There was a celebratory air on Jan. 28 as the Krugerville mayoral position was filled by City Council member Rodney Cagle after the seat was vacant for almost six months.
Cagle, who received unanimous support from the dais, has served on the Economic Development Corporation board since 2016, the Community Development Corporation board since 2018 or 2019, and held Place 1 on the council since 2021.
Cagle replaced former Krugerville Mayor Jeff Parrent, who resigned on Aug. 1.
Cagle’s term will expire “in conjunction with the General Election on May 2.”
As Cagle became mayor, Place 1 on the council opened up, and the dais voted unanimously to appoint longtime attendee Matt Cruson.
“Matt's been coming to meetings for a long time, and I think what's really cool is that he started coming because he didn't like something, and instead of just yelling and screaming about it, he came to meetings,” Mayor Pro Tem Kristen Kromer said.
The transition of power occurred immediately: Cagle moved to the center of the dais to assume the role of mayor, and Cruson, who was seated in the audience, took his seat on the board.
Cruson’s appointment on the board will “expire in conjunction with the General Election in May 2027.”
Also discussed at the meeting is the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be held in North America: Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The tournament will be held in 11 cities, including Houston and Dallas.
Chief Stoney Ward met with the FBI to discuss the surge in people coming to Texas, noting that it will be all-hands-ondeck for surrounding law enforcement.
The tournament will run from June 11-July 19.
Ward added that teams must be in the U.S. by June 5.
“That's going to put a big old dent in our ability for roughly 45 days,” Ward said. “It's going to tax law enforcement pretty hard. What we would normally have for backup if we called Denton for somebody to come help us with, probably not going to have that option.”
Ward said it’s unclear which team will be stationed in the DFW area, but a team will have its base camp at UNT Denton for practice and training.
“When you bring in all those people, and they find out that their team is stationed at UNT in Denton, all their fans and all their staff will come with it,” Ward said. “So, Denton and UNTPD—they're going to be just completely taxed.”
However, Ward added, the Krugerville Police Department will be prepared when the wave of people comes to town.
The city council unanimously approved the placement of two Flock Safety cam- era systems on the intersection of Arvin Hill Road and Stewart Road, and the intersection of Surveyors Road and New Hope Road.
The cameras are designed to automatically read license plates as vehicles pass and are expected to assist in police investigations.
“It is proven effective in solving crimes more quickly, including vehicle thefts, burglaries, assaults and missing person cases,” Ward said. “Just as importantly, these systems act as a deterrent to criminals, and they are less likely to target communities where they know their vehicles can be identified.”
Then he noted that the information will be retained for only 30 days unless needed for investigations.
The system does not identify individuals; it is designed to detect license plates, makes, models and colors, Ward said.
He added that the cameras should improve city safety without increasing staffing.
“It pretty much captures everything that we would need because Aubrey's got one at our north end city limit already in place,” Ward said.
Cagle shared his concerns about the system after conducting his own research.
“It's not just agencies who have access; it's private companies who have access,” he said. “If they have a Flock account, they can request the access from you, and it's reciprocal. And I'm pretty sure I would ask this council that in that policy that you put, that we do not allow private parties access.”
The police chief and the board agreed.
The cameras are expected to be installed by mid-February under a three-year contract, costing $6,000 per year to be funded with municipal court revenue.
City Council approved the bid with JWC Excavation for the street repairs on the intersection of Surveyors Road and New Hope Road.
It’s a location with frequent issues with 18-wheelers, delivery drivers and other vehicles getting caught in the ditch.
Kromer commented on the culvert extension.
“It's about 3 feet, and that's hopefully going to have them not fall off into the culvert,” she said.
Kromer added that the project will not start until the weather warms.
Further discussion will continue at the next meeting on the most cost-effective and efficient addition to the road extension, including guardrails to prevent vehicles from falling into the ditch.
Also at the meeting, the council discussed and approved the rate increase from the city’s engineer, Kevin Ware, president of KJE Environmental and Civil Engineering.
The city pays per project, with the cost of each project differing based on the number of employees in the company and their hourly rate, Kromer explained.
She added, the city “will continue to use him on existing projects.”
