Willow Park council approves routine measures, directs staff on data‑center water rules and road talks with county after heated public comments

Willow Park City Council approved the consent agenda and a series of administrative items at its June 9 meeting, heard multiple public commenters who urged action on harassment, campaign integrity and local roads, and gave staff direction on data centers, license‑plate readers and county road repairs.

What the council approved: without recorded dissent the council approved routine minutes and consent items, authorized consultants at HUB International to solicit competitive proposals for employee benefits, adopted a Title VI nondiscrimination plan tied to federal transportation funds, approved a July 18 budget workshop, authorized public‑works surplus auctions, approved a three‑year software contract with GovWell Technologies for permitting and inspections, and declared an out‑of‑service police Tahoe salvage and authorized donation to Alto ISD.

Public comments and campaign allegations: Resident Lee Miller complained that a local couple repeatedly used threats to "call the city" and leveraged committee ties to intimidate neighbors, saying the conduct left her feeling "unsafe in my own town." Resident Tandy Blackstock alleged an outside campaign committee, "Citizens for Willow Park's Future," circulated false and misleading information during the recent election; she named several donors and urged the council to demonstrate impartiality.

Data centers and automated license‑plate readers: After a public delegation urged the city to exclude or more tightly regulate data centers, council members voted to instruct staff and legal to draft (1) a water‑usage ordinance aimed at limiting extremely high‑volume water users such as data centers and (2) an ordinance treating automated license‑plate readers (ALPR/LPR) as permitted only under a temporary special‑use approval, with legal review and recommended guardrails. Council also directed staff to work with the Beline/Bell property owner to seek removal of 'data center' references from the property's planned‑development materials.

Roads and interlocal agreement with Parker County: Several residents pushed for immediate repairs in Laguna Vista and other neighborhoods. Council authorized the city manager to continue negotiations with Parker County on a renewed interlocal agreement for precinct road repairs and potential addenda specifying streets and timing; staff said county scheduling and substructure considerations will affect which roads can be chip sealed this summer.

Personnel and next steps: By motion the council directed staff to commission a citywide compensation study (peer cities within roughly a 45‑minute radius) to inform FY2026–27 budget discussions about competitiveness of salaries and benefits. In closed session the council tabled consideration of a proposed home‑rule charter to the next meeting, approved an invitation to Alto for a joint council meeting to attempt to resolve a pending boundary dispute, and directed the city attorney to draft an employment agreement for Tony Fischer as city manager consistent with terms discussed in executive session.

Ending: Councilors said staff would return with draft ordinances on data‑center water‑use restrictions and ALPR rules, follow up on Republic Services' cart rollout, continue PUA engagement with county consultants, and bring any county ILA proposals back for final council action.