Almost six years of service triggered a group hug at the Providence Village Town Council meeting on Tuesday evening.
The festivities celebrated the achievements of Development Services Manager Brian Markheim, who helped Town Manager Brian Roberson and the rest of the town staff navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, work with developers and open public facilities throughout the town.
'Being a part of something that was just kind of a bedroom community to what it is today is probably one of the biggest accomplishments in my life other than raising children and staying married for 25 years,' Markheim said after the meeting. '… I never thought in my life that I would have been part of something like this, and it's very satisfying to know that I had a hand in it.'
Roberson shared a litany of the accomplishments Markheim has achieved while working for the town. 'He was instrumental on helping us reimagine how we do things during COVID and beyond, really,' he said.
Markheim was the one who set up the live streaming capabilities in the council chambers.
'He also has created his own quasi-GIS system that only somebody with his particular brand of ADHD could do,' Roberson said.
He also said Markheim has helped manage the almost doubling of the town's population since the 2020 Census.
'Fortunately, he brought his sense of humor and a strong work ethic,' Roberson said. 'The ability to make stuff is really helpful, too.'
Roberson also joked that 'with a little time, distance and a lot of luck, my mom might stop calling him her favorite Brian.'
Mayor Linda Inman also shared her appreciation and well wishes for Markheim.
'You came in at a really rough time during COVID and water tower stuff and Snowmageddon,' she said. 'We've had a lot of challenging times, but man, we've had fun. We're just going to miss you.'
The council set its public hearings for the budget and tax rate adoption.
For the 10th year in a row, the town was able to lower the tax rate, with the 2025 rate falling to $0.474743, the no-new-revenue rate.
'The combination of our GOCO bonds and increasing the homestead exemption has successfully stabilized the rate, which is what we were attempting to do,' Roberson said. 'Next year, we will begin to see the effects of the over 65 freeze, which will continue to help stabilize the rate going forward.'
Inman complimented Roberson.
'Once again, you're making us look good by lowering the tax rate and coming in at or below the no-new-revenue rate,' she said.
He pointed out that the town's growth has made that possible and that well could still dry up in the near future, leading to 'some difficult conversations.'
Some of the budget highlights that would be funded through the proposed budget include earmarks for a 5% raise for qualifying town staff, the planned updates to the town's website, audiovisual equipment in Town Hall, added Flock security cameras, as well as three new employees in code compliance and facility maintenance, as well as funding for another police officer and half of a salary for an administrative coordinator at the new public safety station at FM 2931 and Frontier Parkway.
Council member Dustin Clay emphasized that the negative funds on the new budget are a reflection of the fact that the town will have received the funding for those uses before Oct. 1, but the revenues have to be included on the year in which they were received, so the budget is not upside down.
Also at the meeting, the council approved Roberson's contract.
During the meeting, the council reappointed Klayton Rutherford, Abigail Allen and Cheyenne Griffitt to the Economic Development Corporation and accepted Victoria Mitchell's resignation from the board. The council selected Blake Marts to fill Mitchell's seat.
The council also approved the annual service update for the Foree Ranch Public Improvement District and approved an amending plat for the Woodstone Phase 2 development.
