Willow Park
Willow Park City Council, Sept. 22: joining the county water agency, the Tractor Supply plat, new water rates, and a Dean Ranch settlement item
The agenda and packet, posted Sept. 16, put the Parker County Public Utility Agency, a $20,000 first-year share, the Tractor Supply Addition final plat and higher water volumetric rates and deposits before the council Tuesday at 6 p.m. The draft Sept. 8 minutes in the packet record the council's 5-0 votes adopting the budget and the $0.429041 tax rate.
Water agency. The council is asked to take three actions on the Parker County Public Utility Agency: a resolution approving the agency's creation and Willow Park's participation, the Agreement Regarding the Creation and Initial Funding of the agency with an initial annual cost share of $20,000, and the appointment of a director and an alternate. The staff briefing sheet says the payment is due to Parker County no later than September 30, 2026, that Willow Park falls in the $20,000 category for populations of 5,000 to 10,000, and that the payment is to be returned in full if the agency is not created on or before May 31, 2027. It recommends Assistant City Manager Michelle Guelker as director and Public Works Director Chase McBride as alternate. The Ledger's tracker follows the same agency in Aledo, where no vote on joining is on the record yet.
Tractor Supply and two small tracts. Public hearings and votes on initial Commercial (C) zoning for approximately 0.82 acres owned by BAR-KO Land Company, LLC and approximately 0.33 acres owned by Willow Park Services, LLC, both in the James Oxer Survey, Abstract No. 1029, and a vote on the final plat of the Tractor Supply Addition, 8.441 acres, Lot 1 and Lot 2, Block 1. The draft Sept. 8 minutes record the council's 5-0 votes approving the voluntary annexation of both tracts.
Water rates and deposits. A utility fee ordinance for fiscal 2026-27. The briefing sheet says water base rates and wastewater rates remain unchanged; it proposes residential volumetric charges of $4.13 per 1,000 gallons for 0-9,000 gallons, $5.17 for 9,000-20,000, $6.44 for 20,001-40,000 and $8.20 over 40,000, and raises residential and senior deposits from $100 to $150 and residential outside-city, rental and commercial deposits from $200 to $250.
Also on the agenda: appointing 7 to 11 members of the Comprehensive Planning Advisory Committee; authorizing Jacob & Martin Engineering to solicit bids to replace the ground storage tank at the El Chico Pump Station; the 2026-2027 information technology contract with Covington Services; a voter information document for the Nov. 3 special election on certificates of obligation, Proposition A; a representative to the Fort Worth Water and Wastewater Wholesale Advisory Committee; and the Weatherford Mountain Bike Club user agreement renewal.
Dean Ranch. The closed-session list includes the suit City of Aledo, Texas and City of Fort Worth, Texas v. City of Willow Park, Texas, Beall-Dean Ranch and Parker County, cause number CV26-0175 in the 43rd District Court, under Section 551.071, with the words Mediated Settlement Agreement & Mutual Release. The Sept. 8 agenda and the Sept. 15 special-meeting agenda listed the case with the words Mediation Settlement Agreement. The draft Sept. 8 minutes say no action was taken on any item discussed in executive session that night. Any action would come after the council reconvenes in open session.
What the draft minutes record from Sept. 8. The council adopted the fiscal 2026-2027 budget by Ordinance 947-26 and a tax rate not to exceed $0.429041 per $100 valuation by Ordinance 948-26, $0.25929 for debt and $0.169112 for maintenance and operations, each 5-0 on a roll call, and ratified the property tax increase reflected in the budget by Resolution 2026-34, which says the budget will raise $124,891, or 3.38%, more in total property taxes than last year's, and that $179,174 is revenue from new property added to the rolls. The minutes are a draft on the Sept. 22 consent agenda and are not approved.
How to speak: fill out a speaker form and give it to the city secretary at least five minutes before the 6 p.m. start at City Hall, 120 El Chico Trail, Suite A; comments are limited to five minutes, or three if more than ten people sign up, per the agenda.
Sources: City of Willow Park, City Council agenda for Sept. 22, 2026 (posted Sept. 16); City of Willow Park, City Council packet for Sept. 22, 2026: draft Sept. 8 minutes, PUA and utility fee briefing sheets; City of Willow Park, City Council special meeting agenda for Sept. 15, 2026
How this was sourced: The Sept. 22 agenda (a scanned document the Ledger read by optical character recognition and checked against the text-based packet), the packet's briefing sheets and the draft Sept. 8 minutes it contains, and the Sept. 15 special-meeting agenda, all read Sept. 20. The Ledger has not seen current water rates, the ordinance text in full, the plat drawing or the terms of any settlement. Personnel matters on the closed-session list are not described here. Everything above is what the agenda proposes; nothing is decided until the council votes.