Jasper City Council Tables JEDCO Board Vote; Special Meeting Set for Friday

Photos and Video by Rita Shipp

Full meeting video

It was standing room only inside Jasper City Hall Monday night, as residents packed the chamber for the regular City Council meeting.

All members of the Jasper City Council — Mayor Clark McLane, District 1 Councilmember Mamie Horn, District 2 Councilmember Robert “Bob” Mayhar, District 3 Councilmember DeMarcus J. Holmes, District 4 Mayor Pro-Tem Angel McCroskey, and District 5 At-Large Councilmember Lequin Hildebrand — were present. Holmes participated via Zoom, where he was visible and audible to all in attendance.

One agenda item, “Discuss and Remove JEDCO Board Members,” was not addressed as planned. The city attorney explained that the council’s prior vote on JEDCO board appointments, taken during a previous meeting, was invalid under Texas Open Meetings requirements. While Holmes had participated in that earlier meeting via FaceTime, the video feed was only visible to the mayor and not the entire council or public, which the attorney said did not meet state standards.

Because of this, the JEDCO item was tabled, and a special meeting has been scheduled for Friday, August 15, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. At that time, Holmes will restate his nominations for the record.

JEDCO’s own meeting, originally planned for this week, was canceled. City officials said the JEDCO board may use the City Council chambers for future meetings, particularly while the Welcome Center undergoes air conditioning repairs.

The rest of the evening’s agenda proceeded with the council:

• Approving minutes from the June 9 and July 14 regular meetings.

• Awarding the streets construction contract under the GLO MIT Grant.

• Approving payment of an invoice from the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway Coalition.

• Approving the recommended bid for Grant 20-066-031-C225.

• Approving the recommended bid for the 190 Feeder Rehab Project.

• Granting a variance request for 115 N. Peachtree to allow construction of a 30x40 garage on an existing slab, subject to fire-resistant wall requirements.

• Public comments also included an update on disaster recovery services available to residents affected by Hurricane Beryl. Representatives from the Disaster Case Management Program (DCMP) with Disaster Services Corporation – St. Vincent de Paul shared that they provide free, personalized assistance to individuals and families, including personalized recovery planning, resource referrals, and access to Spanish-speaking case managers.

  
  

  • The program is available to residents in multiple Texas counties, including Jasper County.

    
    

  • For assistance, residents can email DR4798tx@svdpdisaster.org, call 844-832-4798, or visit www.svdpdisaster.org.