Copperas Cove city council candidates answer questions, early voting starts next week
By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
Copperas Cove voters will have a chance to hear more from current local candidates for both Copperas Cove city council and the CCISD board of trustees, at a forum next week held by the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce.
The forum will be on Wednesday, Oct. 26, starting at 6 p.m., and will be held at the CCISD Administration Building, 501 S. Main St.
Ahead of this forum, the Copperas Cove Leader-Press asked the candidates for Copperas Cove city council Place 4 questions related to sales tax use, city capital improvement plan and projects, initiatives, volunteerism, and accountability. The following are their verbatim responses.
JOHN HALE, PLACE 4 CANDIDATE
1. SALES TAX USE. In 2021, Copperas Cove voters approved the continued use of 1/8-cent of the city’s sales tax revenue to pay for street maintenance/repairs in the city. This year, voters will return to the polls to decide if an additional 1/8-cent of sales tax funds should be used for street projects. Do you think the city should use this additional 1/8-cent of sales tax funding for street work, or should this funding remain with the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation?
I believe that the city should use this additional 1/8-cent for street maintenance/repairs. This is one of the areas that the citizens are almost always talking about when I have spoken to them. We need to work harder at maintaining our streets at a 70% to 80% level, (industry recommendation), rather than letting them get to the point of replacement. The cost of replacement is much greater than maintenance.
2. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN & PROJECTS. The City of Copperas Cove has a Capital Improvement Plan for the years 2023-2027. There are Public Safety, Transportation, Local Infrastructure, Parks projects, and more listed on that plan. What in your opinion are the key projects on the plan that will have an impact on residents?
I believe that all of the CIP projects are important for one reason or another. There are some things that should just work, such as street lights, I don’t think citizens care if they are LED or not, just that they work, just like having good water pressure should just work. Looking to what they can see, new sidewalks, road repairs, and parks projects are things they the citizens see and use regularly.
3. INITIATIVE. If elected to office, what initiative(s) would you like to set in motion to improve the city during your term of office?
Knowing that there are many projects in the plan for the city that help with growth, I would like to work closely with the EDC and assist with getting some type of career path jobs located in Copperas Cove. Currently, we have many citizens that work outside the city due to lack of career jobs. We have a strong, willing and able workforce here, they just need the opportunity.
4. VOLUNTEERISM. Volunteerism is a part of your candidate platform. As a volunteer who has been affiliated with the Five Hills Scholarship Pageant Program, do you think the city council should continue this program via ordinance, or should the program be discontinued? If so, what should that program look like? If you think the program should be dropped, should the city encourage the same type of fundraising and volunteerism?
Looking at this, I thought about the options given in the question, “ordinance” or “discontinued”, this limits the answers, so I will go outside the question a little, I believe that the program is/was, a great opportunity for the participants and the community. I think that this program could continue as a non profit, in the City of Copperas Cove, but not as a city organization. I believe that being an organization that should be linked to Rabbit Fest, our local festival, would be the way to accomplish both youth and adult involvement. Many cities in the region have pageants tied to their local festivals, Holland Corn Festival, and Lampasas Spring Ho, and they all travel to other parades in other communities in the region to show pride.
5. ACCOUNTABILITY. If elected to office, how would you hold outside entities accountable to the agreements they have with the city, such as the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce with their marketing agreement as the city’s tourism bureau; CCISD with the shared use facilities and policing services; and the CCEDC Improving Economic Development/ Economic Growth/ Business Attraction?
For all entities that do business with The City of Copperas Cove, Chamber of Commerce, EDC, CCISD, if we have contracts in place, we should be following the contract details, as an example, if you are to report to the City Council each quarter and you fail to do so, we should refer to what the contract states as a penalty for not meeting the obligation of reporting in the contract. If there is nothing in the contracts with the City, contracts should be re-written to have some type of penalty to incentivize following the contract. If a contract cannot be enforced, is it really a contract, or is it simply an arrangement?
EDITH NATIVIDAD, PLACE 4 CANDIDATE
1. SALES TAX USE. In 2021, Copperas Cove voters approved the continued use of 1/8-cent of the city’s sales tax revenue to pay for street maintenance/repairs in the city. This year, voters will return to the polls to decide if an additional 1/8-cent of sales tax funds should be used for street projects. Do you think the city should use this additional 1/8-cent of sales tax funding for street work, or should this funding remain with the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation?
