The Whitewright City Council approved a nearly $6.8 million wastewater treatment plant contract, set preliminary tax rates and made decisions on police and fire equipment during a lengthy meeting Aug. 6.
Council members also discussed growing traffic and safety concerns around Whitewright ISD campuses, but stopped short of implementing a proposed one-way traffic pattern until additional information can be gathered.
The items were among a lengthy slate of business on the council’s August agenda, which included proposed budgets, downtown sidewalk improvements, police equipment and vehicles, a fire department tanker and the city’s library project.
Sewer project moves forward
The council unanimously accepted a recommendation to award the Whitewright Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvement Project to Graycon Construction.
Graycon submitted the lowest of four bids at $6,769,360. Other bids ranged from approximately $6.85 million to nearly $8 million.
According to Mayor Sarah Beth Owen, the project will improve the city’s ability to handle inflow and infiltration at the wastewater plant and includes improvements previously discussed by the council, including a clarifier and disc filter.
Owen said project engineer Kimley-Horn reviewed the bids and found Graycon to be the lowest responsible bidder.
The council also received an update on the ongoing downtown sidewalk project.
Owen said a portion of newly poured concrete had to be removed and replaced after failing to meet required Americans with Disabilities Act slope requirements.
The contractor, rather than the city, is responsible for that cost.
Work has continued through downtown, and plans include new handrails and solar-powered streetlights.
Council sets proposed tax rate
Council members also reviewed preliminary property tax calculations for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
Owen said Whitewright lost about $3.5 million in taxable value as a result of the $125,000 business personal property tax exemption approved by Texas voters last year.
Although the city gained about $3 million in other taxable value, the result was an overall decline of approximately $500,000.
The council agreed a maintenance and operations rate of $0.560639 per $100 valuation and an interest and sinking rate of $0.160383, for a combined proposed rate of $0.721022.
The rate is not final. The council will still have to formally adopt and levy a tax rate in September.
Council members were also presented proposed city, Whitewright Economic Development Corp. and Whitewright Community Development Corp. budgets. Budget workshops were scheduled for Aug. 18 and Aug. 20.
School traffic raises safety concerns
A significant portion of the meeting centered on congestion surrounding Whitewright ISD, particularly during student pickup and drop-off.
Fire Chief John Sinor said congestion can make it difficult for fire, EMS and other emergency vehicles to reach the campus.
He described situations in which vehicles effectively create four lanes of traffic on streets designed for two as parents park or line up on both sides.
“If we can get them all going the same way, the crossing guard can easily stop traffic, let one lane through until whatever emergency vehicle is trying to approach can get up there,” Owen said.
Possible solutions include temporarily establishing one-way traffic around the campus and restricting turns at certain intersections.
They discussed using drone footage to study traffic patterns before settling on a plan.
No action was taken on the proposed traffic plan or Ordinance 579 establishing one-way street requirements.
The council agreed to revisit the issue during its first budget workshop.
Police equipment, vehicles approved
The council unanimously approved a new five-year contract with Axon Enterprise covering four sets of police body cameras, dash cameras and Tasers.
Police Chief Elijah Fite said the city’s existing equipment is aging out of warranty. The new agreement consolidates several existing contracts and includes equipment warranties and cloud-based evidence storage.
Fite said the system also offers supervisors the ability to remotely monitor incidents through officers’ cameras and includes translation technology capable of assisting officers in communicating with people who speak other languages.
The council also approved five-year financing through Government Capital for two used police vehicles. Insurance proceeds are covering a portion of the purchase after police vehicles were damaged or totaled during storms.
Officials said purchasing used vehicles saved the city approximately $115,000 compared with other replacement options. The council chose the longer financing term to provide greater flexibility in the city’s operating budget, with an option to pay the debt down early.
Fire tanker purchase limited to grant funds
Council faced a more difficult decision when considering the fire department’s request for a new tanker.
The department has approximately $300,000 available through a U.S. Forestry grant, but Sinor presented several options ranging from a basic tanker primarily suited for water supply and grass fires to more expensive apparatus capable of serving as a backup structural firefighting engine.
The more capable options would have required the city to finance additional costs, Owen said.
Council members expressed concern about taking on more debt saying Whitewright is already making approximately $1.19 million annually in debt payments, representing more than 20% of the city’s current budget.
After a long discussion, the council voted 4-0 to limit the tanker purchase to the amount available through the grant, avoiding additional debt.
“I want to support the project,” Owen said during the discussion. “I really do. But I have to look at not just John’s department and what’s valuable, but every department.”
The council also discussed the library building project but took no action.
Council members entered executive session at 6:57 p.m. to consult with an attorney regarding development matters and conduct annual department head reviews. They reconvened at 9:51 p.m. and took no action stemming from the closed session.
The meeting adjourned at 10:36 p.m.