Sweetwater council approves financial report, seeks downtown CDBG, OKs wind easement amendment and oil-and-gas lease

Sweetwater City Council on March 11 approved the city’s comprehensive annual financial report for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2024; authorized submission of a Texas Community Development Block Grant application for downtown revitalization; approved a second amendment to an option and easement agreement with Sweetwater Wind 3 LLC to update transmission lines; and approved an oil-and-gas lease for 159 net mineral acres with Stockyard Energy Land Services LLC.

The auditor, Catherine Wilkes, told the council the independent auditor’s report gave a clean opinion. “In my opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly in all material respects the financial position,” Wilkes said, summarizing the report. She also said the audit disclosed no instances of noncompliance required to be reported under government auditing standards and that the finance department received a certificate of achievement from the Government Finance Officers Association for excellence in financial reporting.

The council voted by voice to adopt the audit…