City of Azle Quarterly Newsletter November 2025
City Council Adopts 2025-2026 Budget
Azle City Council adopted the City’s Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget at the August 25, 2025 council meeting. The City of Azle’s Fiscal Year begins October 1 and ends September 30. The goal in preparing this budget was to maintain levels of service and make improvements where possible. Taxable property value for this year is $1,936,455,157, which is an increase of 7.8% from last year’s certified total of $1,796,702,936. This increase includes $50,651,509 in new construction. As a result, Council approved a combined tax rate of $0.6246927 per $100 for FY2025-2026. The rate is $0.0106058 more than the FY2024-25 adopted tax rate. The City continues to be on a solid financial foundation as we prepare for the coming year.
City Council and Staff work together to plan and prepare for the current and future needs of this growing city by managing growth and development, encouraging economic development, identifying and addressing infrastructure needs, and maintaining a financially sound and stable government.
With that in mind, some accomplishments over the past year include:
● 2045 Comprehensive Plan Implementation in progress with several projects underway including Downtown Main St. Turnback Analysis, Transportation Alternatives Project, and TxDOT Green Ribbon Beautification grants/ projects.
● Completed street reclamation of S. Stewart Street and overlayed N. Stewart from the Service Road to James street, Dwight Drive, J.B. Smith Road, and Dennis Drive.
● Capital projects included continued renovation of the driving range at Cross Timbers Golf Course.
● Equipment and fixture purchases included: 3 ambulances (Fire); loader/backhoe (Streets/Stormwater), infield groomer (Parks), sprayer/spreader (Parks), ZTR mower (Parks), universal turf machine (Golf).
● Maintained water and sewer rates.
● Adopted a new 10-year Economic Development Strategic Plan.
FY 2025-2026 Budget includes:
● Three (3) new positions are included – EMS Coordinator (Fire), Maintenance Worker (Streets) and a part-time Clerk (Human Resources)
● The Street Maintenance Fund includes funds for the reclamation of Stribling Drive.
● Equipment and fixture purchases include a cement mixer (Streets/Stormwater), ½-ton pickup truck (Streets/ Stormwater), ¾-ton panel van (Utility Maintenance), and a dispatch console (Police).
● Capital projects include the Dunaway Lane Reconstruction Project, the Charles St. Lift Station/Force Main Upgrade Project, the Central Park Trail Improvement Project – Phase 2, shade structures over the bleachers at the Shady Grove Park ballfields, as well as the shade structure at Shady Grove Park, and the FM 730 N / SH 199 Intersection Landscape Improvements Project.
● Initiate a study to create a city-wide sidewalk/trail plan with an emphasis on the downtown area ($500,000 TxDOT grant of which the City pays 20%).
Staff has made every effort to create a budget that will provide the services our citizens have come to expect and Staff will continue to seek improvements where they can be found. Furthermore, it is important to take a cautious approach in the coming year while at the same time intensifying our efforts to attract new businesses to Azle. For a complete look at the FY2025-2026 budget, visit the city’s website at https://city-azle-tx-cleardoc.cleargov. com/13506/793558/d.
This newsletter is printed quarterly and available online at www.cityofazle.org
Randa Goode
Mayor rgoode@cityofazle.org
Stacy Peek
Mayor Pro Tem speek@cityofazle.org
Derrick Nelson Place 1
dnelson@cityofazle.org
Amy Estes Place 2 aestes@cityofazle.org
Josh Berry Place 4 jberry@cityofazle.org
Rouel Rothenberger Place 5
rrothenberger@cityofazle.org
Brian Conner Place 6 bconner@cityofazle.org
City Council
Public Meetings
City Council meets on the first and third Tuesday each month. Agendas are posted the Wednesday before and can be found, along with past minutes, on the city website and at City Hall.
Planning & Zoning meets the first and third Thursday of the month.
Crime Control & Prevention District meets the second Thursday of each month, as needed.
Municipal Development District meets the second Tuesday of each month, as needed.
