[0:02] [music]

[0:13] Good evening.

[0:14] >> Welcome to the board of mayor and

[0:15] alderman meeting. It is September 1st,

[0:18] 2026. It is 6 p.m. Call this meeting to

[0:21] order. We do have a quorum. Um if

[0:23] everyone would please rise for the

[0:25] prayer and the pledge.

[0:28] Let us pray. Our heavenly father, we

[0:30] come before you on a very beautiful day

[0:33] in your world. Lord, we'd like to ask

[0:37] that you uh look over the Gentry family.

[0:41] They lost their child this week and I

[0:45] can't imagine losing a child. Lord, we

[0:48] ask that you give this board the uh

[0:52] knowledge to help the city and the

[0:54] citizens alone. Lord, thank you for

[0:56] allowing the uh other folks from uh the

[1:00] county to come and join us this evening.

[1:03] These things we ask through your son

[1:05] Jesus Christ. Amen.

[1:07] >> Amen.

[1:11] » Pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[1:13] United States of America and to the

[1:16] republic for which it stands, one nation

[1:20] under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[1:23] justice for all.

[1:25] I follow Carol for that.

[1:27] >> I was just excited about all these

[1:29] people.

[1:33] » First item we've got tonight is to

[1:34] approve the minutes from the July 30th,

[1:37] 2026 workshop and the August 4th, 2026

[1:41] public hearing and regular meeting. I

[1:43] have a motion.

[1:44] >> Motion to approve.

[1:45] from Alderwoman Hos.

[1:47] Is there a second?

[1:48] >> Second.

[1:49] from Alderman Coats. All in

[1:50] favor?

[1:51] >> I. The motion passes. We're going to

[1:54] move on to our presentations.

[1:58] And Chief, do you want to do yours

[2:00] first?

[2:01] >> Sure.

[2:02] >> Absolutely.

[2:08] » Officer front and center, please.

[2:13] » All right.

[2:15] So, well, no, you can stand right here.

[2:17] You face the board. [laughter]

[2:19] >> Hi. So, uh, I'm pleased to, uh, present

[2:23] Officer Hodes with a letter of

[2:24] commendation tonight. Um, it's, uh,

[2:29] this just shows the actions of Officer

[2:31] Hajes show what kind of a police

[2:33] department we are, what kind of a

[2:34] culture we're trying to build here, and

[2:36] what kind of, um, servants we're trying

[2:38] to be here in the uh, in the city of

[2:40] Lever. So, it is my p privilege to

[2:42] formally commend you for the compassion

[2:44] and generosity you demonstrated while

[2:46] assisting a young man in our community

[2:47] who is experiencing a difficult personal

[2:50] crisis. On July 23rd, 2026, I was made

[2:53] aware of an incident in which you and

[2:55] Officer Pike encountered a 19-year-old

[2:57] man who had been displaced from his

[2:58] residence and had been living on the

[3:00] streets for several days. After

[3:02] assessing the circumstances, you took

[3:03] additional steps to ensure he had a safe

[3:05] place to stay for the night, including

[3:07] personally paying for a hotel room with

[3:09] your own funds. While your actions alone

[3:11] are worthy of recognition, I am

[3:13] particularly impressed by the humility

[3:15] with which you carried them out. You did

[3:16] not seek acknowledgement or bring

[3:18] attention to what you had done. In fact,

[3:20] the department learned of your

[3:21] generosity through a supervisor rather

[3:24] than from you. Law enforcement is

[3:26] ultimately about service to others and

[3:28] sometimes that service extends beyond

[3:29] what is required by policy, procedure,

[3:31] or the duties of a particular call. Your

[3:34] willingness to recognize someone in need

[3:36] and respond with compassion reflects the

[3:38] character, professionalism, and

[3:40] commitment to service that we strive to

[3:42] represent at the Lever Police

[3:43] Department. On behalf of the Lever

[3:45] Police Department, I commend you for

[3:46] your actions and thank you for

[3:48] representing this department and our

[3:50] community with compassion and integrity.

[3:52] Your actions are a credit to yourself,

[3:54] your fellow officers, and the badge you

[3:56] wear. Respectfully, Christopher Mays,

[3:58] chief of police. Congratulations. Thank

[4:00] you.

[4:00] >> And with that, I want to give you one of

[4:02] my coins. All right. For excellence and

[4:04] service.

[4:04] >> Thank you.

[4:05] >> All right.

[4:07] [applause]

[4:36] » [cough and clears throat]

[4:42] [snorts]

[4:43] >> Melissa Harrell, can you please join me?

[4:48] >> [laughter]

[4:56] » right up here. Okay.

[4:58] >> So, tonight we recognize Melissa Herrell

[5:01] for her service at the Rutherford County

[5:03] Circuit Court Clerk. The work of that

[5:06] office is sometimes behind the scenes,

[5:09] but it's absolutely essential to the

[5:11] functioning of our justice system and

[5:13] our county government. It takes

[5:15] organization, dedication,

[5:17] professionalism, and a commitment to

[5:20] serving the public every single day.

[5:23] Melissa has dedicated her time and her

[5:24] talents to that responsibility and to

[5:26] the people of Rutherford County.

[5:28] For those of us in local government, we

[5:31] understand that public service isn't

[5:32] always about receiving recognition. Much

[5:35] of the work happens quietly every day

[5:37] with people depending on you to do your

[5:40] job and do it well. Tonight, we want to

[5:43] make sure that your service doesn't go

[5:45] unnoticed.

[5:47] Thank you for the time you've devoted to

[5:49] Rutherford County, for your

[5:50] professionalism and your commitment to

[5:52] the people that you've served. On behalf

[5:54] of the city of Leverne, congratulations

[5:58] on all you've done for the county. And

[6:01] we present to you a certificate of

[6:02] appreciation.

[6:04] >> Thank you.

[6:04] so much.

[6:06] >> Thank you. [applause]

[6:12] You want me to sing anything?

[6:14] >> You can if you'd like.

[6:16] >> I mean,

[6:16] >> you want to sing a song?

[6:17] >> Oh, you don't want me to sing. Promise

[6:19] you that. Thank you very much. It's an

[6:22] honor.

