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Council approves stop-sign ordinance, street abandonment, trustee-property resale and other routine actions
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Summary
At its year-end meeting, the Bowie City Council approved second reading of an ordinance adding a stop sign at Smythe and Montegue, adopted an ordinance abandoning part of Wilbarger Street (effective after easement filing), authorized trustee-property resale by auction under Texas tax code, reappointed two library board members, accepted the hotel/motel report and authorized a Nortex solid-waste grant application.
The Bowie City Council took a series of formal actions at its closing meeting of the year. Major actions included passage of traffic, right-of-way and finance measures, reappointments to a library board and authorization for a regional grant application.
Traffic control: The council read for a second time Ordinance 2025-14, which adds stop-sign control at the intersection of Smythe and Montegue Streets. The council noted the ordinance had been adopted at a prior meeting and required a second reading by charter. Members discussed related pedestrian safety measures and suggested adding crosswalk striping in areas with heavy foot traffic near the high school.
Trustee-property resale: The council adopted Resolution 2025-38 to allow selected trustee properties to be resold by the Monte County Sheriff Department at public online auction under provisions of the Texas Tax Code. City staff explained how excess proceeds (the amount a sale exceeds the courthouse minimum bid) are handled: excess funds are deposited, claims may be made for two years, and any unclaimed funds are split among entitled entities. Staff presented two checks for the city (roughly $10,000 and $18,000) and said another check is forthcoming; an earlier estimate of "about $60,000" was corrected in the meeting to two specific checks.
Right-of-way/abandonment and easement: The council approved Ordinance 2025-15 abandoning all right, title and interest in a 0.48-acre portion of Wilbarger Street (a described tract in Block 39, Hill County School Land Survey A-319). The ordinance was revised to state it will not become effective until the required easement is filed with the county; council members said there are no adjacent residential properties to the abandoned tract. Separately, the council agreed to accept an Espinosa agreement as a preliminary step for a general-utility and lift-station easement affecting 0.31 acres of the Espinosa driveway and to pay $3,000 for the owners' legal fees; council members said a formal agreement and ordinance will return for final approval at a future meeting.
Appointments, reports and grant authorization: The council voted to reappoint Lou Brown and Jessica Burrows to the library board. Council accepted the Hotel/Motel report (year ending Sept. 30), with staff confirming the report shows collected funds. The council also approved Resolution 2025-39 authorizing the city to file a grant application with the Nortex Regional Planning Commission for a regional solid-waste grant program and authorized Bert Cunningham, city manager, to act on the city's behalf; members noted the grant carries no required local match according to the discussion.
Votes and procedure: The meeting included roll-call voting on multiple items; where specific roll calls were recorded they are reported below. In several cases council members moved and seconded routine items and the motions passed with recorded ayes.
