Copperas Cove council approves firefighting gear donation, hears project updates

Copperas Cove City Council approved the donation of surplus firefighting gear Tuesday, a practical move that clears out equipment no longer needed in service and keeps public-safety assets from sitting unused.

The vote fit a pattern the council has already followed this spring. In April 2026, members approved donating two decommissioned ambulances, 2018 Dodge Ram 4500 Frazer units with about 124,700 and 112,800 miles, to Copperas Cove ISD and Lampasas ISD. Rene Bates Auctioneers Inc. had estimated similar rigs could bring about $5,000 to $9,000 at auction, but Fire Chief Doug Matthijetz said the school districts would get more value from them for student training than the city would from a sale.

Council also heard an activities report from the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce, keeping tourism and business promotion on the city’s radar. The chamber has long depended on hotel occupancy tax money and quarterly reporting under its marketing agreement with the city. In June 2023, it asked for $15,163.15 for visitor bureau operations for the first two quarters of the fiscal year, and reporting that year showed the chamber had gone about a year without a paid president or chief executive and nearly a year without a full paid staff. For residents, that meant the chamber’s work was tied directly to how Copperas Cove marketed events, drew visitors and supported local spending.

The meeting also included a broad update on local projects. At a February workshop, council reviewed 16 Copperas Cove projects listed in the Killeen-Temple Metropolitan Planning Organization’s short-range transportation plan and long-range 2050 metropolitan transportation plan. Council directed staff to schedule an April town hall so residents could weigh in before those projects came back for further discussion. The updates showed city leaders were still working through road and transportation planning that will shape how people move around Copperas Cove in the months and years ahead.

Those planning discussions come as Copperas Cove prepares for a major new service presence of its own. The city announced in February 2026 that Copperas Cove had been chosen as the site of a new VA clinic expected to open around the fourth quarter of 2028 and employ up to 500 people. Regular council meetings are held at 6 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 508 S. 2nd Street in Copperas Cove, where the city’s next round of routine business is likely to keep tying together public safety, local business and growth.