Copperas Cove city council approves going forward with holiday banner program

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press 

The Copperas Cove city council gave the okay for the City of Copperas Cove to go forward with a holiday banner program for the upcoming 2023 holiday season. 

Roxanne Flores, who has a dual role in the city as a public relations specialist and Executive Director of Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful, gave the presentation, during which the council had at least 30 minutes of discussion with her as well as City Manager Ryan Haverlah. 

The plan is for volunteers – whom Flores said are ready and excited to get started – to solicit local businesses to buy into the banner program for $700 each. 

The business can sponsor a banner to hang beneath a larger holiday banner of 7.5 feet x 2.5 feet. There are 38 light poles on Business 190 where banners could hang. 

Why $700? The cost will cover the initial purchase of the two banners ($150 apiece), plus a bracket ($150 each), along with covering city staff time to use bucket trucks and have traffic officers on hand while the banners are being installed and taken down ($296.70 total for staff time, per banner). There are discounts for multiple banner purchases.

“We have a committee that’s willing and excited to go out and get these banners and decorations, so we can turn around and have Copperas Cove lighted for the holidays for 2023,” Flores told the council. She said a number of businesses are ready to go to sponsor the banners and she was confident the program will succeed. 

She said they are shooting for people to do the three-year commitment, which costs $1,700.

“What I do want to clarify for all of you, all the costs for the sponsorship goes back into the program so that we can buy more banners, more lights, and actually have lights and decor throughout the city of Copperas Cove.”

If all 38 spots are sponsored, that would bring in a minimum of $17,442, according to the agenda item calculations. 

According to Flores, the company producing the banners says that the banners have a life of about seven years. Also, banner sponsorships are not limited to businesses, with Flores stating that families and individuals can also buy into the program. 

There were some concerns about the cost, as expressed by Councilmember Joann Courtland, who said that $700 was a lot to spend for perhaps six weeks of highway advertising on 190. 

“That’s where I think we need to really look at it at that because if you’re going to want a business to spend $700, they’re going to want something a little bit more than a month and a half,” Courtland said. 

Councilmember Vonya Hart said she was looking at that as well, and there may be families who would like their name on that, but for the price. She did say that the concept was “awesome.”

Courtland said the business banner could perhaps stay out for the year. “I think we’re missing out on some additional advertising.”

Flores did say that it would not be limited to just the holiday season in December, but there is potential for other holidays as well, in the future, as well as events such as Rabbit Fest. 

Also, given the traffic counts on 190, the $700 was a great cost savings for advertisement. 

City Manager Ryan Haverlah said that this is the beginning of a program, to grow it from a small way into a big way. He said they provided the calculation sheet of cost to show that the $700 was not a number picked to generate “a whole lot of revenue to supplement city services,” but was to pay for the cost to put the banner up and for the cost of the banner. 

“I had actually had one person ask, ‘Why do you need traffic control to install banners?’ We need somebody to protect the workers that are actually installing those banners. And I wouldn’t ask volunteers to install them because that’s dangerous. I know there are people who would want to do that. But you’ve got to protect those individuals as well.” 

Another comment he received was that the Street Department is already out there doing work, and why can’t they just do it? 

“Well, if they’re out there doing the banners, they’re not doing what they’re currently doing. So as an example, if the Street Department is putting up banners, they’re not filling potholes, they’re not removing vegetation on the right-of-ways. There’s always a balance of what service we can provide within the time that we can provide it.”

The council voted for Flores to start the program, with volunteers to sell the sponsorships locally. New councilmember John Hale, who is also the city council liaison to Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful, will be able to update the council on the program status, as will Flores. 

Flores said the banners need to be ordered by the August time frame in order to be ready for the 2023 holiday season. 

There will also be the understanding that at this point, there must be enough interest from businesses to buy into the program, or it will not happen. 

Also, during Tuesday night’s meeting, Joann Courtland was appointed as the Mayor Pro Tem for 2023, with current Mayor Pro Tem Fred Chavez requesting she be appointed. He said he enjoyed being Mayor Pro Tem but believes in sharing the title. 

The council also voted to appoint Clifford “Bob” Jericho to a vacancy on the City’s Quality of Life advisory board. Jericho serves as the city’s Pro Shop Manager at the Hills of Cove Golf Course.