Copperas Cove council trims bond projects, lowers planned debt by $2.6 million

Copperas Cove trimmed its planned bond debt by about $2.6 million, a move that shields taxpayers from part of the cost even as the city keeps pressure on two visible needs at home: burial space and golf course upkeep. The council’s June 16 workshop followed its June 2 notice of intent for just over $34 million in annual certificate of obligation bonds, including about $6.4 million backed by general fund taxes.

The sharpest cut landed on the Copperas Cove cemetery expansion. Phase 1 had been budgeted at $2.1 million, but Councilmember Dale Treadway pushed to delay that construction until next year. City Manager Ryan Haverlah told council the cemetery has about three to four years of burial space left, depending on death rate and available plots, and said waiting could force families to look elsewhere for plots or choose cremation sooner than they might otherwise have planned.

Instead of moving straight into the full buildout, the council kept the project alive by setting aside $400,000 for architectural and engineering design. That work is expected to take about seven months, which keeps the project moving without immediately adding the full construction cost to the city’s debt load.

The Hills of Cove Golf Course also stayed in the mix as council members reworked the tax-supported package. The original plan listed $1.6 million for irrigation system and greens renovations, and Haverlah said the course’s irrigation is inefficient, with water spilling onto collars and leaving muddy conditions that make maintenance harder for the Parks & Recreation Department. Whether that project moves now or later will shape how quickly the city can address one of its most visible quality-of-life facilities.

The size of the backlog shows why the debate carried financial weight. Copperas Cove’s adopted 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Plan puts the cemetery master plan at $29 million and golf course improvements at $28 million, underscoring that both projects have been long-running capital priorities rather than sudden requests. The city’s 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Plan ordinance, adopted Aug. 19, 2025, says council has been working through workshops on the five-year plan and the specific funding details for fiscal 2025-2026.

For taxpayers, the immediate result is a smaller debt package and a slower pace for some of the city’s biggest visible projects. The next council decisions will determine how much of the remaining plan stays tax-backed and how long Copperas Cove can wait before those needs become more expensive to ignore.