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Copperas Cove council narrows 2026 certificate of obligation projects, moves cemetery design forward
Summary
Council directed staff to keep the capital outlay items and irrigation/greens renovation in the proposed 2026 certificates of obligation, advance cemetery phase one design (~$400,000 A&E) and fund city-hall exterior repairs from general-fund balance; Bradford Oaks street reconstruction and Lindsay Branch water project were deferred pending further planning and developer negotiations.
The Copperas Cove City Council on June 16 provided staff direction on which projects to include in the city's proposed 2026 certificates of obligation (CO), confirming most equipment and capital outlay replacements, advancing cemetery design, and reallocating or deferring several large projects.
Ariana Beckman, the city’s director of budget, told the council the notice of intent for the 2026 CO issuance has been published and the sale is scheduled for consideration Aug. 4. Staff asked council which tax-supported projects should remain in the financing package.
Council consensus included keeping the capital outlay plan (replacement vehicles and equipment) and including the irrigation system and greens renovation at the Hills of Cove golf course ($1.6 million). Council members directed staff to move forward with cemetery phase one planning and design; Jeff Stoddart, speaking for project staff, estimated roughly $400,000 for architectural and engineering work and said design would take about seven months, with construction likely the following year.
City Manager Ryan Havrilak explained the cemetery need: based on current plot sales and death-rate assumptions, the city has about "3 to 4 years of available plots" in existing cemetery space. He told council that without expansion, families would have to look outside Copperas Cove in the near term.
Council also agreed to remove the proposed city-hall exterior renovation ($600,000) from the CO and to fund that work from the general fund balance. On streets and water projects, staff recommended deferring the Bradford Oaks roadway reconstruction ($1.7 million) until the multi-year street maintenance plan is finished and delaying the Lindsay Branch Phase 1 water project because an upcoming Church Mountain development could extend necessary utilities. Funds from the deferred projects were proposed to be reallocated to three water/wastewater needs (Settlement Lift Station, northeast aeration, and a southwest water treatment plant office), producing net CO issuance reductions of roughly $2.6 million overall.
Why it matters: The decisions shape the city's borrowing and near-term construction pipeline, balancing urgent infrastructure and equipment replacement against longer-term projects. Cemetery expansion was treated as time-sensitive by staff, while some street and water projects were deferred pending master plans or developer actions.
What’s next: Staff will prepare financing documents for the Aug. 4 sale reflecting council direction, advance cemetery A&E work, and return with any revised project cost estimates and the multi-year street maintenance plan for council review.
