Cove to discuss recreation center grant Monday Posted On: Sunday, Oct. 25 2009 01:36 AM By Alicia Lacy
Killeen Daily Herald

The recreation center issue has found its way to onto the Copperas Cove City Council agenda once again.

Monday, the City Council will decide what to do with the $400,000 Texas Parks and Wildlife grant that was awarded to the city last January.

The proposed multipurpose recreation center started as one of the Top 10 goals for the city in 2003.

During the November election, the issue was given to the voters to approve $8.6 million in general obligation bonds.

The proposition was narrowly defeated, leaving the future of the recreation center and the TPWD grant in the air.

After letter correspondence with TPWD, the council has three options – proceed with original project, reduce the scope of the original project or decline the grant and return the money to TPWD.

The council will discuss hiring a local city attorney Monday.

During the Oct. 8 council meeting, Councilman Willie Goode recommended an action item to discuss the city attorney be placed on a future agenda.

Goode said services provided by the current city attorney are fine, but brought up the issue because of costs.

The city's legal services are non-contractual and provided by the San Antonio-based law firm Denton, Navarro, Rocha and Bernal, P.C., with one attorney from the firm providing the city's legal services and another handling municipal court prosecutions.

"It's time to hire a full-time city attorney and not one so far away," Goode said. "We need to have a full-time attorney to handle the city and the municipal court."

According to the item, since November 2008, the city has paid a total of $166,581.54 for legal services and the rewriting of the oil and gas ordinance. In 2008, the city paid $155,482.49 for legal services.

Other items on Monday's agenda include:

Three public hearings: A public hearing and action to amend the overall budget for active capital improvement project funds; the first of two budget amendment hearings about a request for a $10,000 by CHAMPS from the Hotel Occupancy Texas Fund; and a public hearing and action on the annexation of Taylor Creek Elementary School into the city.

Whether to establish an international code council code review committee and appoint residents to it.

The adoption of tax abatement guidelines.

The purchase of audiovisual equipment for the new police facility.

Contact Alicia Lacy at alacy@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7476.