The Early City Council conducted its monthly meeting on March 14th. After the prayer and pledge of allegiance, the Early City Council opened the floor to citizen comments. 

Afterward, the City of Early was rewarded February Business of the Month by the Early Chamber of Commerce.

Next on the agenda, the Early City Council held a public hearing over two issues regarding localized businesses. 

The City of Early approved the continuation of the variance granted to City Ordinance Code Chapter 23, Section 2-2, to place fireworks stand to sell fireworks at 710 Garmon Drive. 

The last item on the public hearing had to do with a property located at 720 Longhorn Drive. The owner plans to build an air b&b with shipping containers. However, his property is split between 3.16 acres in the city limits, and the rest in the county. There was a zoning issue brought up about changing the zoning of that property from a Single-family to General-residential. Yet, there were different legal questions that had to be answered, and neighbors had concerns about changing the zoning for that property. 

The owner will build the air b&b on the side that belongs to the county, where the city does not have zoning authority. For the 3 acres in the city limits, the owner only plans to clarify the road towards the air b&b with a caleche road. The City Administrator discussed they had considered a development agreement if the city rezones the property to a general residential area. Citizens who are neighbors of the property expressed concerns about the city changing the zoning designation. Most of the neighbors were not worried about the air b&b but were worried about the next person who owns the property in the future and what they could do. The City Council tabled this issue to do further research on the legal questions around it. 

Moving on to matters of new business, the City Council approved canceling the General Election for May 6, 2023 and declaring the unopposed candidates elected.

Then, the City Council accepted the 2023 Telecommunication Right-of-Way Access Line rates as provided by Public Utility Commission.

After that, the City Council approved supporting the Opioid Settlement Agreement. The City of Early opted into this settlement agreement that the state of Texas has filed. The City of Early will receive $14,000. Those funds go to specific items related to opioid abuse and recovery. This involves CVS, Walmart, Walgreens, and Allergan paying a settlement to the state that is then distributed to cities and counties. 

Moving through the agenda, the Council then approved the purchase of a replacement patrol car for the Early Police Department. 

The Council then approved establishing new bank accounts for the Series 2023 Certificate of Obligation funds. The funds of 4 million will be deposited for the city in March towards the Early Town Center Project. The Council approved a Certificate of Obligation Intrest and Sinking account that will be used to pay the debt. The other account is a construction fund related to the Early Town Center Project. 

Lastly, the City of Early discussed investment account options for the Series 2023 Certificates of Obligation funds. This was only a discussion item and no action was taken. The City Administrator discussed investment options for the City Council to consider. A presentation on this will be done at the next city council meeting April 11th.

During the Administrators Report, City Administrator Tony Aaron announced Early’s 2nd annual Courts and Controllers that will be happening at McDonald Park Saturday, March 25th. That same day, they will do a dedication ceremony for the Pavilion at McDonald Park. The dedication ceremony would be around mid-morning, but the exact time will be announced soon.