[6:22] >> Thank you,

[6:24] Mr. Mike Fitzu. You could join us. And

[6:28] I'm going to ask Chief as well as Mr.

[6:32] Keith Lowry to join me.

[6:36] He's a stranger in these parts.

[6:42] So, well, before I say what I've got

[6:44] here, is there anything you want to say?

[6:46] >> Uh, I just want to on behalf of the

[6:49] Lever Police Department, but really on

[6:51] behalf of myself, thank you for being

[6:54] the leader that you've been, for

[6:55] welcoming me, welcoming me into this

[6:57] community. Um, knowing nobody when I

[7:00] arrived and having, you know, your

[7:03] friendship, your professionalism, uh,

[7:05] your guidance as a leader in this

[7:07] community. I truly appreciated it and uh

[7:10] I hope that it continues even as you uh

[7:13] enjoy retirement because I need your

[7:14] counsel.

[7:15] >> Appreciate you very much.

[7:16] >> Thank you, sir. A pleasure.

[7:18] >> Okay.

[7:19] >> Thank you,

[7:21] >> Keith. Do you want to say anything?

[7:24] >> He's probably heard enough from me

[7:25] lately.

[7:27] >> He never has anything to say.

[7:28] >> Nothing at all. No, it's it's been

[7:29] proud. It's been a proud time in life to

[7:31] not only serve this honorable city, but

[7:33] to serve alongside this man during his

[7:34] term and his tenure as sheriff. It's

[7:36] been an incredible journey, sir.

[7:38] >> Proud of you. Proud of you.

[7:41] >> Lord,

[7:43] >> there is no

[7:45] It's getting mushy. Do you need a

[7:46] tissue?

[7:46] >> Love you, too, Stephen.

[7:47] >> Come on. Come on, Steve. Come on.

[7:50] >> I want to get a hug.

[7:51] >> I'll hug you. I'll hug you. Come on.

[7:53] Hug.

[7:53] >> Well,

[7:55] there may be no responsibility in county

[7:57] government more important than

[7:59] protecting the people we serve. As

[8:01] Sheriff, Mike has carried that

[8:02] responsibility and has worked to keep

[8:04] Rutherford County safe during his time

[8:06] when our community has grown

[8:08] tremendously. I think everyone can see

[8:10] that. For Leverne, our relationship with

[8:13] the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office

[8:15] is especially important. Public safety

[8:17] doesn't stop just at our city limits.

[8:19] Doesn't It's cooperation with law

[8:21] enforcement agencies all across the

[8:23] county. So, Sheriff, it's you. Thank you

[8:27] for your call to service. Thank you for

[8:29] everything you've done in this community

[8:31] and throughout this county. You are

[8:34] greatly appreciated and and deeply loved

[8:36] by the people here in Lever.

[8:38] >> Appreciate that.

[8:39] >> And so we've also got a uh

[8:44] certificate of appreciation for you as

[8:46] well.

[8:47] >> Thank you very much. Appreciate that.

[8:49] >> Thank you, sir. Appreciate [applause]

[8:56] » [applause]

[9:09] » This one's a feisty one.

[9:13] Mr. Laura Davidson, you could come up.

[9:28] Commissioner

[9:29] >> former,

[9:31] >> we would like to recognize you for your

[9:33] service to Rutherford County and the

[9:35] people of District 5, which encompasses

[9:37] a large portion of Leverne. Serving as a

[9:39] county commissioner is not an all always

[9:42] an easy job. Um, it requires listening

[9:44] to constituents, studying the difficult

[9:46] issues, making tough decisions, and even

[9:49] picking between bad and worse decisions.

[9:53] And ultimately, it puts it's putting the

[9:55] interests of the community first. Lauri,

[9:57] you've given your time and your energy

[9:59] to do that. As mayor, I also appreciate

[10:02] the work that you've done on behalf of

[10:04] our community. Lever is is an important

[10:06] part of Rutherford County and having

[10:09] commissioners who understand and value

[10:11] our city matters. So, thank you for your

[10:14] willingness to serve, for the time that

[10:16] you've given to Rutherford County, and

[10:18] the difference that you've made during

[10:19] your time in office. Thank you so much.

[10:24] [applause]

[10:36] Oh,

[10:37] >> Mr. Joe Carr.

[10:40] >> Can you join me, please, my friend?

[10:44] >> The Honey Badger

[10:46] indeed. [laughter]

[10:48] >> Stand firm, sir. Stand firm.

[10:50] >> Always.

[10:51] >> So, this this is a man who I got to

[10:54] really know over the last four to five

[10:56] years. Um, really really really

[11:00] exceptional man. And so if you if you

[11:03] don't already know Joe Carr, not as not

[11:06] as the county mayor, but as a man,

[11:09] definitely get to know him.

[11:11] But being county mayor carries an

[11:14] enormous responsibility.

[11:16] Again, as I mentioned with with uh

[11:19] Sheriff Fitzu, Rutherford County is

[11:21] experiencing tremendous growth and

[11:24] during your time in office, you've uh

[11:27] you've led the county through many of

[11:30] our most important challenges that we've

[11:32] ever had and hopefully won't ever have

[11:35] those types of challenges again. Our

[11:37] cities and counties are connected in so

[11:39] many ways. What [snorts] happens in

[11:41] Rutherford County affects Leverne,

[11:43] Smyrna, Murphreey'sboro, Eagle, and what

[11:46] happens in those cities and towns

[11:48] affects the county. I appreciate the

[11:50] willingness of Mayor Carr to work with

[11:52] our community and recognize the

[11:54] importance of cooperation between local

[11:57] communities. Public service is

[12:00] ultimately about giving a portion of

[12:01] your life to the community you

[12:03] represent. And Joe, you've done that. So

[12:06] tonight, we want to recognize that

[12:08] commitment and thank you. We've got a

[12:11] certificate of appreciation, but we we

[12:13] do have one other thing. Uh

[12:15] >> oh.

[12:16] >> It's a pretty pink bag.

[12:20] >> And this is for you as well.

[12:21] >> Thank you.

