EARLY – During Tuesday evening’s meeting, the Early City Council ratified the Early Municipal Development District’s action to use a grant in the amount of $120,000 from the special projects budget for accessories around the turf area at the Town Center Park.

The main accessory is a 36×58 shade structure, along with furniture and outdoor games that will be included. The shade structure, which features a 12 foot doorway and 16 foot ceilings, is expected to cost $72,000 alone.

The desire is to place the structure as soon as possible before buildings are constructed in the future, making access to available room more challenging.

The Council also agreed to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the West Texas Council of Governments for a Comprehensive Plan Grant Program.

City Administrator Tony Aaron explained, like a Master Plan, a Comprehensive Plan is the guiding document of how cities grow and develop for the foreseeable future. The plans are usually for 10 to 20 years and Early’s last plan expired in 2020.

Aaron said the West Texas Council of Governments approached the City of Early and informed them a grant was available that includes addressing hazard mitigation items with the Comprehensive Plan.

With the Council’s approval, the West Texas Council of Governments will apply for the grant and if the grant is awarded to the City of Early it should be able to create its own Comprehensive Plan at no cost. If Early is awarded, it will outline all the areas it will cover in the Comprehensive Plan.

Aaron also informed Council there is a statutory requirement for a City to have a Comprehensive Plan.

Council on Tuesday night also approved the 2025 Brown County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan for the City of Early as a participating entity.

Aaron said the Hazard Mitigation Action Plan is reviewed every 5 years and updated, and the cities and the county provide known hazards and how to mitigate those hazards, whether through public notifications, education outreach, or providing improvements to areas of need. The goal is to attempt to mitigate those hazards over the next 5 years.

The top three hazards for Early and Brown County, according to Aaron, are storms, wildfire and drought.

Mayor Robert Mangrum added that not having a Hazard Mitigation Action Plan can impact the likelihood of receiving grants in these areas.

Council also approved an application to the TxDOT 2025 Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TA) call for projects.

Aaron referred to the item as the “Sidewalk Grant” as the City would sponsor a grant for sidewalks in neighborhoods that connect to TxDOT areas. Meanwhile, TxDOT is also sponsoring a grant on behalf of the City of Early for sidewalks up and down Early Blvd.

The grant is worth almost $5.1 million, but Aaron informed the Council there is “stiff competition.” Anything over the $5.1 million figure the City of Early would be required to pay.

Also, the Early City Council accepted the resignation of Council member Leland Acker. The recommendation of an appointee to complete Acker’s term is expected to be brought before the Council at the next meeting on July 8.

Other future dates of interest for the Early City Council are a June 16 public hearing on the sidewalk grant, the grand opening of Atwoods on June 18 in which Mayor Robert Mangrum has been requested to offer remarks, the Juneteenth Celebration June 19-22 as the Early Town Center will host the 5K June 21, a TxDOT meeting to discuss Garmon Drive (US 84/183) right turn lanes will take place June 29, and a special called meeting for the 2025-26 tax rate is expected for July 29.