Mineola City Council approved the city’s 2026-27 budget, adopted an increased property tax rate and raised water and sewer rates Monday night.
The council unanimously adopted the budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 and ending Sept. 30, 2027. No residents spoke during a public hearing on the tax rate.
Council members also ratified the property tax increase reflected in the budget before adopting a rate of $0.522357 per $100 valuation, just below the city’s voter-approval rate of $0.522358.
City officials said approximately $503,960 in property tax revenue will go toward debt repayment, with the remainder going toward maintenance and operations.
The council also approved changes to water, sewer and master meter rates based on recommendations from a rate study conducted through Communities Unlimited.
The minimum water bill, which includes the first 1,000 gallons, will increase $1, while the minimum sewer bill will increase $1.35. Most residential customers will see a combined $2.35 increase.
Rates for usage between 1,000 and 5,000 gallons will remain the same. Rates for usage above 5,000 gallons will increase.
“One of the things we want to do is encourage people to use less water, and so those rates do that,” City Manager Cindy Karch said.
The council also heard a report on the recent Rock the Pines event at the Mineola Nature Preserve, which brought an estimated 9,700 visitors to the preserve.
According to Placer AI data used by the city, approximately 9,700 visits were recorded during the weekend, with some people visiting more than once. The data also showed attendees visiting several Mineola businesses during the weekend.
Karch said city department heads and emergency medical personnel met following the event for an after-action review.
“We also learned a few lessons in doing an event this large. We’ve never allowed another entity to do an event like this before, and so we had some bumps along the way,” Karch said.
The city is now developing procedures for future large events at the preserve. Karch said the requirements could address hand-washing stations, cooling areas, first aid, camping addresses, security and other preparations.
The city is also considering different requirements based on the expected size of an event and setting a maximum attendance for large events.
Officials discussed requiring event organizers to pay a deposit that could be withheld if organizers fail to provide services or preparations agreed upon with the city.
The city had initially expected approximately 8,000 people at Rock the Pines. Karch said several heat-related illnesses occurred during the event, including six or seven at one time, placing additional demand on emergency services.
Karch said the city will bring the proposed procedures back to the council for review.
In other business, the council approved a one-year, $28,250 agreement with Brooks Watson & Co. for the city’s fiscal year 2026 audit.
Karch said the city has used the firm for about 10 years but plans to seek proposals from other auditing firms next year.
“We did promise the council that we would switch auditors every so often, and now we’ve gotten just 10 years. We’ll need to switch just to get a fresh set of eyeballs on our accounting,” Karch said.
Council members also approved a $3,089.80 interlocal agreement with the East Texas Council of Governments for 911 database maintenance and related services.
Karch updated the council on plans for the Clariday parking lot property downtown, where the city is moving forward with the first phase of the project.
Plans include stamped concrete, lighting, trees, electric vehicle charging stations, space for food trucks and a small green space and patio area. Future phases could include additional sidewalk work, an art space and a performance area.
The council also approved several board appointments and special event and street closure requests as part of its consent agenda.
Street closures were approved for National Night Out Oct. 6, the Mineola ISD homecoming parade Oct. 16 and the Mineola Chamber of Commerce’s annual Trick or Treat event Oct. 31.
The council is expected to hold a special meeting Oct. 12 to discuss the city’s comprehensive plan.