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Council amends and approves Bandera Methodist Church parking agreement; rental fee cut from $500 to $300 per month
Summary
The council approved a one-year facility use agreement with Bandera Methodist Church for public parking across from the church, amending the monthly rental from $500 to $300 and adding an audit transparency clause. The agreement is backdated to January 2024 and renews annually unless canceled.
The City of Bandera council approved a one-year facility use agreement with Bandera Methodist Church that allows municipal use of the church parking lot at Eleventh and Cedar for public parking Monday through Saturday. Council amended the rental fee in the resolution from $500 to $300 per month before approving the agreement; the contract is backdated to January 2024 and automatically renews annually unless canceled by either party.
Mister Farnsworth introduced the item and described negotiations between the city and the church. He said the only edit since the prior council discussion was a new paragraph (8.9) providing for transparency: the church agreed to show the city a total of revenue and expenses for the church account dedicated to maintenance of the facility.
Council debate focused on the size of the proposed rental fee (several members called $500 a substantial increase from prior arrangements), the frequency of maintenance needs, and the possibility of alternative arrangements such as holding payments in escrow for maintenance instead of direct monthly payments. Councilmembers noted the Economic Development Corporation had invested in constructing the parking lot years earlier (the meeting record cites a prior EDC investment of approximately $50,000) and that the city had paid for recent repair work.
After discussion, a motion to approve the resolution with the rental fee amended to $300 per month carried; the meeting record shows the motion was made, seconded and the mayor called for a vote with the result “All in favor.” The meeting transcript did not record an individual roll-call tally in the public minutes.
Members also discussed options for additional transparency and partnership on maintenance costs in future renewals, including directing payments into an escrow account or requiring the church to present invoices before disbursing maintenance funds.
The approved contract contains an audit-style reporting paragraph and will remain in effect for one year unless canceled by either party.
