City Hall continues projects round-up as calendar year ‘24 draws to a close

As the year draws to a close, City of Gladewater employees are steadily checking more items on the list – with, of course, new tasks being added regularly.
“Public Works is continuing the potholes and street work,” City Manager Charlie Smith told council members during their regular meeting Nov. 21. “They’ll be trimming the brush along the side of the roadways throughout town. Call in to City Hall (at 903-845-2196), and they’ll put you on the list.”
Gladewater is on the rise again with its sales tax, he noted. Meanwhile, the city is pursuing multiple grant opportunities, such as funding from the Department of Justice’s Bulletproof Vest Partnership to cover a portion of the local costs of protecting officers.
Vests run $500 to $1,500 and typically have a five-year lifespan, Smith said: “The Department of Justice will reimburse 50 percent. That’s another money-saving for the city, and it will also keep our officers safe and up-to-date on their vests.”
Smith underscored the recent increase in firefighter applicants.
“We also have people waiting to come to work for our fire department,” he said, and Chief Mike Simmons recent numbers show healthy retention among the emergency responders: He’s got people who have been there two years now. That’s just another obstacle we have overcome. I think it’s the camaraderie and the council working with our different departments and being proactive.”
Among various items on the council’s consent agenda – typically approved as a group – the elected officials signed off on the city’s application to the Texas Department of Agriculture for another Community Development Block Grant.
“This is a 9/10 match for redoing Roden Lane, which we identified as our next street,” Mayor Brandy Flanagan said, ready to check another item off the list crafted from her first Mayor’s Town Hall in July: “We got to do it a lot quicker than we anticipated, so we’re extremely glad about that.”
The road is a key access route to Weldon Elementary and Gladewater Middle School, she added.
The city leaders also took the next step forward on issuing combination tax and surplus revenue certificates of obligation to the Texas Water Development Board to fund sewer system improvements.
According to Smith, the total project is a $4.1 million grant for work at the water treatment plant and other related areas: “$1 million of that is forgiveness,” he said. “The rest is a low interest loan. We’ve been very fortunate to be awarded the grants that we’ve gotten over the last couple of years.”
On sales tax, Gladewater netted $167,956 for its November allocation from the state comptroller’s office, a 6.16 percent increase compared to the same point last year. It brought the community’s annual collections to $1.54 million, already 3.45 percent more than calendar year 2023.
“We’re on the rise again with our sales tax,” Smith said. “Hopefully we’ll have another good turn with that for 30-plus months.”