Thatâs apparently not the case â at least from the viewpoint of local candidates.
As the filing period closed Friday for the upcoming May 1 municipal and school board elections, all eight races in the Killeen area are contested.
Moreover, the three local elections â Killeen City Council, Killeen ISD school board and Harker Heights City Council had drawn a total of 25 candidates for eight seats.
Six of those candidates are seeking a single seat â District 1 on the Killeen City Council. With incumbent Shirley Fleming finishing her third term and ineligible to seek reelection because of charter restrictions, a half-dozen hopefuls are campaigning for the seat.
Killeen ISD board approves COVID-19 paid leave extension
The Killeen ISD board of trustees voted Tuesday to extend COVID-19 paid leave protections for staff through June 30.
The motion unanimously passed 5-0 with board members Corbett Lawler and Susan Jones absent and not voting. COVID-19 afflicted employees will be able to receive up to 10 days of paid leave, starting retroactively with Jan. 1.
In the midst of the raging pandemic, the KISD board also voted to begin looking for a cheaper employee medical health insurance plan.
Five board members, with Susan Jones and Corbett Lawler absent and not voting, voted unanimously to hire consultant BKCW LP to scout for savings in the form of a partially self-funded medical and ancillary health insurance plan for the approximate 3,500 employees who rely on the districtâs current fully funded health insurance.
Roughly 80 family, friends and community members came together Tuesday at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen to pay their final respects to Jim and Judy Kilpatrick.
Jim Kilpatrick, a retired Army major and sitting member of the Killeen City Council, died Jan. 5 at age 74 due to complications from COVID-19. His wife, Judy, died Dec. 15, 2020, of heart failure.
âWe are so grateful and honored that we can tell other people about Jim and Judy, and the mighty impact they had on us and countless others,â said Pastor Marc George, a longtime friend of the Kilpatricks. âOf their selfless service and the sacrifices they made for many years, through 37 years of marriage. As Genesis 1 says, âA man alone is not good.â But now they are together in Paradise, and for that, we are grateful.â
Camping World, a national RV dealership, has announced it is no longer interested in setting up an RV dealership in Killeen’s former Gander Mountain location, a city official said Tuesday.
A Killeen City Council member who had been on the council since 2015 recently died after battling COVID-19.
According to a report from our news partners at KWTX, Killeen City Councilman Jim Kilpatrick, 73, passed away on Tuesday. Kilpatrick served on the city council since May 9, 2015. He served as Mayor Pro Tem from 2017 to 2019, and was a member of the Killeen Planning and Zoning Commission from 1996 to 2003.
The Killeen Daily-Herald reports that Kilpatrick served in the Army for 20 years after being drafted at 19. He served in Vietnam, and received the Silver Star for his service. In honor of his service for not only the city council, but America as well, the City of Killeen flag has been lowered to half staff, as ordered by Killeen Mayor Jose Segarra.