BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL FORMALLY REQUESTS STATE RECOGNITION OF BRENHAM AS ‘ICE CREAM CAPITAL OF TEXAS’

  

The Brenham City Council adopted a resolution today (Thursday) formally requesting that the Texas Legislature designate Brenham as the “Ice Cream Capital of Texas.”

City of Brenham Tourism and Marketing Director Jennifer Eckermann explained that the request came about after a councilmember for the City of Deer Park, which is located near the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, the last battle of the Texas Revolution, was unhappy about the Visitor Center marquee’s usage of the term “Birthplace of Texas.” 

Since the City of Deer Park has the phrase trademarked, the Visit Brenham Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) discussed alternatives.  Eckermann said they quickly landed on an option paying tribute to a signature mark of Brenham: Blue Bell Creameries.  

Eckermann said the DMO reached out to the office of Senator Lois Kolkhorst, who asked the city to pass a formal resolution so that the Texas Legislature could consider it in the next legislative session.

Councilmember Adonna Saunders asked if anything would change with other places in Washington County that reference “Birthplace of Texas”, to which Eckermann replied that this only applies to the Visitor Center, since other references, like on the side of Washington County EMS ambulances, fall under the county. 

Eckermann also suggested that, like Deer Park did with “Birthplace of Texas”, Brenham could opt to trademark “Ice Cream Capital of Texas”, a proposal the council seemed agreeable to. 

In other business, the council:

• Held work session discussion regarding several proposed updates to the city charter ahead of a charter amendment election in May.  City Secretary Jeana Bellinger said the next step will be a work session at the council’s meeting on December 5^th to review the official charter propositions, of which she estimates there will be between 9 and 12.  The readings of an ordinance to order the charter amendment election will occur at council meetings on January 23^rd and February 6^th.
• Received a work session presentation on re-adopting guidelines and criteria for granting tax phase-in in a city reinvestment zone. 
• Approved several items pertaining to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.  They included a resolution regarding citizens’ participation and civil rights policies and procedures required to be adopted by grant recipients for the award of the CDBG program from the Texas General Land Office for street and drainage improvements to Lott Lane and Shepard Lane; a resolution designating authorized signatories for contractual documents and documents requesting funds for the CDBG program related to street and drainage improvements; and a resolution authorizing the submission of a grant application to the Texas Department of Agriculture for the CDBG program for street and drainage improvements.
• Passed resolutions for the submission of a grant application and the acceptance of $28,041 in grant funds through the Office of the Governor, Public Safety Office, Homeland Security Grants Division for the 2024 State Homeland Security program – Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activities (LETPA) projects.  The grant is for the purchase of an Autel Alpha Drone and applicable equipment.
• Purchased one Vermeer Hydrovac unit for the city’s Electric Department through BuyBoard for $65,900.  The unit is for use in excavating and identifying underground utilities.
• Met in executive session to discuss the appointment of a Brenham Municipal Court presiding judge.  The current presiding judge, John D. Winkelmann, was elected as the 335^th District Court Judge and will take office in January.  No action was taken from the executive session.

Click here to view the agenda packet for Thursday's meeting.