I believe that the additional 1/8-cent of sales tax funds should be used for street projects. Fix all the pot holes with in our City limits and add more side walks if it’s necessary.
2. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN & PROJECTS. The City of Copperas Cove has a Capital Improvement Plan for the years 2023-2027. There are Public Safety, Transportation, Local Infrastructure, Parks projects, and more listed on that plan. What in your opinion are the key projects on the plan that will have an impact on residents?
Our City needs a Community Recreational Center. Where our citizens can enjoy indoor table tennis, pickleball, walking path, swimming pool, basketball court, skating rink and small gym to exercise and do workout on your own pace. These are a few indoor activities that we can do. We can add more, depending on what our citizens needs. Next to it, should have a nice family park with water splash pads. Children will love that, since they love playing with the water. Some of our citizens goes to Killeen, so why not have our very community recreational center and keep the money here. After all, this is a City Family Living.
3. INITIATIVE. If elected to office, what initiative(s) would you like to set in motion to improve the city during your term of office?
I would like to set in motion to start building a new Senior Center as soon as possible. I myself goes to Killeen Senior Center. They have very nice building, lots of activities to all Seniors. They offer line dancing, Zumba, hula, aerobics and Silver Sneakers Stability Class ( Exercise and work on your own pace, skills and drills to improve balance, agility, mobility and strength). They have circuit training, American Dominoes, Art Class, beginner’s sewing class, crochet/knitting class to name a few.
4. VOLUNTEERISM. Volunteerism is a part of your candidate platform. As a volunteer who has been affiliated with the Five Hills Scholarship Pageant Program, do you think the city council should continue this program via ordinance, or should the program be discontinued? If so, what should that program look like? If you think the program should be dropped, should the city encourage the same type of fundraising and volunteerism?
My answer would be YES!!! I believe that the City Council should continue this program via ordinance. All participants should live within the City of Copperas Cove and military families that live in surrounding areas with military ID. The winners should get their monetary prize, the same day they were crowned. No need of waiting for the whole year. Another thing, if they won $100 they should receive $100 not $50.
The title holder can choose a platform that will benefit us locally. They can attend all the events that was given but not mandatory. If to select an Ambassador, should not base on “ who got the most hours”. It should base on the accomplishments of their platforms. Younger title holders, have advantages cause the parents are really the one working. Making sure that they do this and that! So, volunteering should comes from the heart not being told to do it, so they can get more hours.
If the program should dropped, the City should encourage everyone to volunteer and offer scholarships to those individuals that did help/ fundraised and their community involvement.
5. ACCOUNTABILITY. If elected to office, how would you hold outside entities accountable to the agreements they have with the city, such as the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce with their marketing agreement as the city’s tourism bureau; CCISD with the shared use facilities and policing services; and the CCEDC Improving Economic Development/ Economic Growth/ Business Attraction?
If elected, I would support the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce and CCEDC. They have staff that can do reports and given to City Council. The reports indicates how funds are used (each entity will have different parameters) be on the format - according to the entity. We, on the other hands should continue to support to promote tourism. We have an amazing City Manager, he is very approachable person and knows his job very well.
I will continue to support the interlocal agreement if City of Copperas Cove and Copperas Cove Independent School District. Right now, in my opinion is working very well on both sides. As long as the District continue to abide all the City rules and regulations while on City property. I have no problem with. Sharing is caring and we are ONE happy family!
I want to wish Mr. Hale good luck on his candidacy.
The winner of the Place 4 in election in November will fill the place currently occupied by Jay Manning. Manning has served two terms.
For Copperas Cove city council Place 3, incumbent Shawn Alzona is running unopposed and thus will get to serve his first full three-year term of office.
For Place 5, current councilmember Dianne Yoho Campbell withdrew from the race and will continue to serve until her term ends in November. The other candidate, Copperas Cove veteran and restauranteur Manuel “Monty” Montanez, will step into the position in November.
Early voting for the Nov. 8 election will begin on Monday, Oct. 24, at the Copperas Cove Early Voting Center, 508B Cove Terrace Shopping Center.
Voting Hours
October 24-28 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
October 29 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
October 30 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
October 31 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Nov. 1-4 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.