[12:22] >> I have I I cannot say I will not open it

[12:26] here. [laughter]

[12:27] >> I can only imagine what is I would like

[12:29] to say something if that's

[12:30] >> Absolutely. Um, as county mayor, um,

[12:34] like with all the constitutional

[12:35] officers and the commissioners, you have

[12:38] an opportunity to work, uh, not just

[12:41] with the county, but the cities. And

[12:43] it's absolutely imperative that that

[12:46] relationship be a c not just a

[12:48] cooperative relationship, but it be one

[12:51] where you're yolked together for what's

[12:54] good. So, what's good for Leverne is

[12:56] good for Rutherford County. And what's

[12:58] good for Rutherford County is good for

[12:59] Leverne. Let me tell you the audience

[13:02] and you out there, [clears throat]

[13:04] this man right here and these alder men

[13:07] and women do exactly that. And of all

[13:11] the cities, there are four in this

[13:12] community that I get to work with. There

[13:15] is nobody that I've got a closer working

[13:17] relationship than this man right here.

[13:19] We didn't always agree, but our

[13:21] relationship was not and was not

[13:24] determined by whether or not we agreed,

[13:27] but by whether or not we could

[13:28] steadfastly move our communities

[13:30] forward. This man and these ladies and

[13:33] gentlemen up here do that every single

[13:35] day. It's been a privilege to work

[13:37] alongside you. I've learned so much from

[13:38] you as mayor. Uh I I only wish I had

[13:41] four more years, but God had other plans

[13:43] and so I will submit myself to his will

[13:46] gratefully and move forward. Uh, but let

[13:49] me just say it's been a true honor

[13:51] working with Sheriff Mike Fitzu and Miss

[13:53] Harrell as the clerk, uh, Laura Davidson

[13:56] and and and all the constitutional

[13:59] officers and the commissioners in in

[14:01] this county. So, Jason, my friend, thank

[14:04] you very much. It was a privilege and an

[14:06] honor and uh, now I get to harass you on

[14:09] Facebook like every other citizen.

[14:10] Absolutely. [laughter]

[14:12] >> Be sure to tag me.

[14:13] >> Yes. Thank you. [applause]

[14:23] » [applause]

[14:26] » Now, can I have Katie Ferguson come up,

[14:29] please?

[14:30] >> You can bring the kiddos if you want to.

[14:32] >> Yes, bring the kiddos.

[14:33] >> Kiddos. They were part of this.

[14:38] >> Come up. Either one of y'all want to

[14:39] come up for this.

[14:42] Y'all have

[14:44] >> Did you bring us a corn dog?

[14:47] >> Don't worry. We're just on TV and in the

[14:48] papers and all of that, so you're good.

[14:50] >> Hi guys.

[14:51] >> This is Summer.

[14:53] >> Hi Summer.

[14:53] >> Casey.

[14:54] >> Hi Casey.

[14:55] >> This is Mr. I called you Mr. No. Oh my

[14:58] gosh. My hair

[14:59] >> too much hair for that. [laughter]

[15:02] » So

[15:02] >> Mr. Oh,

[15:03] >> this is a certificate of recognition

[15:05] hereby great uh granted to Miss Katie

[15:07] Ferguson in recognition of her

[15:09] outstanding service, creativity, and

[15:11] dedication to the to the residents of

[15:13] the city of Leverne. Katie consistently

[15:15] goes above and beyond in supporting

[15:17] community events and programs,

[15:19] generously giving her time and talents

[15:21] to enhance experiences for residents of

[15:24] all ages, whether they're young or old.

[15:30] Her [laughter]

[15:32] creativity, dedication, and positive

[15:34] attitude have helped bring countless

[15:37] fundraising events to life. Katie is a

[15:40] valued resident of the city and of

[15:42] Rutherford County, [snorts] and we

[15:44] recognize her as such. We thank you for

[15:47] all you've done through working with our

[15:50] police and fire, with our different

[15:52] programs uh for Christmas and for

[15:54] Thanksgiving. So, thank you so much.

[15:57] >> Thank you so much.

[15:58] >> [applause]

[16:12] » Mister, [laughter]

[16:15] >> I'm Miss Carol.

[16:32] Now we have public comments [snorts]

[16:36] and we've got believe one person signed

[16:39] up and that would be Mr. Doug

[16:41] >> Schaefer.

[16:50] that way.

[16:53] >> I have nothing bad tonight to say and

[16:56] I'm Doug Schaefer, 192 Morningside Drive

[16:59] for many, many years. And uh I want to

[17:03] talk about the school zones and the

[17:06] camera you're looking at tonight. I

[17:08] think it's a great idea, but I think you

[17:11] got to look at everything about them,

[17:14] not just what it can do. And uh that is

[17:18] like Stones River for example, the

[17:20] yellow light's flashing down here.

[17:22] There's no crossing garden. The yellow

[17:25] light still flashing on the other and

[17:28] same thing happens in the afternoons

[17:30] after everybody's gone. But I also heard

[17:35] on the way over here on the radio a

[17:37] little story. It was about a man out

[17:39] west that was going through his true

[17:41] story, going out west through his school

[17:44] zone and all of a sudden he looked up

[17:46] and he saw he was speeding and he saw a

[17:49] camera take his picture. So he stopped

[17:52] the car, pulled the camera down, started

[17:55] beating it with a rock numerous times,

[17:58] messed it up pretty good. Then he left.

[18:01] He came back a while later with a rope

[18:05] to pull the whole thing out of there and

[18:07] he had trouble doing it and he didn't do

[18:09] it. But needless to say, he was caught

[18:14] and charged. And the price of that

[18:17] camera that he destroyed was $47,000,

[18:22] but it wasn't completely destroyed

[18:24] because it showed him what he was doing.

[18:27] >> Thank you. [laughter]

[18:30] So, Chief, remember Doug's face with any

[18:32] of our cameras. [laughter]

[18:38] Moving on to uh departmental reports.

[18:40] Chief Maize,

[18:50] Mayor, Vice Mayor, Alderman, uh you have

[18:52] the report before you. I uh I'm

[18:55] continued to be very pleased with uh a

[18:57] lot of the numbers. uh they're trending

[18:59] in the right direction. The only thing

[19:00] that we had an increase in was thefts.

