Mineral Wells · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Mineral Wells public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Willow Creek wastewater treatment plant blower replacement
The consent agenda carries a purchase order for up to $77,165.02 to replace an aeration blower at the Willow Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant — core sewer plant equipment.
Possible purchase or lease of 105-107 SW 1st Street
The city bought a downtown property at 109 SW 1st Street after discussing it in closed session alongside public safety facility planning. Details of the price weren't disclosed in open session.
City Charter review and amendment process
Two resolutions would create a Strategic Development Committee under the Economic Development Corporation and a Finance Subcommittee for the city itself, both with appointed members.
NW 2nd Avenue abandonment and Famous Water development
The city may close a stretch of NW 2nd Avenue between NW 7th and NW 9th Streets and convey the property, paired with a development agreement with Famous Water Holdings, LLC. It's a notable step in downtown redevelopment around the Famous Water brand.
Wolters 500 Industrial Addition replat
Teresa McGee wants to redraw lot lines in an industrial subdivision, creating two lots of 12.7 and 6.3 acres. Replats in industrial areas can affect how the land is used and sold later.
Final plat for 19.571-acre railroad survey tract
A roughly 19.6-acre tract could be rezoned into a Planned Development mixing residential (SF-6) and commercial uses, with a matching preliminary plat. This shapes what gets built there — new housing, businesses, or both — and comes with public hearings for resident input.
Water Crisis Emergency Declaration
Strawn just declared a Stage 4 water emergency after a major supply line leak, so all outdoor watering is banned and residents are being told to conserve whatever is left in storage. If you’re in or around Strawn, treat this as immediate—lawns, landscaping, and any outdoor water use are off the table until repairs are made.
Hilltop Water Treatment Plant design work
HDR presented a $117.9 million plan to rebuild the Hilltop Water Treatment Plant at 12 million gallons a day, expandable to 16, using safer sodium hypochlorite instead of chlorine gas. The mayor wants a council subcommittee to stay hands-on as design moves forward.
Well Aware mass notification system
The city launched its emergency alert system with about 100 sign-ups in the first weeks. Residents can register by phone, text, or email for weather, water, road, and public safety alerts — a 90-day signup push is underway.
Crystal Creek flood mitigation projects
The completed Master Drainage Plan identifies five flood-reduction projects, two with strong cost-benefit ratios. A channel improvement project (A1) estimated at $18 million could be advanced for federal grant funding as early as December.
Business prospect negotiations (Project Noble Air)
In closed session, the council discussed a business prospect called Project Noble Air and possible incentives — economic development talks that could mean new jobs or investment, but details stay confidential.
Road maintenance funding
A $900,000 purchase order to Zach Burkett Company funds FY2027 road maintenance materials — a substantial annual investment in street conditions.
Historic Preservation Program
The city's first historic preservation ordinance was presented — it creates a landmark commission and historic overlay zoning but doesn't designate anything yet. It returns for a vote October 20.
Election Early Voting
Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election starts today in Mineral Wells, and the article tells you where and when to cast a ballot. If you want to avoid Election Day lines or can’t make it Tuesday, this is your window.
Public Safety Complex site secured
The city will trade the old Purdue Building plus $500,000 for the Sims property to permanently site the new public safety complex.
Water well sanitary control easement
The city granted Famous Water Company a protective easement around a new drinking water well, with a small future trade-off of about 5 feet of street width on a section of NW 2nd Avenue.
Subdivision infrastructure acceptance
The council was set to formally accept streets, utilities, and other developer-built infrastructure in Blackbird Estates and The Wells Phase 1 — meaning the city takes over maintenance of those public improvements.
Mobile command unit for emergency management
A donated hospital bus will become the city's mobile command unit — a gap identified after this year's tornado. Initial outfitting is around $5,000, with county cost-sharing to be explored.
Ward One council vacancy and appointment
Jonathon Rusher resigned after moving out of the district; the council will take applications for 30 days and can't hold a special election until May 2028 under the charter.
Rezone and subdivision off Highway 379
Nearly 20 acres gets rezoned and platted for 80 homes plus 3 commercial lots. Some councilmembers questioned the 40-foot lot widths but supported affordable starter homes for first-time buyers.
TxCDBG grant application for infrastructure
A resolution was on the agenda to apply for a Texas Community Development Block Grant to fund flood drainage, water/sewer, and street improvements — state money that could ease the burden on local taxpayers.
International Fire Code update to 2024 edition
The city replaced building codes dating to 2012 with 2024 editions and a 2026 electrical code, effective January 1, 2027. Builders and inspectors get a transition window, and future local amendments will come through a new building code appeals board.
Palo Pinto County cost-sharing for animal shelter and library
The shelter's budget is up slightly to fix issues flagged in a state audit. Council asked about county contributions; the city manager and finance director recently met with the county judge, who is open to discussing increased support.
Flock license plate reader cameras
A resident urged the city to end its Flock camera contract, citing privacy and Fourth Amendment concerns. The police chief said the city has just four cameras at ~$13,000 a year and defended their crime-solving value; councilmembers indicated no change for now but welcomed more information.
Utility Vehicle Slow-Down Ordinance
New local law requires drivers to slow down or move over for city public works vehicles with flashing lights — the same courtesy required for police and fire vehicles.
