# City of Temple - City Council Meeting

The City of Temple regular City Council meeting was held October 15, 2026. The council approved the consent agenda, items 6A–6U, by a 5–0 vote. It included item 6R, delegating to the city manager authority to pursue eminent-domain proceedings if needed for the South Temple 36-inch water transmission main, described as approximately 28,000 feet long. Staff said the project serves a growing area and that property acquisition negotiations would continue, with fair-market compensation required if eminent domain is used. Residents asked for the item to be removed or postponed, citing concerns about the project’s public purpose, affected property owners, cost, and potential service to industrial developers. No contract award was presented. Speakers cited a reported $71.1 million cost for the South Temple water program and a reported $32 million developer commitment from Rowan; those figures were not verified during the meeting.

The finance presentation put the city’s outstanding debt at approximately $933.7 million and projected FY2027 issuances of $6 million in tax-supported debt and $39 million in water and wastewater revenue debt, with $51.8 million in principal retirements and $33.9 million in interest payments. Residents questioned borrowing, project costs, change orders, and developer cost-sharing, and requested spending records, an independent review of change-order practices, and public disclosure of vendor payments; no action on those requests was taken. A resident’s request for a six-month pause on data-center permitting, contracting, and development also received no council action. The council additionally considered a FY2027 fire-department classification change proposing one battalion chief and three firefighters; the vote result is unclear in the transcript.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure, Energy & Utilities
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure
**Published:** October 16, 2026

### Sources
- [City of Temple - City Council Meeting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arAqBi02j9s) - City of Temple