Council invites public feedback on financials for coming year

Thursday night’s agenda for Gladewater City Council features the requisite public hearings on the municipality’s proposed budget and tax rate for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 – granted, there are changes incoming for the draft released in late-July.
As City Hall isn’t looking to exceed the tax rate limit that would require voter approval, only one public hearing is necessary for each. City staffers debuted their preliminary financial plan in a budget workshop late last month; they and the community’s elected officials are still tweaking the budget ahead of adoption next month.
The Aug. 20 agenda for the council’s regular monthly session also includes a public hearing, discussion and consideration (i.e. voting) on a Specific Use Permit for the developing Dine and Pines mobile food park.
Brandy Winn, Lee-Bardwell Library executive director and City of Gladewater grant writer, will present an update on recent grant activities, and council members are also scheduled to ‘Discuss and Consider’ the School Resource Officer Agreement between the city and Gladewater ISD. GISD trustees discussed changes to the 2026-2027 Memorandum of Understanding during their monthly meeting Monday.
According to the Aug. 3 SRO agreement (available in the council packet) the City of Gladewater provides up to four SROs to GISD, which is solely responsible for providing 100 percent financial support for the program and its fulltime officers, who are eligible for benefits from the city.
In another consideration item Thursday evening, the council will weigh a request from Republic Services to amend sections of its ongoing contract with the city for waste services.
According to the proposed amendment, taking effect April 1, 2027, if approved the contract term will be extended an additional five years through March 31, 2032, and renew in five-year periods (unless it is non-renewed by either party). The amendment also spotlights guidelines on rates, noting: “Contractor shall increase the rates for all services effective on each anniversary of the Renewal Term in an amount equal to the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index…” and adjusted using the most recently available trailing 12-month average CPI compared to the 12 months preceding.
The proposal reiterates rules for industrial roll off dumpsters inside the city limits, exclusive to Republic Services, and codifies the company’s “annual donation of $1500 per year for downtown improvements at the discretion of the City Council.”