just humble ourselves before you and uh continue to ask that as our uh city workers uh face this oppressive heat that especially you watch over them and protect those that are working uh out there on our streets and on our roads, our uh first responders that are called out into the heat oftentimes in the worst part of the day for accidents and various things. Just ask that you watch over them, protect them uh during this time. Lord, for our uh our fellow uh citizens who are serving us overseas right now in an active war situation, we ask that you watch over them and protect them as well. Lord, I pray for this council as they make decisions tonight that affect everybody's everyday life here in Wataga, that they would do so with wisdom, or with selflessness, and or that they would uh seek to serve as as I know they do, this community for the very best of this city. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. One mission, under God, individual with energy and justice for all. One individual. All right, let's kick off announcements. Uh none at this time, thank you. Place two. I do have an announcement. We had clear the shelters going on uh for the city of Wataga, and they did a mega event in downtown Fort Worth, and I think they took eleven dogs to this mega event because our shelter's pretty full on big dogs right now, and out of all the dogs that went to that event, not one single dog got adopted, and every single one of them got to watch other dogs get adopted and petted and stuff, but they had to come back to the shelter. So if you have it in your heart, the best thing you can do is go adopt a dog, and if you don't have room to adopt one, then you can just do a share, a like, you know, put it on your feed for social media. The more coverage that these animals get, the more chances they have to find a home. I my heart broke that they had to bring all of those dogs back home.

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