City manager outlines 2025 Texas legislative changes that could affect Copperas Cove

City Manager Ryan Havela told the Copperas Cove City Council on July 1 that multiple bills passed in the 2025 Texas Legislature could affect the city’s budget, planning and service obligations. He opened a 20‑minute briefing noting some measures take immediate effect while others will apply only to larger jurisdictions or come into force later.

Havela said changes to the state’s disabled‑veterans property tax relief program were among the most significant for Copperas Cove. “The current budget adopted for that relief payment is $19,000,000 for the biennium,” he said, adding a proposal to increase the program to $69,000,000 did not pass. He summarized House Bill 2894 as expanding eligibility for relief payments to additional communities in Lampasas, Coryell and Bell counties, and said the combination of broader eligibility and limited funding “is extremely negative” for Copperas Cove’s budget outlook.

Havela highlighted several finance…