Copperas Cove council adopts new city logo; officials say designer volunteered and rollout will be phased

Copperas Cove’s city council unanimously adopted a new city logo on Jan. 6, City Manager Ryan Haverlaw said in a city video, and officials sought to correct widely circulated claims about the design’s cost.

The council adopted the design by resolution, Haverlaw said, and Kevin Keller, the city’s director of public relations, told residents the city has spent $70 to date on producing a sample stitch from a local vendor. Keller said the graphic designer who helped develop the final mark volunteered and “charged us $0” for the design work.

Why it matters: some residents and social media posts circulated figures as high as $95,000 or $200,000 for the logo project. City officials said the higher numbers refer to the one‑time cost of immediately replacing every city‑branded item (uniforms, vehicle markings, signage) if the city were to swap all assets at once. The city plans a phased rollout over several years tied to routine replacement cycles to minimize budget impact.

Officials described the $95,000 estimate as the cost to replace every logo on every asset immediately; Keller and Haverlaw stressed much of that replacement is already covered through annual budgeting for uniforms and equipment. Keller said the immediate public changes will be primarily digital: the new mark will first appear on the city’s website, social media and in digital systems.

Haverlaw acknowledged the public criticism of a photo that circulated from the council presentation — “that image looks like an ear,” he said — and urged residents to see the official, circular mark as presented to council. He also said some physical replacements that are not routine (for example, painting a new logo on a prominent US‑190 water tower) would require separate budget requests to council.

On timing, officials addressed concerns about the logo rollout coming as the city finalizes a new street maintenance fee. Keller said the city has not yet begun collecting the fee and that physical street repairs tied to the fee are expected to appear by June or July; he described the logo expenditure as small relative to broader capital and maintenance costs and said the city will not immediately replace all physical branding in a single, costly program.

Officials encouraged residents to engage with the process by attending council meetings (first and third Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m.), joining volunteer boards and contacting city staff with questions. Haverlaw and Keller said the council’s unanimous resolution reflects a multi‑year, collaborative process that included staff, elected liaisons and community volunteers.

The city’s next steps are a phased deployment of the mark, starting with digital assets and incorporating physical replacements as items reach end-of‑life or as separate budget requests are approved. The city video urged residents to review the facts at city hall or during council meetings if they have concerns.