Darrel Lackey works for the City Street Department, and he was selected as June Employee of the Month. He was given the award honored at the July 8th City Council meeting by the Street Department Supervisor, Luis Rios.
The standing- room- only crowd that was present at the July 8th City Council meeting also got to see the New Police Chief, Stephen Lozano, sworn in by Judge Sharon Blossman (San Saba County Justice of the Peace.) You can find photos and his bio in our July 17th edition. We have copies in our News Office at 505 E. Wallace St. just across from the Courthouse.
After the swearing in ceremony, Chief Lozano introduced some of the visitors to the Council and those in attendance. Besides family members and San Saba Police Department officers, there were also many law enforcement officers from other counties who had worked with Chief Lozano in the past and were present to encourage him, congratulate him, and wish him well.
There was a brief recess after these two presentations for refreshments and so everyone could greet the new Police Chief.
After the meeting resumed, the following Consent Agenda items were approved by the Council:
• minutes from the June 10, 2025, Council meeting; payment of bills;
• Resolution No. 2025-27 waiving noise ordinance on July 12th, 2025 for James King and changing the location from Joe Ragsdale Pavilion to Mill Pond Gazebo due to flood issues;
• Resolution No. 2025-28, a Resolution which authorizes the City to enter into an agreement with TxDOT for the closure of Wallace Street for the Rodeo Parade scheduled for August 16, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.;
• Resolution No. 2025-29 a Resolution closing the 300 and 400 blocks of E. Wallace Street to Parking one hour prior and during the annual Rodeo Parade scheduled for August and Christmas Parade in December.
The following Discussion/ Action Items were approved: 1. Resolution No. 2025-30 approving the proposed Economic Development Commission budget for the Fiscal Year beginning October 1, 2025, and ending September 30, 2026, previously approved by the Economic Development Commission Board.
2. Resolution No. 2025-31 which updates the contract with the Central Appraisal District of San Saba County for tax years 2025-2026.
City Manager's Report (as provided by City Secretary Sabrina Maultsby):
Please note: this information was AS OF this meeting time on July 8th and was before the second flood that took place a just few days after this meeting.
Scott Edmonson, City Manager reported on the following activities in the City of San Saba: Due to the recent floods, the Civic Center was opened as an Evacuation Center with 27 people; a flyer was put together and distributed in English and Spanish; Red Cross was registering people; Mill Pond Park is very dirty at this time since the water has receded; Wyatt Deans with TDEM went to the Garden Club to do an assessment; Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is here helping people clean up their homes; the San Saba River Golf Course and RV Park had the most damage for City properties; a lot of damage to Cabo San Saba, a lot of the RV’s washed downstream and are on the Golf Course; most of the RV’s were proactive to move from the RV Park; the Streets have some damage; the Water System was 6” away from being flooded; Lost some pumps; have not been able to get into Risien Park and the Nature Park; spoke with Rob from Goldthwaite about the Goldthwaite Pump Station and they have a pump to replace the existing one if needed; there were electrical issues East of town; Kudos to the Police Department, the City Guys, the Sheriff’s Office, Wyatt Deans and TDEM, and Marsha Hardy; can’t take debris to the Transfer Site due to TCEQ requirements; Greg McGregor has offered the 10 acres for a TCEQ site; the Community has stepped up and we are very fortunate there were no lives lost.
The next City Council Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 12th, at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers located at 303 S. Clear. The public is invited to attend.