Concerns from residents about tensions among members of the Bandera City Council have prompted questions about how those disagreements could affect city business and future projects.

To address those concerns, The Bulletin asked each council member the following questions: * What are your top three goals for the City of Bandera? * What initiatives or projects would you like to accomplish during your term? * How do you respond to concerns from residents regarding the tone and productivity of recent council meetings? * Do you foresee changes that could improve collaboration and effectiveness moving forward?

The following responses were provided by council members who responded to The Bulletin's request: Council Member Lynn Palmer "Good questions. All can be answered at a public meeting. Have an awesome day." Council Member Debbie Breen "My goals have always been transparency, accountability and fiscal responsibility. This is the platform that we ran on, what the voters wanted and one that we are determined to achieve. To peruse these goals we have had to traverse a lot of obstacles that have been thrown at us, starting with outright refusal to swear us in after the election in a timely matter. Once sworn in, we continue to deal with issues such as not allowing requested items on the agenda, no response to emails requesting information, not informing council of issues effecting the City, restricting access to City Hall and the list goes on and on. My top initiatives are securing a new waste water treatment site and the building of that plant, repairing/replacing the crumbling infrastructure and repairing our roads within our town. Unfortunately, all of these require a lot of money, and all are a slow process, but these are the priorities for me. The city will not be able to accomplish all of these in my term, but hopefully we can establish a path of priority to these projects and we can secure the land for the new waste water treatment plant. The City Council meetings have been very productive and contagious at times. The majority of that is due to City Hall not wanting to cooperate with Council. The Mayor, not the Council, determines what is on the agenda at City Council meetings. Council members can request items to appear on the agenda. If two members of council request the same item to be on an agenda, it should appear there, but I have found, in this term, that not to be the case on several instances. I will give an example: we have been requesting a budget workshop since Jan 2026 and it is finally appearing on June 30th. If City business is not appearing on the agenda, the Mayor should be questioned, not City Council. I do see change on the horizon. We have had to get through some tough topics in the meetings and behind the scenes. I think we are about to turn a corner on all that. We hired a City Administrator that is very aware of the issues (and politics) plaguing Bandera. Toni will bring focus, efficiency, oversight, and a vision to City Hall that it has been lacking for some time." Council Member Jeff Flowers "My focus for the remainder of my term isn't on political positioning, as I will not be seeking re-election this November. My priority is simply to finish my service cleanly. To answer your questions plainly and without the usual political fluff: On Goals and Initiatives: My primary focus is finishing out current infrastructure and safety discussions responsibly. However, looking at the bigger picture, the City of Bandera, a small municipality of fewer than 900 (if that) full-time residents, is facing a structural crisis. Roughly one-third of our entire budget is swallowed up by law enforcement alone, leaving very little for critical municipal needs and infrastructure. Over the last four years, the city has made great strides in actively seeking and winning grants, but even those come with a 10 to 20 percent matching cost that is difficult for our city to cover, despite how necessary the project may be. Furthermore, we seemingly now have more shortterm rental properties within city limits than permanent residents. We are a tiny town trying to fund full municipal operations on a shrinking resident tax base, while our taxpayers are getting double-dipped on taxes by both the city and the county with very little to show for it from the county side. If I had my way, the most fiscally responsible move for the taxpayers would be to dissolve the city entirely and turn operations over to Bandera County to eliminate this duplicate tax burden. On Council Tone and Collaboration: The contention residents are seeing at meetings is a direct symptom of people focusing heavily on personal vendettas rather than actual care for the community. Municipal governance relies on professional behavior. When individuals approach city business with personal agendas or antagonistic behavior, they shouldn't be surprised by the reactions that behavior provokes. When unity, trust, collaboration, objectivity and basic civility are severed, the focus on the important things gets lost in the smoke and mirrors. I completely understand why residents are frustrated; they deserve efficiency, not hypocrisy and double standards. Furthermore, the city is a governing body. As elected officials, we are chosen to represent the people, but we also have a fundamental duty to protect and support the integrity of the governing body itself. Progress will never be made as long as elected representatives keep approaching their duties solely through a resident's lens. Acting as if everything the city does is inherently bad is counterproductive; it causes deep discouragement and lowers morale among city employees who do not feel valued. You cannot effectively run a government if you treat the institution itself as the primary enemy. My approach for my remaining few months is to stick strictly to the numbers, important agenda items, and help wrap up immediate business before November when new council members step in.".