Parks & Recreation meets the third Monday of every other month.
*Meetings listed above are held at City Hall, 505 W. Main Street
Library Board meets the second Tuesday of each month at 1pm at Azle Memorial Library.
City Holidays
Thanksgiving
November 27-28
Christmas December 24-25
New Year's January 1
Police and Fire services will be available by calling 817-444-3221, or 911 in case of emergency. For water/sewer emergencies, please call 817-444-3221.
Christmas Day - Residential trash/recycling collection will slide one day; Thursday to Friday, Friday to Saturday.
New Year’s Day - Collection will be regular service.
505 W. Main Street Azle, Texas 76020
Tel: 817-444-2541
Don't pour your Thanksgiving cooking grease down the drain. Grease clogs your pipes and can even cause sewer backups. Protect your home, city, and environment by recycling it during this regional collection event.
Leaf Collection
The weather is finally cooling off and leaves are beginning to fall. Just a reminder - CWD will collect no more than 10 bags of leaves on your second collection day. Any amount of bagged leaves over 10 will be collected on your next week’s second collection day. If you have questions, please contact CWD at 972392-9300. For more tips, visit the City of Azle website at: cityofazle.org.
Also, heads up, the City has ordinances regarding leaf removal:
● Don't Blow Leaves into the Street - City Ordinance 13.10.006(c5) prohibits anyone from introducing, causing, or allowing yard waste (leaves/grass clippings) to enter the stormwater system
● Don't Let Leaves Pile Up in the Yard - City Ordinance 13.08.007 prohibits solid waste (including yard waste) accumulation on any premises except in approved containers.
● Don't Burn Leaves - City Ordinance 13.08.016 prohibits open burning in Azle without Fire Chief approval under City Council authority.
If you wish to be environmentally friendly with your leaves, mulching and composting are a better way to manage your leaves.
Scan for more information on what’s happening in the City of Azle.
Azle Memorial Library News & Events
Santa at Your Library - December 9 from 6 - 7:30 PM
Santa is coming to the Azle Library ! Take photos with Santa, play in real snow, enjoy a craft, & more! For families with children ages 2-10! Free! No registration required!
New Pre-K - 5th Curriculum Resource
The library now offers “Educate Station”, a Pre-K - 5th grade full curriculum online resource! Lesson plans in Language Arts, Math, Science, and more are perfect for homeschoolers, or any family with school-aged children who want to brush up on learning at home. Visit azlelibrary. org and click on “Digital Resources” to get started. A (free) library card is required to access this resource. Sponsored by the Azle Library Trust.
FREE In-Person Programs
The Library offers a variety of free entertaining and educational programs for kids, teens and adults. Learn about upcoming programs by visiting the Library’s website and Facebook page. All events take place in the Library Community Room, unless otherwise noted. Here are a few of the upcoming programs:
● Storytime: Little ones and their caregivers can participate in early learning fun with the Children’s Librarian! Tiny Tykes (ages 1-2) takes place every Wednesday at 10:30AM, and Pre-School Pals (ages 3-6) takes place every Thursday at 10:30AM. Please note: Storytime will not take place the week of Thanksgiving, on December 9, and the weeks of Christmas and New Years.
● Coffee, Coloring, & Crosswords: 1st and 3rd Monday of every month from 10-11AM in the Library Community Room. Adults of all ages are welcome to join us to enjoy coffee and adult coloring pages or crossword puzzles. Both hot and cold coffee options available! Free!
● Book Club: Meets 3rd Tuesday at 6 PM in the Community Room. Adults can join in a discussion about the book selection of the month. Refreshments provided, or bring something to share! 12/16: Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid.
Upcoming Holiday Hours
● Closed November 27 - 29 for Thanksgiving.
● Closed December 6 due to Christmas on Main.
● Altered hours on December 9 due to our “Santa at Your Library” event. Open 12-8PM.
● Closing at 6PM on December 23 and closing at 5PM on December 31.