[19:01] We looked into that. There were no

[19:02] trends or patterns involved in those

[19:04] thefts. Uh two of the uh the two

[19:06] additional ones that uh went above and

[19:08] beyond the numbers from last month

[19:10] involved a U-Haul rental that was not

[19:12] paid for or returned and an industrial

[19:15] piece of equipment that was rented and

[19:16] not returned. So, those were the nature

[19:18] of those steps, but again, no trends or

[19:20] patterns. Um and I I'm pleased with the direction that the numbers are

[19:24] trending. Uh the next page, calls for

[19:26] service. You're going to notice that

[19:28] some of the calls for service and

[19:29] traffic stops were down. Um, that's

[19:31] because the data for this in order to

[19:33] have it ready for the meeting is from

[19:35] August 1st through the 27th. If you

[19:37] actually take kind of our daily average

[19:38] for calls for service, our calls for

[19:41] service will probably be flat for the uh

[19:43] for the month. Uh, traffic stops were

[19:45] down a little bit. Um, and that's

[19:47] probably because last year we did um

[19:49] around the first day of school we did a heat detail. This year we had some

[19:53] staffing issues and weren't able to do

[19:54] that. So, um, that probably contributes

[19:56] to the number that's down. Drugrelated

[19:58] arrests are up, uh, substantially. Our

[20:01] narcotics unit continues to do excellent

[20:03] work there, and you'll see an example of

[20:05] that, uh, coming up here because we did

[20:06] have a traffic stop. Crashes are going

[20:09] down. Injury crashes are down sub

[20:11] substantially. So, I'm really happy

[20:12] about that. Um, moving on to the photos.

[20:15] This is just one of our um traffic stop

[20:18] arrests that we had in the month where

[20:19] we uh took in a substantial amount of

[20:21] cash and a weapon that was um inside the

[20:24] vehicle. So, good work being done. And

[20:27] then obviously the focus uh one of our

[20:30] many focuses is on community

[20:31] involvement. And uh again, I have to

[20:33] give, you know, props to uh David

[20:36] McGawan and his team and everybody there

[20:38] for How at the Moon and how all of our

[20:40] city functions go phenomenally well and

[20:42] the coordination that they give us uh

[20:44] and the support that they give us on on

[20:46] our events as well. But uh How at the

[20:47] Moon was great. This is a picture from

[20:49] our drone that we uh took during the

[20:51] event. Um and then uh we had a back to

[20:54] school event from uh with Chick-fil-A

[20:56] that uh myself and a couple of officers

[20:58] went to where we were handing out things

[21:00] to students at Chick-fil-A. um up there.

[21:02] We have a really nice working

[21:03] relationship with them. So, we continue

[21:06] to um to build those bridges, you know,

[21:08] both in Leverne and just outside of our

[21:11] borders. So, any questions?

[21:14] >> You want to have any questions?

[21:16] >> Chief, what was your time on how at the

[21:17] Moon? Remember, we talked about you

[21:19] running it.

[21:19] >> Yeah, there is some video out there. I

[21:21] mean, I don't want to brag, sir, but I

[21:22] think it was, you know, just it was sub

[21:24] 15. Yeah, I did it in sub 15. Um, you

[21:28] know, I'm not saying [laughter]

[21:31] I think I ran about a total of 30 yards

[21:33] and uh yeah, but

[21:35] >> 15 minutes. [laughter]

[21:37] >> It was Well, I'm I'm in training for

[21:39] next year because uh Alderwoman Hobbs

[21:41] here, she wants me to do it in full gear

[21:43] next year. So, I'm not

[21:44] >> You too, Ronnie.

[21:45] >> Yeah, you too, Ronnie.

[21:47] >> Yeah. So, speaking of Alderwoman Hops,

[21:49] what was your time?

[21:50] >> I made it in a record 22 minutes to

[21:52] Duncan and back. [laughter]

[21:56] » Probably saw the police there, too,

[21:58] didn't you? Oh,

[22:00] >> it's [laughter] gonna be it's going to

[22:02] be hardressed to get a policeman to run

[22:05] past a Duncan. [laughter]

[22:08] >> One other thing I forgot to mention. Uh

[22:09] I announced it today at the senior

[22:11] center. We had a great event there

[22:12] today, but um we have it's official. We

[22:15] have acquired a dunk tank for the

[22:17] National Night Out.

[22:18] >> What What kind of tank?

[22:19] >> A dunk tank.

[22:20] >> Just making sure this time. [laughter]

[22:22] >> So the proper kind of tank. Um and uh

[22:26] the chief will be in there. So, anybody

[22:27] is welcome to come join us at our

[22:29] national night out and you can dunk the

[22:30] chief and I have challenged the mayor to

[22:33] try to dunk me as well as, you know,

[22:35] partake in being in the dunk tank or

[22:38] Chief Beasley here. So, but uh I'll be

[22:40] there. Well, Chief, I was going to wait

[22:42] till the end of the meeting to praise

[22:44] you for one thing, being at the senior

[22:47] center today, but right before we came

[22:50] out,

[22:52] Mayor Cole did tell me that he does

[22:57] accept your challenge. He will be in the

[22:59] dunk tank.

[23:00] >> Oh, I love it. All right. You You're

[23:04] obviously the age is catching up to you

[23:06] hard. [laughter]

[23:08] >> I think you're committed, man.

[23:09] >> Mr. Birthday boy. I think.

[23:10] >> All right. [laughter]

[23:12] >> So, now we just have to have one other

[23:14] person accept.

[23:17] >> You don't see me in shorts. [laughter]

[23:20] >> Those legs are awful white.

[23:23] >> Fair enough. [laughter]

[23:27] » Weather permitting. He did put us he did

[23:30] put a little gig on it. Weather

[23:32] permitting, of course.

[23:34] >> Okay. All right. Well, I think I'll be

[23:37] in there regardless.

[23:39] >> [laughter]

[23:39] >> I've made the promise I'll be there.

[23:42] >> David, make sure that that that thing is

[23:43] filled with lots of ice water.

[23:47] >> Thank you, sir. [laughter]

[23:49] >> Hey, it'll be an ice plunge.

[23:51] >> Oh, no.

[23:52] >> That's the hottest thing is an ice

[23:53] plunge.

[23:53] >> Having it over your head is different

[23:55] than being dunked in it.

