Mineral Wells Area News

By Amy Meyer | Editor & Founder | Mineral Wells Area News

Editor’s Note: Our weekly “Community Voices” column typically features local leaders — including upcoming pieces from PPGH CEO Ross Korkmas and Mineral Wells EDC Director Nathan Dhyre. This week, we’re pausing those guest columns so that Editor & Founder Amy Meyer can share her own perspective on where our community stands and where we’re headed.

In the five years since founding Mineral Wells Area News, I’ve never written an editorial. Our fiscal sponsor, the Institute for Nonprofit News, requires us to stay nonpartisan — and rightly so. But today I feel compelled. I’m tired.

Tired of the misinformation.

Tired of the half-truths.

Tired of the baseless accusations.

Tired of the conspiracy theories.

Tired of hearing about the “Good Ol’ Boy network.”

This week’s editorial comes on the heels of a story we published about the City of Mineral Wells reinstating a 3% convenience fee for credit card payments. The story sparked a firestorm of criticism online — most of it aimed at city leadership.

That reaction is exactly why I felt compelled to write this piece. It’s easy to get swept up in outrage and rumor. But it’s much harder to step back, look at the facts, and ask what’s really best for the long-term health of our community.

The truth is simple. We live in a small community. People here (and everywhere for that matter) do business with people they trust, and trust comes from showing up — not just sounding off on Facebook. Mineral Wells has countless boards that need volunteers. Festivals and events are always in need of hands. If you want to see this city improve, stop sitting behind a keyboard complaining and get out there. Be part of the conversation. Be part of the solution.

That’s why City Finance Director Aaron Bovos’ recent presentation at the Lions Club matters so much. He came here from Fort Worth with decades of municipal finance experience, and within months he discovered Mineral Wells was paying over 9% in credit card fees — more than $1 million a year wasted. He renegotiated the rate to 2.9%, saving us $800,000 annually. And still, the city spends more than half a million dollars each year just to let residents pay their bills on a credit card.

So yes, starting November 1, if you choose to use a credit card, you’ll pay a 3% convenience fee. Debit, ACH bank drafts, cash, and checks remain free. This is not punishment — it’s responsible government.

And here’s the bigger picture Bovos laid out: for the first time, the city has a five-year financial forecast. It shows that if nothing changes, the city’s state-mandated 25% reserve fund will vanish in just four years, leaving the general fund — police, fire, parks — insolvent. The solution is diversification of revenue and disciplined financial choices.

For years, critics have thrown around accusations of mismanagement without proof. What we see now is the opposite: leadership finally stepping up to right the ship.

This week, I also experienced what makes this community worth fighting for. Mineral Wells hosted its largest National Night Out yet, where neighbors, first responders, and families came together in true hometown spirit. And just days later, I attended the 45th Annual Crazy Water Festival — a deep-seated tradition that once spanned several days and filled the entire West City Park. While the location has shifted downtown, surrounding the historic Crazy Water bottling plant that still shares the mineral-rich legacy that put this town on the map, the spirit of community remains unchanged.

The festival was magical — live music, eclectic vendors, delicious food, and activities for all ages. It’s these moments that remind me why I believe in this place. These are the experiences that give me hope for Mineral Wells. And while hope is not a plan, it is the vision of a greater tomorrow — one we need to bring this sleepy little town into its next prosperous era.

Change isn’t happening as fast as some of us, myself included, might like. But it is happening. You can feel it in the crowds downtown, in the faces at community meetings, in the conversations about progress.

Mineral Wells often feels like a microcosm of this nation — divided, suspicious, tired. But HERE, we can control the outcome. We can choose our mindset. We can support the hard choices needed to keep this community afloat.

This is my first editorial, and maybe my last. But the message is one I believe in deeply: stop tearing this city down. Get involved. Be the local change we all say we want.

A Note on Letters to the Editor

Mineral Wells Area News accepts Letters to the Editor as part of our mission to foster dialogue in this community. To be published, letters must follow these parameters:

No personal attacks, name-calling, threats of violence, or profanity. Letters that are solutions-based, constructive, or offer thoughtful opposition will go to the top of the stack. Letters should come from Palo Pinto County residents unless the topic is directly relevant to this community.

Send letters to news@mwareanews.com for consideration.

Our goal is to foster meaningful community conversation — even when we disagree.

Amy Meyer, Editor & Founder

Mineral Wells Area News