In an effort to keep citizens better informed, the Cave Spring City Council is set to consider authorizing a subscription to the messaging service TextMyGov. The service would allow the city to send messages directly to citizens. According to Downtown Development Authority Director and Deputy Court Clerk Marley Peals, the service also allows citizens to report issues via text. Once a problem is reported, the system would analyze the text and automatically generate a work order that would be routed to the appropriate department.
Peals explained that notifications can be targeted for distribution to specific streets or addresses. The city would also be able to create different notification groups that citizens could choose to opt in to, such as “city events” or “elections”.
If approved, there would be an initial set-up fee and an annual subscription fee. The initial database of phone numbers would be based on information the city has as well as publicly available directories. The initial contract would be for a three-year agreement with year-to-year agreements thereafter.
DDA Report
During the Sept. 1 work session, Peals also provided an update on DDA events and activities. The 9/11 Remembrance Service will be held on Friday, Sept. 11, at 11 a.m. at the Veteran’s Plaza.
Other September events include the Historic Preservation Trust’s Fall Ramble on Friday, Sept. 25. Several hundred visitors are expected to be in town to tour historical sites and homes. On Sept. 26, the PigOut festival will take place at Rolater Park. Gates open at 10 a.m.
The DDA is already preparing for Halloween and the second annual coffin race. Registration for the event is now open. Peals said they hope to have at least eight teams participate this year. Peals also encouraged those who would like to participate in the Halloween parade to start working on their floats.
Court Report
The City of Cave Spring Municipal Court collected $110 in August. Fines levied total $220.
Police Department Report
Acting CSPD Chief Debbie McCain reported that operations at the police department are going smoothly and that her officers have been “awesome” despite recent personnel changes. McCain said she has asked her officers to increase patrols and visibility. During the past month, CSPD officers responded to 26 dispatched calls and 387 non-dispatched calls.
Billing Report
The city billed $136,529.51 in total water and sewer services last month along with $26,026.55 for other services such as trash and leak insurance.
The billing report shows approximately 28.4 million gallons of water pumped to the system during the last reading period. Total accounted for water was 23.3 million gallons with an apparent loss of just over 5 million gallons, or nearly 18% for the reading period.
Fire Department Report
The Cave Spring Fire Department responded to 32 calls during August 2026, bringing the year-to-date total to 174 calls. Medical calls represented the largest category, with 13 responses (41%), followed by seven public service calls (22%) and four fire alarms (13%). The department also responded to three vehicle wrecks, two woods fires, two car fires, and one miscellaneous fire; there were no structure fires reported during the month.
Of the 32 August calls, 14 (44%) occurred within the city limits and 18 (56%) occurred outside the city limits.
Council Committee Reports
The only council committee to meet during the past month was the Oversight Committee. A recap of that meeting was posted on August 26. Going forward, council committee reports will be made quarterly.
Commercial Work Permits Moratorium
Chairman Dennis Shoaf presented council with a draft ordinance to establish a 90-day moratorium on the acceptance and processing of applications for commercial work permits within the city. The purpose of the moratorium is to allow time to review the city’s ordinances, permitting procedures, regulations and requirements applicable to commercial property and commercial development. There would be exceptions including issuing permits to address emergency conditions and to complete work pursuant to a previously issued and valid permit.
SCADA Water Equipment
Council will be asked to authorize the purchase of new water system monitoring equipment. The current base station computer is severely outdated and needs to be replaced. The equipment, software, programming and support is expected to cost $6,310.
Safety Equipment
City personnel recently completed a training class for flagging certification. As part of that training, certain equipment needs were identified. City Manager Stephen Walker will be attending a safety coordinator class later this month. Upon completion of that class, the city will be eligible to apply for a grant to fund the purchase of the needed equipment. The estimated cost for the vests, signs, drums, flashlights and other safety equipment is $3,416.
Executive Session
Council met in executive session to discuss pending litigation and personnel. No action was taken.
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