[23:56] >> Come on, Minnesota.

[23:59] >> Minnesota Wisconsin. [laughter]

[24:01] >> W Oh, yeah.

[24:05] » Moving on to our fire department.

[24:08] >> [laughter]

[24:09] >> You're done committed, Ronnie.

[24:11] >> We're going to see what Ronnie's going

[24:12] to hop in for now.

[24:14] >> Well, to begin with for the dunk tank

[24:16] mayor, if you might recall, my first

[24:18] week here, I was challenged by

[24:21] the vice mayor to take one ball and dunk

[24:24] the mayor. It's what it took, wasn't it?

[24:27] I think I caught you off guard with

[24:28] that.

[24:28] >> You took actually one of your daughter's

[24:30] balls.

[24:30] >> Oh, I actually took it from her.

[24:32] >> She missed a few.

[24:33] >> Yes. Uh, so I'll be glad to step up to

[24:37] the plate.

[24:38] >> All it all it takes is one.

[24:40] >> Just one.

[24:40] >> All it takes is one.

[24:42] >> I hope that everybody's had an

[24:43] opportunity to take a look at the newly

[24:45] revised monthly report. I think it's our

[24:48] second time to produce this.

[24:49] >> I was going to say this is old.

[24:51] >> Yeah.

[24:51] >> Well, it's it's it's still a bit hard to choke down some. I'm looking at it

[24:56] and trying to to get it myself, but it

[24:58] still captures the the real data that we

[25:00] had. 300 363 responses this month, which

[25:03] is a little bit above the normal um as

[25:06] we're trending right now. And of course,

[25:08] medical calls continue to be about 74%

[25:10] of those runs. Um I'm glad to say that

[25:15] we just started our advanced EMT class

[25:17] this past week. And if things hold true,

[25:21] and as they are over the last 18 months

[25:23] to two years or so, our retention has

[25:26] been exceptional. This hopefully will be

[25:28] our last advanced EMT class for some

[25:31] period of time. Uh we're at a point

[25:33] right now that we're about 85 90% of our

[25:37] firefighters carry advanced EMT license

[25:40] or when this group graduates they'll

[25:42] have about 90% of our people that that

[25:44] are carrying that advanced EMT license

[25:46] which provides as you see the the core of what we do every every month. Uh

[25:53] anybody have any questions about what

[25:54] you're reading?

[25:58] Thank you, sir.

[26:00] >> Moving on to parks and recreation. Mr.

[26:01] David McGawan,

[26:09] » mayor, vice mayor, board, thank you. You

[26:11] guys have the parks numbers for the

[26:12] month. You see 99 help desk tickets on

[26:15] the maintenance side, 716 man hours

[26:17] devoted to those. Our past events,

[26:20] August 7th was a phone party in the

[26:22] park. August 21st with How at the Moon

[26:25] 5K, our annual 5K. Upcoming event

[26:28] September 12th is our fall festival and

[26:30] parade. Parade starts at 10:00 a.m. Uh

[26:33] the festival runs from 10:00 a.m. to 3.

[26:36] Vendor setup will start at 7:00 a.m.

[26:38] Parade lineup will start at 8:00 a.m.

[26:41] Traffic diversion will start at

[26:42] approximately 9:30. Opening remarks um

[26:46] 11:15 somewhere in that area. Um parade

[26:50] will start here at city hall, go down

[26:51] Merur Road, and end at the park.

[26:54] Upcoming meeting September 21st, um

[26:57] parks and recck advisory committee. Let

[26:59] me go back to the fall festival. As of

[27:02] today, 72 vendors, those include food

[27:05] vendors, craft vendors, and political

[27:07] vendors. Um parade entrance as of this

[27:10] afternoon are 29.

[27:12] Um 5K race, let me hit on that real

[27:15] quick. That was probably one of our

[27:16] better weather nights for August 21st.

[27:20] The weather was very bearable. Um to see

[27:23] Miss Cara come out. Her time was

[27:26] absolutely smoking. I will say I was

[27:29] very impressed with that when she

[27:31] crossed the line. She's not lying. It

[27:32] was like 22 minutes. We were blown away.

[27:37] » Any questions?

[27:38] >> You're stuck with that

[27:39] >> to Duncan and back.

[27:41] >> Actually, we didn't know where she came

[27:42] from because she is [laughter]

[27:45] She is sprinting down the road and

[27:46] crosses the vine and we're like

[27:49] impressive. Very nice.

[27:50] >> I didn't disclose to anybody except for

[27:53] the computer guy that I had gone to

[27:55] Duncan. Yeah.

[27:57] >> That seeing the donut though in your

[27:59] hand kind of gave it away.

[28:00] >> Yeah, I know. [snorts]

[28:02] >> Any questions?

[28:03] >> David, do you know how many people we

[28:04] had?

[28:05] >> Um, we had anywhere between 210 and 220.

[28:09] So, it's been one of our better events.

[28:11] It's steadily grown through the years.

[28:13] This was probably our better turnout. I

[28:15] think last year we averaged 207 maybe.

[28:18] So the last several years we're getting

[28:20] well over 200 people.

[28:21] >> Okay.

[28:22] >> Several have never ran it before. The

[28:24] guy the overall male winner, it was his

[28:26] first time joining us. Um and he smoked

[28:29] it all. So he came in like 12 seconds

[28:31] after the overall female winner. I think

[28:34] she was a little under 18. She probably

[28:37] been 18, right under 19. So, uh, Miss

[28:40] Cara's her 22 minutes was pretty

[28:42] impressive.

[28:44] [laughter]

[28:45] >> Ronnie Christopher, y'all better start

[28:47] training for next year.

[28:50] >> 22 hours. [laughter]

[28:52] >> Thank you, board.

[28:53] >> Thank you. Library, Miss Donna Bout,

[29:06] » Mayor, Vice Mayor, Alderman. Good

[29:08] evening

[29:09] for August. You can see our numbers

[29:11] there. They are a little low. Uh but we

[29:14] had no programs going on while we were

[29:16] getting ready to finish up summer

[29:18] reading and to get on to our September

[29:21] happenings. Uh I am impressed with our

[29:24] checkouts for ebooks and e audios. 439.

