City Council
Water Tower Color Decision Tabled for 31st Consecutive Meeting
Posted
At its special meeting on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the Dongvile City Council tabled agenda item 2, “Discuss and consider a color for the Dongvile Water Tower.” It was the 31st consecutive meeting at which the item has been tabled.
This time, the issue was the color samples. The Water Tower Paint Ad Hoc Committee delivered three finalist samples to Council Chambers before the August 4 meeting, and they were displayed on the west windowsill. By September 15, the samples had faded in the afternoon sun, and Council could not be confident they still matched the colors they were named for.
Motion by Councilmember Lovelady, second by Councilmember Krenek, to table the item until new samples can be obtained and stored away from the window. Motion carried 7–0.
Recent history
| Meeting | Reason for tabling, as recorded in the minutes |
|---|---|
| June 2, 2026 | The committee met but did not reach the end of its agenda |
| July 7, 2026 | Council requested more options |
| August 4, 2026 | Samples arrived too late in the day to view in natural light |
| September 1, 2026 | Pending a staff determination of whether “eggshell” is a color or a finish |
| September 15, 2026 | Samples faded |
Background
- The Dongvile Water Tower at Chili Dog St & W 2nd St is a 500,000-gallon elevated tank. It is currently painted with the score of the 1994 regional runner-up game.
- Resolution R-2024-07 created the five-member Water Tower Paint Ad Hoc Committee and directed it to “meet until a decision is reached.” Councilmember Peggy Sue Tatum chairs the committee. At her request, the committee’s preferred color will not be published until the committee reports.
- At the Mayor’s standing request, the water tower color is the first item of business after the call to order on every council agenda until it is resolved.
- The Tower Maintenance Surcharge, $1.25 per month on utility bills since 2019, pays for tower inspections, coating repairs and the eventual repainting. Choosing a color does not cost anything.
What’s next
The item will appear as the first item of business on the agenda for Council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers.
The City has also issued RFP-2026-09, Water Tower Repainting, Phase 0: Color Consultation. A non-mandatory pre-proposal conference is Tuesday, October 13, at 10:00 a.m. in Council Chambers, and proposals are due Thursday, October 22, at 2:00 p.m. Details are on the Bids & RFPs page.
“The committee has done its work. The samples simply did not survive the window,” said Councilmember Tatum. “New samples have been ordered, and they will be kept in a drawer.”
“We are closer than we have ever been,” said Mayor Gunther Tilbortion.
Residents may submit written comments on the tower color to the City Secretary. Comments are forwarded to the Ad Hoc Committee, which has received 1,140 of them to date.
For more information, contact the City Secretary at (936) 555-0110 or [email protected].