The Village of Salado will elect a Mayor to a two-year term on May 7. Mayor Michael Coggin filed for a position on the ballot. Linda Reynolds has filed as a write-in candidate.

We asked the following question:

Question 1: What can the Village do, if anything, to improve the Sanctuary agreements? (200 words)

Question 2: A petition for disannexation of property that includes Sanctuary was presented to the Village of Salado, resulting in another disannexation election in November 2022. Do you support or oppose disannexation of the proposed area? Why? (200 words)

Question 3: What is your opinion of the Village parks? (200 words)

Question 4: What is your opinion of the Village municipal building? (200 words)

Question 5: What is your opinion of the Village Tourism department and Visitor Center? (200 words)

Michael Coggin, PE

Michael Coggin, incumbent, Candidate for Mayor of Salado.

Question 1: Our village signed a series of development agreements with the Sanctuary a few years ago involving land transfer for a sewage treatment plant, zoning and tax rebates. These agreements heavily favored the developer. Now the Salado taxpayer is mainly responsible for paying for the sewage system debt and operations costs. The development agreement also required 50% of taxes collected to be returned to the developer. The development agreement also required Salado to establish a new public improvement tax district (PID) within the Sanctuary and did not really have an established expiration date. It was expected that the Sanctuary development would have been nearing completion and these costs would have been more fairly spread across many new homes and commercial stores that would actually use the sewage system.

I have been working to get these agreements revised to be more fair to the taxpayer of Salado. Our new legal team is nearing completion of an amendment to the Sanctuary agreement that will establish a firm completion date of 15 years, add favorable terms to the PID and limit maximum costs for sewage impact fees and tax rebates. This will result in a more reasonable development agreement for the Salado taxpayer.

Question 2: I strongly oppose the disannexation petition. It serves no purpose other than to make Salado look divided and filled with unhappy residents. Even if the disannexation were to succeed, the taxpayers in the disannexed areas will still be responsible for paying the sewage system bond debt so their taxes will not be substantially reduced. The disannexed areas will lose the zoning protections and police services. Even if the disannexation were to succeed, the village will still have to re-annex the Sanctuary to comply with the current Sanctuary agreement. I will be campaigning to defeat the disannexation movement.

Question 3: Pace Park will soon be getting an all-abilities playground. I am very excited to see this happen and hope to see this lead a series of improvements in all of our parks. Our pavilion has received minor upgrades in lighting and ceiling fans plus some much needed paint. A good neighbor repaired the pavilion fireplace. We have also cleaned up along the Salado Creek. I am also very excited about our new team members on the parks committee. New faces with new ideas will bring improvement plans. Our new subdivisions will also have parks and amenities – I am excited to see these improve our outside recreational opportunities. If elected as your mayor, I will always seek out cost effective ways to improve and maintain our parks.

Question 4: Our municipal buildings are not the most efficient arrangement for our village services. The police department is located in a house and the city hall is located in a former funeral home – both are showing signs of their age. The location is also not good for a city hall which has police vehicles, mowers, storage buildings and other unsightly village equipment. The current location could be a prime area for commercial development. As your mayor, I would be open to exchanging our valuable commercial property for an area located away from the village Main Street and tourist area.

Question 5: I am very pleased with our tourism department who have worked to bring events to Salado and to advertise Salado as a tourist destination. We are seeing a continual growth in our sales tax revenue which is a great indicator for our growing tourist visitation. I am firmly convinced that the costs that we expend to pay for our tourism department is returned in tourism spending (purchases, dining, hotel stays…).

Our Visitor Center needs improvement. It is in an odd location that is hard to find and does not have much parking. It is also very small.

If elected your mayor, I will always look for ways to increase tourism and to make our Visitor Center more efficient.

Linda Reynolds

Question 1: AFTER this May 7 election is over, residents will learn the results of our lawyer’s negotiations. I am not privy to those “results,” but Mayor Coggin has told me I won’t be happy!

Guess what voters? I have not been happy with The Sanctuary contract since before it was signed, sealed and delivered. It was a crooked deal, and we were lied to.

It was forced down our throats by real estate and banking interests with no concern for those of us who live in the village and have had to pay for it, for the past 6 years.

The November 2022 election may offer village residents the finale means to renegotiate the Sanctuary contract. Please be sure to ask questions, and demand truthful answers of all our elected officials prior to the November disannexation vote.

Question 2: Please, drive around College Hill and observe the devastation to the 8 lakes area where Frieda Hanks hoped to build a retreat (Sanctuary) for religious leaders to recharge their commitment to God.

It will become four story apartment buildings that send more sewage to Royal Street lift station to smell up our business district, and Mill Creek neighborhoods.

Next, find Salado Oaks drive and travel down a beautiful neighborhood street while you notice the devastation on the Eastside where The Sanctuary has been strip mining rock for the past year.

What will disannexation mean?

A. Residents continue to pay 60% of their Village property taxes as sewer debt.

B. Sanctuary land will also be disannexed including Wildfire. That may remove the Sanctuary albatross from our necks.

C. Residents will no longer have to pay franchise taxes to the Village.

D. Bell County road taxes will be used to work on neighborhood roads practically untouched in the 10 years I lived there.

The current administration intends to spend NONE of our $600,000 Federal recovery dollars in these neighborhoods.

As usual.

Question 3: Kudos to Alderman Howard for returning the Sirena Park parking lot back for public use.

And he has also worked tirelessly with the Parks committee to get the all abilities playground designed and built at Pace Park.

Soon the road around Pace Park will be refurbished, so driving and parking in the area will be improved.

The Sculpture Garden, and the Historical Society Cabins rely on volunteers to help contribute to our Village Parks, but we could always use more Park space, especially as dense housing developments arise.

Question 4: Village taxpayers have spent a great deal of money improving our municipal building. Except for an antiquated sound system which causes many residents to skip Board of Aldermen meetings (aldermen simply can not be heard), the building is fine for now.

Once we pay off the sewer debt, I would hope the village could sell the I35 access rd. property and the police station at a huge profit, and move to a quieter facility.

Question 5: I wish the tourism and visitors center was not housed on private property, and had more accessible parking.

My dream would be that the school system might build Superintendent’s offices on a school campus. Then the Village could consolidate offices, police, tourism and maybe chamber all in one building on Main Street with lots of parking.