[29:29] That just shows a lot of people stayed

[29:30] in out of the heat, but still checked

[29:33] out books from our Libby app, which we

[29:36] were happy about. We've got several

[29:39] September happenings. We're getting

[29:41] ready to gear everything back up.

[29:44] September is library card signup month.

[29:48] We are trying to find a way to get more

[29:50] people to come in and sign up for a

[29:52] card. So, we are offering if you sign up

[29:56] for a library card, you will receive an

[29:59] opportunity to win one of our three

[30:02] prize baskets. We're going to give one

[30:04] away to adult, teen, and a child. And

[30:08] these are new library patrons only. So,

[30:11] we will be checking to make sure you

[30:13] don't already have a card, but we're

[30:15] trying to get uh some of our people who

[30:19] have been coming in to use our driver's

[30:20] kiosk and say, "I've never been in this

[30:23] library. I didn't know this was a

[30:25] library." And they've lived here for a

[30:27] while. So, we're looking forward to that

[30:29] month. Uh the library will be closed

[30:32] Labor Day weekend. We will be closed

[30:35] Saturday with the staff taking an RDO, a

[30:38] regular day off. and uh also closed on

[30:42] Monday and will resume regular hours on

[30:45] Tuesday, September the 8th. We will be

[30:48] at the Lever Fall Festival. We would

[30:50] like to encourage people to come to the

[30:52] library tent uh and check us out. Our

[30:56] theme is down on the farm with apples.

[30:59] And the library will be closed on

[31:01] Saturday the 12th while we're at the li

[31:03] at the fall festival.

[31:06] Strings and Things Adult Craft, ages 18

[31:09] plus. Please sign up at the circulation

[31:12] desk. It's a beautiful plaque called

[31:15] Kindness Makes Us Bloom.

[31:18] Dungeons and Dragons is starting back

[31:21] and this is for twins. That will be for

[31:24] ages 10 to 12. Their first Dungeons and

[31:28] Dragons will be Tuesday, September the

[31:30] 15th. And we are encouraging them to

[31:32] sign up at the circulation desk.

[31:35] We have a brand new program and I'm so

[31:38] excited. Jonathan Skinner has developed

[31:42] this program and it's called Vinyl Club

[31:46] listening party. And I think most of us

[31:49] do know what a vinyl is. Some of our

[31:52] younger may not. So each month, Jonathan

[31:56] is finding a vinyl album that uh is in

[32:02] their 50th year of their 50th

[32:04] anniversary. So this first one will be

[32:06] Monday, September 28th. We [snorts] he

[32:09] wants us to join for a relaxed listening

[32:12] party in featuring classic vinyl

[32:14] records, great music, and good

[32:16] conversation. The first one will be

[32:19] Stevie Wonders Songs in the Key of Life,

[32:23] the 50th anniversary.

[32:28] Then very quickly, I want to go over our

[32:30] home our story times. We are beginning

[32:33] story times back on September the 14th.

[32:36] Our homeschool explorers has now moved

[32:39] into homeschool steam lab.

[32:45] Steam standing for science, technology,

[32:48] engineering, arts, and mathematics. So,

[32:51] it's going to cover a lot of different

[32:53] subjects. is for kindergarten through

[32:55] 4th grade Mondays at 10:00 a.m. We have

[32:58] our books and babies back to 36 months

[33:03] on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. And our little

[33:06] learners, that's our preschool children

[33:09] will be Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. And

[33:12] then another new program that's coming

[33:15] along, Sherry has developed this one.

[33:18] It's called the village gathering and

[33:21] that will be doing we will be doing this

[33:23] once a month. Uh this first one will be

[33:26] Friday, September the 25th at 10:00 a.m.

[33:29] It's a new monthly program for parents,

[33:32] caregivers, and families to connect,

[33:34] share experiences, and build community.

[33:38] This group is a chance to meet other

[33:40] families, make friends, swap ideas and

[33:42] resources, talk through everyday

[33:45] challenges, and celebrate the ups and

[33:47] downs of life. Each meetup is casual

[33:50] with no formal program. Of course,

[33:53] children of all ages are welcome. There

[33:56] will be toys and activities available

[33:58] for playing while the grown-ups visit

[34:00] and make connections. Come as you are.

[34:03] community. Connect with your community

[34:05] and remember, you do not have to do it

[34:07] alone. Sometimes it takes a village.

[34:12] You can find all of our programs on

[34:15] Facebook and also we have a schedule

[34:17] that will be on the website.

[34:20] So, we've got a lot going on in

[34:22] September. Do you have any questions?

[34:26] >> Any questions?

[34:27] >> It's a busy busy month.

[34:28] >> It is.

[34:29] >> Okay. Thank you.

[34:32] Finance Department. Wyatt.

[34:34] >> Oh, we get Wyatt tonight.

[34:36] >> Opie. All right.

[34:39] >> Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor,

[34:41] Alderman. Uh,

[34:42] >> we have lots of questions.

[34:43] >> I have lots of answers. Uh, first up, we

[34:46] have the any bank balances for August.

[34:49] The total was 109 million with Fin

[34:52] [clears throat] fund making up 22.8

[34:54] million and the water sewer fund making

[34:58] up 22.06 06 million

[35:02] and after that we have the sales tax

[35:06] information

[35:10] and for

[35:13] we have the sales tax information for

[35:14] the current and three prior years.

[35:16] August collection amount was 1.7 million

[35:19] and it exceeded the prior year's amount

[35:21] and it continued the trend that only

[35:24] January has been less than the prior

[35:26] year's collections.

[35:29] Um any questions?

[35:31] >> No. We like those numbers though with um

[35:33] >> Yes.

[35:34] >> sales tax.

[35:35] >> Yes.

[35:36] >> So, anyone have any questions?

[35:40] >> Thank you, wifey. [laughter]

[35:42] >> He was waiting.

[35:43] >> Last but not least, water treatment

[35:45] plant, Mr. Danny Campbell.

[35:50] » Good evening, mayor, vice mayor, board.

[35:52] I hope you've had the opportunity to

[35:54] review our report for the month of

[35:56] August. Couple things worth mentioning.

