Bonham, Texas -- The Bonham City Council met for a regular meeting on Monday, May 12, 2025 at Bonham City Hall. Mayor HL Compton called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm. All council members were present.
* * * * *
Council canvassed the returns of May 3, 2025 election. Bonham Municipal Court Judge Michael Evans administered the oath of office for council members elected. There are now two new faces on Bonham City Council because of the municipal election. Clark Smith is now representing Ward 3 and Sam Fox is representing Ward 2. Allen Sanderson was re-elected to represent Ward 4.
* * * * *
Council selected John Burnett to be the Mayor Pro Tem. Evans administered the oath of office for Mayor Pro Tem.
* * * * *
Mayor Compton gave a presentation for outgoing City Council members Wayne Moore and Timothy LaVergne II and thanked them for their service. Moore has served on the council for a grand total of 20 years and LaVergne has served for the last six years.
* * * * *
Council approved the minutes of the regular meeting on April 14.
* * * * *
Council received and approved the financial report for the month ending April 30, 2025. Sarah Osburn, Director of Administrative Services, noted that sales taxes have at least stopped going down. Currently sales taxes are at 3%, but the budget is based on 7%.
* * * * *
Citizens Opportunity to Speak:
Mary Kay Wilson asked the council to address the traffic situation. She clarified that she was not talking about the highways that go through the city limits. She noted that many city streets are two narrow lanes and when cars are parked on the street, it can be difficult to travel on the streets.
Antonio Rodriguez said he has been a resident of b
Bonham for 30 years and served five years on the city council. Rodriguez briefly thanked BEDCO for cleaning up a property near his home. He also said that when he was on the council, his wife applied to be on the BEDCO board and he was told it was conflict of interest, so his wife withdrew her application. Rodriguez stated that Mayor Compton and Council member Quintana each have spouses serving on councils or boards that are appointed by the city council. He asked why that is now allowed and expressed disapproval.
David Keene thanked everyone for a successful Vive le Bois d’Arc event. He praised Jenn Self Knight for pulling together a diverse crowd of dignitaries. Keene also noted that the Mayor, City Manager Sean Pate, Mark Posey, Samantha Lumpkins and others all helped make the event a success. Keene also pointed out that the county now has a bois d’arc tree on its property and he now thinks the city needs one too. The city of Bonham used to be called Bois d’Arc before its name was changed to honor one of the heroes of the Alamo. The room erupted with applause when Keene finished speaking.
A lady named Karen spoke next. She stated while she is not a resident of Bonham, she is a part of a fly ball club that has rented the Complex six times a year for the last several years. She said that the rental price went up when city council took over. She noted that their events bring revenue to the city through hotels, RV parks, Air BNBs and restaurants. She asked for the council to reconsider their new policies that include paying 50% at time of booking and paying the final 50% more than 90 days ahead of time. She said that they are a small club and these policies create a hardship, as their event fees are generally not paid until about 30 days before the event.
Wayne Moore said he has served alongside many mayors and no one has been more dedicated or hard working than the current mayor and he will always have Moore's support and respect.
Sean Pate asked the city attorney to speak about conflicts of interest. She stated that it is not a conflict of interest for spouses to serve on councils or boards as appointed by the city council. She said serving on the councils or boards is a volunteer position and not they are not paid employees. She said the city council members are not supervising their spouses nor are they benefiting financially when their spouses serve on boards as volunteers, therefore it is not a conflict of interest.
* * * * *
Fire Chief Chris Hughes gave the council an update on Mission Critical Partners Assessment. On October 1, the city no longer provided EMS for the county. The city brought in Mission Critical to help with this change and they came up with nine recommendations. Hughes reviewed the nine recommendations and reported on how the department has responded.
The first recommendation was to retain the current staff. Staff that worked EMS was rolled into the fire rotation, and Hughes reviewed the numbers of calls and training accomplished. The second recommendation was to consider staffing pattern change for a trial period. Hughes said they have done this and it has been very positive. Other recommendations were to start the planning process for an engine replacement and to sell the excess fleet and equipment no longer needed. Some surplus equipment has been repurposed within the department. Hughes said the fire department is currently fully staffed and has six on the wait list. Quintana asked for more information about the staffing schedule change. Hughes said that traditionally, they had worked 24 hours, then been off 48 ours. They have switched to working 48 hours and being off for 96 hours. He said that there has been decreases in overtime and sick time. Staff have more time with family and for those who live farther away, this change has reduced the number of commutes by 50%.
* * * * *
Council held a public hearing and approved an Ordinance to adopt water, wastewater, and roadway impact fees and associated rules and regulations. Ross Altobelli, Director of Community Development, said the Impact fees help fund infrastructure improvements. They compared the proposed rates to surrounding communities. He said that they want to be open to development, but want developers to pay for it. The proposed rates are based on current projections for the next ten years, which could change. Altobelli said that in-fill developments are proposed to be treated differently and cost less because the land is already platted, roads are already built and other infrastructure is also already there. Pate noted that once the council approves this ordinance, it will have one year until it goes into effect, so that developers can plan for it.
* * * * *
Council adopted a Resolution to approve a Bonham Economic Development Corporation Resolution authorizing the issuance of a promissory note to finance ground and elevated water storage tank maintenance. Pate said that the water towers are closely monitored for safety and that repairing and painting the towers is part of routine maintenance and the city would rather pay for maintenance instead of fines from TEC. All the water towers will have the new city logo and one will also have the Bonham ISD Warrior head.
* * * * *
Council approved a Resolution approving a Development Agreement with Fieldside Development, LLC for a 200-acre development. Joey Grisham, BEDCO Director, said this development will be off US Highway 82 and eventually include 1000 single family homes, pickle ball courts and some parks too. This $350 million development will include about 200-240 lots in the first phase. Improvements to water and wastewater and major roadways are also included in this development. When a council member asked what the projected home costs will be, Grisham said that they are estimating homes to be in the $300k-$450k range, but that could change. Pate said they will probably have some $275k homes too.
* * * * *
Council went into closed Executive Session at 6:16 pm. Pursuant to chapter 551, Texas Government Code, the council discussed the following: deliberate the purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property concerning 36.702 acres of land, a part of the Mary Caldwell Survey Abstract Number 180, a part of the Joel Anderson Survey Abstract Number 12 and a part of the William McCarty Survey Abstract Number 706, lying and being situated on the North side of Lake Bonham in Fannin County, Texas.
* * * * *
Council came back to open session and approved the lease. Meeting then adjourned.
