City Council Meeting Recap | September 16, 2026 | Public Hearing & Special Session

Public Hearings: Council held two public hearings regarding the proposed 2026-2027 tax rate and the proposed 2026-2027 budget. No one spoke during either public hearing.

Public Forum: Bethann Richard with Heart of Town Community Clinic in Jacksboro spoke about its mission to provide free medical services to uninsured and underinsured members of the community. She also mentioned their upcoming Breakfast at Tiffany’s fundraiser on Saturday, October 3 from 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Runaway Bay Event Center.

Consent Items

A. Consider minutes from August 19, 2026, Regular Session - APPROVED

B. Consider minutes from September 8, 2026, Special Session – APPROVED

Consideration & Action Items

A. Consider August 31, 2026, accounts payable report – ACCEPTED

• Council Member Steve Holt noted that the $25,000 for the Fire Department is an annual donation from the City.

B. Consider August 2026 financial report – ACCEPTED

C. Consider Ordinance No. 642, amending the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget – APPROVED

• Holt commended City staff for their work on the budget amendments. Staff met twice in Special Session and went through the budget line by line. Holt noted that much of the City’s revenue comes from property taxes and water revenue.

D. Consider Ordinance No. 643, adopting the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Tax Rate – APPROVED

• The City worked with Wise County to determine projected revenue and considered debt associated with grant-funded projects and improvements to water facilities. The adopted tax rate is $0.447977 per $100 of taxable value, a slight increase from last year. Holt explained the increase averages approximately $125.65 per year on a $300,000 home.

E. Consider Ordinance No. 644, adopting the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget – APPROVED

F. Consider moving Smoke On The Water (SOTW) funds from the EDC budget back into the Fireworks budget – APPROVED

• After accounting issues were resolved, funds from the SOTW event that had been placed in the EDC budget were moved back because they are earmarked for the Fireworks budget.

Updates from Mayor & City Council

Phil Reicheneker | Parks & Recreation:

Phil reported on a productive Parks & Recreation meeting. Discussions are continuing about mounting the City Park sign at the park and signage along Highway 380. He also noted that the City pool is leaking, and a request has been made to the EDC regarding the issue.

Richard Griffin | EDC:

Richard reported that Ken Kilpatrick reapplied to serve on the EDC and was approved. The EDC is also continuing discussions regarding the possible purchase of real estate for commercial use.

Chris Petty | Fire Department:

Chris reminded everyone about the upcoming RBVFD Fish Fry and gun raffle, as well as the donation boot benefiting former Fire Chief Joey Highfill. The 10th Annual Fish Fry is Saturday, September 26 from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. at the Runaway Bay Event Center. Enjoy live country music by Dr. Dan and the Toothaches and participate in their silent auction.

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The Fire Department responded to 25 calls during the month:

• 7 fire calls

• 14 medical calls

• 2 assists

• 2 miscellaneous calls

Chris noted that the number of fire calls is a concern and reminded everyone that the Burn Ban remains in effect.

Chief Steve Reynolds | Police Department:

Steve reported the Police Department’s monthly activity:

• 34 citations

• 64 warnings

• 15 code enforcement calls

• 15 Fire Department assists

• 14 agency assists

• 7 animal control calls

He also shared that Officer Bragg is back and is currently assisting with code enforcement as he works toward returning to full duty.

Steve Holt | Greater Runaway Bay Alliance:

Steve reported that the GRBA community trash cleanup has been postponed because the bluebonnet seeds, which will be dispersed during the cleanup, are delayed. Delivery is anticipated in October, and a new cleanup date will be announced soon. He also shared that GRBA is contributing silent auction baskets to the upcoming Fire Department Fish Fry.

Mayor Herman White:

Mayor White shared that crews are expected to mobilize this week and begin work on the chlorine building. He thanked Barry Schimpf, Ryan Halligan, Roddy Boston and Richard Griffin for their work throughout the process.

He also discussed the upcoming bid advertisement for improvements to two of the City’s lift stations, which will be published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Mayor White noted that the bid package is approximately 500 pages, emphasizing the amount of work involved before construction can begin. He said residents should begin seeing these grant-funded projects move forward.

Mayor White also provided an update on the cleanup of the fire-damaged property on Tryall Drive. He explained that the property had become a complicated situation involving back taxes, a lien against the property, condemnation, and approximately $15,000 in fees. With no equity remaining in the property, along with other legal and personal circumstances affecting the owner, there was essentially no financial path forward for the owner to resolve the property on her own. The City was eventually able to reach an agreement with the owner. The deed was transferred to the City in exchange for addressing the outstanding back-tax obligation, allowing the property to finally move forward and releasing the former owner from the situation. Runaway Bay resident Tim Liberto then took on the property with the agreement that he would be responsible for cleaning it up. Residents have likely already noticed how quickly the property has been cleared and the longtime eyesore removed. Mayor White emphasized that getting to this point took cooperation from several people and described the outcome as a team effort and God’s work.

Executive Session

Council convened into Executive Session under Texas Government Code Section 551.072 to discuss matters related to real property. After returning to open session, Council made a motion to ratify WCAD 771915. The motion was APPROVED.