[36:00] Our lead and copper sampling is uh

[36:02] completed. We were able to get the

[36:05] remaining of the 30 required samples in

[36:07] the month of August. Those have all been

[36:10] submitted to the uh lab and once we get

[36:14] the uh reports back, we will send those

[36:17] out to the to the customers that

[36:19] participated. I do want to say thank you

[36:21] to those who did participate. It was uh

[36:23] very helpful. Uh we also completed uh

[36:27] roughly we're we're about 75% complete

[36:30] with our annual flushing program as

[36:32] well. We flushed roughly one uh 4.1

[36:36] million gallons.

[36:38] >> Wow.

[36:38] >> Any questions?

[36:41] >> Thank you, sir.

[36:42] >> Thank you.

[36:44] >> Moving on to old business. First

[36:46] reading, ordinance 2026-14,

[36:48] an ordinance to amend title 10 of the

[36:50] lever's municipal code by adding a new

[36:52] chapter regulating the keeping of

[36:54] domestic foul. This received a favorable

[36:56] recommendation from the planning

[36:58] commission on July 28th, 2026. I need a

[37:02] motion to approve or deny.

[37:03] >> Motion to approve.

[37:04] >> A motion to approve from Alderwoman Hos.

[37:06] Is there a second?

[37:08] >> Second.

[37:08] from Vice Mayor. No. Any

[37:10] discussion?

[37:13] [clears throat]

[37:13] >> Alderwoman Hobbs. I,

[37:15] >> Alman Coats,

[37:16] >> hi.

[37:16] >> Alderman Hoss,

[37:17] >> I.

[37:18] >> Vice Mayor, no.

[37:19] >> I

[37:19] >> motion passes.

[37:21] And number six, second reading ordinance

[37:24] 2026-15, an ordinance to amend the city

[37:27] of Leverne zoning ordinance by changing

[37:29] the official zoning map for tax map 17G,

[37:32] group A, parcels 112, 13,14 15. Property

[37:36] consisting of approximately 2.74 acres.

[37:39] Property located on Rocky Street.

[37:41] Current zoning is um R1 single family

[37:45] residential and the proposed zoning

[37:47] district is central commercial. This

[37:50] received a favorable recommendation from

[37:52] the planning commission on June 30th and

[37:55] a public hearing was held on August 4th.

[37:58] I'll make a motion to approve. Is there

[38:00] a second?

[38:00] >> Second.

[38:01] from Alderman Coats. Any

[38:03] discussion?

[38:05] >> Alderman Hobbs.

[38:06] >> I.

[38:06] >> Alman Coats

[38:07] >> I.

[38:08] >> Alman Hos

[38:09] >> I.

[38:09] >> Vice Mayor No.

[38:10] >> I. I'll vote I. That motion passes.

[38:13] Number seven, second reading, Ordinance

[38:15] 2026-16,

[38:17] an ordinance to amend the fiscal year

[38:18] 2026-2027

[38:22] uh water and sewer fund budget.

[38:25] Need a motion to approve or deny.

[38:27] >> Make a motion to approve.

[38:28] >> Have a motion to approve from Alderman

[38:30] Coats. Is there a second?

[38:31] >> Second.

[38:32] from Alderwoman Hos. Any

[38:34] discussion?

[38:36] >> Alderwoman Hobbs.

[38:37] >> I.

[38:38] >> Alderman Coats.

[38:38] >> I.

[38:39] >> Alderwoman Hos.

[38:40] >> I. Vice Mayor, no.

[38:41] >> I

[38:41] >> That motion passes. Number eight,

[38:44] approve uh motion to approve agreement

[38:47] with Blue Line Solutions LLC for school

[38:50] zone automated photo enforcement

[38:52] services. Make a motion to defer. Is

[38:55] there a second?

[38:55] >> Second.

[38:56] from Alderwoman Hobbs. Any

[38:58] discussion?

[38:59] >> Alderwoman Hobbs.

[39:00] >> I. Alderman Coats.

[39:02] >> I.

[39:02] >> Alderman Hos.

[39:03] >> I.

[39:04] >> Vice Mayor. No.

[39:05] >> I. And

[39:05] >> I vote I. That motion passes. Moving on

[39:08] to the consent agenda. I need a motion

[39:09] to approve or deny.

[39:12] >> Motion to approve.

[39:13] >> Have a motion to approve from Vice Mayor

[39:14] No. Is there a second?

[39:15] >> Second.

[39:16] from Alderwoman Hobbs.

[39:18] >> Alderwoman Hobbs.

[39:20] >> I.

[39:21] >> Alderman Coats.

[39:22] >> I.

[39:23] >> Alderwoman Hos.

[39:24] >> I.

[39:24] >> Vice Mayor No.

[39:25] >> I.

[39:26] vote I. That passes. Moving on to new

[39:30] business. First reading. Ordinance

[39:32] 2026-7, an ordinance to amend chapters

[39:35] four and five of the Leverne zoning

[39:37] ordinance regarding planning areas and

[39:39] development standards. This received a

[39:41] favorable recommendation from the

[39:42] planning commission on July 28th, 2026

[39:45] and we will have a public hearing on

[39:48] this October 6th at 5:45. Need a motion

[39:51] to approve or deny.

[39:52] >> Motion to approve.

[39:53] >> Have a motion to approve from Alderman

[39:55] Coats. Is there a second?

[39:57] >> Second.

[39:57] from Vice Mayor. No. Any

[39:59] discussion?

[40:00] Alderman Hops

[40:02] >> I.

[40:02] >> Alderman Coats

[40:03] >> I.

[40:04] >> Alderman Hos

[40:05] >> I.

[40:05] >> Vice Mayor no

[40:06] >> I.

[40:07] vote I. That motion passes. Number 11.

[40:11] Resolution 2026-26.

[40:13] A resolution of the city of Leverne

[40:15] board of mayor and alderman to declare

[40:16] property owned by the city to be surplus

[40:18] to the city's needs and directing

[40:20] disposal of the same. Make a motion to

[40:22] approve. Is there a second?

[40:24] >> Second.

[40:25] from Alderwoman Hos. Any

[40:27] discussion?

[40:29] Alderman

[40:31] Hobbs.

[40:31] >> I alderman Coats

[40:32] >> I.

[40:33] >> Alderman Hos

[40:34] >> I.

