The Brownfield City Council held a regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday morning, August 21, 2025. After the call to order, invocation, and pledges, there were no public comments, and the minutes from the August 7th meeting were approved. The Council then proceeded with the agenda, which resulted in a brief meeting.
The Council began by hearing from City Manager Jeff Davis, who presented the monthly finance and investment reports. The finance report for the period ending in July 2025 indicated that the city has spent $17,859,102.19 of the $21,431,598.00 budgeted, which represents 81.82% of the budget. This leaves 18.18% remaining in the budget for the fiscal year, which ends on September 30, 2025. According to the investment report, the total balance in all city accounts is $4,826,947.60, with an interest earned of $17,789.31. Additionally, the city is over-collateralized by 57%. The Council approved both the finance and investment reports.
The Council next heard from Parks and Recreation Director Gilbert Vasquez regarding the quarterly reports. Vasquez informed the Council that there had been a lot of activity in and around Coleman Park over the past quarter. Notable events included the Knights of Columbus BBQ cook-off, softball tournaments at the Brownfield Sports Complex (baseball/softball complex), and a successful 4th of July celebration, which benefited from the contributions of all city departments. Additionally, soccer activities have started.Vasquez also discussed the playground equipment at Gillam Pond (also known as The Duck Pond) and next to the skate park. The City of Brownfield has allotted funds in the 2024-2025 fiscal budget to renovate and add safety surfacing to the playground areas. The safety surfacing material is currently on back order, and once the materials arrive, the Parks and Recreation Department will begin updating all playground areas.
City Inspector Israel Limon presented his quarterly report next. He noted that a total of 48 building permits were issued during the period. The highest number of permits, totaling 19, was for roofing projects. The second most issued permits were for residential additions, which numbered six. Limon also provided details on the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits issued. From April 1 to June 30, 2025, there were 25 electrical permits issued, one mechanical permit, and 34 plumbing permits..
The final item of business was to hear from John Hoffman, a consultant for USG Water Solutions. During the Council budget workshop meeting, Brownfield Water & Wastewater Supervisor James Nix approached the Council regarding the opportunity to hire USG Water Solutions to maintain the six water storage tanks owned by the city. Three of these are elevated water storage tanks (water towers), and three are ground water storage tanks. According to Davis and Nix, restoring and maintaining one water tower would cost approximately $1.1 million. With all six water storage tanks needing maintenance, the total cost could exceed $7.5 million over a six-year period. However, with USG’s comprehensive water tank maintenance service, the total cost to maintain all six tanks over a ten-year period would be around $2.3 million.
This comprehensive maintenance includes inspecting the interior and exterior of each tank, along with providing a detailed report on safety, sanitation, structural integrity, security, and coatings. USG will also handle the rehabilitation of each tank. In the event of any leaks, USG will be available to address and fix the issue. Since this was not an action item on the agenda but rather an informational presentation, the Council gave Davis approval to proceed with USG Water Solutions for the maintenance of the water storage tanks.
