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EAGLE LAKE — Eagle Lake City Council expressed concerns over the special legislative session, approved the budget and tax rate for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and discussed youth input for the city during its council meetings, Monday, Sept. 8, and Tuesday, Sept. 9.
Special legislative session
City Manager Tink Jackson said the city “survived” the results of the recent Texas special legislative session that concluded just after midnight on Thursday, Sept. 4. He named and explained Senate Bill 10 and the connected House Bills 46 and 73.
SB 10 aimed to lower the annual voter-approved maximum tax rate increase by a municipality from 3.5% to 1% of the previous tax levy. Jackson described the bill as part of the push to end property taxes. The bill would limit Eagle Lake to less than a $30,000 increase in revenue.
“This bill would have disproportionately affected small cities without a doubt,” he said. “…I don’t know that you’ll see the large cities who have control of the House ever agree with the Senate on what to do with this. This is going to be a major battle in the next session. [The battle] is trying to reduce that tax cap from the 3.5% increase to a 1% or less.”
According to Jackson, HB 46 and 73 would limit the city from collecting more revenue than the previous fiscal year’s budgeted revenue. Jackson said that if passed, the city would never be allowed to collect more revenue than the revenue budgeted in the 2025-2026 budget. Jackson said the bill’s sponsor was unsure if he would vote.
“They tried to put a bill together without understanding the actual impacts of it, and then when they finally talked to people and understood what the full impacts were even the committee members [were unsure],” Jackson said.
Both bills died before or during committee during the special session but could return in the next legislative session.
“We are going to have to be prepared to not only participate in the way we did this time, but small cities in Texas are really going to have to step up next time and get their voice out there,” Jackson said. “The big cities have a voice with all their representatives in the House. Small cities don’t have much of a voice because they don’t participate in the legislature. We’re going to have to do a little bit more.”
Budget
The council approved the 2025-2026 fiscal year budget and tax rate on Monday, Sept. 8. The newly adopted tax rate is $0.586240 per $100, a 3.2% reduction from the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Jackson reviewed three small changes to the proposed budget included in the approved version. The changes included small revenue and expenditure adjustments and reallocation of funds to avoid future budget amendments.
“[The tax rate] gets us a lot closer to being able to operate soundly,” Jackson said.
Youth input
Councilmember Billy Sosa brought up wanting more youth input in city council at the end of the meeting for future agenda items. Sosa said he wants to encourage young people to stay and build their lives in Eagle Lake instead of moving away after high school.
“What are their thoughts on ‘If I’m going to live in Eagle Lake for the rest of my life, what would I like for this town to have’ or what do we need to do to make it a better place to live?” Sosa said. “…We need younger thoughts… That is my question: how can we reach our youth?”
Councilmember Rene’ Cooper mentioned a previous partnership with Rice High School where the student body elected a class representative to attend city council meetings. The council agreed to discuss ideas.
Other updates
Engineer Jared Engelke with Strand Associates reviewed upcoming road construction and repaving in the city. He said the repaving will begin the week of Sept. 14, weather permitting, and conclude in about five weeks’ time.
Councilmember Randy Turner requested for the council and public works to address an overgrown hedge blocking drivers’ sight at North Lake Avenue and West Post Office Street.
Jackson said the council received the architectural plans for the old bank, which will be formally presented at the next city council meeting.
The council named upcoming city events: National Night Out on Tuesday, Oct. 7, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Trick or Treat on Friday, Oct. 31, from 5-7 p.m. (subject to change due to football game) and the State of the City on Thursday, Nov. 6.
The council reviewed upcoming birthdays: Cooper on Oct. 30, Mayor Tim Kelley on Nov. 1 and Sosa on Nov. 5.
The next city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m.