[40:34] >> Vice Mayor No.

[40:35] >> I.

[40:36] >> That motion passes. Number 12 is to

[40:40] appoint

[40:42] one person to the planning commission

[40:45] vacant term and um we've got four

[40:50] applicants to this. Um I will appoint

[40:53] Jamie Knight to that position.

[40:58] And then moving on to mayor and alderman

[41:01] comments.

[41:02] Aldwoman Hobbs.

[41:04] >> Yes. I just in regards to the uh

[41:07] planning commission appointment. I think

[41:08] we had four great applicants. We could

[41:10] not have gone wrong there. But I do want

[41:12] to ask the mayor and this board to just

[41:14] be mindful in appointing the same people

[41:16] to multiple boards. I think by doing so,

[41:18] we're limiting the diversity of our

[41:20] boards. We're limiting opportunities for

[41:22] community engagement and can discourage

[41:26] future applicants uh from applying if we

[41:29] continue to appoint the same people to

[41:30] multiple boards. But like I said, we

[41:32] have four great candidates. We couldn't

[41:33] have went wrong with any one of them. Um

[41:35] I also want to extend my thoughts and

[41:37] prayers to the Gentry family as they

[41:39] celebrate the life of Cranston um over

[41:42] the week. I know that's a really hard

[41:44] loss for this community um but my

[41:47] thoughts and prayers are with their

[41:48] family.

[41:51] Alman Coats,

[41:51] >> look forward to everyone enjoying the

[41:53] Labor Day weekend and look forward to

[41:55] seeing everyone else coming out for the

[41:56] full festival and parade.

[41:59] Alman Hoff,

[42:01] >> great job, Chief Maize. I know there was

[42:04] competition between the fire department

[42:06] in July and the cookout now, so it was a

[42:10] tie. I can't show favorites.

[42:14] >> I'll take it.

[42:16] >> Fist bump.

[42:17] It was great job. Um, I think most

[42:21] people might know Miss Mary Lee. Uh,

[42:23] she's maybe almost one of the oldest

[42:26] attending the senior center vice mayor.

[42:29] Yeah, maybe. Yeah. Anyway, uh, she's had

[42:32] an ongoing relationship with Lieutenant

[42:34] Stats. Anytime he walked in, it was I

[42:38] mean, she just blows up. She was

[42:39] throwing her cane and everything. So,

[42:41] it' been a while since he'd been there

[42:43] and he walked in and she just just

[42:46] blossomed. So, um, thanks to Lieutenant

[42:49] Stats for stopping by. I know it was

[42:51] before his shift, but it it made their

[42:54] day and the police officers and the

[42:56] detectives and everybody that showed up

[42:58] made the seniors day. I won't say what

[43:01] uh a couple of them said when Chief Mays

[43:03] offered to dance. Bless you.

[43:04] >> Um, we'll keep that one down. Um, but it

[43:07] was a great time had by all and uh then

[43:11] uh David, great job with How at the

[43:13] Moon. uh look forward to the fall

[43:15] festival, the parade and everything and

[43:18] um just everybody stay safe over the

[43:21] Labor Day weekend. Thank you,

[43:23] >> Vice Mayor.

[43:24] >> Well, I guess Joe and uh Laura left. So,

[43:29] Mike,

[43:31] thank you, sir, for your service. And uh

[43:34] you are officially a hasb been

[43:38] [laughter]

[43:38] and Melissa also.

[43:42] So, you all enjoy your fishing poles or

[43:44] whatever you're going to do. And uh we

[43:47] appreciate you coming and letting us at

[43:49] least acknowledge the fact that we do

[43:51] appreciate what you all have done. And I

[43:53] have to say that uh they got some big

[43:56] shoes to fill and they will be or I know

[44:00] I will be watching and I'm not a you

[44:03] know me well enough to know I'm not

[44:05] scared to speak my mind. So, uh, we'll

[44:09] be watching and I'm glad,

[44:12] uh, Cassie allowed Keith to come. I

[44:14] wish, uh, [laughter]

[44:16] I wish she would have allowed him to

[44:19] speak, but we understand.

[44:21] So, thank [laughter] you.

[44:23] >> I was just surprised they weren't in

[44:25] Disney. So,

[44:28] >> with Bruce.

[44:29] >> Yeah, they're competing with Bruce. So,

[44:32] >> well, um, do want to say today at the

[44:35] senior center was a wonderful time. lots

[44:38] of faces. I saw um Chief, our deputy

[44:41] chief Hatcher playing uh we bowling and

[44:45] um was actually beating some of the

[44:46] ladies um in that.

[44:48] >> Oh, I do have a comment. Uh Conrad was

[44:51] doing we bowling and when he went up

[44:52] like that, he took out a couple of the

[44:54] ceiling tiles. [laughter]

[44:56] >> So, maintenance

[44:57] >> maintenance.

[44:59] >> But, um it it it was definitely a good

[45:02] time. Everyone was in good spirits and

[45:05] um it was a packed house there. So, um,

[45:07] you you and your team did a great job

[45:10] there. Um, you had everyone from police

[45:13] officers to administration to

[45:15] dispatchers. I mean, it was it was

[45:17] great. So, um, so bravo. Hopefully the

[45:21] fire department can do better next time.

[45:24] [laughter]

[45:26] Um,

[45:27] >> look forward to uh September 12th with

[45:30] the fall festival. Um, please come out.

[45:33] Have a great time with it. Um, are Evan,

[45:35] are we throwing candy?

[45:37] >> We are not throwing candy.

[45:38] >> We're throwing candy. Okay.

[45:39] >> Candy.

[45:40] >> I thought it was chickens.

[45:41] >> Back to you. [laughter]

[45:43] >> That's only what Alderwoman Hobbs

[45:44] throws.

[45:45] >> It's almost like he was sitting over

[45:47] there waiting.

[45:48] >> Yes. Yes, he was. And then just please

[45:51] remember in your prayers the Gentry

[45:52] family. With that, thank you to all of

[45:55] our friends and everyone who served in

[45:57] the county. So, with that, I call this

[46:00] meeting adjourned.

La Vergne Board of Mayor & Aldermen Meeting (audio only) - 9/01/26

Transcript