The Brownfield City Council held a quick regular scheduled meeting Thursday morning, July 24, 2025. After the invocation, pledges, public comments (there were none), and the approval of the minutes, the Council began to go through each item of business.
The Council engaged in a productive review of the monthly finance and investment reports for June 2025, reflecting the city’s ongoing efforts to enhance its financial performance. By the end of June, the city had expended $16,554,426.05, which accounts for a manageable 74.07% of the approved budget. Simultaneously, the city successfully generated revenues totaling $16,606,289, equating to 75.58% of the projected budget. This positive outcome exceed expenditures by 1.51%. The investment report further reveals promising developments, with the ending balance in the city’s bank accounts for June 2025 reaching $4,797,070.31. This represents a constructive increase of $208,908.98 from the beginning of the month, indicating effective cash flow management. Additionally, the city earned $16,911.67 in interest from its investments, contributing to our overall financial growth. Notably, the report highlights that the city is over-collateralized by a significant 57.36%, demonstrating a strong and secure financial foundation that will allow us to continue fostering economic stability and resilience in the community. The Council approved both items of business.
The Council heard from Brownfield Police Chief Chris Kotzur, who presented his second quarter report. According to Chief Kotzur, there were 3,667 calls for service from April 1 to June 30, 2025. The report included three sexual assaults, 18 assaults, 33 thefts, four stolen vehicles, 21 burglary investigations, 34 domestic disputes, and 90 civil standbys. Chief Kotzur also provided details on incidents, noting that there were 229 citations issued, 75 arrests made, nine city warrants served, five county warrants served, and five warrants from other departments served.
In addition to calls for service and incident reports, the Brownfield Police Department (BPD) hosted TLETS training and parole meetings, assisted with traffic for the Knights of Columbus BBQ cook-off in Coleman Park, participated in a job fair at Brownfield High School, and held a “Coffee with Cops” event at McDonald’s. Students from Wellman-Union Pre-K and Kindergarten toured the Police and Fire Departments. The department also organized the Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony, hosted CPR training for employees, and had a movie day for the Our Promise Youth Academy. Additionally, the BPD recognized the dispatch team and animal control officers during April, which was designated as Communications and Animal Control Month.
After the Council approved the BPD quarterly reports, they proceeded to the Code Enforcement quarterly reports presented by Code Enforcement Officer Rick Guerra. From April 1 to June 30, 2025, Guerra conducted 1,694 inspections. During the second quarter, he sent 92 certified letters, inspected six junk vehicles, addressed 50 public nuisance cases, and dealt with 496 weed and grass issues, as well as four cases of view obstructions. Guerra also made contact with 263 violators and issued 452 door notices related to weeds and grass, junk vehicles, and public nuisances. Out of these, 589 violators complied with the regulations. The total cost for contract mowing during this period was $3,202.00.
The final item on the agenda involved selecting an engineering firm for the $1 million 2025-2026 Community Development Block Grant Downtown Revitalization Program (DRP), following a request for quotation (RFQ). The City of Brownfield received proposals from five engineering firms. Mayor Eric Horton, along with Councilmen Tom Hesse and Ray McFarland, City Secretary Kelly Burris, and City Manager Jeff Davis, evaluated each firm based on their experience, the number of completed DRPs, successful project outcomes, and the location of their offices. After careful consideration, the team felt confident in recommending Jacob and Martin, who emerged as the highest-scoring firm.
The Council approved this recommendation, signaling a positive step forward for the project. The next phase involves the South Plains Association of Governments forwarding the city’s recommendation to the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) for approval. Once TDA grants its approval, the city can move ahead with the project, which aims to revitalize key areas of downtown Brownfield, enhancing the community for residents and visitors alike.