Associate City Judge ordinance
The city can now appoint a second municipal judge to cover Judge Walden's conflicts of interest, handle arraignments when she's away, and help chip away at the court's case backlog.
Millsap wholesale water agreement
The long-running renegotiation of the city's wholesale water contract with Millsap Water Supply still isn't finished, so the council bought 30 more days under existing terms. The deal affects the city's long-term water supply and costs.
Building Code Board of Appeals
A new board gives builders and residents a formal way to appeal building official decisions, instead of leaving rulings to one person. Council members asked whether members can come from outside city limits — staff will follow up.
FY 2027 budget and De Minimis tax rate strategy
A small property tax increase (~$318,000 in revenue) is built into the budget to help fund employee raises, with the council leaning toward the de minimis rate. Final rate options and the vote come August 4 and August 24.
Public Safety Payroll and Time Administration Policy
New rules for how police and fire hours, overtime and holiday pay are handled — including moving firefighters from a 12-day to a 14-day pay cycle to match other city employees. Dispatchers are excluded because federal law treats them differently.
Masonry exterior requirements repeal (deferred)
Staff wanted to delete the masonry building-material rule to comply with a new state law, but asked the Council to skip the item for now.
Hitt Addition replat
Three parcels in the general retail district combine into one lot — Lot 6-R, Block 17 — likely setting up a consolidated commercial use.
Carter Corner subdivision
A 9.74-acre tract in the city's ETJ gets split from three parcels into five lots, opening the land for future development.
TMRS retirement benefit enhancement
City employees' retirement contributions go from 5% to 6% with a matching city increase, plus recalculated service credits and annual cost-of-living adjustments. It's a meaningful boost to city worker benefits but also raises the city's share of the cost.
FY 2026-2027 Budget and Property Tax Increase
The new city budget raises property tax revenue by about $1.28 million — a 16.29% jump. The tax rate goes from $0.5718 to $0.7007 per $100 valuation, so a median home's estimated bill rises from about $536 to about $1,028. The rate sits at the de minimis rate, above the no-new-revenue rate.
Sewer rate increase of 6.31%
Sewer bills are going up for homes and businesses alike. The city says the NewGen rate study justifies the increase to align with the FY 2027 budget, and it adds $246,000 in commercial/industrial revenue.
2026-2027 Budget Requests
Department heads rolled out their supplemental wish lists two months earlier than last year, and the city manager floated using the de minimis tax rate to fund raising minimum pay to $20 an hour — a choice that would compress the budget calendar to an August 24 tax rate deadline.
Master Fee Schedule changes including airport courtesy vehicle fee
The city will now charge $25 per day to use the airport's newer courtesy vehicles, though the older Impala remains free. Funded through the airport enterprise fund, not property taxes.
Sewer rate increase, no water rate increase
Water rates stay flat next year, but sewer rates rise about 6.3% — about $2.58 more per month for a typical household. New debt payments for the Hilltop plant are a big driver of the water-sewer fund budget.
Tourism spending from hotel taxes
Hotel tax money funds the Chamber's marketing and events like the Crazy Water Festival and Flying Pig Festival. County hotel tax revenue is up after the county's rate rose to 7%, letting the chamber fund more county events like Possum Kingdom's Mardi Gras parade.
April 28 Tornado After-Action Findings
The response to the EF-3 tornado was widely praised — no deaths, five injuries, 22 agencies helping — but the report flagged a failed siren, no permanent emergency operations center, and no mobile command post as gaps to fix before the next disaster.
Avrex Aerospace at the Airport
A new commercial hangar lease brings an aerospace company to the vacant Downing Hangar, adds $54,000 a year in rent plus fuel sales, and could bring 10 to 100 jobs.
Airport Fund Financial Challenges
The airport fund was forecast to run a $486,000 deficit this year, but is tracking better. Full hangar occupancy starting August 1 and a new hangar lease should boost revenue; staff plans deeper review with the strategic airport group.
City Employee Pay and Benefits
Every full-time employee moves to at least $20/hour; others get 4%. New police and fire pay scales aim to keep the city competitive. Council is also weighing boosting the TMRS retirement match from 5% to 6% or 7% — that decision comes with the tax rate discussion.
Dangerous buildings ordinance update
Nine dangerous buildings came in at a $260,000 bid, but only $100,000 is budgeted. Staff proposes buying demolition equipment (~$510,000) and using street crews in winter months to bring demolitions in-house for unlimited teardowns.
Water and Sewer Rates
Good news and bad news: no water rate increase, but sewer rates rise 6.3%. For the average household, that's only about $2.58 more per month — a 1.6% total bill increase.
Downtown-area rezoning to Commercial
Three parcels at NW 2nd Avenue and NW 5th Street can now be developed commercially instead of single-family housing. That could bring new businesses to the neighborhood, changing its character.
Airport drainage improvement project
The council formally accepted the airport drainage improvement project and committed its local matching funds, with TxDOT Aviation administering the federal and state money.
Land exchange with Texas Parks and Wildlife
The city authorized swapping some real estate with Texas Parks and Wildlife — details to be finalized by city officials.
Rezoning near Crazy Water bottling company
Three single-family lots on NW 2nd Avenue and NW 5th Street are now commercial, allowing a wellhouse, storage and parking lot for the surrounding business. The rezoning fits the surrounding commercial area and drew no public opposition.